Lverano Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 Looking for a good set of sand tires / snow tires for my 03 Bean Outback. How big of a 16 tire can I fit without modding anything, and not have wheels hitting the wells, etc.? Subaru is still running great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB's93LegacyL Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 (edited) Wondering if by "sand tire" you are looking for a tire that performs well off-road in deep loose sand where a low-pressure, large, wide tire would be best. If so, that's not a good tire for driving on snowy roads, where a taller narrower tire is better at digging in and compressing the snow underneath, getting to the surface of the pavement without pushing through as much snow as a wide tire. At this website you can use the calculator to compare sizes of tires as well as what happens to clearance when you change wheel offset. Look for the link to the wheel offset calculator below the pictures of the tires. https://tiresize.com/comparison/ I believe the OEM tire size on your OB is 225 - 60 - 16 on a 16 x 6.5 wheel with positive 48 mm offset. That'll get you started on plugging in other sizes for comparison. I imagine your OEM spare will be incompatible, so maybe plan on having a 5th tire/wheel too. This winter I bought dedicated winter tires for my "new" '08 Impreza 2.5i. I went one size narrower and one size higher sidewall than OEM. The results have been better than I hoped for. I have gone out of my way to try driving up hills in fresh snow, up to 10 inches deep. I don't even need a running start. During that storm I was at a stop sign behind a full-size pick-up that could not get started in the deep slush/salt/sand on level ground, even though he was in 4WD. I waited a bit, and then just slowly pulled around him with no problem. My Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 tires are 195-60-16. OEM size is 205-55-16. Edited February 9, 2017 by BB's93LegacyL 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 My '04 Outback VDC came with 225/60r16s, I've stepped to 215/65r16s, which are a hair taller. Still plenty of room, could probably go a bit bigger, but the sizes I was looking for did not offer much selection. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lverano Posted February 10, 2017 Author Share Posted February 10, 2017 My '04 Outback VDC came with 225/60r16s, I've stepped to 215/65r16s, which are a hair taller. Still plenty of room, could probably go a bit bigger, but the sizes I was looking for did not offer much selection. I found a set of General Altimax 205/55 16's. good tread more than half for 140... I'm gonna take them. Thanks for the reply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lverano Posted February 10, 2017 Author Share Posted February 10, 2017 (edited) Wondering if by "sand tire" you are looking for a tire that performs well off-road in deep loose sand where a low-pressure, large, wide tire would be best. If so, that's not a good tire for driving on snowy roads, where a taller narrower tire is better at digging in and compressing the snow underneath, getting to the surface of the pavement without pushing through as much snow as a wide tire. At this website you can use the calculator to compare sizes of tires as well as what happens to clearance when you change wheel offset. Look for the link to the wheel offset calculator below the pictures of the tires. https://tiresize.com/comparison/ I believe the OEM tire size on your OB is 225 - 60 - 16 on a 16 x 6.5 wheel with positive 48 mm offset. That'll get you started on plugging in other sizes for comparison. I imagine your OEM spare will be incompatible, so maybe plan on having a 5th tire/wheel too. This winter I bought dedicated winter tires for my "new" '08 Impreza 2.5i. I went one size narrower and one size higher sidewall than OEM. The results have been better than I hoped for. I have gone out of my way to try driving up hills in fresh snow, up to 10 inches deep. I don't even need a running start. During that storm I was at a stop sign behind a full-size pick-up that could not get started in the deep slush/salt/sand on level ground, even though he was in 4WD. I waited a bit, and then just slowly pulled around him with no problem. My Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 tires are 195-60-16. OEM size is 205-55-16. PC084524.jpg Thanks you I found a set of 205/55 16's ...... nope changed my mind, I'm going with OEM size. Edited February 10, 2017 by Lverano Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 205/55r16 is considerably smaller than stock on your car. 225/60r16 is OEM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB's93LegacyL Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Yes, the Altimax 205/55-16 tires are 1.7 inches smaller diameter than OEM, so your OB will sit .85" closer to the ground. The tire section width is 8/10 inch narrower. The tire contact patch will be only 85% of what the OEM is. The idea in snow is not to reduce the size of the contact patch, but to make the contact patch slightly longer and narrower. You will be using these tires on dry and wet pavement, where cornering and braking traction are critical. I'm concerned that reducing road contact area by 15% may not be safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott in Bellingham Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 sands lots of fun, lower your air pressure as low as you dare, don't spin at a stand still , and stay away from the salt water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lverano Posted February 11, 2017 Author Share Posted February 11, 2017 What about a 215/70/16? My OEM is 225/60/16... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB's93LegacyL Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 A 215/65/16 would be a better bet as far as clearance. Again, go to the tire size comparison website I posted earlier in this thread, and then look at Tire Rack to see available tires and prices. I am assuming that because you live in Baltimore, with average snowfall of less than 2 feet/year, you are looking for one set of tires to use year-round, rather than going with a second set of dedicated winter tires on their own wheels like many of us do where winters are more severe. So you will be looking at all-season tires. Considering where you live, and the excellent AWD system in the Subaru, all-season tires should suffice, especially during the first 50% of tread wear. On the other hand, if you really want the best performance in snow, and on ice - cornering, braking, and acceleration, buy some wheels for your dedicated winter tires. You would be looking for "studless ice and snow" category, since Maryland limits studded tires to just 5 counties from Nov 1 to March 31. If you live and drive in those counties alone, you might check out studded tires. They are illegal in WI now with exceptions of postal service and law enforcement because of how they tear up the roads, but back in the day, I used them, and there is nothing better on ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lverano Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 (edited) I've decided on BFGOODRICH AT KO 2, and YES i just found them in 215/65/16. that's what i'll be shooting for. Hopefully i can find 4 used on ebay, probably will end up with new ones though.. Edited February 12, 2017 by Lverano Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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