I have a 98 Legacy GT wagon that had a tire blowout on the highway last week. In my reading I have found conflicting information on tire replacement. Some people say that you need to replace all four tires on an all wheel drive vehicle, and others say that you only need to replace two. Second, Subaru only recommends the tire size of p205 55R16 (H rated) is there another more common size that I could sub in the future? Any advice? Thanks

Ahh the 98 GT is nice... *memories* ... I would highly recommend that all four of your tires be the same tread depth. All four tires MUST be the same size to prevent differential and transmission binding. As far as the tire size you can play with it a little bit.. if you want something a little wider for performance on the street... or something a little taller for going in the dirt? Something taller will throw off your speedo a little though. One option I have heard mentioned is getting one tire and having it shaved down to match the other tires... but hey.. may as well replace all four to keep your AWD functioning well.

a few things that we tell people where i work:

 

tires on an awd/4wd vehicle should all be within 4/32nds of one another.

 

they should all be the same tire because different tread patterns have differing resistance

 

and don't downsize your tires, only upsize.

 

my 96 legacy is supposed to have 195/60R15 on it. it has 205/75R15. that's a 4 size increase.

And just for fun if you got a chance....put the car on a dyno with upsized tires and regular sized. Often available power goes down a bit. You might still get around a track quicker with more grip, but a good rule of thumb is not to go any bigger than you need to.

205/55/16 have the same diameter as 225/50/16. Both are performance tire sizes with a radius of 24.9". This way your speedometer should be correct.

 

I can't seem to find another 16" tire size that fits that radius. 195/60/16 should, but when I search on that size (taller and a little narrower), I can't find a mfgr of that size.

 

There are choices in the 15" range, but that would mean replacing the rims also. And some 15" rims may not fit over the brakes.

If the other three tires are in really good condition, consider buying one new one and having a performance tire shop shave the new one to match the other three.

 

Jack

205/55/16 have the same diameter as 225/50/16.

 

wouldn't it be 215/50R16?....a size that doesn't exist....

Some people say that you need to replace all four tires on an all wheel drive vehicle, and others say that you only need to replace two.

Are you trying to rehash the debate on what is acceptable in terms of tire tread difference? As I'm sure you've read in the old posts, opinions vary on what is acceptable. Although if you listen to the logic of why replacing only 1 tire is bad, then the natural progression would be that replacing 2 tires (on the same axle) is twice as bad.

Second, Subaru only recommends the tire size of p205 55R16 (H rated) is there another more common size that I could sub in the future? Any advice? Thanks

I always thought that 205/55/16 were fairly common sized tires- especially for sedans and these are about as narrow as 16" tires get. If you change tire sizes- to 225/50/16 as someone mentions, then you'll probably be paying more for your tires. I suppose you could change wheels and go with a 195/65/15- those tend to run a little cheaper.