dholly Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 Called on a set of (4) steelies/Blizzak ws-50 tires in the local paper today and just want to make certain these will fit my '06 Impreza 2.5i sedan. Current OEM = 100mm x 5, 16" x 5.5", +55 offset, w/ P205/55R-16 Winter set = 100mm x 5, 16" x 6.6", +48(?) offset, w/ 215/60R-16 Question mark on the winter wheel offset, but I think it is +48. Can't add an attachment(?) but here is the wheel stamping: KFZ 9625/16X6.5JJ/ET48/27-01/KBA43738 It's a TireRack pkg w/ silver paint and a bit of rust starting to show, 1 season/7500mi. use, asking $250 (cost $600). Anyhoo, I'm feeling these will work just fine, speedo only off less than 3-4mph at 60mph, and the oem all seasons are an accident waiting to happen IMO. So... Fitment a go, or no go? Fair offer? Thanks for the input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmanaenk Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 These blizzaks loose winter compound very quickly, and under it there is a mediocre allseason compound. Price and milage suggest that this is exactly what you will get. Offset is fine. Tire size has 5% larger rolling radius so your speedo will lie about 5% down (that is - if you drive 100mph it will show 95). If you lend your car to someone - they will get a ticket and blame you. Choice is yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dholly Posted February 20, 2006 Author Share Posted February 20, 2006 These blizzaks loose winter compound very quickly, and under it there is a mediocre allseason compound. Price and milage suggest that this is exactly what you will get. Offset is fine. Tire size has 5% larger rolling radius so your speedo will lie about 5% down (that is - if you drive 100mph it will show 95). If you lend your car to someone - they will get a ticket and blame you. Choice is yours. I hear you on the tires, many folks say they are over-rated, but I was under the impression that the open cell ice compound was about the 1st 40% on the Blizzaks. If I assume 40k mileage life, then 40% = 16k mi. of ice compound before getting into the hard. I figured maybe another season in 'em before I lose that ice compound benefit. Or is that too optimistic? Actually, I was more worried about the width going from a 5.5" to a 6.5" wheel with a wider tire. I used the calculator at http://gs.tolan-hoechst.com/tirecalc.htm and found I ended up with slightly increased inboard wheel/tire clearance, but lost 0.47" of outboard wheel/tire clearance. Putting a straight edge along the oem tire, I show only 1/2" clearance from the outer tire to the inner fender well lip as it is. So, this wheel and tire combo seemed a bit tight. Of course, the sidewall rubber does flare in bit where it meets the tread so I think I'll be ok unless I'm loaded to the bumpstops in the rear. For $150 with caps, I'm taking a chance and will post the results. I generally try to keep it under 100mph, at least thru the residential neighborhoods. At 60 the speedo should show 63. If some trooper really wants to quibble over a couple of mph at 60, well... what are you going to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmanaenk Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 I hear you on the tires, many folks say they are over-rated, but I was under the impression that the open cell ice compound was about the 1st 40% on the Blizzaks. If I assume 40k mileage life, then 40% = 16k mi. of ice compound before getting into the hard. I figured maybe another season in 'em before I lose that ice compound benefit. Or is that too optimistic? 7500 miles might have been very different from what you expect, some one might have raced them, used them well into warm weather etc. 40% measure is fine, but you only have milage, not treadwear, right? This is not a kind of bet I personally would take. I'm taking a chance and will post the results. Good luck I generally try to keep it under 100mph, at least thru the residential neighborhoods. At 60 the speedo should show 63. If some trooper really wants to quibble over a couple of mph at 60, well... what are you going to do? Good luck there as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dholly Posted February 20, 2006 Author Share Posted February 20, 2006 Lol, have you always been so darned optimistic? :-\ I figure I'm mature enough to 1.) understand and allow for the minimal speedo variance; and 2.) nice enough to inform anyone who may drive the car (unlikely). Like I said, that really doesn't bother me. Heh, heaven help me, I'll take the chance. And RACED them?! Well I suppose that's possible, but how likely is that really, they're friggen Blizzak winter tires! Anyhoo, silly me I took a chance and went and looked. Nice surprise... they're in great shape, better than I expected. Happened to be a responsible, older seller and you know what? She was being 100% honest, just need them out of the basement. Even had caps without a scratch for them. So... a slightly used $600 pkg all for $150, or a whopping $37.50 a corner. Call it what you will, I'm gonna call it a good day. The best part is that I swapped them on and it appears to have no clearance problems front or rear. If I had to find fault, I will agree these Blizzaks are pretty darn noisy on bare pavement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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