az645 Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 I'm thinking of getting a wheel and snow tire package for my 2018 Legacy 3.6, which comes standard with 18 inch wheels, I was wondering if I'd be able to use 17 or 16 inch wheels? I've heard that this could impact the speedometer? Any advice or thoughts are appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiatz79 Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 I picked up 225/55R-17 BRIDGESTONE BLIZZAK WS80 and 17X7.5 alloys in a package from Tire Rack last season. They worked out great on DC roads and highway not bad either. Lighting Mods Low Beams: D4S - OSRAM XENARC 66440 CBI HID BULBS Highbeam/DRL: 9005 - OSRAM NIGHT BREAKER UNLIMITED 9005NBUHCB BULBS Fog: H11 - OSRAM NIGHT BREAKER UNLIMITED 64211NBU-01B BULBS Subaru 20mm RSB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imprzme Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 I picked up 225/55R-17 BRIDGESTONE BLIZZAK WS80 and 17X7.5 wheels Same thing here on my '16. Work perfectly, no problem with speedo accuracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornichoe Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 I picked up some 215/60R-17 Continental WinterContact SI XL in the spring on factory 17s I got form a fellow member here. Can't wait for the snow to get here Its supposed to be higher by 0.7-1 mph depending on if you calculate using the 17" or the 18" factory size. But that is pretty negligible in my book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtdog Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Here is my 2 cents: In general, about 99% of the time you will not need dedicated snow tires. Buy yourself a set of good quality all weather tires (check rating performance for snow/rain/etc.). I have lived, and driven for over 50 years in areas with real winters and snow. It has been my experience that if you are in a situation where you really need snow tires, you should not be driving a sedan and/or the snow tires will not really help anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitchbp6 Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Here is my 2 cents: In general, about 99% of the time you will not need dedicated snow tires. Buy yourself a set of good quality all weather tires (check rating performance for snow/rain/etc.). I have lived, and driven for over 50 years in areas with real winters and snow. It has been my experience that if you are in a situation where you really need snow tires, you should not be driving a sedan and/or the snow tires will not really help anyway. This really depends on your climate, but let be clear, "all weather tires" do not compare to a good set of winter tires. Just because they have the snow flake on the tire, this does not mean they are sufficient for extreme winter conditions. I do not want to discredit your 50 years of experience (sounds like you have some solid driving skills), but winter tires still have a much softer rubber compound than even "all weather tires". All weather tires are good for more mild winter conditions where the temperature really does not get any colder than about -10 degrees Celsius (Please correct me if I am wrong). I do agree that on a Subaru with all weather tires, you will not have a problem with gaining traction to get moving (mostly because of their superior AWD system), but when it comes to stopping traction, "all weather tires" do not compare to a good set of winter tires in the really cold conditions. Stopping power is the main purpose (not the only reason) for winter tires. The winter tire rubber is MUCH softer than "all weather" or "all season" tires, which is why they feel so squishy in the warmer weather. This is so they stay soft when the temperature drops well below 0 degrees Celsius (Sorry, we Canadians use Celsius ). I come from Alberta, and our winters here get crazy! We easily hit between -30 to -40 degrees Celsius here every year with lots of snow and ice! and I have used all weather tires on my Toyota 4Runner, and they did not compare (Stopping power wise) to my winter tires now on my 4Runner (I use winters on the subaru too of course). Bottom line is how extreme do your winters get? What kind of temperatures are you dealing with? How much Ice or how slick do the roads get? This will determine whether a legitimate winter tire is right for you or if you can get away with all weather tires. Hope that helps and clears things up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wi_legacy2016 Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 I agree. Another factor is what kind of driving you do. Most of my driving is near a good sized city so the main roads get plowed pretty well. If you drive lots of country roads, better tires are that much more important. I drive in Wisconsin (around Madison). I had winter tires for my previous car (Nissan Altima), but with the Legacy, it's just as good if not better than the Altima with just the OEM all-season tires. I choose to use all-seasons year round considering I only drive on really bad roads a handful of times per year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornichoe Posted October 2, 2018 Share Posted October 2, 2018 Here is my 2 cents: In general, about 99% of the time you will not need dedicated snow tires. Buy yourself a set of good quality all weather tires (check rating performance for snow/rain/etc.). I have lived, and driven for over 50 years in areas with real winters and snow. It has been my experience that if you are in a situation where you really need snow tires, you should not be driving a sedan and/or the snow tires will not really help anyway. Your all seasons will do great the first season. After they have gone through the numerous heat cycles over that period, the rubber compound will get harder and after you lose the first 2-3/32 of the thread depth, its really no good for winter weather. Can you drive with them, sure you could, but the first instance of sudden braking or swerving you do will get you in a hard spot. You can get a decent full set (wheels & tires) for under a grand. Go for cheap steel wheels and you can get them for under $700. The first time you end up in a ditch and dent/scratch something, it will cost you more than that. If you live in places where you get may be one snow storm a season at most and the temps typically stay above 40F year round, sure you can run all seasons and be fine. Any more snow or lower temps, you'll be better off spending the money on a set of winters over giving it to apple! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
az645 Posted October 31, 2018 Author Share Posted October 31, 2018 The original tire size on the 2018 3.6 is 225/50//R18, would 215/50/R17 for the snow tires be an ok size or would there be issues that effect the vehicle by going to that size? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubieN8 Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 ^ You'd be fine, just know you're speedo will be off ever so slightly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plm42 Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 This really depends on your climate, but let be clear, "all weather tires" do not compare to a good set of winter tires. Just because they have the snow flake on the tire, this does not mean they are sufficient for extreme winter conditions. I do not want to discredit your 50 years of experience (sounds like you have some solid driving skills), but winter tires still have a much softer rubber compound than even "all weather tires". All weather tires are good for more mild winter conditions where the temperature really does not get any colder than about -10 degrees Celsius (Please correct me if I am wrong). I do agree that on a Subaru with all weather tires, you will not have a problem with gaining traction to get moving (mostly because of their superior AWD system), but when it comes to stopping traction, "all weather tires" do not compare to a good set of winter tires in the really cold conditions. Stopping power is the main purpose (not the only reason) for winter tires. The winter tire rubber is MUCH softer than "all weather" or "all season" tires, which is why they feel so squishy in the warmer weather. This is so they stay soft when the temperature drops well below 0 degrees Celsius (Sorry, we Canadians use Celsius ). I come from Alberta, and our winters here get crazy! We easily hit between -30 to -40 degrees Celsius here every year with lots of snow and ice! and I have used all weather tires on my Toyota 4Runner, and they did not compare (Stopping power wise) to my winter tires now on my 4Runner (I use winters on the subaru too of course). Bottom line is how extreme do your winters get? What kind of temperatures are you dealing with? How much Ice or how slick do the roads get? This will determine whether a legitimate winter tire is right for you or if you can get away with all weather tires. Hope that helps and clears things up! Just to add to Mitch's assessment. The necessity of dedicated snow tires is so widely recognized in many parts of Canada, that it is actually mandatory to drive on snow tires in Québec. Otherwise, you will get a citation. The police actually set up roadblocks around December to check people's tires, and people generally agree with the law. Given the amounts of snow we get, seems logical. (https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Canada/Quebec/snowfall-annual-average.php) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WILLINH Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 I bought 225-55-17" snow tires and a set of rim's and they have been excellent. My wife drive 46 miles round trip for work so it is safer. It not so much the staring off, it is the stopping and turning that is where you really see the difference with dedicated snow"s. After 2-3 years the all season tires are not that good for winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammcinnis Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 ... would 215/50/R17 for the snow tires be an ok size ... 225/55R17 would be a perfect fit. That's the OE tire size on Base and Premium trim G6 Legacys. "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." ~ The Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornichoe Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 The original tire size on the 2018 3.6 is 225/50//R18, would 215/50/R17 for the snow tires be an ok size or would there be issues that effect the vehicle by going to that size? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk This is your friend https://www.discounttiredirect.com/learn/tire-size-calculator With the size you are looking at, the sidewall height will be smaller than the factory spec. You'd want to have a bigger sidewall on your snow set. The stock 17" size is 225/55 R17. Not all tire manufacturers have all sizes, so play around in the calculator to see what works if there is a specific brand and model you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.