heartless Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 I need to get some new tires for the lifted 95 Legacy wagon, and for the first time ever, I have two complete sets of wheels that will fit the car. Set one: the stock 14 inch steelies Set two: the forester 15 inch alloys (not pretty, but functional) I am thinking very seriously of putting a set of snows on for the winter since it has already been mighty crappy around here, and when warmer weather finally comes back, get a good set of all seasons for the 15" alloys. So which set of wheels would you put the snow tires on? I am thinking they should go on the 14" steelies? yes? no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 i'd do exactly what you're suggesting - run the 15" alloys in the summer and the 14" steels in the winter. you don't want to use one set of wheels for both sets of tires, dismounting and remounting tires every fall and spring is annoying and a waste of time. you want two dedicated sets of wheels. you already said you wanted the 15" for the summer. and that makes sense, no point in running the alloys in the winter where they'll deteriorate faster. if price is a factor then compare 14" and 15" snows and all seasons and see if there's a compelling difference either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureSubaru Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Are you trying to get a larger diameter tire to match the lift? And buying new or used? Way more options to fill the wheel well in 15 inch. All the old trucks and SUVs seemed to come with a 15 inch rim and tires around 215 75 to 235 75. I have bought used for years and have had some fantastic junkyard finds. The tires on my impreza had maybe 500 miles on them and I purchased the set for $40. They still look almost new 27000 miles later. 14s should be a little cheaper if you're not going for a larger than stock tire. But if it's going to go bigger, the options become fewer. it's why I got 15 inch toyota rims for the ski team wagon rather than 14 inch pugs. Just more options. Glad the car came together after the frustration with the forester. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Slightly narrow snow tires on the 14" wheels is the way that I would go for winter. Slightly narrow snow tires put down a higher pound per square inch on the pavement to give better traction vs a wider tire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 If you upgrade to Outback brakes, 14" wheels won't fit over the calipers. So keep that in mind if you planned any brake upgrades in the future. How lifted is the car? Just struts or lift blocks too? 205/75r15 snows fit well with just outback struts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Go with a 60 series tire on the 15's, and a 70 series winter tire on the 14"s. I have used cooper brand from the fleet farm for a decent price and road hazard warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted December 5, 2013 Author Share Posted December 5, 2013 (edited) right now it is just the strut lift, and no immediate plans of upgrading the brakes - maybe in the future, but not for a while... Tires will be purchased new - aside from private sales there really isnt a 'good' source for decent used tires around here. As for diameter - not real super concerned with that at this point - sure, it would be nice to get another 1/2" or so of ground clearance, but having to air up tires every few days in the bitter cold cause of leaky, pourous alloys is no fun...been there, done that... Price is a little bit of a factor right before Christmas and all, but it is a necessary expense - more concerned with good traction in crappy weather - which we have had plenty of recently - snow, then warm & rainy, then turns cold again & more snow over that makes for a nasty slippery mess. Even the famous Subaru AWD doesnt do well on wet ice w/slushy snow over top - slipped and slid a few times coming home the other night on so-so tires. Ok, so I think I am gonna go with the snows on the 14" steelies - fairly cheap, and easy - probably go with the Fleet Farm versions - have bought thier tires before and they are decent for the price which wont break the bank. There - decision made. LOL Thanks for all the responses guys. It is appreciated Edited December 5, 2013 by heartless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureSubaru Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Sounds like a plan. I remember the back roads up your way. I can imagine they could be a nightmare in bad weather - particularly all the drifting of the snow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted December 5, 2013 Author Share Posted December 5, 2013 Sounds like a plan. I remember the back roads up your way. I can imagine they could be a nightmare in bad weather - particularly all the drifting of the snow. drifting is a definite problem when you live in farm country - empty fields dont do much to slow the wind & snow down. Add in a "poor" county that doesnt do any more than absolutely necessary for plowing and things can get real interesting real quick. (my township has still done no plowing and we have had about 4 inches of white stuff over the last week or so...) The old unlifted 90 did pretty darn well - went thru some pretty nasty stuff in her day - looking forward to seeing just how well this one will do. So far, aside from the crappy, worn out drivers seat, I am really liking the car. Plan on swapping in the better quality, more supportive and comfortable LS seats from the 90 very soon - but first priority is getting decent tires on it, and then getting the under hood stuff taken care of - timing, plugs, wires, cleaning grounds, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 I'd do the 205/75r14's then, they're the tallest narrow tire you can get for the 14's and that's what you want for cutting through deeper snow. Alloy wheels don't have to leak. If you wire wheel the bead surfaces and use bead sealer on them with a fresh valve stem they can hold just fine. The problem is most tire shops won't take the time so you're left with tires trying to seal to corroded bead surfaces. The nice thing about steel wheels is they'll take a slide into a ditch better than the alloy. The stock Outback tire is a 205/70r15 which is 26.3" dia. A 205/75r14 is 26.1" so pretty much equivalent. Firestone sells their winterforce snow tire in that size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86BRATMAN Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Winterforces are a great snow and ice tire. We ran them 2 winters ago on the delivery truck at work, 2wd ranger, I had no trouble at all getting around with them. Another really good snow tire is a Mastercraft Glacier-Grip if you have anyone who sells them in your area. They're made by Cooper, so probably anyone who sells Cooper should have a line on them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted December 5, 2013 Author Share Posted December 5, 2013 just called the local Mastercraft dealer to see about getting a price (and availability) on some 185/75R14 Glacier Grips - will add almost a half inch over stock size - good enough for me for now. 86bratman - I am actually kind of glad to hear an endorsement of the Mastercraft tire - I have never tried them before, but have had the Cooper CS4 tourings and liked those. Was actually thinking about the Mastercraft Avenger Touring for the 15's... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wentz912 Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 The general AT2s are pretty affordable. Not sure what the largest tire that will fit under a first gen with a strut lift is, but I LOVE the 27x8.50x14s under my second gen with OB struts and Forester springs. That, and they were $430 delivered to my door from discount tire direct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted December 6, 2013 Author Share Posted December 6, 2013 The general AT2s are pretty affordable. Not sure what the largest tire that will fit under a first gen with a strut lift is, but I LOVE the 27x8.50x14s under my second gen with OB struts and Forester springs. That, and they were $430 delivered to my door from discount tire direct. I guess we have different ideas of affordable - $430 for a set of 14" snow tires? I am looking at more like $300 for a set purchased locally. (and 95 is second gen...) I am sure I could fit a much larger tire than what I am going for, but larger also costs more and right now, cant really afford the "costs more" part... Alloy wheels don't have to leak. If you wire wheel the bead surfaces and use bead sealer on them with a fresh valve stem they can hold just fine. The problem is most tire shops won't take the time so you're left with tires trying to seal to corroded bead surfaces. The nice thing about steel wheels is they'll take a slide into a ditch better than the alloy. I agree on the "most tire shops wont take the time" which is why I am thinking I will get the tires that are on the alloys dismounted (and old valve stems removed) and I will clean them up before taking them in to put new ones on. I have a nice selection of wire brushes that can be put on a drill or an angle grinder for this sort of thing. kind of want to try to clean up the outsides as well - factory finish is a bit rough on a couple of them. One of the cool things about living in farm country is I never have to pay for tire disposal - I bring them home, toss them out at the end of the driveway with a "free" sign on them and some farmer will come and take them away for use as ballast on silage bunker covers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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