Junebug2014 Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 Hi everybody. I finally got the car running thanks to the help and info from this site. Now i have anoyhe queatoin hopefully you fuys can help me with. I have a 96 legacy outback 2.5 l. My stock tire size is 20570r15 but was wonderinv if i could fit a 21570r15 tire or would it hit the perches on the struts. Im boy lifted and have stock wheels. Thank you in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 (edited) best i can say is maybe... compare sizes side by side here: https://tiresize.com/comparison/ it will mess with your speedo, not a lot, but it will be off. Edited February 17, 2020 by heartless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 5mm additional inside and out, so, 'probably' OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 7 hours ago, 1 Lucky Texan said: 5mm additional inside and out, so, 'probably' OK. it is also taller.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 That's a very small change. Should be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchy Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 I am planning this tire size on our second 1st generation Forester, using Legacy Outback struts. After months of research it would appear to be fine on a Legacy Outback. The fronts will have even more room. The Legacy Outback struts have more distance from the spring perch to the hub, allowing much taller tires. Generally speaking if the rears fit then the fronts will fit as there is more room for the front tires. The increase in tire diameter from 205/70 r15 to 215/70 r15 is around 15mm, therefore only reducing clearance to the spring perch by 7.5mm (the additional tire wall height). Have a look under your rear wheel arch and measure the clearance at the top of the tire to the spring perch. Then subtract 7.5mm and you know if it will fit or not. Also slip a finger behind the tire at its fattest part to feel how much clearance there is between the tire wall and the strut tube behind. Then subtract the added tire width divided by 2 (5mm) and you’ll know if it will rub. Let us know your answer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 11 hours ago, Mitchy said: The increase in tire diameter from 205/70 r15 to 215/70 r15 is around 15mm.... sorry, but that is incorrect. the 205 and 215 refer to the width, not the diameter of the tire. the sidewall of the tire is determined by the 70 (or whatever number follows the /), which in essence is 70% of the width in this case. 205 x 70% = 143.5mm sidewall height (from bead to tread) 215 x 70% = 150.5mm sidewall height converting that to inches is 5.6" and 5.9" respectively in sidewall height. (if you check the link I posted, you will see that these numbers correspond to what they show) overall diameter would be (sidewall height x 2) + wheel size ... (5.6 x 2) + 15 = 26.2 - the tire site shows 26.3 (5.9 x 2) + 15 = 26.8 - the tire site shows 26.9 for this one, so assuming there is a margin of error for rounding of decimal places.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchy Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 (edited) Hi heartless, I think you need correcting on your incorrect correction of my “15mm increase in tire diameter” comment. It is indeed correct. It looks like you misunderstand; we are comparing the overall diameters of 205/70r15 and 215/70r15 tires, which is obviously not the same thing as comparing 205 and 215 section widths. Apology accepted. :p Thanks Edited March 12, 2020 by Mitchy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junebug2014 Posted February 21, 2020 Author Share Posted February 21, 2020 Alright guys i got a buddh that works at a tire shop. He hepled me out and we tried on a tire see if it would fit. The tire we fitted isnt the tire i want but was the correct size. The tire was an epic tour 21570r15. In the rear the side wall clear the strut tube by 7mm and the perch has about 2 inches. With to bodies sitting kn the back i could still fit 2 fingers between tire and fender. The front i did not measure but there was enough clearance all the way around. So i know the tire size fits but every brand is slightlh different so i cant say they will all fit. I will be getting geolander in the 21570r15 so i will let u know how those fit when the time comes. Thank u all for the info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchy Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 (edited) Thanks for getting back with this. I would be especially interested to know how the Geolandars are, as they are what I am going to fit next. The G015’s, right? And there is really 2 inches of clearance to the strut perch on the standard Legacy Outback rear struts? Cool. Edited February 22, 2020 by Mitchy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dameson Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 (edited) On 2/22/2020 at 7:07 AM, Junebug2014 said: Alright guys i got a buddh that works at a tire shop. He hepled me out and we tried on a tire see if it would fit. The tire we fitted isnt the tire i want but was the correct size. The tire was an epic tour 21570r15. In the rear the side wall clear the strut tube by 7mm and the perch has about 2 inches. With to bodies sitting kn the back i could still fit 2 fingers between tire and fender. The front i did not measure but there was enough clearance all the way around. So i know the tire size fits but every brand is slightlh different so i cant say they will all fit. I will be getting geolander in the 21570r15 so i will let u know how those fit when the time comes. Thank u all for the info Any update on this? I'm curious if speedo will be off with 21570r15. I'm thinking of running all-terrain bfg tire or the geolander. Edited March 23, 2020 by dameson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 44 minutes ago, dameson said: Any update on this? I'm curious if speedo will be off with 21570r15. I'm thinking of running all-terrain bfg tire or the geolander. yes, your speedo will be off. https://tiresize.com/comparison/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 On 2/21/2020 at 6:07 PM, Junebug2014 said: The front i did not measure but there was enough clearance all the way around. So i know the tire size fits but every brand is slightlh different so i cant say they will all fit. I will be getting geolander in the 21570r15 so i will let u know how those fit when the time comes. Thank u all for the info Good call, i've had that happen before - test fit a tire and have another brand/new one rub. stock 2000 outback tires are 225/60/16 and have less clearance than the 15's you mentioned. i think 96 and 00 outback struts are the same perch height clearance up front, so there should be no problems up front. the rear struts are totally different between 96 and 00 though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 (edited) 10 hours ago, dameson said: Any update on this? I'm curious if speedo will be off with 21570r15. I'm thinking of running all-terrain bfg tire or the geolander. No. The difference is small small it's basically negligible, on the same order as the tire change from new to old. Technically the answer is both "yes" and "no". "No" - speedo's often read 1-3% lower than actual speed. The new tire size will be 2% off, which will basically eat up up that 1-3% low margin in the speedometer from the factory and make it read the same or closer to actual speed: Here's the scenarios depending how low your current speedo is: 3% low and gain 2% = 1% high (speedo reads high). 2% low and gain 2% = 0% dead on 1% low and a 2% gain = 1% low 0% low and a 2% gain = 2% over...which in this case is minisicule. at 100 you'll be going 102 mph. Edited March 23, 2020 by idosubaru Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchy Posted June 12, 2020 Share Posted June 12, 2020 I just fitted my new Yokohama G015 215/70R15 tires on the 48mmET 7jx15 rims that came off the silver forester (a dealer option). Very happy with the result: the tires are a published 14mm larger in diameter than the 205/70 they replace. Theoretically they are 2.2% larger in diameter, circumference, and speedo error. In actual fact they are a whole 26 mm larger. This is 4% difference in size, giving a speedo reading of 50 mph at an actual 52 mph. Negligible really. As a side note these Yokos run quieter and smoother than the General Grabbers they replaced, I have not yet tried them in the wet, but dry and loose surface A++. As a kitsch bonus they have white lettering which was unexpected. Physically they will just fit (clear) under our silver car’s standard Forester struts. This green car however has new KYB Forester SF springs on new Legacy Outback KYB Excel-G struts. More strut clearance and greater ride height in the rear. The front is getting small lift soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 I have a 99 Subie Outback, same car as yours. Been running 215 X 70 X 15 tires for some time with no rub issue. Car definitely feels taller, and ride seems better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchy Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 On 6/14/2020 at 9:14 PM, Rooster2 said: I have a 99 Subie Outback, same car as yours. Been running 215 X 70 X 15 tires for some time with no rub issue. Car definitely feels taller, and ride seems better. It really feels and looks like this is the correct size for these cars, with little change in the gearing due to the slightly larger diameter. The Forester still pulls uphill on rough ground in low ratio as it always has done. Tarmac feels smoother with the increase in wall height. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now