2010 Forester needs new tires

[Rooster2]

Currently have 225  X  55 X 17 on the Forester, which is OEM sizing. Can I go to a tire that would have a taller sidewall? Hoping a taller sidewall with some added flex, will help my SUV ride a little smoother. Any suggestions on a taller tire that will work without rubbing. Thanks! Rooster2

[lmdew]

tirerack.com has some good tools and options for sizes that will work.

 

[Daskuppler]

2 hours ago, Rooster2 said:

Currently have 225  X  55 X 17 on the Forester, which is OEM sizing. Can I go to a tire that would have a taller sidewall? Hoping a taller sidewall with some added flex, will help my SUV ride a little smoother. Any suggestions on a taller tire that will work without rubbing. Thanks! Rooster2

The OEM tires are pretty stiff. The height you will gain by going up a size isn't really going to make a difference. Buy a premium tire and it will. I run Continental TrueContact on all of my Subarus. They perform very well in the snow (if that's an issue for you) and handle pretty well for a touring tire. They are, in my opinion, the best all season tire around. Our Forester spends a lot of time off-road on rocky trails, in the mud, etc. The tires have never failed us (on our third set on that vehicle). They ride very well and are very quiet.

Check your tire pressure as well, shops are notorious for over inflating. A couple PSI will make a huge difference.

[idosubaru]

23 hours ago, Rooster2 said:

Currently have 225  X  55 X 17 on the Forester, which is OEM sizing. Can I go to a tire that would have a taller sidewall? Hoping a taller sidewall with some added flex, will help my SUV ride a little smoother. Any suggestions on a taller tire that will work without rubbing. Thanks! Rooster2

Don’t know for sure but 235/60 should do it. Try those on the tire size calculators. Subarus can almost always go up one tire size so 225 to 235 and play with the ratio. Those 235s will fit your stock rims just fine.

If other foresters of the same generation, different trim or turbo, have different wheels/tires that may give a clue as well.

Taller sidewalls are more forgiving of punctures too. 

[heartless]

the front lower spring perch will dictate how much you can get away with, clearance wise.

and just for clarification sake, using the stock size 225/55R17 as an example (other sizes will correlate in the same way)
225 = tread width, given in millimeters
55 = % of tread width for the sidewall - ie: 55% of 225 = sidewall height (225 x 0.55 = 123.75mm in this case)
R simply means radial tire
17 = wheel size in diameter. so, any tire ending in 17 can theoretically fit the wheel... however....

it is also useful to know the wheel width when looking at alternative sizes - narrow tires would look odd on a wide wheel and could potentially break bead seal on rough terrain - just sayin.
slightly wider tires are usually ok, but dont get carried away with it for the same reason as the narrower tires..

 

[wtdash]

Devil's advocate (and hypocrite*): A taller tire (larger diameter) will affect speedometer, gearing and possibly MPG (also depends on tire style - AT vs. All Season, etc.). If you regulary drive 5 over the posted speed, may put you 1-2 MPH faster and light up a radar gun. The Foz's stock gearing may change enough that it's already leisurely performance may become less tolerable (aka, slower) and you might find hills (are there any in Indy?) may cause the transmission to shift more often or 'hunt' for the right gear...although the 4EAT (or 5-speed?) may not be as finicky as newer multi-speed trans. If this is a commuter, then MPG may be a factor and note that different tread patterns, wider (235 vs stock 225), and tire weight will impact it. Our neighbors @subaruforester.org may have a thing or 2 about tire upgrades for your 3rd Gen. 

 

 

*My old '98 Foz  - had stock 215/60R16 and I run a 215/70R16, which is a 1.7" taller (per https://tiresize.com/comparison/). Note: These won't fit on stock '98 struts (all 4 corners); require '03+ struts with the increased lower spring perch. 

Edited December 16, 2022 by wtdash

[Daskuppler]

1 hour ago, wtdash said:

Devil's advocate (and hypocrite*): A taller tire (larger diameter) will affect speedometer, gearing and possibly MPG (also depends on tire style - AT vs. All Season, etc.). If you regulary drive 5 over the posted speed, may put you 1-2 MPH faster and light up a radar gun. The Foz's stock gearing may change enough that it's already leisurely performance may become less tolerable (aka, slower) and you might find hills (are there any in Indy?) may cause the transmission to shift more often or 'hunt' for the right gear...although the 4EAT (or 5-speed?) may not be as finicky as newer multi-speed trans. If this is a commuter, then MPG may be a factor and note that different tread patterns, wider (235 vs stock 225), and tire weight will impact it. Our neighbors @subaruforester.org may have a thing or 2 about tire upgrades for your 3rd Gen. 

 

 

*My old '98 Foz  - had stock 215/60R16 and I run a 215/70R16, which is a 1.7" taller (per https://tiresize.com/comparison/). Note: These won't fit on stock '98 struts (all 4 corners); require '03+ struts with the increased lower spring perch. 

There's calculators online for the calibration difference. It's pretty negligible on how the speedometer reads vs actual speed. Weight and diameter can make a difference in feel though probably negligible going up maybe a centimeter in diameter. Weight will also probably.be negligible, unless going from a street tire to an AT, but they you get stuffer sidewalls so it defeats the no purpose here.

I did go from a passenger tire to a load range e duratrac on my.offroading rig when I built it. That was a huge difference. I also added probably 15lbs per corner though so it's expected.

 

[heartless]

not only will the online calculators give you speedometer differences, there are a bunch of free smartphone speedometer apps that can give you real time speed info...

for my 2004 Foz with stock size all seasons - the speedo reads about 3mph faster than actual... meaning when the needle is on 30mph i am actually only going about 27, give or take.. verified by a local municipality and their portable radar speed sign... you know the ones.. gives posted speed limit on the upper half with a radar reading of your speed on the lower half.. so a slightly taller tire might actually make the speedo more accurate, but yeah, it does depend on the actual tire size...

unless you are getting really crazy with size changes, weight is really not going to be that big of a factor - 1 or 2 lbs/per is negligible in most situations - basically the equivalent of a few bags of groceries or a few extra tools - big deal.

Tire compound will make more of an impact.. how hard or soft... harder compound (longer wearing - like touring) will give better fuel mileage, but wont be as grippy on slippery roads... softer compounds (like snow tires) will grip better, but wont last as long (also reduces mpgs) - finding the right balance of grip and durability for your area is the real challenge.

Up north here, where we have winter conditions for more than half the year, it makes sense to have dedicated snow tires, and many of us do... down south, not so much.  All depends on where you live and travel.

that is my 0.05 cents worth (increased from 0.02 for inflation)