Wheel and Tire Upgrade for 4 bolt setups

[subeman90]

Wheel and Tire Upgrades for 4 Bolt setups.

 

A FAQ on the Ultimate Subaru Message Board.

 

A great website made by USMB board member McBrat is here. It will be referred to as the wheel page in this page. Mick has put a great deal of time/effort into this page and his services to the "subaru community" have always been excellent!

 

Subaru uses a 4x140 mm bolt pattern. This pattern is exclusive to only Subaru's and the Peugeot 504 and 505. Subaru never made a wheel larger than 13" (at least that was imported to the USA) in this bolt pattern. There are many 13" alloys that are Genuine Subaru available, see Mick's page for images of them.

 

As a rule wheels that are older than your model car will probably not work without altering/grinding the calipers. See this photo made by McBrat for info.

 

Jackman wheels are wheels like the wagon wheels but the spokes go straight out toward the tire instead of making a bend. Jackman was the manufacturer if you are wondering about the name. Jackman wheels have a J stamped into one of the spokes.

 

Choices on wheels are as follows. Peugeot wheels or wheels that can be imported from Australia such as the ones made by Scorpion Automotive. Beware of sticker shock though, as the Scorpion wheels are around $150 each and are heavy to ship as well. $600 without any tires is in many cases not worth it to owners of Older Subaru's.

 

Peugeot made models designated as the 504 and 505. Wheels from a 504 are typically not prefered because they require the use of special washers that are placed onto the wheel stud before the lug nut after the wheel is on the hub. This leaves very little stud left to put the lug nut onto. 504 wheels typically require special balancing machines once tires are made and many have found the ballancing machines hard to find in shops.

 

505 wheels are available in steel and alloy. Alloys are less preferred if you plan to do any 4wheeling but can make a good look on a street machine with lower profile tires. The steels are quite popular among members of the Hatch Patrol a west coast group of Subaru 4wheeling guys. Check out their site when you can! Lots of great pics of older Subaru's doing their thing in the great outdoors, as well as alot of great pics of the final product of the wheel upgrade.

 

This page is a work in progress and anybody that wants to add info please feel free to email me.