17 inch wheels? Help

MONSTERSKULLS

MONSTERSKULLS

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Joined
Jan 31, 2012
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FLORIDA
Just got a 07 forester xt sport with raised king springs and a 1 inch lift. What's the biggest Tires I can fit? :lildevil:
 
Congrats on the new vehicle! What's on it now?
 
On 17in? No rubbing would be something like 215/60R17 or maybe 225/60R17 - OEM offset wheels +48mm

If you're prepared to put trailing arm spacers and do some plastic surgery on your pinch welds, you may be able to fit 225/65R17...
 
I'm also interested in this.

When the 225/55 17 Geo Squealers on SWMBO's SH wear out, I'm thinking of moving to 225/60 17 or even 215/65 17.
 
Hi Ratbag,

I have 215/60R17 on my 17in wheels at the moment and they fit without any rubbing.

I do have a 1in strut top and lifted springs, which make the rear tyres move quite a bit forward - since I don't have trailing arm spacers. To fit any bigger wheels than that, I would need spacers.

But you're talking about an SH, while the original question was on a 2007 Forester - SG. The SH can take bigger tyres without issue...
 
Just ordered some 225/65 17 geolander A/Ts. Also some trailing arm spacers. Hopefully they fit :-)
 
Well, first of all, my set of 225-65-17 AT-S was 28.35", or even 28.3, when new and installed rather than 28.5".

Then, it takes only a few months for tires to start feeling the weight more or something. Whatever the reason, my 225-60-17 were much smaller by the time they were 7/32 and the 225-65-17 at 9/32 are 28 across, maybe 28.1 horizontally, but ONLY 27.6" vertically, which is what a new 225-60-17 stock tire is....Treadwear alone does not reduce a tire this much.

Basically, a year after getting 225-65-17 as oversize I am stock size. Makes sense? Lol, I did not know...

But I measured an OB like mine on stock tires at dealer. At 30,000 miles it had 26 and 7/8 at most vertically despite the still decent tread (versus 27.6" new). My wife's 29" tires, now down to 4/32, are less than 28" now. So, all tires seem to lose a half inch along the way, in addition to treadwear.

My next set will probably be 235-60-17 Cooper AT3. These are supposed to be 28.3. If true, this is exactly the size of a new 225-65-17 AT-S.
 
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Ratbag said:
I'm also interested in this.

When the 225/55 17 Geo Squealers on SWMBO's SH wear out, I'm thinking of moving to 225/60 17 or even 215/65 17.
Click to expand...

If you can do 235-60-17, then you can get the Cooper AT3, if available in Australia. Many Foz owners at the Foz forum swear by them.

I am personally ready to try something other than an AT-S tire. I am considering adding a set of AT3s as soon as the AT-S hit 7/32, then rotating summer/rest of year till the AT-S wear out completely over the fall to spring period.
 
MiddleAgeSubie said:
Basically, a year after getting 225-65-17 as oversize I am stock size. Makes sense? Lol, I did not know...
Click to expand...

yeah as everything settles in, you get a bit more bulge in the sidewall and your height suffers.
Can cause clearance issues with struts if you're already on the limit with new tyres
 
Robbks said:
yeah as everything settles in, you get a bit more bulge in the sidewall and your height suffers.
Can cause clearance issues with struts if you're already on the limit with new tyres
Click to expand...

Thanks for explaining this, I got a broad sense of what is going on, but did not know that it is the sidewalls specifically.

It is sort of disappointing to know that going up almost an inch in diameter, which is about as much as is easy on a Subie to do, does not really add anything to clearance beyond the first couple of months or so.
 
Ratbag said:
I'm also interested in this.

When the 225/55 17 Geo Squealers on SWMBO's SH wear out, I'm thinking of moving to 225/60 17 or even 215/65 17.
Click to expand...
I suspect you would be able to get 225/60/17 on a Forester. I've been able to to get them on my lifted Gen3 and Gen4 Outbacks.
 
Gidday Shiv

Thanks, but the Turanza ER300 don't come in 225/60 17 ... and 215/60 17 are much the same rolling radius.

SWMBO thinks that her car is perfectly comfortable with the Geolandar G95 225/55 17, so who am I to argue? Personally, I reckon that my SG rides far better!
 
Why Subaru puts 55 series low profile tyres on the Forester just baffles me. If my wife would let me I would get rid of the 17 inch alloys and put 16 inch alloys on for a quieter more comfortable ride if nothing else.
 
^ I agree, HC.

It wouldn't hurt to have the same size wheels on both our cars.

A 215/65 16 is all but identical in rolling radius to a 225/55 17, and a far more suitable tyre size for a vehicle of this kind. Maybe offer the low profile rubber and bigger rims as an option on the XT models, but plain ridiculous on the N/A models IMNSHO.
 
lots of kids out there who would disagree with you Lol




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154426d1403095965-aggressive-wheel-foresters-merged-thread-1403095953996.jpg
 
:lol:

Young bucks with young backs. Only one of their two brains functioning - the lower one ... :poke: :rotfl:.

Been there. Done that. Certainly wouldn't deny them the same fun. Hopefully they will do it far, far safer than we ever did!

My first Morris 1100 would flatten a Coke can lying on its side ...
Of course, low profile tyres in those days were anything less than 100% aspect ratio (profile). Only ones available were between 75 and 95%.
 
I do like the look of the slammed SF, especially in black... The Forester has to be one of those rare vehicles that looks good slammed or lifted. And one of those even rarer vehicles that performs well in both states.

I reckon with lower profile tyres, the ride with King Springs would be a lot less comfortable... The Kumho KH18 road tyres I have have a much softer and bulgier sidewall than the D697s I also have, despite both being 215/65s. Their sidewall bulge makes the KH18s significantly wider than the D697s - one reason why I can't fit chains to the back. The ride is definitely better with the Kumhos on!

I think when I wear out the KH18s I'll fit KH17s in 215/60 (or maybe even get some 225/55r16), and revel in the increased acceleration!

Of course, I'm also tempted to get some STi 17s and fit 225/50r17s to it. Which would look weird on a lifted Foz. Hmm.
 
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I have run the stock 215/55 17 tyres on my XT for all 5 sets and have been wanting to try 225/55 17 that are standard on SH Foresters but I think the spare would have trouble fitting in the spare wheel well. I do know that any SG Forester on stock suspension with 215/60 16 tyres felt like it rode better than mine stock but it was also very obvious that they weren't as sharp in the steering too. Both observations are to be expected. Makes you wonder how owners of VW Golf R's cope with stock 235/35 19 tyres on a car lighter than a Forester. Also 55 profile tyres will also allow you into more expensive better gripping high performance tyres that aren't available in 60 & 65 profile sizes and that's often a priority for owners of XT's.

And putting raised springs on an SG Forester doesn't make any difference to the size of the tyre it can take because the limiting factor is the clearance at the spring perch on the top of the strut. There's heaps of room under the guard itself.
 
kiwifoz said:
I reckon with lower profile tyres, the ride with King Springs would be a lot less comfortable...
Click to expand...

My Forester with raised King springs and KYB struts rides better than stock new. And quieter too. It's rubbish that the Kings are too hard. If I had to change anything I go for even slightly harder spring rates again. And I'm the sort of driver who appreciates a comfortable ride - something the SG Forester on 215/55 17 tyres never really gave.
 
guzzla said:
My Forester with raised King springs and KYB struts rides better than stock new. And quieter too. It's rubbish that the Kings are too hard. If I had to change anything I go for even slightly harder spring rates again. And I'm the sort of driver who appreciates a comfortable ride - something the SG Forester on 215/55 17 tyres never really gave.
Click to expand...

With no passengers or gear in the car, the stock suspension was more comfortable. But with passengers or gear mine bottomed out in the back and bounced all over the show. I think it was more comfortable because the suspension was so shot, it rode like an old Cadillac! With Dad's 4.9m Stabicraft on the back it was pretty much riding on the bumpstops before King springs were fitted. Now it's perfect, and handles so much better. And it still rides better than a toyota 86.

I certainly wouldn't say Kings are too harsh or too stiff anyway, I absolutely love them, they and the D697s are the best things I've done to the car yet. The front struts are still OEM Subaru (213,000kms and still going) rears are KYB. Probably should have gotten Sachs for the back and new KYB for the front though, the front right strut is making a terrible knocking sound after the last 4wd trip...
 
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