Winter tires and wheels for 2006–7 Legacy spec.B

First of all, there are only a few 215/45-18 tires on the market. A 215/50-17 tire has almost exactly the same diameter, within one-half percent, I think.

 

So, if you need to drive in snow greater than two inches, get snow tires or all-season tires with the severe snow rating symbol on the sidewall, such as the Nokian WR.

 

Last winter I used BBS 17" wheels and Nokian WR tires on my 2006 spec.B, a combination that I liked on my 2004 Audi allroad 4.2.

 

All-season tires on the stock 18-inch wheels, such as the Cooper ZPT or Mastercraft Avenger HP 215//45HR-18, which are the same tire sold under two different names, may be OK in shallow snow. Vulcan Tire, for example, sells the Mastercraft for $87 plus shipping. Cooper makes the Avon tires sold by Tire Rack. The Pirelli P-Zero M+S 215/45WR-18 is a costlier all-season alternative, but probably outperforms the Cooper-Mastercraft tire on dry roads. Reviews of its performance in snow suggest that it's merely OK at best in shallow snow, but poor in deeper snow and on ice.

 

For the Subaru 18-inch wheels, if you want traction in snow deeper than two inches, which is the design limit for all-season tires lacking the severe snow rating, consider Bridgestone LM-22 or Pirelli Sottozero tires.

 

For best performance, get four winter wheels and four winter tires, consider Nokian WR or Bridgestone LM-22 215/50-17 tires on BBS 17-inch wheels.

 

Tire Rack carries Pirelli and Bridgestone. Cooper and Mastercraft are sold at many internet sites.

 

Excellent BBS forged wheels are available at a blowout—that's probably a bad word to use in a discussion of wheels and tires—price of $171 each at http://www.genuinesaab.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=42. These BBS wheels were sold as options for the SAAB 9-2x which was merely an Impreza WRX with slightly altered appearance. These wheels fit perfectly Legacy and Outback models. The wheels came with SAAB centercaps, but that didn't bother me at all last winter, though people asked me what SAAB model I was driving.

 

To save money, consider mounting and dismounting tires on the factory wheels. Over time, though,you'll spend about $100 as winter ends and $100 as spring nears.

 

The current issue of Consumer Reports has ratings of all-season and winter tires.

You can do much better on those wheels, four for $500 or best offer from Charles River Saab in Watertown, MA:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330038204055&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fmotors.search.ebay.com%3A80%2F%3Ffrom%3DR40%26satitle%3D330038204055%26fvi%3D1

 

I don't believe they are forged.

Thanks for this post. There is a lot of good tire info on this site, but I made may brain hurt by trying to figure out what tire with what wheel, or different sizes for the stock wheel.

 

I'm in MA until mid Nov, which may be just long enough to not want the OEM summer tires. Then I am in MD and FL. So I can't see getting winter tires, yet.

 

My thoughts were to go with the Pirelli P-Zero M+S for now and then see where I end up. Plus, after the outlay of cash for the car, the stereo and the [ehem] stage 2 coming up, not buying a new set of wheels is fine by me.

 

I had Mich. Pilot Sports A/S on my S4 last winter (MA) and they did alright--especially when new. If the Pirellis are similar, I should be OK.

 

Any chance tire companies will add options to the Spec B's wheel size?

Would not a wheel/tire package that fit on the LGT limited also fit on the Spec.B?

 

I have 2 cars that I run on Dunlop Winter Sport M3 tires.

Yes, wheel and tire packages will fit... there are no physical differences. What he's asking is will companies make more choices in tires for the stock 2007 spec B's 18" wheels.

 

Tire rack sells the Bridgestone LM-22 and Pirelli Sottozero tires which are the same size as stock, as stated above. Both great tires...

I opted for ContiExtremes 215/50/17 (as I have posted before) for their good snow reviews on Tire Rack and reasonable dry performance. A little extra sidewall will hopefully be useful in pothole season. Their aggressive tread is similar in pattern to the WR but the lugs are not as large.