225/50/17 on stocks rims. Will it work?

I'm wondering if I can put 225/50/17 tires on the stock rims of my 2006 OB XT with 5EAT without destroying anything.

 

The tire shop says no but I can't see the difference between the stock 225/55/17 vs 225/50/17 being a problem.

 

Does this guy just want to sell me new tires. He's telling me that the difference between the two tires is .08" and tolerance for Subaru's is .05".

 

Can anyone help?

It's a relatively big difference in tire size... 3.3% according to this useful tool:

 

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

It won't destroy anything assuming you're replacing all 4 but I'd look for a tire closer to stock size if I were you.

The speedo and odometer will read a bit high but it won't hurt anything if you change all 4 over. I'm assuming that your tires are balding and you just happen to have another set laying around on another car with enough tread to get through winter. If so I think you're better off with slightly smaller tires than worn tires.

I am running 225/50/17 on my 05 OBXT with no issues.

Agreed with previous posts. Shouldn't be a problem if you change all 4 of the same brand and model. Your speedo and odo will be off, but that's about it.

Just make sure that the car will pass inspection with the selected tires. Some regions/states/countries are very strict about the use of which tires you may use on your car.