wheel size for winter tires on stockers

205/50/17 IMO. Thinner is better for ice/snow, plus you get more sidewall. Also gives the stock wheels a bit more stretch for better steering response since winter tires are usually soft/numb to begin with.

Not to mention it's stock size for the 2.5i.

205/50/17 IMO. Thinner is better for ice/snow, plus you get more sidewall. Also gives the stock wheels a bit more stretch for better steering response since winter tires are usually soft/numb to begin with.

 

Not to mention it's stock size for the 2.5i.

+1

I know the Wintersport M3's don't come in that size, but the Wintersport 3D's do if you're considering those as well.

I have another question on this topic. I have a 2009 2.5i that I am thinking of buying a set of winters for. Will 16's fit or do I have to go 17's?

I want to run 205/55/16 winter tires on some 16 inch wrx wheels for my Legacy...

+1 to N.sane's suggestions and recommendations.

I run 225/45/17 3Ds on a 7.5 inch width rim for the winter months.

This demands a bit of extra caution when the going gets really rough, as with the car's weight, the extra width just doesn't "cut down" enough - but one of my compromise criteria was that the setup retain sufficient fun in the clear, and during the transition months.

I'm in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, which occasionally gets bouts of "Lake Effect" snow. On the 3Ds of that width, I've never gotten stuck. I've never felt that I was in danger (even in the one true blizzard we had here a couple of winters ago). I've never lost-control when it wasn't my specific intent to get that close to the limits. Yet, I know well that if I'd chosen a narrower width, I'd likely have better wintry performance...but I wanted to retain a bit of fun-factor during the transition months, and also, the majority of my commute occurs during hours and on roads which are very well maintained by the municipal crews.

Given where you reside, Razor, I think that you'll want to bias things a bit more towards the wintry-precip. capability than I have.

And certainly, compared to the 215/50/17 Xi2s ("studless ice & snow") that I ran on my wife's WRX (using my stockers), the difference in terms of both winter-weather capability as well as the clear-road fun factory was quite apparent.

16" should fit since that's what the base model comes with. IF you plan on upgrading your brakes to LGT calipers/rotors, you will need 17" minimum.

Only the '05 2.5i came with 16" wheels, 06-09 have the same 17" wheels as the 05-06 LGT. For the '06 2.5i they switched to 11.5" front rotors.

Only the '05 2.5i came with 16" wheels, 06-09 have the same 17" wheels as the 05-06 LGT. For the '06 2.5i they switched to 11.5" front rotors.

Mine is an 09, stock, no changes planned except for the 16 inch wheel / snow tire setup. Based on what you stated above, then 16's will still fit or not fit my 09?

Mine is an 09, stock, no changes planned except for the 16 inch wheel / snow tire setup. Based on what you stated above, then 16's will still fit or not fit my 09?

I'm not sure, does anyone have an '05 2.5i Limited? I don't know if it had 16" or 17" wheels. Look on Tirerack, if they won't let you select a 16" wheel or tire then they won't fit.