Donut spare diameter, 2002 Outback VDC??

Does anybody know the tire size, or diameter of the donut spare from a 2001-4 Outback {or probably the same generation Legacy}?

 

I recently put a full size spare in my 2005 LGT wagon. Bought an OEM rim, and a Sumitomo HTR+, which is a non-directional tire. Perfect fit.

 

So I decided to do the same for our daughter's 2002 Outback VDC. Bought a 16 X 6.5 steel rim, and an HTR+ in the stock size: 225/60/16. The diameter of that tire is 26.7". My daughter was home over the weekend, and right before she left last night I decided to pop it in the wheel well. Not a chance. I doubt if it would fit even deflated.

 

She left before I had a chance to measure the diameter of the donut, or the size of the spare well. Here's what I suspect. The Legacy of that generation was spec'd with a 205/60/15 tire. The LGT came with an OEM size of 205/55/16. The diameter of those are 24.7" and 24.9". Two inches less.

 

My hunch is that the spare is in the range of that 24.7" to 24.9". Just "eyeballing" it, I think that a tire of that diameter would fit in the well. I think I'm looking at the 205/55/16 as a solution.

 

I realize that this is less than ideal. The best option is a full size spare. But, we can't put on a roof basket {ski box on there}, and don't want to eat up cargo space. This will give me a bit more comfort than the donut. And, should it be pressed into service, we'll only mount it on the rear, and we'll use the fuse to put the car into FWD mode to avoid any damage.

 

I've asked the same question on Subaruoutback.org, but no responses yet.

 

If you know the details on that donut, I'd appreciate it. Thanks very much.

the OEM donut is a 145/80 16 i was also interested in putting a full size in there but i suppose its impossible =/ its really silly that Subaru couldnt make the chamber for the spare an 1.5" larger....