Wheel/Snow tire combo for 07 spec.B?

I went through the "What to expect in the snow?" thread and didn't see much info on the spec.B wrt winter tires.

 

What are you spec.B drivers doing for snow tires? I want to go to a minus 1 configuration (drop down to 17" wheels from the OEM 18 inchers, go up to 55 series profile).

 

Any good suggestions on wheels or snow tires? I'm thinking I want a real M&S, not an All Season.

 

thanks

There aren't many snow tire picks in the 18" size.

 

If you go down to 17'' like you plan to, there are many more options. 215/50/17 is the size I settled on. I wanted to keep the long contact patch from the OEM spec., keep the speedo relatively well calibrated, and get a little extra sidewall for pot hole cushioning. Should you choose to go to a 225 the grip is going to be less in snow so more traction is needed.

 

It depends on the snow conditions, temperature and road type as to what tire type you should consider in a temperate climate. Got lots of snow that doesn't get cleared fast? Get some true snows. See some snow but run in actual cold conditons (-10C and below) consistantly? Winter performance might be good. Live in an urban area seeing some snow but more likely slop and temps that rarely get below -20C and can easily be in the 10Cs? Maybe an aggressive A/S with some cold weather capability might be best.

 

Those are just some of the factors and permutations I pondered until I got absolutely sick of it. Then there is brand, availability, price, service....

not to nitpick, but i dont see why winter wheel/tire combos would only apply to the spec B, would all the suggestions apply to the regular legacy GTs as well?

 

Ed

If you have the money, Nokian is hard to beat for high end tires.

 

Unstudded

http://www.nokiantyres.com/passengercars_product_en?product=610499&name=NOKIAN+HAKKAPELIITTA+RSi

 

Studded

http://www.nokiantyres.com/passengercars_product_en?product=1520997&name=NOKIAN+HAKKAPELIITTA+5

 

If you are looking for a great tire for less money than the Nokian.

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Winterforce&tireModel=M%2BS

 

As for what to mount them on, I bought some WRX wheels on ebay and painted them black.

You can go to The Tire Rack website and see what options they offer. I went with 17x7.5 ASA JH3 wheels with 215/50 Dunlop Wiinter Sport M3 tires. No snow yet in Chicago but I'm looking forward to snow!

Well I can tell you for (almost) a fact that wheel selection does matter for the Spec.B. I'm in Canada and so worked a deal with the dealer to get some 17" rims and a set of Blizzak LM-25 (after a lot of research this is what I settled on). But when I went to pick up my new baby yesterday there was an awful grinding sound coming from the rear end when cornering or hitting small bumps.

 

The lead tech figures the rims aren't working quite right with the suspension, even though they have these rims installed on several 2006 LGTs. I'm not sure of the make and model of the rims, but I'll try to find out.

 

After looking around I did decide on dedicated performance winter tires and then keep the standards tires (and rims) that come with the car for summer fun. The trade off for a set of all seasons (based on my research) simply wasn't worth it.

 

Hope this helps, and if anyone out there has successfully installed 17" rims on their '07 Spec.B I'd sure like to hear which ones worked for you. Maybe even anyone who's installed them on an '06, as I can't imagine there is any difference.

 

Edit: I just re-read your post AndyJ thanks for sharing which wheels you used, I checked them out on TireRack and they look sweet, nice choice.

Kazera KZ-U works for me. 17".

 

I have pics on here...somewhere.

Not to bump the thread, but here is what I just found out from my dealer:

 

The wheels are Kazera KZ-V 17" and the tires are 245/45R17 Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 tires.

 

And there is definitely some kind of problem with them from the sounds of it. At least a problem that doesn't exist on the stock configuration. Metal on metal grinding sound coming from a car is never good.

Good choice looneycanuk, the KZ-U were the ones I wanted, but they put on the KZ-V. Are you running Blizzaks? If so which ones? I can't imagine there is a serious difference between the V and the U, so I wonder what the problem is on my car.

Good choice looneycanuk, the KZ-U were the ones I wanted, but they put on the KZ-V. Are you running Blizzaks? If so which ones? I can't imagine there is a serious difference between the V and the U, so I wonder what the problem is on my car.

 

I have the Dunlop Sport M3's. Originally, I wanted the ASA JH3's but Nigel at the Tirerack talked me out of them due to the offset not being ideal.

 

Hopefully your car is parked at the dealer while they solve the problem and fix any damage! Dealer STI as a loaner would be appropriate if they installed crap parts on your car.

Actually I haven't even signed the papers to take ownership of the car yet, they need to get it working properly before I'll do that. But I have to say the KZ-V are growing on me, but I'll happily go to the KZ-U if that's the issue.

 

As for the loaner, ever since I put on a deposit on the car (about 6 weeks ago) I've been driving around an '06 Legacy 2.5i. Nothing special, but they gave it to me with no hassle whatsoever. I've been really impressed with them so far (Subaru of Calgary, Calgary Alberta).

 

Hopefully they'll figure out whatever the hell is scraping and I can get my new baby.

 

Thanks for all the help looneycanuk. Maybe some of this info will help the original poster.

Actually I haven't even signed the papers to take ownership of the car yet, they need to get it working properly before I'll do that. But I have to say the KZ-V are growing on me, but I'll happily go to the KZ-U if that's the issue.

 

As for the loaner, ever since I put on a deposit on the car (about 6 weeks ago) I've been driving around an '06 Legacy 2.5i. Nothing special, but they gave it to me with no hassle whatsoever. I've been really impressed with them so far (Subaru of Calgary, Calgary Alberta).

 

Hopefully they'll figure out whatever the hell is scraping and I can get my new baby.

 

Thanks for all the help looneycanuk. Maybe some of this info will help the original poster.

 

Glad to be of service!

 

Keep us posted on your scraping issues.

This is great info. Thanks all. I'll recheck tirerack with your suggestions. (BTW, the local dealer here is C&C Motors in Whitby. Excellent dealer, in part due to a top notch service manager. )

 

I'm just east of TO where we get a few days a month of good snow but mostly cold bare roads. My problem is that I routinely run up to Bruce County where snow is an issue. So I'm tossed up between performance winter and full-on snows.

 

If you don't mind me asking, what did the dealer charge for the Kazeras with Blizzaks?

Looneycanuck - your profile says you don't have the itre pressure monitoring system. I 'think' I also do not have it - no dash icon on start up. How else can I tell if it's there or not?

Tirerack.com carries the TPSM and will install before they mount and balance. I don't want to spend that extra money if I don't need to!

 

Thanks

I bought a set of wheels from a stock Legacy GT used online. Then I bought a set of 4 Nokian RSI's. I drove with the Nokians for about 2 weeks and then freaked out and took them off. They may be great in the snow and ice, but they absolutely suck on wet or dry pavement. The same thing happened a few years ago when I tried the soft Blizzaks. I replaced the tires with Dunlop Wintersport M3's and now the car drive great again. They will not be as good in the snow and ice, I know that, but that is the tradeoff.

 

So, ask yourself; do I need awsome snow tires and am I willing to put up with the crap handelling, noise and nausea inducing vibration for 6 months? Or, can I get pretty good ice and snow tires and enjoy my car?

Looneycanuck - your profile says you don't have the itre pressure monitoring system. I 'think' I also do not have it - no dash icon on start up. How else can I tell if it's there or not?

Tirerack.com carries the TPSM and will install before they mount and balance. I don't want to spend that extra money if I don't need to!

 

Thanks

 

Canadian 07 Spec B's do not have TPMS. The only way to tell is to mount a wheel that does not have the sensor and drive around for a day or few. The lack of the TPMS dash light is also a good clue.

I'm just east of TO where we get a few days a month of good snow but mostly cold bare roads. My problem is that I routinely run up to Bruce County where snow is an issue. So I'm tossed up between performance winter and full-on snows.

 

If you don't mind me asking, what did the dealer charge for the Kazeras with Blizzaks?

 

Hey Whiskywizard, I'm in Calgary so we get snow, then chinooks and if they don't last long enough it turns into ice, but there can be long periods of dry pavement in the winter too. That's why I went with the Blizzak LM25s, they're a good winter performance tire.

 

As for the charge, I have no idea. When I negotiated on the car I told them I would pay MSRP (this always puts a dealer in a good mood) and then told them what I wanted with it. The wheels and tires were included in there amongst several other things. Although tirerack has the Blizzak LM25 245/45 HR17 listed at $146 each and the Kazera KZ-V at $239 each.

 

Hope this helps.

Hey folks,

 

Two previous posts in this thread said they went with 215/50 on their 17" rims for winter tires. When the dealer called me up they said they put 245/45 on mine. Think that makes any serious difference?

 

Looneycanuk, what size do you have on your wheels?

Hey folks,

 

Two previous posts in this thread said they went with 215/50 on their 17" rims for winter tires. When the dealer called me up they said they put 245/45 on mine. Think that makes any serious difference?

 

Looneycanuk, what size do you have on your wheels?

 

245/45 17 isn't the best -- bit too wide for snow but shouldn't hurt otherwise; I have 225/45 on my summer kit.

 

I have 215/45 17's for my winter footwear.

Hey folks,

 

Two previous posts in this thread said they went with 215/50 on their 17" rims for winter tires. When the dealer called me up they said they put 245/45 on mine. Think that makes any serious difference?

 

Looneycanuk, what size do you have on your wheels?

 

I agree with looneycanuck above, and suggest you try to stick with a minus 1 configuration. if you're dropping rim diameter by an inch, you need to increase the tire's outer rolling diameter by an inch. This helps maintain final drive ratio and speedometer accuracy. the 07 spec.b does allow you to adjust the speedo, but I still want to have my winter wheels w tires match my summer wheels w tires for overall diameter.

 

edit - added detail. ideally, I want 205 to 225/ 55R17 tires on 7" or up to 7.5" wheels.

Canadian 07 Spec B's do not have TPMS. The only way to tell is to mount a wheel that does not have the sensor and drive around for a day or few. The lack of the TPMS dash light is also a good clue.

 

Thanks for that info. I suspected as much but it's always hard to say a feature doesn't exist just because the owner's manual or web site is silent on that topic. Appreciate your help!

From Tire Rack, I recently bought four Pirelli SottoZero 215/45VR18 tires. My last two sets of winter tires were Nokian WR, which performed well in my region where ice, but not much snow, and cold bare roads are typical. This time I chose a new tire which seems to be optimized for shallow snow and better performance on bare roads. I'll have the tires mounted about December 1 and will report on their performance.

If I got a set of the 17x7.5 ASA JH3 wheels from Tirerack ($93 apiece? c'mon!) do I need to worry about anything with the TPMS? Do I need to install those little sensors? Or will the light just be on until I get my summers back on in May? I haven't even picked up my '07 Spec B yet, but I'll have it this afternoon, and the wheels are due in this week (I already have the tires from my STi). Thoughts?

From Tire Rack, I recently bought four Pirelli SottoZero 215/45VR18 tires. My last two sets of winter tires were Nokian WR, which performed well in my region where ice, but not much snow, and cold bare roads are typical. This time I chose a new tire which seems to be optimized for shallow snow and better performance on bare roads. I'll have the tires mounted about December 1 and will report on their performance.

 

I recently bought the same tires and should have them on in a couple of days.I do live in Toronto though, so we shall see how they perform in the conditions here. Problem is there are 2 winter tires that I have found that are 215/45 18, blizzak lm-25 and the pirelli's, the latter being much cheaper.

 

Still way too expensive for my liking but thats the price you pay for wanting nice aftermarket summer wheels bad enough to drive on 18's in the winter I guess.

If I got a set of the 17x7.5 ASA JH3 wheels from Tirerack ($93 apiece? c'mon!) do I need to worry about anything with the TPMS? Do I need to install those little sensors? Or will the light just be on until I get my summers back on in May? I haven't even picked up my '07 Spec B yet, but I'll have it this afternoon, and the wheels are due in this week (I already have the tires from my STi). Thoughts?

 

According to downtown subaru in Toronto, the light should go off automatically when your OE's go back on or until you install the sensors.

 

I don't know what to believe at this point because I have heard on this forum that Canadian spec b's don't even have tpms.