BL/BP Legacy GT Meaty Tire Thread

Related question - does anyone make aftermarket wheel bearings for 4th-gen LGTs?

 

SKF makes a nice upgrade for C5s, but I don't see anything with their "X-Tracker" branding for Subaru.

i contacted the head of motorsports for SKF directly about bearings. they didn't make any nor do they have any interest in making them. I, too, was very interested in the X-tracker bearing.

re-reading the email, perhaps I phrased the question incorrectly. i'll contact them again. They would only consider a racing application if they already made an oem bearing. it looks like they have greatly expanded their options as well as customizations.

light reading: https://www.skf.com/binary/tcm:12-279833/0901d19680537e49-15759_1-EN_HBU-Catalogue-for-AM-and-IM_low-res_Final_tcm_12-279833.pdf

i contacted the head of motorsports for SKF directly about bearings. they didn't make any nor do they have any interest in making them. I, too, was very interested in the X-tracker bearing.

 

re-reading the email, perhaps I phrased the question incorrectly. i'll contact them again. They would only consider a racing application if they already made an oem bearing. it looks like they have greatly expanded their options as well as customizations.

Maybe a LGT bolt-on in 5x114.5?

Maybe a LGT bolt-on in 5x114.5?

that was my ultimate goal when contacting manufacturers.

quote from skf site:

Cage

Hub bearing units are usually equipped with two cages made of polyamide 6.6 with 25% fibreglass reinforcement. Material properties make these cages suitable for continuous operating temperatures of up to 120 °C. Polyam- ide-based cages can operate in some- what higher temperatures, but at the cost of cage life. In such cases SKF recommends contacting the SKF Application Engineering Department for support.

GHG ball bearings

1–2

Lithium complex

Mineral

40 °C: 100 cst / 100 °C: 11.2 cst –30 to 140 °C

GWZ tapered roller bearings

Internal geometry is adjusted to get the desired value of axial clearance or preload once the unit is assembled in the equipment, taking into account the influence of mounting conditions. Common car wheel application practices include axially clamping the two-piece inner rings with a nut and mounting bearings tightly within the housing and on the shaft.

Accordingly, when HBUs are used for automotive and industrial applications, particular attention should be paid to clearance reduction under actual mounting and thermal conditions.

Lubrication

The greases generally used in SKF hub bearing units have been tested exten- sively at the high loads common in wheel end applications. Table 1 compares the properties and perfor- mance of the two main grease types used in HBUs.

Other application specific grease are also available for more demanding requirements.

2–3

Lithium complex

Synthetic PAO

40 °C: 191 cst / 100 °C: 42 cst –30 to 160 °C

Specific and otherwise challenging application requirements can be met with cage material options that include high temperature-resistant polymers such as PEEK, as well as metal-pressed cages.

note the max temperature for the cages.

This might not help most LGT owners to fit 5x114 wheels, but I believe to have compiled a list of parts for an 07-09 Spec.B to convert from 5x100 to 5x114.

Needed parts for front:

STi front 5x114 bearing/hubs

STi front uprights

STi front axles

STi front coilover ears for LGT coilovers

Needed parts for rear:

DSS rear axles for Spec.B with custom DSS hubs

Slightly more on topic, this is the next tire I will be fitting. Moving from a 245/40/18 Rival 1.5 to a 245/40/18 A7 with hopes of fitting a 275/35/18 A7 after that. There is no 265 available and the 255 is the same width as the 275 but shorter.

Just installed my new rim/tire setup on my 2008 Legacy GT Spec B

Enkei RPF1 17x9 +45

255/40/17 tires.

Stock Blistien Struts and Swift Springs.

WhiteLine KTA 124 Rear adjustable control arms.

Fenders are rolled.

Driveway is not level so ill try and get a nice level picture.

Slightly more on topic, this is the next tire I will be fitting. Moving from a 245/40/18 Rival 1.5 to a 245/40/18 A7 with hopes of fitting a 275/35/18 A7 after that. There is no 265 available and the 255 is the same width as the 275 but shorter.

 

Have you found 275/30/18? Hoosier used to make them as I had a set.

Have you found 275/30/18? Hoosier used to make them as I had a set.

I have not seen a 275/30/18 A7/R7 but it sounds like the 255/35/18 is effectively the same thing having identical tread width as the 275 but a shorter sidewall.

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This 245 measures 9.4” tread width and 10.3” section width.

Potenza RE970 Pole Positions 245/45r17.

Tight fit but so pretty. I'm considering small spacers on the rear due to some running of the sidewall.

I posted this in the wdydty4gl thread, but posting here too. 245/40/17 Michelin AS4, 17x8 OZ Leggera HLT +45, stock suspension. Meaty enough for now.

245/40/18 Hoosier A7 on 18x9.5 et+40 with 3mm rear left, 5mm rear right, 5mm front left, and 8mm front right spacers. Without the rear spacers I had wheel on metal contract with the rear strut tower. Front spacers are needed for lots of negative camber.

The wheels poke a bit but this is the narrowest 18” A7 available and 9.5 is the optimal width wheel for it.

 

245/40/18 Hoosier A7 on 18x9.5 et+40 with 3mm rear left, 5mm rear right, 5mm front left, and 8mm front right spacers. Without the rear spacers I had wheel on metal contract with the rear strut tower. Front spacers are needed for lots of negative camber.

The wheels poke a bit but this is the narrowest 18” A7 available and 9.5 is the optimal width wheel for it.

reading the hoosier care doc leaves some room for interpretation on rim size. The pictures above show a tire on too wide a rim. However using the Hoosier data, the tread width is 9", so optimal rim size is 8.5-9.5 using the inch window. Unless the tire is specifically designed to run with a large section to tread width difference, you want rim, tread & section width differences as close to zero as you can get. Especially on section to rim width.

The difference in spaces is interesting? What was the reasoning?

I'm curious how yer setup works at speed especially cornering.

reading the hoosier care doc leaves some room for interpretation on rim size. The pictures above show a tire on too wide a rim. However using the Hoosier data, the tread width is 9", so optimal rim size is 8.5-9.5 using the inch window. Unless the tire is specifically designed to run with a large section to tread width difference, you want rim, tread & section width differences as close to zero as you can get. Especially on section to rim width.

 

The difference in spaces is interesting? What was the reasoning?

 

I'm curious how yer setup works at speed especially cornering.

The tread width is actually 9.4” per tire rack. You are correct on the wheel being +/-0.5” of the tread width. Ideally the wheel is 0” to +0.5” the tread width for racing. The sidewall is stiffened from being slightly stretched which improves steering feel.

The different wheel spacers was for inboard clearance issues. I had rim to rear strut tower metal on metal contact during compression. No car is exactly symmetrical and given the fitment, I only used as thick of a spacer as absolutely necessary. I left the spacers on the street wheels/tires and have driven on the highway multiple times. I don’t notice them at all. It’s such a small difference with the rear being 2mm different and front 3mm different from left to right. Plus both right side spacers are thicker respectively so the track width grew in the same direction front and back.

Wow, how much space do you have between the tire and the rear arms?

All the pictures I posted are of the rear. The rim protector portion of the tire is just a few mm away from the trailing arm. Being that the tires are stretched the alignment is toe out, the tire tread has enough clearance under cornering deflection.

slicks in the rain? because subaru?

Yeah there wasn’t any standing water so they performed great. Once puddles started forming I threw in the towel.