[Harleyduo]

In talking to other Subaru owners, I am going to go ahead and get a set of winter tires mounted on their own rims with dedicated TPMS devices. However, that puts me in this quandry. Ive read that even though my Touring has 18" wheels on its all season tires, some people prefer to step down to a 17 because they give more cushion for winter potholes and also cost less. I'm guessing that as long as I go with sizes the the Outbacks with 17" tires come with, I should be good. However, in looking at wheels, I am not absolutely sure how critical it is that I buy only wheels with a 48mm offset, like the Outback wheels have or if it's OK to vary from that number a bit (like a 45 mm?) I'm hoping that somebody who is truly knowledgable can steer me in the right direction.

 

[Kevin]

Nokian tires are what I have been recommending for over a decade.

 

[Scrapper]

I would highly recommend going with the same hub bore (not universal fit wheels with spacers) and of course the required bolt pattern for your vehicle. I have steelies for my 2015, I'll check the offset on them after I put my daughter to bed.

 

[Harleyduo]

I have been impressed with what I"ve researched on Noikians but the decision I have to make is what rim will work best for mounting them on. I've already decided that steel wheels with hub caps can get almost as expensive as alloy mag wheels and don't look half as nice, but it's not easy to find wheels that totally match with what Subaru puts on the Touring models.

 

[Scrapper]

The wheels I am running are steel wheels. Specifically DTDX40870, 7.0Jx17,bolt pattern 5x114.3, with an offset of 42.

When mounted the wheels rest a little further toward the outside of the car than my 2015 limited wheels.

I hope that answers your questions.

 

[Harleyduo]

Have you detected any negative issues with the offset being 42 mm instead of 48 (such as steering, throwing more snow up on your car, etc.?)

 

[Shaggin Wagon]

Have you detected any negative issues with the offset being 42 mm instead of 48 (such as steering, throwing more snow up on your car, etc.?)

I'm not sure what his experience is specifically, but I think 6mm less offset is nothing noteworthy. The wheel is pretty far in from the fender to start so pushing it out by such a small amount most likely will not affect the amount of mud/snow is thrown on the body. As far as steering, I can guarantee you won't feel a difference if the track is 12mm wider total (assuming every other factor remains the same)

 

[Scrapper]

Have you detected any negative issues with the offset being 42 mm instead of 48 (such as steering, throwing more snow up on your car, etc.?)

No negative issues at all. No rubbing, looks good, doesn't protrude out from the car wheel wells.

 

[Zedhead]

I've run all of the dedicated snow tires over the years in Northern Minnesota. And they are all very good.

I would rank them as follows

1- Nokia Hakka's

2- X-Ice (I've run all three gens with great results)

3- Blizzak ws-80

 

[BHopkins]

I've run all of the dedicated snow tires over the years in Northern Minnesota. And they are all very good.

I would rank them as follows

1- Nokia Hakka's

2- X-Ice (I've run all three gens with great results)

3- Blizzak ws-80

I would agree, except I would put the Nokia tires at #3.

Not that they aren't great tires. They are. But they aren't as readily available. If you ever had a damaged tire and had to have it replaced, you will most likely have to wait a day or two for the tire shop to order in a replacement. Both the X-Ice and Blizzak tires are quite popular and readily available.

And with the improvements that have been made to the most recent generation of Blizzak, the gap has closed and most of us probably couldn't tell the difference between the three.

 

[eagleeye]

if you want to look at pics and a long long discussion on Gen5 options:

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/138-gen-5-2015-present/175449-tires-wheels-proven-fit.html

 

[Zedhead]

I would agree, except I would put the Nokia tires at #3.

Not that they aren't great tires. They are. But they aren't as readily available. If you ever had a damaged tire and had to have it replaced, you will most likely have to wait a day or two for the tire shop to order in a replacement. Both the X-Ice and Blizzak tires are quite popular and readily available.

And with the improvements that have been made to the most recent generation of Blizzak, the gap has closed and most of us probably couldn't tell the difference between the three.

Generally speaking, if your driving a Subaru, you're replacing tires in sets. Not just one.

Waiting a couple of days for one tire would be rare.

 

[BHopkins]

Generally speaking, if your driving a Subaru, you're replacing tires in sets. Not just one.

Waiting a couple of days for one tire would be rare.

It's really not that rare. For example, this June I put a new set of Continentals on my Outback. Less than a week later, I got a utility blade in one of them, and had to have it replaced. Since the tires had no real measurable wear, only the damaged tire had to be replaced.

I have had other tires also that could not be repaired, and had to be replaced. While tires on AWD cars have to be close to the same diameter, a lot of tire shops offer shaving services, where a replacement tire can be shaved down to the same size as the other tires, so a full set doesn't have to be installed because of one damaged tire. As AWD is getting more common, so is this service.

Everyone has to weigh it out. But when there is such a small difference in performance between the Nokian and the X-ice, factors such as this can tip the scale.