17's shouldn't be a problem. I've got 16" 02-03 WRX stockers on my '97. I went with 215/60R16 tires and don't have any problems.

I don't think you'd have any rubbing issues. While I at first thought mine were pretty close, when I actually got under and looked, it seems there's a decent amount of clearance. You'd probably go with slightly wider tires, though. I'd try and find someone who has a set of the wheels you want to use, and see if they'll let you test fit them on your car, and see what clearance you have between the wheel and things like the struts. Unless, of course, you're getting them for a song or something, and can easily resell them if they don't work for ya.

(Edited to fix tire size)

 

Thanks...if I get them I'll be sure to pst a new pic

 

WHOA UP THERE, DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!!

If you are talking about BBS wheels then you have to be VERY careful what you buy. In recent years the only BBS wheels that have graced the Impreza have been gold or silver 10 spoke units on the WRX STi, and with the exception of 2004, they have always had a 5x114.3mm bolt patterns. The bolt pattern on your car is a 5x100mm, therefore the VAST majority of BBS STi wheels out there WILL NOT FIT YOUR CAR. Now if you come across some BBS wheels off of a 2004 STi, they should fit, because they were a 5x100mm bolt pattern.

Anyway, all that being said, what you should be aiming for in looking for a wheel for your car is a 17" +48mm backspace and a 5x100mm bolt pattern, but you can get by with a +55mm backspace, it will just have the wheels tucked a little closer into the car. If you don't mind going with a 16" wheel, the wheels that ivwarrior shows will be just fine, I run them on my 2004 OBW for my winter wheels too.

There is gobs of information on every iteration of Subaru made in the past few years at www.cars101.com. So if you are ever wondering if a specific wheel off another model will fit, this is a great resource.

 

It turns out they ARE the same as ivwarriors, but stock silver. The seller was mistaken about the size.

 

Well, in that case you're definitely good to go. Note, I fixed my first post, I'm running 215/60R16 summer tires on the WRX wheels. Stock sized 205/70R15 snows on Forester steelies for the winter. And if anyone's curious, when I've had the GPS running, the speedo seems to be dead on with the summer tires.

 

IVWarrior, can you either post, PM, or email me closeups of your wheels and tires, and one of the whole thing including the space in between the wheel wells? My email is on my profile.

Thank you!

 

I had the rims mounted....will post images soon

 

wheel & tire upgrade

It's not the best pic (cell phone cam) but you get the idea. The shots I took form the 7.1 mp were too big to upload

 

Wow Rich! That's one of the cleanest '97s I've seen in a long time!

The wheels look great!

 

Car looks great! I almost bought wrx rims from my buddy last summer except I had bought 4 new tires the day before he told me he was selling them...I was pissed. Anyway, the car does look good, enjoy!

 

Thanks fellow outbackers...If you can get the wrx rims I would say go for it.. it still is a stock look but tires still have plenty of sidewall left. The ride feels very much the same as before except grip in the turns is better.

 

Will the 16" WRX wheels from my '02 fit in place of the 17" on the '08 XT? I didn't know if the brakes were larger. I have a set in the loft of the barn. They'd be good for some dedicated mud & snow tires if so. Right now they have some fairly worn 225-50-16 Yokohama ES-100 tires on them, which would look sorta weird with the raised suspension!

 

scored a set myself

I just scored a set of 16" WRX wheels off craigslist for $50 without the centers. I am refinishing them black as well. Your wheels look great! What tire did you go with?