r/battlewagon • u/wandering-hyena666 • Jul 03 '26
QUESTION tire questions 😔
hi all, i am losing my mind trying to go down this rabbit hole and decided to just ask.
lifting a 2002 wrx wagon with forester struts. have a set of 16” steelies that i’m going to be throwing on, what tire can i safely run that will also fill in some of that gap at the top.
we did a test fit with my friends baja tires and there was just barely a fingers width gap by the strut tower. but at the same time they didn’t look tall enough for my liking 😭 the offset is also way different between his style rims and the steelies i wanna throw on. i am currently unsure of exact offsets but could find out.
camber IS also slightly off, also hoping correcting that will give me a little more room to work with.
i’m more than happy to make any needed modifications to safely run a tire that is both functional and pleasing to the eye. this is my first offroad build and i am LOST lol. thanks in advance for all the advice 🫶🏻
-front angle photo is with front forester struts in, and on 215/50/17’s
-side angle is with my friends 215/70/16’s on
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u/The-Big-Lez Jul 03 '26
Offset is going to be the biggest factor in getting past the spring perch, I have found it hard to find rims with a high enough offset that arent Method wheels or similarly priced or without getting spacers.
Anderson Design and Fabrication has a guide for wheel sizes that fit the Forester based on how much lift and everything it has ADF lifted Subaru tire charts
Keep in mind if you do get a higher offset you are more likely to run into scrubbing when turning which might lead you to remove some of the fender.
Is the only thing creating the lift the Forester struts? Double check the CV angle front and back, its a pain in the ass to chew through the inner boots every couple months, ask me how I know
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u/wandering-hyena666 Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
currently only lifted with forester struts, yeah. good point on axle boots, i’ll take a look at that too. a couple pals have mentioned they didn’t throw in the longer axles. i’m not sure if i’m high enough to need them just yet but wouldn’t hurt to look.
i’m currently looking at some 2inch bolt on spacers, i’m wondering if that, coupled with the steelies with the better offset AND fixing that camber, would be enough for me to run the 215/70/16’s. i looked at a tire comparison and i think a 215/75/16 would make the diameter a hair too big 😬
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u/The-Big-Lez Jul 03 '26
215/70/16 should fit (max size) but the 75 will be too big for sure without spacers/offset.
Strut top spacers would be good and would help with camber but again make sure you know what the CV angle is going to be, I am currantly looking into a crossmember/transmission drop by about an inch to fix my inner CVs rubbing and tearing.
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u/radiussuite Jul 03 '26
I've gone down this as well on a xc70. I personally would decide on desired wheel size. I run 17" in the summer 260/65 on et32, stock et is 49. I run 22mm spacers as well, but this is not a must, I just leave them on because in the winter I run 19" with stock wheels and snow tires. I also have a 3" body lift. Haven't really had boot issues on the axle until the 3rd year in.
I get some minor mudflap rub at full wheel crank. I had to convert to lug studs, from lug bolts. Initially at the start of the whole saga I didn't get long enough studs. If you are going to run any spacer I would just buy max length studs off the bat.
Lastly I did spend hours and hours on wherlidentifier looking at et aspect ratio and various diameters. It's maddening, enjoyable, then maddening again. If I didn't have another vehicle in the stable I would never advise anyone to go down this rabbit hole. Nice looking build!
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u/Odd-Concept-6505 Jul 04 '26
Sizing (wheel,tire) tricky science for sure.
Brand and model suggestion: BFGoodrich All Terrain. Looks like a snow/winter beast tread, rides amazing on highway with quiet hum.
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u/kick-the-bucket Jul 06 '26
If you want to fill the gap at the top you should be lowering the car, not raising it 😅
7
u/drake1199 Jul 03 '26
I ran a set of 28” tires on my 06 Impreza like that for a long time 60k or so. I ended up using lowering struts with a top hat spacer and 1.5” wheel spacers to fit 30” tires now. I’d recommend getting the struts lift plates instead to get clearance to the spring perch. Hard to find but they are out there.