Just scored some 15" snow tires.

[beastman]

Wondering if 15" steel wheels will fit over my brakes? 2001 Legacy GT wagon.

The tires are mounted on steelies already, but they are 5x114.3 for my gradmas 1999 toyota avalon.

[StatGSR]

L's of that year (2001) came with 15inch steel wheels, and the brakes are the same on that as they are on the gt. So i don't see any issues there. obviously you can't use the wheels that came with the tires though.

i would be a little wary of using used winter tires that were used on a fwd vehicle though. if the wear on the tires is uneven, they will cause excessive wear on your drivetrain. All 4 tires should have near identical tread depth on a awd vehicle.

[Huffer]

I think the snow will help ease some of that strain on your drivetrain. As long as the tires are within a reasonable tread depth of each other, you're fine. Just get an alignment if you haven't had one in awhile.

[StatGSR]

^ true, when driving on snow/ice, but (depending on location and driving habits i suppose) you will still likely spend much more time during the winter season driving on dry pavement roads.

I just think its something to be aware of, most times when i see a fwd car with snows, the front set is bald and the rears look new... (extreme tire rotation fail)

[mike-tracy]

In cases like these, I go to tirerack.com, and check out the steel wheel selection.

They only show 16" steelies for the GT, and when I put in 2001 Legacy "L", both 15" and 16" steelies were displayed as fitting.

So... You need to measure your front brake rotor. Is it approx. 10.24, 10.91 or 11.57 inches across? If it's 11.57, then you need 16" steelies. The other two fit under 15"s

-Mike

[StatGSR]

^ Cars 101 lists identical brakes for the gt and l, and tire rack will rarely shows you a wheel that is smaller than the one that came originally for that trim, so i don't even consider it a decent resource for this argument.

http://www.cars101.com/legacy2001.html

"Brakes: all are 4 channel anti-lock disc brakes
10.7" vented front disc with dual caliper piston, 11.3" rear disc.

Steering: engine speed contolled variable assist rack and pinion

Tires and Wheels:
L sedan and wagon 205/60R 15" all season with steel wheel with hubcap
GT sedan and wagon 205/55R 16" all season with alloy wheel "

[mike-tracy]

^ Cars 101 lists identical brakes for the gt and l, and tire rack will rarely shows you a wheel that is smaller than the one that came originally for that trim, so i don't even consider it a decent resource for this argument."

I don't consider Cars 101 an infallible source for information. So I did a little digging, and the part number for an 01 Legacy GT's front brakes are: 26300ae00a
Statsgsr, you could be completely right in your assessment that the rotor is the same size as an L, but if the owner can easily do a measurement to make 100% sure the 15"s will fit, then why shouldn't he? The only post 1999 legacys I've worked on was a 2000 Outback w/ cold weather package (which had the "L" sized front rotors and H6 sized rears) and a 2004 H6 LL Bean edition outback which had WRX sized fronts and H6 rears.

[StatGSR]

I'm not saying taking a tape measure would be a bad and easy way to double check. its just that regarding Subaru facts. Cars101 > Tirerack.

btw, cars 101 doesn't show the GT getting the larger front brakes untill 2003.

Also all 3rd gens have "H6" sized rear rotors, they are all the same size....even the one with the H6 in it...

[mike-tracy]

btw, cars 101 doesn't show the GT getting the larger front brakes untill 2003.
Also all 3rd gens have "H6" sized rear rotors, they are all the same size....even the one with the H6 in it...

That's lame that they kept the same size rotors as the previous gen GT till 2003. Also good to know about the h6 rears on all 3rd gen legacys.

[Huffer]

^^ I love this site. We go from 15" snow tires to brake rotor sizes in a heartbeat. :D

(BTW, this is why when 2nd gen owners look for brake upgrades, I always tell them to buy 2004 GT loaded calipers and rotors. Much easier to know exactly what year and model your new parts come from.)

[StatGSR]

^^ I love this site. We go from 15" snow tires to brake rotor sizes in a heartbeat. :D


Well the first question was if 15inch wheels would fit over his brakes and rotor/caliper size is the driving force for wheel size so :smt019









:smt049 you huffer

[jey]

I don't even think it's safe to assume that just because 15" Subaru steel wheels will clear the brakes that all 15" steelies will. We know the Avalon wheels won't work because it's the wrong bolt pattern...

[StatGSR]

^ obviously, still has to have the appropriate offset and shape, but that can be said for any wheel of any size for any vehicle.

[beastman]

The local junkyard has steel "15 wheels from a 2002 legacy L, can I assume the offset will work if they are a subaru wheel?

Also, they want $55 a piece for those suckers. Seems kinda steep for used wheels?

I'm glad the brake discussion took off, that is my main concern. I will go measure the brakes and post up results.

[beastman]

So I measured the brakes (crude estimate without taking the wheel off.)

Both of the rotors were about 10.5" but the rear had a much larger (heat/dust) shield that gave it another inch or so in diameter.

Tread depth is equal on all four. These were on my grandparents car, I doubt there's even 1k miles on them.

[StatGSR]

for that kinda ching i would expect used oem alloys.... have you tried using http://www.car-part.com ?

They should atleast cut you a deal for buying 4. its one thing to rip somebody off when they only want one, and potentially ruin a set for the next guy, its another to be able to get rid of all 4 in one shot.

[Huffer]

The local junkyard has steel "15 wheels from a 2002 legacy L, can I assume the offset will work if they are a subaru wheel?

Also, they want $55 a piece for those suckers. Seems kinda steep for used wheels?

I'm glad the brake discussion took off, that is my main concern. I will go measure the brakes and post up results.

For $55 a piece you can get 16" WRX wheels with used tires on them. What a rip off!
Go visit craigslist.com or check out the subie forums.

[Huffer]

So I measured the brakes (crude estimate without taking the wheel off.)

Both of the rotors were about 10.5" but the rear had a much larger (heat/dust) shield that gave it another inch or so in diameter.

You're not measuring the heatshield, only the rotor.

[StatGSR]

^ either way, it matches the brake sizes i mentioned earlier.

now that just makes me wonder if any of the earlier legacy and outback 15" wheels would clear the rear brakes on a BE....

[mike-tracy]

^ either way, it matches the brake sizes i mentioned earlier.

now that just makes me wonder if any of the earlier legacy and outback 15" wheels would clear the rear brakes on a BE....

So is the question, do "H6" rears fit under 15" oem alloys? In that case, yes they do.

[StatGSR]

^ yes, that was the question, i was just trying to open the door for more 15" wheel options, especially since they wanted so much for 15" steelies at his junk yard.

[Huffer]

Found a fella on LGT.com selling a 15" tire setup from a 2004 Outback:

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.p ... 50867.html (http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/subaru-wheels-snow-tires-mounted-balanced-250-150867.html)


These wheels came off our 2004 Subaru. Wheels and tires are in good condition. They should fit all Subaru Legacy, Outback, WRX and many other cars.
Tires are Mastercraft Glacier grip II 195-65/15. We also have lug nuts that will go with wheels.
196-65R15, 195-65-15
If interested please call 609-903-3315
http://images.craigslist.org/3ka3pd3l65O15Y55Q3ac5bc606f64efc5116f.jpg