how do I find info about my rims?

[Payback45]

I am looking to buy new rims about 18's. They want to know your lug pattern. All I know is that I have 5 lug nuts. how do I find out everything else? I have a 2002 Legacy GT LTD

[badbasser98]

lug pattern is 5x100.

[Huffer]

are you running on stock tire profile?

http://www.cars101.com/subaru/legacy/legacy2002.html

GT sedan and wagon 205/55R 16" all season, alloy wheel

When you go to 18s, you will have to maintain your overall rolling diameter, unless you like your speedo to be inaccurate.

Use this tire/wheel calculator:
http://gs.tolan-hoechst.com/tirecalc.htm

[Payback45]

I don't know what a rolling diameter is. Sorry. These are the wheels I was thinking about? Do you think they will fit?

http://redhat3.admarkonline.com/~hpraci ... &cat_key=1 (http://redhat3.admarkonline.com/~hpracing/product.phtml?p=61&cat_key=1)

I was thinking in gunmetal. If they would work

[Plays_with_Toys]

Those look pretty crazy, but I doubt they'll have the proper offset (very crucial for wheels so that you don't rub). Rolling diameter, is the overall diameter of the tire/wheel assembly. Diameter is how wide a circle is at its widest point. If you're new tire/wheel combo makes a bigger circle (or smaller for that matter) it'll change gear ratios and it will change the speedometer reading.

What brake upgrades are you doing to stop all that rolling metal? Might want to invest in some performance pads and for sure change out your brake fluid at a minimum. More weight per wheel makes it harder to stop.

[Payback45]

I didn't realize I would need to do all that too. I am not sure how much they weigh. For all I know they weigh less than the rims I have now

[Payback45]

I looked in my car manual and I couldn't find anything out. Where do I look? Is there a site I can go to?

[blueb3]

Check out the wheel and tire forum on Nasoic all your answers (and more info than your brain can handle) will be there.

Couple quick cliff notes: Use the tire calculator, and figure out how much your speedo is going to be off by. Also, look at the offset of the wheel you are looking at. With that nice dish, I am assuming the offset is in the low 30's. Your car is happy with high 40's. What does that mean? Premature wear on your wheel bearings, and a completely different feel in your steering.

They are pretty sweet wheels, don't get me wrong, but make sure you do your homework on them. Contact the manufacturer and get ALL the specs: weight, offset, build process (18's have really thin sidewalls to on our cars, you want a REALLY strong wheel)

[scottzg]

please please please don't contribute to the number of 3500lb cars with 35 sidewall tires on the road. they look ridiculous, greatly harm performance, ruin ride quality, prematurely wear out suspension components, frequently create torque steer (because the odds that the correct offset is gonna keep the wheel center in the right place is not that good) and are always running around on their doughnuts because those skinny ass tires can't take a pothole or a curb like a good 50mm sidewall.

Not to mention that they are expensive to buy new tires for. I've got my performance tires on 15's and my m-s tires on 16s because i can get new 15's cheaper and they're good for a gearing reduction.

i like your taste in wheels

[Huffer]

I looked in my car manual and I couldn't find anything out. Where do I look? Is there a site I can go to?

Dude, did you even click on any of the above links?!?

[badbasser98]

I went from a 55 height to a 45 height when I went to a 17" wheel. The overall ride quality actually improved, although you could feel the sharper bumps more.

In my area (or other states that experience a full 4-seasons) I would not recommend anything larger than a 17" wheel on our cars due to some of the things Scottzg says. You have to be very carefull on city streets that usually have a significant number of potholes and cracks in the pavement. With very low profile tires you run high risk of damaging your new wheels, tires, suspension, etc. I have seen many people around here that have busted spokes from a pothole with low profiles on their car. One guy that owned a Civic lost a full spoke from a three spoke wheel, should have saw the damage that caused :shock:

just my $.02

[sansMYSTi]

I am going to jump on the bandwagon and not suggest the 18's, rather the 17's. I have a 2002 GT also with 17's (225/45/17) and it is a good size.

Keep in mind a few things when you increase your rim diameter (+2 over stock in your case)

- stock brakes look tiny in bigger rims
- bigger rims and tires are generally heavier and carry the weight further out on their radius which means more breaking effort required to stop the car due to a higher rolling mass
- lower profile tires are more expensive with less of a selection in the right size
- the chance to bending/breaking a rim goes up with lower profile tires
- you run a higher risk of rubbing on the body or suspension with wider wheels/tires

My 17" Rota Tarmac II's with 225/45/17 rubber are the perfect size for the Legacy. The brakes don't look too small in the rims, good handling without being harsh on bumps/cracks/ridges in the road, not too heavy, no rubbing, and the tires are not too bad for price (especially Falkens or Hankooks). Sometimes an extra inch in the rim can start to look goofy IMO.

[redlegacygt]

^ everything he said. Im looking at trying to find a pair of those exact wheels he's talkin about. If you looking for wheels, Rota's are great wheels.

[Payback45]

no I havent been to the site yet. I will have to rethink the 18".

[Payback45]

Well I think I will go with the ADR M Sport 17x 7.5. I just lowered it too. So now what kind of problems do I face? I have the H&R KYB combo. 1.5 front 1.3 rear.

[Huffer]

Well I think I will go with the ADR M Sport 17x 7.5. I just lowered it too. So now what kind of problems do I face? I have the H&R KYB combo. 1.5 front 1.3 rear.

Again, should be no problems if the car is aligned correctly. 17x7.5 with a correct offset, +48 or more, should be fine, providing the tire is correct.

[blueb3]

You'll need to get an alignment.