17x7.5 with a 40mm offset ok for MY96 BD?

[winston856]

So I'm looking at some wheels for my BD and I've got these Raceline 126's, 17x7.5" 40mm offset 5x100/114.

Reading around I saw that they are not okay and will make my wheel bearings hate me. Is this true?

[Huffer]

They're a bit low on the offset department, but not too bad. You might get some rub if you run a wide/tall tire though.... expect to roll fenders when you lower.

[winston856]

Well I did some reading and it turns out for 7.5" wheels on subaru's you need between a 47-50mm offset so you don't prematurely wear the wheel bearings.

The rule of thumb is within a couple of mm of those numbers. 40 is a little to far away for my tastes, I don't feel like wearing my wheel bearings any faster.

[rougeben83]

Well I did some reading and it turns out for 7.5" wheels on subaru's you need between a 47-50mm offset so you don't prematurely wear the wheel bearings.

The rule of thumb is within a couple of mm of those numbers. 40 is a little to far away for my tastes, I don't feel like wearing my wheel bearings any faster.

While this wheel bearing issue is the standard rhetoric among the subaru crowd, I have never seen a wheel bearing failure that can be attributed solely to lower offset wheels.

That being said, subarus are notorious for wheel bearing failures even on "correct" offset rims - it's just an inherent flaw in the design. These failures are more often from really high mileage cars or cars that are often tracked.

What should be of bigger concern is whether t hat low of an offset will rub on your car; Older legacy's are known for the lack of wheel clearance, especially in the back.

Moreover, the change to a more positive scrub radius using a lower offset should be of bigger concern if you want to get the most handling out of any new set of wheels and tires.

The bottom line is; correct wheel fitment should be your goal, BUT if there are other factors that are keeping you from those ideal ranges, the world isn't going to end...

[LunchBox04V]

I have been running 215/45/17's with a +45mm offset. So far they are great! I have a '99 BK wagon, not an outback. They have not rubbed even with 3 well sized guys in the car. No other problems as of yet. This has the pictures on mine and the spacing.

Pictures in the middle and end.....
http://www.sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?t=9172&highlight=

Only change is that I dumped the chick! lol She really needed to go......haha