06 Impreza Sedan snow tires

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Pete - 03 Dec 2007 02:01 GMT

The stock tire for the 06 Impreza is 205-55-r16, wide with low profile. I'd
like to put snow tires on and I'm considering and alternate size.
195-65-r15 is the same diameter within .1". I think I'd be much better off
with this narrower, higher profile tire (1/2" in sidewall) in the snow. The
only thing I'm concerned about is the caliper clearance and if this tire
would be bad for the suspension/steering components. (Tirerack offers a 15"
tire/wheel package in a 205-60-r15 but that tire is a bit smaller in
diameter.) I realize that cornering on dry roads would not be as good as
the stock tire/wheel size and the ride would be a bit softer due to the
higher profile. Would anyone care to share their thoughts on the 195-65-r15
alternate size?

Thanks
Pete

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Chicobiker - 03 Dec 2007 10:15 GMT

> higher profile. Would anyone care to share their thoughts on the 195-65-r15
> alternate size?

I'm running exactly that size of winters (and have been for 5 winters
now) on my 2003 OBS. Same stock tires as your car. No issues. This
car handles amazing in winter conditions. Just this weekend, we got
lots of ice pellets and dropped temps turned streets to shear ice. I
went up this one hill before I realized how icy it was, and the car
went up without even spinning. Lots of evidence of other cars not
making it!!

Go for it. You might need to be a little careful when picking the
wheels tho. I heard something about the Subaru offset being a little
different from the norm.

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Pete - 04 Dec 2007 02:06 GMT

Thanks for the input. I like the 195/65/R15 better than the 205/60/R15
because the diameter is within 0.1" of the stock tires. The other size is
0.2" smaller. My only concern is the considerable difference in width. The
15" wheels I'm looking at have a 50mm offset and are 6.5" wide. I'm not
finding any info on the offset of the stock wheel which is 16" diameter x
6.5" wide.

Pete

>> higher profile. Would anyone care to share their thoughts on the
>> 195-65-r15
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> wheels tho. I heard something about the Subaru offset being a little
> different from the norm.

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Sheldon - 09 Dec 2007 23:06 GMT

> The stock tire for the 06 Impreza is 205-55-r16, wide with low profile.
> I'd like to put snow tires on and I'm considering and alternate size.
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> Thanks
> Pete

I've never gone for the narrow winter wheel thing. The theory is that on a
narrow wheel you have more weight per square inch for better bite and better
traction on soft snow and slush. My theory is that you spend more time on
dry roads than snowy or icy roads, so a little more rubber on the road gives
you better traction, handling and braking. For the winter I go with
Blizzaks, same size as my summer tires. It's debatable as to whether ice
tires are as good as studded, or better, but I can't stand that noise on dry
pavement, and the Blizzaks have a great ride.

So, the bottom line is how much time do you plan on driving in snow and ice?
And also, just about any AWD car will go well in poor conditions. The
problem is stopping.

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