Finding the right wheels

I'd like to put some wider wheels and tires on my 98 Impreza, but have been having a tough time finding good-looking, relatively inexpensive wheels to fit the car. I've seen 225's on a GC-chassis with stock suspension so I know that is possible. While the 5x100 bolt pattern is common enough, the really high offset needed isn't, especially in a 15" diameter. Tried a 225/50R15 on the stock 6" wide steelies, and it seemed okay up front, but rubbed the rears struts slightly. The sidewall bulged significantly though. Something like a 6.5 or 7" width would be a lot better.

Any leads as to what wheels would fit and allow clearance of the struts and fenders?

Try a place like The Tire Rack. They have thousands of wheels and you can even see how they will look on your car. Tell them your car and they will supply the correct width and offset. QED

If Tom could chime in with what is on his WRX that might help. I believe the tires are 245/??/17 NT05s. I know the rims are Rotas but I have no idea the style. Maybe check the project car page?

We ran those on my wifes GC8 wagon with slight rubbing on the rear wheel arch rubber guard. It was so slight we ran the autocross without adjusting anything since it was rubber on rubber contact. I imagine rolling the fender would remedy that.

I have a 5-piece set of leftover 16" x6.5" ATP wheels with four Falken RT-615s from when I traded my Impreza in. I don't remember the tire size or wheel offset offhand but they originally came off a hillclimb WRX with Yoko racing rubber on them. They fit perfectly except for more fenderwell space as the Falkens have a smaller sidewall size. These are the wheels with the Yokos on them

Rotas. They are cheap, they make a ton of different widths and diameters and styles for Subarus, and yes, they can handle abuse. I have some Rota Torques in 17x8 on my daily driver 2009 WRX, and it gets driven on the pothole-ridled MA roads every day. Check out my profile pics for some shots of those Rotas on my car.

Enkeis are another popular choice. they are relatively cheap and the "Racing" series wheels are pretty strong. I have a set of older RP02's as well for the summer, and I like them a lot.

iceracer wrote: Try a place like The Tire Rack.

They only have four options in a 15" that fit ... and the offsets are still a little worrisome for clearancing the fenders.

As for running something larger, like 16's or 17's, then the tires just become way more expensive when trying to run a 225 width. So finding some 15's would be way better for the wallet.

Are you just looking for street wheels? Or do you have any intentions to autocross or do track days?

There are plenty of wider 15" wheels with 5x100, but rarely any with the offset that work with a GC chassis. And the ones that I've seen (Volk) aren't cheap. If you're dead set on 15s, look at VW Vortex forums for 3-piece wheels that you could build to fit.

The 2.5RS came stock with 16x7, so the GC chassis can easily handle a wider than 6" wheel under stock fenders. I personally had 225 Kumho and Hoosier track tires under both stock and lowered GCs, and ran 245/45-16s up front when I ran in G-stock.

And that brings up the question of intended use. The 15s will shorten the gearing on what is otherwise a car with way too a short 2nd gear. If you plan on doing much autocross, you'll find that 15s will require way more shifting into 3rd. Maybe not with small local lots, but anything bigger, and we had to grab 3rd even with the taller 16s.

Chris H.

Wheel size is not the determining factor. It is what size tire is put on that wheel. The overall diameter of the tire is what is important.