235-55-18R tires for 2011 outback
Asked by Pat_in_PA Mar 19, 2017 at 05:43 PM about the 2011 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited
Question type: Car Customization
I have a spare set of 235-55-18R now tires/rims from quest
minivan. Can I use them on my outback which is running
225-60-17R's (provided the bolt pattern fits) with our
worrying about damage to my tranny? There appears to be
enough room.
4 Answers
Subaru's have very little wheel well clearance. I would not recommend going wider but if you do be very careful of the wheel offset.
The bolt pattern is different so they won't interchange.
TheSubaruGuruBoston answered 7 years ago
The 225/60-17 size Subie opted for the '10-14 non-Limited OBs does include some H and V-rated offerings that provide decent handling, but NOT with the soft suspension setup used in '10-12! To try to stiffen up your '11 without having to buy 18 wheels (and then using nice 225/55-18), I'd try 225-235/55-17; you'll drop the height very slightly, but that combination of a slightly lower center of gravity AND stiffer 55 series sidewalls WILL improve handling somewhat. To ice your cake then add the thicker rear antisway bar to try to approximate the better OE setup used in '13-14. So I would NOT chase a pricey 18" wheel package...especially in unnecessarily-wide 235...for your "sioft" and relatively underpowered iteration; you'll just end up with excessive yaw and body roll with very minimal increases in noise, traction, and lost eco. Fix the suspension first!
