Hoping I could get some advice. We will have snow here shortly, and I need to get the G ready. I've got the stock 19's on right now, and I have some Blizzaks left over from my Subie. The blizzaks are 215/45/17 so I'm looking at getting some cheap 17" wheels. Would these fit the tires and the car okay?

17" 5x114.3 KONIG RIMS W/ 205/40/r17 Tires http://anchorage.craigslist.org/pts/1385424017.html

I get confused about width differences and offsets. Not to mention the varied setup that our cars have.

Appreciate any help.

 

That might work but the oem size is 215-55-17. So yours are a little small. 205-40-17 is even smaller.

http://anchorage.craigslist.org/pts/1378555979.html would be closer

 

Well usually the more narrow the better for snow tires, but I just want to be sure they'd actually fit. And I don't even want the tires on the wheels, I would just be putting my 215 blizzaks on them. But would 215 tires fit on wheels that now have 205 tires?

 

Yes, they'll fit. Those wheels are probably 7" width, which is right in the sweet spot for a 215 tire (6"-8"). But the Blizzaks are definitely too small. The fronts will be 5% smaller than stock and the rears close to 8%. You'll definitely have speedometer/odometer inaccuracies (at 60 you'll be off by almost 5mph), and the VDC will likely kick in more often (the wheels will be spinning faster than the VDC thinks they should). Go ahead and drive on them, but don't be surprised if these things happen.

Also, all things being equal, a slightly narrower tire will bite better through snow, but that's a very small part of what makes a good snow tire. Tread shape and composition are vastly more important. One thing to know about the Blizzaks (and most dedicated snow tires) is they're really only snow tires for the first half of their tread life. The softer compound which keeps them pliable in the cold weather, thus making them effective, is only on the outer half of the tread. Once that's worn away, all you've got is a medium to low quality all-season tire. If they're half gone, don't be surprised if they're not quite the winter tire you remember.

 

Yeah I've heard they wear fast, and they do already have a decent amount of miles on them. I used to always go studs on my previous cars. I just know it's gonna be frustrating coming from my Legacy which was unstoppable in the nasty weather.

And the inaccuracies are concerning, I'd like something that works easier. It seems like the only better option would be finding both wheels and tires in like an 18", or just getting 19" snow tires shipped up here. Either option is gonna be expensive. I can't stomach parking this car for 6 months.

 

I run 225/55/17 on 7.5" rims with no problems at all......not once have the vdc/abs lights come on......I loose the stagger, but I'm not tracking the car w/ snows on either..
I bought DUNLOP WINTER SPORT M3 tires from tire rack w/asa ka3 rims....I think the rims are no longer available........Stay within 3% of your original rear tire diameter and you will be fine...I have used the combination for 3 years with no gliches at all....and I can rotate the tires/rims each season to extend the life of my purchase.....
Good luck

 

I run the same size on my winter setup, 225/55-17 Nokian WR's on my 17x7's. Slightly larger than stock size (215/55-17), but they work just fine. They were in stock when I bought my Nokians, the 215's were not.