SO YOU WANT NEW WHEELS AND/OR TIRES FOR YOUR CROSSTREK

Maybe you’ve seen the pictures of people with fat off-road tires and/or lifts or maybe you just realized that you want a different tire or wheel than stock. Everything below is written for the U.S. audience but can be applied generally to the rest of the world market, keeping in mind variations in equipment and availability of parts in each country and region.

Reference Websites:

• Wheel Offset Calculator: https://tiresize.com/wheel-offset-calculator/
• Tire Size Comparison Calculator: https://tiresize.com/calculator/
• Tire Pressure Load Index Calculator: https://tiresize.com/pressure-calculator/
• Tire Rack: https://www.tirerack.com/

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Let’s start with some basics:

The Subaru XV Crosstrek is a unibody car-based AWD hatchback. Its small engine, light weight, and slight construction mean that it is more heavily affected by weight than a body-on-frame vehicle with a large, powerful engine like a truck or Jeep.

Unsprung weight refers to the weight not supported by your suspension springs. Nearly all of the weight of your car is supported on the struts and shocks and springs except for the bits hanging below that suspension: wheels, tires, and brakes.

While any weight will affect the acceleration, fuel economy, and ride of the vehicle, unsprung weight has a much larger effect than sprung weight. More unsprung weight due to heavier wheels and/or tires will result in harsher impacts, additional wear, and slower acceleration as the engine will have to work harder to spin the weight. Conversely lightening the unsprung weight will result in just the opposite: milder impacts over bumps, faster acceleration, and better fuel economy as the engine does not have to work as hard to spin the weight.

Tires are measured in several ways. Let’s look at the 2018-2021+ OEM tire as an example:

P225/60R17 98H SL 320 B A

• P = passenger, as opposed to LT light truck
• 225 = the section width in millimeters of the tire as it meets the road, so 225mm or ~8.9 inches
• 60 = the height of the sidewall of the tire as a percentage of the width. This is 60% of the width so 225mm x 60% = 5.34 inches. The height of the sidewall – the area of the tire between the edge of the wheel and the outside edge of the tire where it meets the road – is therefore 5.34 inches.
• R = radial, a tire construction technique where steel and/or nylon belts are wrapped around the radius of the tire for strength. All modern car tires are radials.
• 17 = the measurement of the interior “hole” of the tire as it will be mounted on a wheel. This tire will therefore fit on a 17” wheel.
• 98 = a measurement of the tire’s load, or weight, capacity for a single tire. 98 means the tire can support 750kg, or about 1653 pounds. Any tire you buy as a replacement needs to be at least this capacity or higher.
• H = the speed rating of the tire, in this case 210 kph, or 130 mph. It’s recommended that you buy a tire with at least this speed rating or higher. The tire is rated for running up to this speed without falling apart, but more importantly dealing with the temperatures caused by the high speed, or simply by high temperatures period. Imagine driving on black asphalt in Arizona in high summer. You don’t need to drive at 130 mph to have the tire heat up to the point of failure in that case.
• SL = standard load, a tire without substantial internal reinforcement and designed to run at 35 PSI pressure to carry its load. XL is eXtra load and has additional reinforcements to run at 44 PSI to carry the load. XL tires will be heavier and more durable while SL tires will be lighter and more efficient.
• 320 = the treadwear designation, or approximation of how long the tire will last in normal use. This number makes no sense and can vary wildly between manufacturers but generally the lower the number, the fewer miles the tire will last while the higher the number, the more miles it will last.
• B = the traction rating in g-Forces averaged on both asphalt and concrete. There are four grades: AA, A, B, and C corresponding to highest g-Forces and grip to lowest in that order.
• A = the temperature grade of the tire as it relates to driven speed, similar to the speed rating listed above. There are three temperature grades: A, B, C corresponding to highest temperature down to lowest in that order.

Finally you may see a snowflake symbol on the side of the tire. Tires equipped with a snowflake symbol, called a three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) are rated to perform to at least a minimal level in winter conditions and theoretically provide more snow and ice traction than non-snowflake tires. They are not a substitute for actual winter tires however.

Put together, the wheel + tire have an overall diameter that is determined by the clearance in the wheelwells of the vehicle and suspension tuning. Increasing the diameter of the setup will result in less clearance between the outside edge of the tire and the suspension components and/or body of the vehicle. This clearance will determine the maximum size wheel + tire you can run without damage. In addition, changes to the diameter of the wheel – either smaller or larger – will result in an inaccurate speedometer as your car is programmed with a specific diameter for its fuel economy, odometer, and speedometer measurements. The rule of thumb is that you can safely change your diameter by 3% before you run into significant differences that necessitate reprogramming your car’s computer.

Wheel choices are determined additionally by the size of the brake rotors and calipers mounted on the vehicle. Larger brakes result in better braking with shorter distances and better heat dissipation due to more surface area and airflow. The rule of thumb is that you want at least 4 inches of difference between the diameter of the wheel and the diameter of the brake rotors. Thus if the vehicle has 10 inch brake rotors, you would want at least a 14” wheel.

Larger wheels result in thinner tires – that is, shorter sidewalls. The trend in nearly every market is for “sportier” on-road handling. Slimmer tires will bend and squirm less on pavement during vehicle speed changes and cornering, resulting in quicker responses and movements and the feel of “sportiness”.

Smaller wheels result in fatter tires – that is, taller sidewalls. The taller rubber is more prone to squishing and cushioning, which is great for driving over bumps but bad for people who want sharp, quick responses on pavement.

TPMS refers to a tire pressure monitoring system. The Subaru XV Crosstrek uses wheel-mounted sensors that are sandwiched between the wheel and tire on the valve stem to measure the pressure of air inside the tire. You can safely use the OEM sensors on aftermarket wheels and will save money in doing so if you decide to get rid of your OEM wheels, as new sensors will run at least $150 for a set of four.

TL;DR: There is no summary, you need to read it all and understand it before proceeding. Don't take a shortcut or ignore the above information.

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Wheel Decisions

The Subaru XV Crosstrek is available with either 17” or 18” wheels as originally equipped by the manufacturer (OEM). As you look at new tires, you’ll want to decide if you want to stay with the OEM size or if you want to change the overall diameter of the setup. All current years of Crosstrek production can accommodate as small as a 15” wheel – the front brake rotors are 11.4” in diameter but the correct 15” wheels will clear the rotors by a small amount. So-called rally wheels (like Method 502 VT-Specs, for example) will have higher load capacities designed to withstand impacts more than street wheels will, so you'll be less likely to bend or break a rally wheel than a non-rally wheel on potholes or offroading.

You have several options already at this point: keep your OEM wheels and use OEM-size tires, keep your OEM wheels and use oversized tires, or swap to new wheels and tires entirely.

The first-generation Subaru XV Crosstrek (2013-2017) has a stock wheel+tire diameter of 26.7” with a 225/55R17 tire. You can safely run up to a maximum of 27.7” without a lift or modifications, which is a 225/60R17 tire. If you want to downsize to a 15" wheel, you can run up to a 215/75R15 which is also 27.7”.

The second-generation Subaru Crosstrek (2018-?) has a stock wheel+tire diameter of 27.6” with a 225/60R17 tire. You can safely run up to a maximum of 28.6” without a lift or modifications, which is a 225/65R17 tire. If you want to downsize to a 15" wheel, you can run up to a 225/75R15 which is 28.3”.

But what about those folks who run those super meaty tires? They have lifted their Crosstreks and typically also modified their fenders, bumpers, and vehicle body to fit those wheels and tires. The most common ultra-size tire is 235/75/15, at 28.9”. This tire will not fit an unlifted Crosstrek and will require additional modifications even with a lift.

Wheels must have holes for mounting to the hubs on the car. Subaru’s lugnut hole number and spacing between the holes – called the bolt pattern – is 5 holes by 100mm so 5x100. Any wheel you buy must match this bolt pattern.

The very center of the wheel also has a hole through the middle of it to mount onto the hub, inside of the bolt holes. The size of this hole is called the hub bore or center bore, which is 56.1mm on Subaru OEM wheels. Ideally any wheel you buy will be the exact size of the center bore of the OEM wheels, but if it is not, you will need something called a centering ring to make up the difference in size (when the bore is larger, a smaller bore won't fit because the hole is too small). Only buy hub-centric rings as these rings fit inside the hub bore and center the wheel correctly on the wheel hub and spindle, preventing any misalignment or vibration. Do not buy any other type of centering ring besides hub-centric.

Wheels also have a measurement called offset, which is how far off of the center line of the suspension the middle of the wheel sits. This can be positive, negative, or zero. Negative offset pushes the wheel farther away from the center line of the suspension and sticks out more past the edges of the car, positive offset does just the opposite. The stock offset of the XV Crosstrek is +48mm on the first-gen and +55mm on the second-gen. Too positive and the wheel + tire will impact the suspension, too negative and you’ll have dramatically bad effects on the ride and handling of the car and potentially body damage from contact with the edges of the car.

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TL;DR:

• You can run 15”, 16”, 17”, or 18” wheels safely on any unlifted year of Crosstrek provided you account for the overall wheel + tire diameter for your generation of vehicle.
• First-gen Crosstreks: no larger than 27.7”,
• Second-gen Crosstreks no larger than 28.6”.
• OEM offset is ~+50 but you can run up to approximately ~+20 safely. Try and buy hub-centric wheels with a center bore of 56.1mm but if you can’t, get hub-centric rings for reliability and comfort.

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Tire Decisions

Should you get a wider tire? Wider means more grip on the road, right? Well yes and no. A wider tire has a larger contact patch at the expense of additional drag (more surface area comes at a cost) so that’s good on absolutely dry pavement and on mud, but bad pretty much all of the rest of the time. The reason is that there is a balancing act between the size of the surface area and the weight of the vehicle. The XV Crosstrek is relatively light, and too wide a tire will result in the tire floating on top of snow, ice, and water, which is the opposite of what you want. You need the tire to be able to dig down, pressing through to make contact with the road surface. You didn’t buy a racecar so you don’t want ultrawide tires. Stick with somewhere close to the OEM width of 225. A bit narrow at 215 is good, a bit wider at 235 is fine. Don’t go beyond those for the most part, although if you’re getting a winter tire 205 is narrower still for even better grip on ice.

Now what do you want from a tire?

• Do you want the best on-road performance in all seasons – all-weather grip, braking, hydroplaning, and fuel economy? You want an all-season tire. Browse TireRack for their top tires.
• Do you want the best snow, ice, and cold performance? You want a winter tire. Browse TireRack for their top tires.
• Do you live solely in Southern California or Florida or somewhere similar and never experience temperatures anywhere near freezing, nor snow, nor ice? You can run a summer tire provided you never drive anywhere else. Browse TireRack for their top tires – also why did you buy a Subaru?
• Do you want to drive on gravel, dirt, and light forest roads more easily and comfortably with less risk of puncturing a tire on anything mildly sharp? You want an all-terrain tire. Keep reading.
• Do you spend 90% of your time off-road? You want a light truck all-terrain tire, but ideally on a heavier, tougher vehicle that can withstand such conditions more easily like a Jeep or a truck. Keep reading.

The rest of this discussion will focus on the all-terrain tires. Please note that all-terrain tires generally have lower speed ratings than all-season tires. The most common speed is T rated but some are S rated. See above about how this is a measure of speed and temperature resilience. Don’t drive on AT tires like you would on passenger all-seasons.

The general recommendation is to go with a P-rated all-terrain tire instead of an LT. Light Truck tires are generally stronger and more durable than Passenger tires of the same model because they feature additional belts and layers, making them substantially heavier simultaneously. In addition, Light Truck tires also need to run higher pressures than Passenger tires to carry the same weight and load. An LT tire should not be run at the same PSI as the OEM P tire because they are designed to function differently and must have a higher PSI to carry their load. This higher PSI will result in a stiffer ride among other things. Use the Load Index Calculator above if you swap to an LT tire to calculate the correct pressure you need to run to safely support your vehicle.

If you’re getting an all-terrain tire, you’ll want to get a taller sidewall to provide more cushion for impacts both for occupant comfort and for tire durability. A taller sidewall will flex more on impacts and be less likely to rupture than a shorter sidewall, and if you’re driving off-road (or on potholes) you’ll want that cushioning. Use the tire calculator above to measure your new tire dimensions and see what you get.

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Can I run (X) size?

Use the Tire Size calculator along with the overall diameter limits I mentioned above. Here’s a list of common sizes that work on unlifted XV Crosstreks. Overall diameters are included in parentheses.

First-gen:

• 225/55/17 OEM (26.7”)
• 225/50/18 OEM (26.9”)
• 215/75/15 (27.7”)
• 215/65/16 (27”)
• 225/60/17 (27.6”)
• 225/55/18 (27.7”)

Second-gen:

• 225/60/17 OEM (27.6”)
• 225/55/18 OEM (27.7”)
• 215/75/15 (27.7”)
• 215/70/16 (27.9”)
• 235/70/15 (28”)
• 225/75/15 (28.3”)
• 225/65/17(28.5”)

Specific Tires

But what about (X) tire? Here’s a list of tires that people have run on the Crosstrek and you can run, too. Remember: It doesn’t matter what type of tire it is if you’re running the OEM size. Simply switching to an all-terrain tire in the stock size will not be a problem of warranty, fitment, or anything else beyond your ride comfort, fuel economy, and grip compared to stock. You have to choose what you value in a tire. Read reviews, compare test results, consider weights, etc.

• Falken Wildpeak AT Trail (available in 16”, 17”, and 18” sizes)
• BF Goodrich KO2 (available only as an LT light truck tire in 15”, 16”, 17”, and 18” sizes)
• Yokohama Geolandar G015 (available in 15”, 16”, 17”, and 18” sizes as both a Passenger or Light Truck tire depending on the specific size)
• Toyo Open Country AT3 (available in 15”, 16”, 17”, and 18” sizes as both a Passenger or Light Truck tire depending on the specific size)
• Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S (available only as an LT light truck tire in 15”, 16”, 17”, and 18” sizes)
• General Grabber A/TX (available in 15”, 16”, 17”, and 18” sizes as both a Passenger or Light Truck tire depending on the specific size)

Last edit: 5/14/2021 for typos, additional clarifications, and some formatting