[Soca]

Hey guys,

Wanted to see what you guys thought would be a better fit/closest to OEM for my Limited. Will be running 245/60/18 TerrainContacts. As far as which wheel, you'll have to wait for the images!

No lift planned.

30 or 40 offset? 40 from what I've been reading would be better
Think a 8.5'' wheel would be ok?

18x8.5 Forged (2k lb rating)

OEM is 20x7.5 and 55 Offset IIRC

Thanks!

Also curious if going up to a 255/70/18 from 245/60/18 would cause rubbing? Its cheaper by $25 per tire on the Continentals and more available tires (Geolander G015)

 

[FourMoBro]

Also curious if going up to a 255/70/18 from 245/60/18 would cause rubbing?

Rubbing? I am not even sure they will rotate in the well.

 

[Kevin Williams]

According to the Discount Tire website, the 245/60/18's will fit and be fine.
https://www.discounttire.com/fitmentresult/tires/optionalPlusSize/245/60-18

You can even go up to a 9.5" wheel width as well if you want.

I'm looking at these wheels:
https://www.discounttire.com/buy-wheels/raceline-shift/p/47185

I'll keep the old wheels and might throw on some A/T tires if I go off-roading with a buddy of mine:
https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/nitto-terra-grappler-at/p/40435

(If you want to see how the wheels look on the car they don't have a picture of the Ascent loaded yet, but you can choose a 2018 Outback with 18" wheels and it'll look close!)

 

[Soca]

According to the Discount Tire website, the 245/60/18's will fit and be fine.
https://www.discounttire.com/fitmentresult/tires/optionalPlusSize/245/60-18

You can even go up to a 9.5" wheel width as well if you want.

I'm looking at these wheels:
https://www.discounttire.com/buy-wheels/raceline-shift/p/47185

I'll keep the old wheels and might throw on some A/T tires if I go off-roading with a buddy of mine:
https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/nitto-terra-grappler-at/p/40435

(If you want to see how the wheels look on the car they don't have a picture of the Ascent loaded yet, but you can choose a 2018 Outback with 18" wheels and it'll look close!)

Thanks! The difference was pretty small. Do you currently have OEM 18s or 20s?

 

[Kevin Williams]

I have the OEM 18s. Did not want 20's for taking offroad or for the weight/ride harshness.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Use as close to stock offset as possible...

No lift planned.

30 or 40 offset? 40 from what I've been reading would be better

40mm offset will push the wheel a little over half an inch. I would not even consider 30mm offset though. You will definitely rub.

At 40mm, even a half inch bigger tire will rub.

Think a 8.5'' wheel would be ok?

Wheel size is a factor of tire as well. You need to check the tires for the suggested max and min wheel widths. Too small, and the bead is rolled inwards. Too wide, and the bead will slide into the rim and unseat.

Most tires in anything near an appropriate size range will work on an 8.5" width rim, but it's always good to double check.

18x8.5 Forged (2k lb rating)

Excellent!

OEM is 20x7.5 and 55 Offset IIRC

Correct

Also curious if going up to a 255/70/18 from 245/60/18 would cause rubbing?

255/70/18: Will not fit, even with a stock 55mm offset. Definitely will not fit at 40mm - as you've noted, that will be nearly 8/10th of an inch farther outward from the car's centerline, and will rub in all sorts of horrendous ways.


Sadly, even a slight increase in tire size (half inch, for instance) rubs on bumps and on hard cornering or bumpy turns. :sad:

 

[Jimmy D]

I live in Wisconsin and a lot of our winter driving is on salted roads. This causes ice buildups in the wheel wells. I would like to get some nice black rims and at or winter tires but am concerned abouot any increase in clearances.

 

[Kevin Williams]

Hey guys,

Also curious if going up to a 255/70/18 from 245/60/18 would cause rubbing? Its cheaper by $25 per tire on the Continentals and more available tires (Geolander G015)

Sorry, misread that the first time around.

No, the 255/70/18s will not fit. They are 2.5" taller than the 245/60/18s!

https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-size-calculator

And your speedo would be 5mph off too.

 

[Soca]

Thanks guys!

I was looking at the wheel well and it looked like I had enough space for 1.25” on each side.

Looks like 40 offset on 18 x 8.5 and oem sizing Terraincontacts (TC) for me. Unfortunately my wheels are back ordered. I am curious to see if my mpg would improve with the lightweight forged wheels. Tire weight from oem to TC tires are pretty close.

Only 19 x 8.5 being available currently.

Ps for anyone considering Continental Terraincontacts there is currently a $100 visa gift card promo. Best price OTD I’ve found for 245/60/18 Continental TC was $809 OTD - $100GC = $709 installed

 

[FourMoBro]

Unfortunately my wheels are back ordered.

What are you going with for the wheels?

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Looks like 40 offset on 18 x 8.5 and oem sizing Terraincontacts (TC) for me.

Just an FYI, I found the TerrainContacts to be the best feeling all terrain on the road, and have the least gas mileage impact, but I also found them to be very noticeably worse in snow, regardless of what Continental was hoping for with their new tire design.

 

[R P]

Just an FYI, I found the TerrainContacts to be the best feeling all terrain on the road, and have the least gas mileage impact, but I also found them to be very noticeably worse in snow, regardless of what Continental was hoping for with their new tire design.

Do you have any real life knowledge (not just advertised reviews) about how well they stand up off road to sharp shale rocks/gravel? My son has a Forester and wants to mount a set of good A/T's on his 17" rims. He would prefer the BFG K02s (which I have on my Crosstrek). But they don't make them in a size that will fit with these rims. However, the TerrainContacts will.


We have a very rough road the last 15 kms to our summer cabin, and it requires really good A/T tires. Most there use the K02s with good results, but don't know anyone that has used the TerrainContacts.

 

[FourMoBro]

Do you have any real life knowledge (not just advertised reviews) about how well they stand up off road to sharp shale rocks/gravel? My son has a Forester and wants to mount a set of good A/T's on his 17" rims. He would prefer the BFG K02s (which I have on my Crosstrek). But they don't make them in a size that will fit with these rims. However, the TerrainContacts will.


We have a very rough road the last 15 kms to our summer cabin, and it requires really good A/T tires. Most there use the K02s with good results, but don't know anyone that has used the TerrainContacts.

Well, you can always get the K02s in a 245/65 R17 and mount them to the same rim that robert runs, Liquid Metal Shadow, if they are for the Ascent. For the Forester, people seem to run the K02s in 225/65 R17.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Do you have any real life knowledge (not just advertised reviews) about how well they stand up off road to sharp shale rocks/gravel? My son has a Forester and wants to mount a set of good A/T's on his 17" rims. He would prefer the BFG K02s (which I have on my Crosstrek). But they don't make them in a size that will fit with these rims. However, the TerrainContacts will.


We have a very rough road the last 15 kms to our summer cabin, and it requires really good A/T tires. Most there use the K02s with good results, but don't know anyone that has used the TerrainContacts.

They seemed to handle such stuff ok. I'd still pick the Kumhos, then Yokos and BFGs first though.

 

[R P]

Well, you can always get the K02s in a 245/65 R17 and mount them to the same rim that robert runs, Liquid Metal Shadow, if they are for the Ascent. For the Forester, people seem to run the K02s in 225/65 R17.

Yes, the 245/65/17 K02s would be perfect for the Ascent. But his Forester is an 09, and maximum size in 17" for that gen is 225/60/17. And the TerrainContacts come in that size. My 2018 Crosstrek uses a larger wheel size (like the new Foresters) and I have the 225/65/17 K02s, and they are great (other than the noise). But they won't fit on this Forester.

 

[R P]

They seemed to handle such stuff ok. I'd still pick the Kumhos, then Yokos and BFGs first though.

Will have to check out the A/T Kumhos, don't know anyone that uses them. But the tire shop says the Yokos are not good enough for the sharp shale.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Will have to check out the A/T Kumhos, don't know anyone that uses them. But the tire shop says the Yokos are not good enough for the sharp shale.

Possibly too soft for continuous use on sharp shale? But, they've handled less sharp stuff (such as sharp rocks) without issue. Shale is a whole different game though, as I'm sure you know even better than I.

The Yokos seem to have the softest and most scratchable rubber compound.

 

[R P]

Will have to check out the A/T Kumhos, don't know anyone that uses them. But the tire shop says the Yokos are not good enough for the sharp shale.

I checked out the Kumhos, and they don't come in a Forester size (good for Ascent, though). So far, can only get Yoko A/T/S or Conti TerrainContact in the 225/60/17 size. But as mentioned tire shop is not high on the Yokos for shale rock/gravel, and I can't seem to find any real life reviews (forums, etc) of the TerrainContacts (although advertising reviews sound good).

 

[Robert.Mauro]

...and I can't seem to find any real life reviews (forums, etc) of the TerrainContacts (although advertising reviews sound good).

They're a brand new tire. I was not impressed, and I put 35,000 miles on mine. They weren't bad, I'd buy them, lacking other alternatives, but they were definitely not the best, only adequate for light off-roading - and absolutely the worst in cold weather, contrary to their claims.

They are the quietest though.

 

[R P]

They're a brand new tire. I was not impressed, and I put 35,000 miles on mine. They weren't bad, I'd buy them, lacking other alternatives, but they were definitely not the best, only adequate for light off-roading - and absolutely the worst in cold weather, contrary to their claims. They are the quietest though.

Yeah, we don't care about snow, as he has a set of true winters for that. But he needs good summer off-road tires and so far the only 2 that we know of in his Forester size (225/60/17) are the TerrainContact or Yoko ATS. Tire Rack actually rates the TerrainContactat 8.4 for off-road rock, while only 7.9 for the ATS. And the K02s are at 9.1 for the off road rock.