[Gueromeister]

Buying a Ascent Limited which is due in mid July....The Limited comes with 20” tires/wheels which I would “probably” want to swap for 18” tires/wheels.....Located in Orange County , California....Not 100% sure I want to go to 18” but thought I would post this to see if there was interest in such a swap...If you think you “might” be interested let me know.....

 

[FoRealz]

Can I ask why?

 

[Sparkland]

Probably because the ride is a little rougher on 20" wheels and the tires are more expensive to replace.

 

[R P]

Probably because the ride is a little rougher on 20" wheels and the tires are more expensive to replace.

If you took both for a test ride, I think you would have a hard time noticing any diff in smooth ride. But the 20" wheels with their lower profile tires should feel better in cornering.

I say this because I have a 2018 Crosstrek and chose the Limited model with the larger 18" wheels and lower profile tires. I also have a set of 17" wheels/tires for winter and off road. I can say without hesitation, the larger 18" wheels are much better on-road. And the suspension handles any road bumps and imperfections extremely well, so the ride actually feels more like a higher end luxury car.

 

[Gueromeister]

Can I ask why?

The expense and I believe from browsing forums there are more options(?) with 18”.....Just absorbing info/opinions right now while waiting ......”Occasionally” travel on dirt roads to go camping and had not considered tire/wheel size when making a decision on the Ascent....This forum(ascent) brought that to my attention as a factor....Like I said, not a car person , so I appreciate the varying opinions on tire size...
Like they say...,you don’t know what you don’t know.....

 

[Subiesailor]

On road the difference between 18 and 20 in wheels is very small. But rough road durability and ride quality the difference can be pretty large.

 

[FoRealz]

The expense and I believe from browsing forums there are more options(?) with 18”.....Just absorbing info/opinions right now while waiting ......”Occasionally” travel on dirt roads to go camping and had not considered tire/wheel size when making a decision on the Ascent....This forum(ascent) brought that to my attention as a factor....Like I said, not a car person , so I appreciate the varying opinions on tire size...
Like they say...,you don’t know what you don’t know.....

I'd imagine dirt roads should be fine.

On road the difference between 18 and 20 in wheels is very small. But rough road durability and ride quality the difference can be pretty large.

How rough are we talking though? I mean, I'm assuming it can handle gravel roads or dirt as Gueromeister mentions above. I could see hard chunk being an issue.

I'm asking because I'm also curious because I ended up going with the limited and was concerned about the 20s as well.

 

[R P]

I'd imagine dirt roads should be fine.



How rough are we talking though? I mean, I'm assuming it can handle gravel roads or dirt as Gueromeister mentions above. I could see hard chunk being an issue.

I'm asking because I'm also curious because I ended up going with the limited and was concerned about the 20s as well.

Yeah, unless it is a really rough road 20s should be just fine. In my case, I have to travel about 15 kms on a really rough road for the last portion to our mountain cabin. Not only is it rough, but it has shale gravel/rock which really likes to cut up your tires. Tire shops love it. So I use LT A/T tires (KO2s) for this road, and let out some air for this portion. It is not so much to smooth the ride, but to avoid the shale from cutting into the tires. If it wasn't for that, I would be just fine with the regular stock wheels and M+S tires.

 

[Jimmy D]

tire size

Would there be an issue with odometer with different size tires?

 

[R P]

Would there be an issue with odometer with different size tires?

It all depends on the diameter. Both the sidewall and rim size, as well as the width to a smaller extent, make up the diameter. A small diff (eg 2%) is not uncommon when switching tires, and it will affect the odometer reading by that amount. Here is a handy site for playing around with various sizes, including offset.
https://tiresize.com/wheel-offset-calculator/

 

[Sparkland]

It's always nice to have a little more sidewall to avoid the inevitable curb rash.

 

[Ey31]

It's always nice to have a little more sidewall to avoid the inevitable curb rash.

LOL, wife curbed the 17 Impreza sport, I confronted her and she said she didn't do it even though she was the only one driving the vehicle (about 95% of the time). 18" with meat will help avoid that.

 

[pilot1226]

Since it was brought up lately, please feel free to comment below if you were able to do a dealer swap or chose to purchase a set of 18" OEM rims and tires for your Limited & Touring.

 

[MAGNUMB]

Dealers were not willing to swap around me. Might have to do with the MPG figures would no longer match sticker.

I was told i could order a set of 18s. Between the better ride and cheaper replacement cost on tires I was really hoping to get into 18" and i might still order some.

 

[Snowgirl]

We will probably buy the 18” when we need the first set of tires. We just personally like the look of the 18” better. Our dealer did express to the regional rep that a lot of his preorders wanted the 18 vs 20 and he said he told him he had heard that from a lot of dealers. I figure this change is coming in the mid cycle refresh if not sooner.

 

[xydadx3]

We will probably buy the 18” when we need the first set of tires. We just personally like the look of the 18” better. Our dealer did express to the regional rep that a lot of his preorders wanted the 18 vs 20 and he said he told him he had heard that from a lot of dealers. I figure this change is coming in the mid cycle refresh if not sooner.

If you want to make a trip to va beach area I’ll trade you my 18’s!

 

[Freddo80]

on the topic of wheels...
I've been wanting to put these on, since I like a little bit of tire sticking out. I don't mind the 20 mm or the 25mm, but need to know about the Stud dimensions. You guys think they fit?


https://www.subispeed.com/2015-subar...i#.W6Ja32eWyUk

 

[OzarkOverland]

Our dealer did express to the regional rep that a lot of his preorders wanted the 18 vs 20 and he said he told him he had heard that from a lot of dealers.

Heard the same at our Subaru dealership ... lots of requests for the 18" wheels from the premium model.

Kinda surprised Subaru went with a 20" wheel considering how it limits using a Subaru as a Subaru - must appeal to a new type of Subaru buyer.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

on the topic of wheels...
I've been wanting to put these on, since I like a little bit of tire sticking out. I don't mind the 20 mm or the 25mm, but need to know about the Stud dimensions. You guys think they fit?


https://www.subispeed.com/2015-subar...i#.W6Ja32eWyUk

They'll fit. The Ascent is 5x114.3. BUT, you will rub on the wheel wells, and, even the 20mm will push the wheels out enough to eat gas mileage pretty harshly.

So, unless you're planning on going the Jeep route and cutting the wells out and welding in bigger ones, I'd stay away from the spacers.

The Ascent is +55 INset. That means when you get an inset rim (for instance an STI compatible 48mm), you're going further away from the centerline of the car (in the example, 7mm).

20mm is a bit over 3/4 of an inch, which, if you measure out from the top edge of your tire, you will see puts you on the wheel well edge on harsh bumps and sharp turns with light bumps.

Since my 2010 Outback, one of the things I didn't so much enjoy was the lack of tire to wheel well clearance on the Subies - on the other hand, it's a large part of what helps maintain gas mileage. lain:

 

[pilot1226]

Price check!