245'S ON A SUBURU OUTBACK

In this video we show you the ins and outs of fitting 245/65/17 tires & aftermarket 17" wheels on a 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness addition. We cover clearance of the setup and how to make the tire and wheel clear with an easy how to guide. We also go over fitment of the full size spare tire and !

[Casey_Jones_]

Finally! A tech putting in some actual info and opinions. I just bought one of these, and it seems like every video is just Dave from accounting explaining how "throaty" their new muffler delete is, and 3M taping some thin aluminum foglight brackets to their roof rack.

[Databyter]

I have this exact car. Same color too but I deleted the exterior brass highlights with matte black film (kept the badge).
I HAVE 245/65/17's on it, and Motegi MR139 7.5X17's with a 40 MM offset. Falken Trail AT's (the non LT version for this size range. They offer both)
I did a lot of research and math before I bought this combination, and it worked well on paper, so I rolled the dice and came out a winner. But let me share some details on what to look for, and why I did certain things. I learned a LOT about tires and wheels and offsets and a dozen other things when I started down the path to answer this same question.
Why a different offset for instance. Well, you want to stay centered in the wheel well. I was running on the assumption that the stock tire was more or less centered, and used this for a baseline. Then I factored in the offset of the stock wheel. I then added the larger width of the new tire I knew I wanted to this equation, and then found a range of offsets that would be optimal to keep ballparked in the center of the wheelwell space. I say a range, because when you go to shop wheels, you will find limited options, usually dependant on sizes of the wheel, intended purposes, etc.
My MR139 was in my optimal range at 40 (and I am going on memory here for both the offset and the model number so hopefully I remembered correctly), and was also a lightweight wheel. Why did I go with 7.5X17 instead of the stock 7X17? Well, again I am putting a wider tire on it, and I also plan to air down, so I did not want my sidewalls bubbling out so much when aired down, or even when aired up for that matter. It is better support, and less exposure for sharp rocks, while still remaining within the width that works well geometrically in that wheelwell space.. Just because a tire will fit onto a wheel, does not mean it is a good choice, especially when going oversized with a specific purposed tire, like an AT in a relatively small well.
I wanted to avoid the downfalls of a super heavy wheel tire combo as I did this upgrade, and I was willing to spend a bit more, to get a lighter wheel that was still built with Rally DNA and strength. So I got a lighter than stock wheel to offset the weight of a larger tire.
And then, when shopping tires, I found the Falken Trail AT tires, which have a Crossover Hybrid option specifically designed for cars like the Subaru's, and Rav4's and the like. Most of the time in this size range (245's) you are limited to truck tire spec'd tires. But we don't have trucks, we have crossover SUV's and Cars. So what Falken did was offer a P version, a non LT version, that is not 15 lbs heavier per tire. It's more like 7 lbs. But it still has superior load rating (Just not the cargo rating of a Truck) over stock, and so even a fully trek modded Subaru is going to benefit from the load rating, but not pay for the extra weight of load rating you don't need. The construction is still AT DNA, and that means stiffer sidewalls for airing down, and aggressive treads that are the same as the LT version. So I saved about 4 lbs on each wheel, and about 7 lbs. on each tire.
My wilderness already has a lower final gear, and I didn't add that much weight to my corners, so in some situations (HWY) my MPG is actually better than it was before, or at least the same because my effective final gear with larger circumference tires, has been raised more towards the economy end from the torquey end. But this car has still got plenty of torque with the larger tires.
Now for conflicts. I have a finger width (I have slim fingers) clearance even at my narrowest clearance angle on turning, which ironically is NOT full crank, but a bit less, where the corner edge of the wheel is aimed at a part of the wheelwell front area that is starting to curve inwards towards the center. Now I measured this on the ground, but with the Wilderness you only get MORE clearance going into the round wheelwell with your round tire, assuming correct offsets, so if anything I would have MORE clearance being on top of a boulder on that front wheel and more compression. And downwards is not a problem either, at least that I have ever experienced. I have had ZERO rubbing. Im not constantly traversing rock gardens, but I have been on a few very rutted trails, over rocks and curbs while turning etc, and there is no rubbing with this combination on my 22 Wildebeast.
Now lets discuss the spare tire compartment. NO it will not fit fully aired up with the foam tool caddy. But I DO carry my full sized spare in my spare tire compartment. How?
I removed the foam tool caddy number one (and there is still TONS of room for tools and bottle jacks and tow ropes etc, just not in THAT shaped carrier.
Number 2, you DO need to air down a LOT. Probably to about 5 pounds or less. Just enough to keep a bead. And your car WILL be supported on a few pounds and you SHOULD carry a pump if you are doing this, to top it off.
Number 3, you cannot place the tire FLAT, and you cannot screw it down. But you don't need to. It's hard enough to get it in. It sure as hell isn't going to fall out or wiggle. Mine is at an angle with plenty of room around it, under it, and over it inside the wheel. I carry a lot of stuff in there and purposely put some ropes and towels over it to help support the bottom of the hatch door, which is the bottom of your cargo compartment. The tool caddy served this purpose of additional support before. Not that the hatch is flimsy or anything but I wouldnt want to be stacking anvils or batteries on it, and it's peace of mind to have some support under it so it won't have room to flex downwards. The hatch fully and easily shuts, and it is a very clean solution that keeps crap off of your back hatch, roof rack, or stowed in the car or trailer.
I don't know if ALL 245/65's fit in the Wilderness, and I can't speak to other outbacks either, but I assume they have similar wheel wells even tho they don't have our strut based lift. I do not know if other tires from other brands will work here, like the popular KO2 which I nixed for weight. But I DO know that most of the people who post about rubbing and conflicts, and try to solve this with lifts, have other issues, like the wrong wheel width that bubbles out the sidewall, or the wrong offset, that takes the wheel from being lined up in the very center of the wheel well. I also know that the Falken Trail AT non LT version was specifically engineered for crossovers that generally have smaller wheel wells, and this was engineered into the geometry of the tire. You still get the size and agressive tread, but the parts that would normally be rubbing on fenders are tucked in just a wee bit better on the tire edge.
If you want to go largest, you don't want to do it on stock wheels, although I have seen SOME specific tire combinations be bragged about with stock wheels in this size range.. All tires have slightly different geometries so it will vary.
If you are going to use aftermarket wheels and go to this size, I don't know why you wouldn't maximize your clearance potential and go with the right offset, and even fine tune the wheel width. Yes, you can fit this size on the stock wheels, and you might have rubbing. You might even be able to have the right offset for your particular model and year setup, but if you are putting a wider tire on, you should consider a slightly wider wheel. The area the wheel is in is NOT where rubbing will occur, so you are not risking much by going wider to match your tire, and You can still put the stock tires back onto a slightly wider tire as well.. But by more closely matching tire width to wheel width, you will reduce sidewall bulge, which Can be an issue, especially when aired down, and especially offroading in areas where there are lots of sharp obstacles. Minimize it, and give your tire better support. It will run cooler with less stress, and more clearance.
This was a very nice choice by this customer, and I like the way their rig looks. The wheel design is very close to mine, as is the added height, which on paper is only an additional 1/2" clearance (inch taller tire), but it reality it is closer to 3/4" taller, at least on my rig, because my sidewalls sag less than the stock Geolanders are designed to under load. I actually notice getting in, and driving, that I am taller than stock. The only difference I would have made, is that if I had gone with Method wheels I would have gone with the 17X8 with a 38MM offset. You have room to move closer into the center of that well, and more in line with the side of your car. But we are only talking about a ten millimeter difference. It might have reduced rubbing (or not) but it was more likely tire geometry. But it defintely would have given you a slimmer footprint on the trail.
I appreciate the detail on how to mod the fenders if I ever needed to. I may go up a hair more in size when these wear out, although, honestly, they are doing the job just fine and I probably won't. I was shootin for 30's and I was just a half inch shy. I like how you can get that extra half an inch here and there without doing major mods. Good tuff!
I Hope this helps. No I am NOT a professional. I just do a lot of research on my own stuff, and I'm good at reading specs and doing the math. 🙂
Databyter

[Meadespeed]

I have this same set up, dropped the pressure down to empty on the spare and got it in there. I carry an air compressor and works fine, didn't need to bolt it down and stays wedged in there good. If you wrap it up to keep it from making noise, you can put the jack below the tire to use the space. Ended up putting on Vredestein Pinza AT, no need for heat molding the wheel wells either.

[HowardLovekraft]

Thanks for video. That's why I stopped my experiments at 235/65/R17 size on my '21 Forester with Ironman ATS kit. Even this size required changing front mud flaps onto smaller ones.

[DIYDad]

Very practical and easy mods to do this gives me confidence that it's easy to mod those plastic fenders if I need to!

[FindingJay]

Wow….awesome job. You guys definitely do great work. Very informative video. Thank you for sharing.

[carrollvoss]

you'll are very good at what you do. excellent work on the move up to 245's. good details in the vid as well

[jmsiapno]

does the 245/65/17 fit on the oem wilderness rims? i kinda like the way it looks and just want a beefier tire

[robertgregory]

You guys really know your stuff. Very impressed with your problem solving acumen.

[Varietis]

Thank you so much for making this video! Upgrading the wheels and tires on my ‘24 OBW very soon and this eased my mind!

[Johnny.C]

In the 2025, Subaru needs to make this size tire standard. The stock tires currently look like donuts compared to these. And it wouldn't take much for them to increase the size of the spare well either! Come on Subaru!

[donvwarren]

That's well and fine, but what about when the suspension starts compressing. I believe it will probably still rub.

[DiscosVideos]

Do you know if you can put that tire on a non wilderness 2018 outback?

[stevendenham]

Interesting. Thank you for confirming fitment in rear for spare. I’m running Wildpeak AT3W’s in same size on stock wheels on ‘19 premium

[ValFinale]

Would this size tire fit on a stock suspension Onyx ?

[Diego-lext]

Awesome look! I currently bought 18" black rhinos and i want to get a similar tire look on my 2017 Outback. Im currently looking at 235 60 18 AT tires. Yall think it would fit with minor plastic heating of the liners?

[anthonyvintonv]

Would this work on a 2014 outback as well

[RM.....]

That looks and came out awesome. Nice job.

[BVDsGoneFishing]

If they actually send it offroad, or articulate the suspension they will hit somewhere. For trips to Costco, it's fine.

[gordonmedley]

Nice. How do the new tire affect the speedo? If so, is there a fix?