Been lurkin' here for a while and got some money to blow, please help me to do it! Have a 2006 base impreza wagon. Would like some new wheels (5x100) and was wondering what the biggest, widest set was that could fit. I'm having trouble figuring this out amidst all the sweet pictures of wheelsets I would kill for. If you know the answer or have a set of black wheels with good tires (as that's the excuse for buying new wheels!) please let me know.
Also I would like to get a little boost from the wagon. I decided against WRX when I purchased it and would now like some more power. I was thinking of upgrading the exhaust system but want some pro advice.
Thanks for all your help and keeping this site so awesome!

-Laggin

 

when you say widest, do you mean widest wheel, or widest tire?

 

I would like to know both. And that would be without any modifications to the body.

 

I got matte black rota sub zeros 17x 7.5 with tires!

 

On a wagon, the widest I would probably go is 17x8 with 225 width tires. Of course the wheel and tire size varies depending on the wheel offset as well.

 

Supension?
You're not gonna notice the power with mods really...

 

Not a whole lot of power to be had out of the N/A engines. You could eek out a little bit of power with headers/exhaust/intake and get maybe 8-10 more horses. Check here for more info on n/a stuff:

Engine/Power - non turbo (All non turbo Imprezas) - i-Club

You would probably have more fun spending your money on suspension stuff to make it handle better. If you set up the suspension right you may find you do not need more power.

What is your overall goal with the car? How do you plan on using it? AutoX/RallyX??

When I put on louder exhaust on my car my butt dyno said I was making 20 more horses (absolutely no actual power gains) but it sounds good to me

 

I would advise against doing any power mods. It's not worth it. You can do an exhaust for looks and a little noise.

I'd go all wheels and suspension.

Wheel and tire size will depend on your style preference and how low you go.

General guidelines are 235/45/17 are about as wide as you'll get. I actually get a little rub in the back. 225's are safest. Higher offset is the best. +48-53 is what you want.

If you are willing to roll your fenders and you don't go that low you can get a bit more tire safely 245/40.

rim size... 7.5 is the safe route. 8's are solid. 8.5/9 are doable with the roll.


But if you're one of these hella flush donkeys you can do whatever the hell you want. Guys are stuffing 11 inch wide wheels and running 225's. Not my cup of tea.


My advice for a nice set up with a lower percentage of issues.

17x7.5 wheels. +48-53 offset. 225/45/17
Get a decent strut/spring set up with some camber bolts.
Get the right camber on there. The stock settings are stupid.

Then pick up a new rear sway bar with some decent mounts and front and rear end links.


Start there.

After that you can decide if you're hooked on suspension and want to go nuts.

 

The FIRST thing you should do is make sure everything you already have is working correctly, ie; do a full tune up on it. Don't sink money into mods until you know everything is up to snuff.

I agree too about mods, you are going to spend quite a bit to net a small amount of power with bolt ons on an NA motor, so I'd also focus on suspension or save for something with more power.

 

These sound pretty good. Tried to PM you. What are you looking to get for them?

 

WIDE AND LOW ! i run 18x9.5 + 22 ... but my wagon is a freak of nature I loved my 18x8.5 with a 235 on my wagon, with only rolled fenders. if you dont wanna roll the fenders then stay in the 7.5-8" range like the other guys have been telling you

 

On the na engine they are more of a sound mod then power you can spent $2000 and see 15hp not something I see as worth the money