OK, so I'm a rookie and the responses I got on the board about getting a "Prodrive" upgrade for my newish 03 WRX Sedan have me convinced that it'd be more cost-effective to put in ala carte mods instead. So after poring over the web for a couple days, this is what I came up with for wheels and tires. First, I'll say that my goal here is to get a good compromise in all-weather performance, handling and speed, and I'm willing to pay a couple bucks to get there.

So here's what I decided on, unless one of you talks me out of it.

1. Wheels: Rota 17x7.5 +48 offset, still deciding about color. I understand that they're about 17 lb and run about $550/4.

2. Tires. I'm hearing good things about Continental ContiExtremeContact- wanted the 215/45 17s. These are running $87 each at TireRack.

So my questions, (A) does anyone see any problems with this (compatibility, big problems that most of us don't know about etc; (B) does anyone have any ideas for a vendor that might sell this combination pre-mounted/balanced (I admit it, I'm lazy). (C) is there any place to trade in my old (stock) tires/wheels that only have about 1500 miles at this point??

Thanks! Any and all ideas appreciated.

 

so far i havent seen many places (if any) that carry rotas and sell tires.

most rota 17" are like 16-17lbs. my subzeros that i just ordered in 18 are 18lbs. rota seems to be a great brand; they knockoff all the expensive stuff, and make quality light strong wheels so it seems.

personally, i got 18" subzeros and im getting bridgestone s03 pole positions...s03s im convinced are one of the best summer performance tires out there.

my plan is to have this setup, of the 18s with the s03s, for summer tires, and throwing back on the stock rims/RE92s for winter. dunno if u get any snow, if you do maybe u want to consider something like what im doing? if not, then sell your stockers by all means

 

I mentioned on another thread that I went to the local tire joint and got the BEST PRICE anywhere that I could find on the web for Rotas and Conti tires (which I got in 215s b/c the dealer saw no problems with it, but now I'm wondering...) and they'll put it all together at the local shop for me. So that worked out really well, unless the 215s end up being too skinny after all... oh well.

We do get snow here and if you haven't picked it up already I'm LAZY!! So swapping out summer & winter tires ain't gonna happen. THe Contis got very solid all season reviews esp for the price at TireRack, about the best I could find and when I did the side-by-side comparison of TireRacks 4 ultra high performance all seasons the Contis took no prisoners.

So that's my story and I'm stickin to it.

 

I just got OZ SLs 18x8 with 225/40 ContiExtremeContacs put on my wagon and so far no complaints. I have not had them on for more than a couple of days but they seem quite good.

 

OK- installed the tires and wheels today.

Here's the first thing that I noticed. I was able, for the first time, to make the tires squeal going around a corner very fast. Up until this point, using stock wheels & tires, it seemed as tho no matter how fast I took a corner the tire never lost its grip. So this is new- and not pleasant.

I am guessing that this is because the new tires are running at 35 psi rather than the old mid-high 20s as recommended by Subaru. Does that make sense? Otherwise it is hard to explain, given that the tires are bigger and the wheels now 17".

Right??

 

they just need to be broken in thats all. give them 500 miles and they will be lik claws in the road

 

goodyear d-3's are the $hit, it doesnt matter if its 100 degrees or a hurricane these tires STICK. so if what u want is the best summer tire i recommend these

 

break in the tires they will be better than bridgerock RE92's trust me or anyone else on this

 

Choku- The car does not ride high at all- in fact if you look at the picture I attached elsewhere you see that the Conti tires are really flat-looking- I'm not sure how to describe it exactly except to say that there is very little rubber between the road and the rims. The only suspension work I have on the docket right now are the Vivid Racing (Perrin) front and rear swaybar/links package, but that's not even on yet. I DO like the ride of the tires, and it has been suggested that I not decide about the quality of the traction of the tires for at least 500 more miles... I'm completely satisfied with that suggestion.

I love the look and feel of the Rotas, I think they are probably the way to go, unless you are willing to pay >$1000 then I can make some other suggestions.

 

OK, so I took a picture of it. You can decide for yourself!

Comments appreciated.