[Sarang]

I've been thinking about trying this for a while now, but I didn't want to jinx it until I was reasonably sure that it could be possible. Today I bought a used 245/70R17 tire and mounted it on a stock rim and test fitted it, front and rear. It rubs, but not too terribly. I think this might work. I'll post more pictures below.

The tire I'm using to test: (all info from DiscountTire.com)
(used)
Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT
LT245 /70 R17 119S E1 OWL
Diameter 30.55"
Weight 44 LBs
Load Range E1

Stock wheel:
17x7 +55

The Car and relevant mods:
2020 Crosstrek Premium
2" Rallitek Lift Kit (strut top spacers with rear subframe spacers)
Ralitek rock sliders
Primitive Racing skid plates

Current rubbing in the rear is only the front of the wheel wells. There is a little flexible mud flap thingy that will have to come off or be relocated forward. The rear plastic on the side skirt will have to be trimmed. That will be a little tricky since the side skirts are sandwiched in by my rock sliders. I ordered a cutting wheel for my die grinder to help with that. Removing the rock sliders would be an annoying undertaking.

Rubbing in the front is also not too bad. The front corner of the tire rubs a little when turning, as does the rear corner. I had previously moved the front of the wheel well liners forward about an inch by drilling a new hole in the bumper and moving using the OEM plastic clip to secure the liner that much farther forward. I will probably need to either trim off some of the ribbing, or heat it up and try to bend it forward.
It does look like I will want to trim the plastic rear of the tire, or else it will rub badly when braking and turning. I have previously trimmed that part on the other side as a test, so I know it's not too difficult.

I forgot to take pictures of it on the rear.

Pictures of the front passenger:

 

[James Ardery]

Never heard of anyone attempting tires this big on stock rims! Congrats but can you also post a photo of the whole car? Wanna see how it looks with 4 on there.

 

[Graphite]

Chonky!

 

[Zer0Goblin]

Thi sis an achievement for sure. A little trimming and you're good to go. Its funny how the plastic bits are really just there to take up space.

Do you have a shot of the full car with the wheels?

 

[Graphite]

It looks like he said he bought one tire to do some test fitting...

 

[Sarang]

Yeah I don't have the full set yet. I should have time after work today to cut some plastic and test fit it again. If that goes well, I could order the full set.

 

[Sarang]

Well It seems like it isn't going to work and I don't see a way around it. I trimmed plastic for the front wheel and got everything to clear in the garage. That's with the steering wheel turned from lock to lock, and with bouncing the car to try to get it to touch. All clear. Then I drove it and it immediately rubbed when turning right at full lock. It looks like the middle of the tire rubs the metal wheel well at the back inside of the car. Maybe a little more lift would help, but even if it would help it would need several more inches of lift, which is not worth the other resulting issues.

Based on this, I think am going to order LT245/65R17 Yokos. I want the E load rating and those are the next available size down.

This picture below is where it is rubbing. You can also see some of the trimming I did to the plastic of the side skirt and wheel well liner.

Here's another picture of that trimming:

And here's a picture of the trimming on the front of the wheel well liner. I also snipped off the corner of the bumper plastic because it was getting pretty close to the tire. That part isn't visible except from this angle.

 

[Subi-Toy]

Why?
Exposing those areas is making me cringe,
especially since you go off-road frequently.
Cavities+dirt+moisture=NOTHING GOOD.
(Just my opinion)

 

[James Ardery]

That is a bummer but I still would really love to see the 245/65 set on you car when you get them in

 

[Sarang]

Why?
Exposing those areas is making me cringe,
especially since you go off-road frequently.
Cavities+dirt+moisture=NOTHING GOOD.
(Just my opinion)

The raised ribbing was rubbing on the tire. Your concern is definitely valid, and I have an idea. I have a broken blue recycle bin that I'm thinking of cutting a rectangle out of to install behind the cuts. There is something very satisfying about recycling/reusing the recycling bin lol.

 

[Sarang]

Here's some pictures of the new tires. I'd like to get a few more from different angles and farther away, but work is keeping me busy today.

Stock wheels (17x7 +55)
LT245/65R17 E1 Yokohama Geolander G015 tires

For the front I moved the front of the wheel well line forward by about an inch by re drilling a hole for the clip. I also trimmed off some of the ribbing on the passenger side, but I didn't do that on the driver side. I don't think it's necessary. I also trimmed off a section of the plastic well liner behind the wheels, but I don't think that was needed for this tire size.

On the rear I trimmed off the back inside of the side skirt and removed the flappy rubber mud flap thingies. That might not have been needed for this tire size. the trimming on the side skirt really isn't visible from the side.

 

[Sarang]

Here's a couple of pictures of the Cooper tire on the rear. (LT245/70R17). You can see where I trimmed the side skirt.

 

[sas-XV]

Here's some pictures of the new tires. I'd like to get a few more from different angles and farther away, but work is keeping me busy today.

Stock wheels (17x7 +55)
LT245/65R17 E1 Yokohama Geolander G015 tires

For the front I moved the front of the wheel well line forward by about an inch by re drilling a hole for the clip. I also trimmed off some of the ribbing on the passenger side, but I didn't do that on the driver side. I don't think it's necessary. I also trimmed off a section of the plastic well liner behind the wheels, but I don't think that was needed for this tire size.

On the rear I trimmed off the back inside of the side skirt and removed the flappy rubber mud flap thingies. That might not have been needed for this tire size. the trimming on the side skirt really isn't visible from the side.

View attachment 313902
View attachment 313903

Those tires are serious shoes for a crosstrek.
I’m not sure where to begin figuring out what tire pressure to use.
2600# capacity per tire at the max of 80PSI. 29.8” in diameter and 43# each.
Please keep us updated with your conclusions, it will be a very interesting experiment.

 

[sas-XV]

 

[Sarang]

Here are some pictures with the new tires

 

[PadreTrek]

Bravely done. Looks solid! I like going with stock offset and suspension geometry and maximizing space under the fender.

 

[ClackAttack]

Run any wheel spacers by chance?

 

[Closed Case]

The BIG RUB

Clear corners.

You need a tyre that can evacuate poop as it rolls forward.

Here we see a classic example. Perfect driving conditions, zero precipitation, no snow or rain you're good to go, not.

Why so wide? Air down is an even worse scenario. Wide is not glide. Narrow and tall is the tool.

245/55-17. Climb up in width or reduced the side wall.

I used a 215/65-17

Typing out loud.

 

[Sarang]

Run any wheel spacers by chance?

I haven't tried wheel spacers with these tires. It's the outside corners of the front tires that would rub, so I would expect spacers to make it worse.

I do own some 25mm spacers that I ran for a while with my 225/65R17 tires on stock wheels, but they caused slight rubbing up front on turns, especially during braking.

 

[Closed Case]

215/65-R17 vs 225/65-R17 Tire Comparison - Tire Size Calculator | Tacoma World

225/65-R17 tires are 0.51 inches (13 mm) larger in diameter than 215/65-R17 tires and the speedometer difference is 1.8%

www.tacomaworld.com

girth vs length