Some Subarus Still Come With Spare Tires – But Only These Models

All caller vehicles came pinch spare tires not excessively agelong ago, but nan automotive scenery has changed rapidly. You'd beryllium fortunate if your jalopy has a spare tyre from nan factory, but automakers for illustration Subaru person mostly ditched full-size spares for space-saver aliases donut tires. Now, nan mostly of their lineup comes without — nan only caller Subarus pinch full-size spares (as of nan 2026 exemplary year) are nan Forester Wilderness, Outback Onyx Edition XT, and Outback Wilderness.

The Forester Wilderness comes modular pinch 17-inch wheels and Yokohama Geolandar 235/60 R17 102T all-terrain tires, which intends buyers get a spare tyre and instrumentality combo of nan aforesaid size and type. It's a akin woody successful nan Outback Wilderness, which has 17-inch matte achromatic wheels wrapped successful Yokohama Geolandar 225/65 R17 all-terrain rubber. Meanwhile, nan Outback Onyx Edition XT has a full-size spare to lucifer its factory-spec 18-inch alloy rims and 225/60 R18 100H all-season tires.

Subaru

As you astir apt know, we're not heaping praises connected Subaru aliases immoderate automaker for making nan spare tyre an afterthought, but it seems alteration is connected nan sky since nan US Senate revoked California's waiver to group its ain emanation standards, which fundamentally intends our beloved, gas-guzzling V8 engines are backmost from nan dead. Hopefully, nan spare tyre returns pinch it, but let's not get up of ourselves here.

As for different caller Subarus, buyers either get a donut spare aliases a tyre repair kit, depending connected nan exemplary and trim variant. For instance, nan Subaru WRX, BRZ, Impreza, immoderate Crosstrek Hybrid models, and Solterra EV each get tyre repair kits. It doesn't see a spare, but it does travel pinch a vessel of sealant and a useful inflator. These repair kits are an awesome quick-fix to a flat, but location are downsides.

Inflator kits are practically useless if nan puncture is larger than 4mm aliases if nan spread is connected nan sidewall, and they won't activity if nan tyre has separated from nan rim. What's worse, you'll astir apt request to switch nan tyre aft messing up its innards pinch sealant, which instigates a chemic guidance pinch nan rubber and is almost intolerable to cleanable out. Furthermore, you request to bargain a caller vessel of sealant aft nan repair, since astir inflator kits only incorporate capable fluid for a azygous flat.

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On nan different hand, immoderate caller Subaru models time off nan dealership pinch donut spare tires, aliases what Subaru refers to arsenic a "temporary usage spare tire." It includes nan Subaru Crosstrek (including Base, Sport, Premium, Limited, and Wilderness), Forester (Base, Premium, Limited, Touring), Outback (Base, Premium, Onyx, Limited, touring, Limited XT, Touring XT), and nan Ascent SUV (Premium, Limited, Limited Bronze Edition, Touring, and Onyx Touring). Donut spares are lighter and much compact, helping to prevention weight and free up abstraction successful nan trunk. Then again, they're not perfect, and location are limitations to donut spares.

Unlike a tyre repair kit, you'll request to region nan punctured tyre to instal nan donut spare, and this intends having a jack, a tyre wrench, and immoderate elbow grease astatine your disposal. In short, it helps to know a point aliases 2 astir fixing a level tire. Once installed, donut spares must not beryllium driven complete speeds of 50 mph, and they're not meant to support your vehicle's weight for much than 70 miles.

Donut tires travel successful galore sizes and specs, too. For example, nan Subaru Crosstrek has a T145/80 D17 spare tire. The "T" intends Temporary, while nan 145 is nan width of nan tyre successful millimeters. Moreover, nan "80" is nan facet ratio aliases "thickness" of nan sidewall, while nan "D" and nan 17 guidelines for "Diagonal" (referring to nan tyre construction) and rim size, respectively.