Today we’re talking all about VBs. No,  not Australia’s favorite beer, but rather the latest and greatest addition to Subaru’s WRX lineup. It's shocking how many of these cars are already fitted with aftermarket wheels, just a few short years after release. Seriously, a couple more years and it might be rare to see them riding around on stock alloys.

Maybe you’re here because you don’t wanna be the last VB owner on stock wheels, good news, you’re in the right place. Unfortunately ordering the wrong specs can be a costly mistake. We put together this guide of our favorite wheels/tire combos for the 22+ WRX (so far). Use it for reference so you don’t make any blunders when ordering.

Quick links

• Basic fitment info
• Mods for larger wheels/tires
• Examples of VB fitment

Basic fitment info

• Lug pattern: 5x114.3
• Nut thread: M12x1.25
• Center bore: 56 mm
• Lug torque: 88 ft lbs

Recommended fitment for aftermarket wheels

TL;DR get 18x9.5 +38 with a 245/40 or 255/35 tire for flush fitment. This works on daily driven cars at stock ride height or slightly lowered (coils or springs). These specs have been around since the days of Impreza WRXs. You can enjoy plug-n-play fitment, the only downside is it might not be the most unique option - you’ll find a plethora of WRXs with similar specs.

200+ options in this spec

If you want something a little different, don’t worry, we got you covered. One way to do this is by downsizing to 17” or upsizing to 19”. Any diameter 17, 18 or 19-inch will work fine, but the motivations for choosing them differ: 17” wheels are normally picked for performance; they’ll be lighter. Upsizing to 19” would strictly be for aesthetic reasons - even retrofitted Brembo kits fit fine under 18’s.

Running 17” is pretty straightforward, they fit and will have more clearance than factory. Be aware that, at factory ride height, the wheel gap will be vast. On the other hand, running 19” could result in clearance issues, a low sidewall tire needs to be used (more details with the 19” example below). In the same vein, you may want to opt for something wider than 9.5J or a lower offset than +38. Using a thinner tire is one way to get more clearance.

If you don’t mind the stance look you could go for thinner tires, possibly having to stretch them on. Additional negative camber provides clearance as well. The VB rear lower control arms are interchangeable with the VA, meaning there’s a lot of aftermarket. You can find arms that will adjust camber to your heart’s content.

If your car is performance-oriented, you’ll probably look at other methods for gaining clearance since camber and stretched tires both decrease contact patch, defeating the purpose of wider wheels. So, what to do if you don’t wanna add camber or stretched tires? Well, you can give your tires a bit more breathing room with other methods:

Mods for larger wheels/tires

Trimming for clearance

The more extreme you go, the more work needs to be done. This starts with something mild, such as trimming plastics, but can quickly snowball into frivolous grinding of the stock metal inner-fenders.

Let's say you wanna put on 10” wide wheels, maybe a 275/35 tire, or aggressively drop your car on coils. The first area of attention will be the factory fender flares. In order to get a bit more room, you can take a dremel to the underside of the stock plastic flares, giving about 1” of clearance. The good thing is this is reversible as the flares are a replacement part.

For you extra low guys, the next step would be trimming metal off the fenders. This is obviously non-reversible. If you’re gonna commit to this, be sure it's necessary. The good thing is all the ugliness is hidden by the flares. You can trim about 1.25” before you lose the mounting points for the flares. For most cars, you’d be able to pound this flange flat, but this won’t work because you would mess up the mounting points for the flares.

Unlike most cars, the REAR arches are the first place you’ll encounter rubbing. Normally, the front can be left as is, but if it does need attention, it gets similar treatment to the rear: trimming & grinding.

Wider fender flares

At the time of writing, there are no widebody kits available for the VB. There are, however, options for wider than stock fender flares. AeroFlow Dynamics makes a +10mm flare that can come paint matched to your car. 10mm doesn’t sound like much. Trust us though… every bit helps. With replacement flares, you have the possibility of dropping offset down into the 20’s and mounting a 265/35+ tire.

Note that color matched fender flares will accentuate any wheel gap. In our opinion, they look great, unless you’re at stock height.

Enough talk, what do these specs look like?

As promised, here are some examples, starting with basic setups and going to more extremes.

Lightweight, affordable, timeless. RPF1s have looked good on every iteration of the WRX. This 2022 WRX Premium has the exact specs we recommend (18x9.5 +38). This isn’t the last time we’ll see these numbers as many VBs use ‘em. This car is at stock height but would likely need trimming if it went lower. Either that or one size smaller sidewall (255/35).

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This  2023 WRX Base is also at stock height, but with 265/35R18 tires. This setup has no rubbing issues, but would likely encounter problems if lowered, even slightly.

Not all tires measure the same, even at the same specs. Some run larger or smaller. In this case, certain brands of 265/35 could have rubbing issues, even at stock height. This is why we recommend 255/35 as the widest tire without having to trim.

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Looking to go a bit lower? Here’s a 2023 Limited on Godspeed Mono MAXX coils. Wheel specs are pretty typical, the only major difference here is the height. Even with coils, there’s a bit of rubbing front and rear - surprising considering these Godspeed coils have 10k/10k spring rates. We suspect with a bit of trimming this setup wouldn't rub.

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Will a VB WRX take 10” wide wheels? Sure , this WRX TR is running 18x10 with the stock fender flares. It has a modest drop of around 1.5” on Fortune Auto coilovers. With proper suspension adjustment, there’s no rubbing. We love this car’s WRC livery on World Rally Blue.

All wheels with these specs

How about 19-inch wheels on VB WRX? You bet! We reckon they look even better on a VB than the VA. This 2022 is running 19s that come in slightly less aggressive than the 18s we’ve seen so far. It’s important to be mindful of the tire height - this one has 245/35, probably as wide as you’ll find before a 30 sidewall is needed.

TE37s look good on anything, so naturally, they’ll look great on VB WRX. This 2022 GT on TE37 Saga S Plus proves that point. Again, the normal specs: 18x9.5+38, yada yada, but with slightly wider tires - 265/35R18 from Falken. At this ride height, about a 1.5” drop, it took a bit of trimming and finesse to make it work without rubbing. Was it worth the trimming? We’d say ‘ hell yeah’, this car has perfectly flush fitment. Some color matched flares would complete it.

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We needed at least one for the stance enthusiasts. It's not easy dodging every pothole... But someone’s gotta do it.

This car breaks all the rules as far as offset and width but compensates with camber and tire stretch. FactionFab V2 FL-Spec coilovers allows this car to pull off that fender-to-lip fitment that gets all the TikTok clout. If you’re after max tire contact area, this isn’t for you. But either way, you gotta admit, it looks pretty sick.

We don’t know the extent of trimming, but we have to assume that anything that could be cut, was cut.

Bonus: OEM BBS from the WRX S4 STI Sport

At Tokyo Auto Salon 2024, Subaru unveiled a Japan-only special edition dubbed the WRX S4 STI Sport. It gets upgrades to the engine, suspension, interior, and what we care about most, the exterior. According to Subaru, it will have an “aggressive body kit and 19-inch BBS forged wheels”.

Subaru’s only projected to make 500 of these, and they’re using a lottery system to pick buyers. The good news is you don’t need to win the lottery to buy the 19-inch BBS wheels , they can be purchased separately. At 19x8.5 +53, they are similar in specs to the factory wheels on the regular WRX. Not the most impressive, but they have a cool factor being associated with a limited production car; throw some 15mm spacers on and you’ll have a pretty badass setup.

Wrap up

The VB WRX has a go-to size for wheels: 18x9.5 +38 w/ 245/40 or 255/35 tires. For entry-level fitment that gives looks and performance, you can’t go wrong. This is what we’d recommend to most. However, if you want to be original, there’s plenty of wiggle room. Some subie owners like to downsize to 17”, upsize to 19”, or even throw on some 10.5J wideboys with stretched tires. Ultimately, it’s your car, so don’t let anyone tell you what you can or can’t do.

We like all types of fitment, form or function, daily or track. If you have a 22+ WRX on aftermarket wheels and don’t wanna gatekeep your specs, feel free to share it in our gallery - help others while being entered to win monthly prizes.