Subaru Forester Wheels and Rims

Subaru Forester Aftermarket Wheel Fitment

The Subaru Forester is Subaru's compact crossover, sold from 1998 through the current 2025 and up SL generation with symmetric all-wheel-drive standard on every model year. Element Wheels measures fitment across all six Forester generations: SF (1998-2002), SG (2003-2008), SH (2009-2013), SJ (2014-2018), SK (2019-2024), and SL (2025 and up). The bolt pattern history on the Forester has one major transition to confirm before ordering. Every 1998-2018 Forester (SF, SG, SH, SJ) ran 5x100 with a 56.1mm hub bore. Starting with the 5th gen SK (2019), Subaru moved the Forester to 5x114.3 with the same 56.1mm hub bore. The current SL (2025 and up) continues on 5x114.3. A 5x100 wheel from a 2018 or earlier Forester will NOT bolt onto a 2019 or later Forester. Confirm your model year before ordering. The Forester also carries dedicated Element Overland fitments at 15 to 18 inch diameter for buyers running taller all-terrain tires, plus lifted Overland fitments for 2009-2024 Foresters running a 1 to 2 inch lift kit. Pick your generation below.

Find Your Subaru Forester Generation

Pick your generation to see wheels and rims that fit your specific Forester. The bolt pattern transition is the first thing to confirm: 1998-2018 Foresters run 5x100, and 2019 and up Foresters (5th gen SK and 6th gen SL) run 5x114.3. Hub bore stays 56.1mm across every Forester generation. AWD is standard on every Forester, so square fitment is the default.

The Subaru Forester Bolt Pattern, and the 2019 Switch

From the 1998 model year through 2018, every Subaru Forester ran 5x100 with a 56.1mm hub bore. That covered the 1st gen SF (1998-2002), the 2nd gen SG (2003-2008), the 3rd gen SH (2009-2013), and the 4th gen SJ (2014-2018). 5x100 is the Subaru naturally-aspirated standard of that era, shared with the standard Impreza, the Crosstrek, the BR-Z, and pre-2015 Legacy and Outback wagons.

The 5th gen SK Forester (2019-2024) moved to 5x114.3 with the same 56.1mm hub bore. This is the Forester's biggest fitment change in twenty years. The current SL Forester (2025 and up) continues on 5x114.3 / 56.1mm. A 5x100 wheel from a 2018 or earlier Forester will NOT bolt onto a 2019 or later Forester. Confirm your model year before ordering. The 5x114.3 pattern is also written as 5x4.5 in imperial (114.3mm = 4.5 inches), but that imperial nickname refers ONLY to 5x114.3, not to 5x115. A wheel listed for 5x115 (Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger LX) will not bolt to a 2019 or later Forester either.

The hub bore stays 56.1mm across every Forester generation from 1998 forward, so the hub-fit geometry is consistent across the entire run even when the bolt pattern changes. The Forester's wheel lug thread is 12x1.25 (M12x1.25), not the 12x1.5 used on Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, and Kia. That thread pitch is consistent across every Forester and every modern Subaru, but if you are reusing lug nuts from a non-Subaru car, they will not thread on. Compare across the rest of the Subaru lineup at our Subaru wheels and rims hub.

Why Foresters Run Square, and the Wilderness and Overland Builds

Every Forester is symmetric all-wheel-drive from the factory. Subaru uses a longitudinally-mounted boxer engine paired with a center differential and front-rear torque split. That drivetrain requires matched circumference at all four corners. A wheel and tire combo that is taller in the rear than the front (or vice versa) confuses the center diff and stresses the transfer case over miles. Square fitment is not optional on a Forester, it is the engineering constraint. Element catalog rows for every Forester generation reflect this: matched front-rear width and matched tire diameter across the range, no staggered option.

The Forester Wilderness trim (5th gen SK, 2022 and up) adds off-road suspension over the standard SK Forester: more ground clearance, a retuned damper package, and all-terrain tires from the factory. The Wilderness still runs the same 5x114.3 / 56.1mm bolt pattern and hub bore as the standard SK Forester. The Element Forester Overland Fitment is a separate path from the Wilderness trim: a smaller diameter wheel (15 to 18 inch) with a taller all-terrain tire wrapped around it, tuned for trail use on a standard Forester. The 2009-2024 Overland-with-lift fitments are for buyers who have installed a 1 to 2 inch lift kit on a 3rd gen SH, 4th gen SJ, or 5th gen SK Forester. The lift fitments use a lower offset window because the lifted ride height changes the fender-to-wheel relationship; we measure these separately.

Every wheel we recommend is backed by our Fitment Guarantee. If a wheel does not fit, we pick up the wheels and refund 100 percent. No risk to you.

How We Confirm Fitment on Subaru Forester Wheels

Element Wheels measures fitment on the platforms we sell wheels for, including every Forester generation from the 1998 SF through the current SL. For the Forester that means clearance from the wheel to the fender, gap between the back of the wheel and the suspension, brake caliper height, hub bore confirmation (56.1mm across every Forester), lug seat geometry, the 12x1.25 thread confirmation, and confirmation that the wheel and tire match circumference front to rear so the symmetric AWD system stays happy. On the Overland and lifted Overland fitments we also measure tire clearance under articulation, since a Forester used off-road or running a lift kit sees more body roll and more vertical wheel travel than a standard build. At our fitment facility in Chandler, Arizona, the Element Wheels team measures directly on the physical platforms we support. We don't pull specs from manufacturer sheets the way most retailers do.

Subaru Forester Wheels and Rims FAQ

Get Subaru Forester Wheels Right the First Time

Pick your generation above to see wheels and rims that fit. We measure on the Forester across every generation from the 1998 SF to the current SL, separate on-road from Overland fitment, track Wilderness within the SK and SL generations, and confirm the 2019 bolt pattern transition. Find your fit and start enjoying your build sooner.