I spoke to a gentleman at Method and he assured me that the wheels would be ok on the ascent. I have about 50K on them, much of it on trails and the have done great but I understand the concern.
The 501’s/502’s? Absolutely. Subaru has run the 501’s and 502’s for brutal rally racing.
The 503’s? I wouldn’t run them. Too low of a load rating for me. Everything else, from the pavement up, has a safety factor built in (as my friends at Falken confirmed when we were making inflation charts for the Ascent for their various tires). Two pound safety margin is statistically negligible (1/10th of a percent).
Yes, one can legally run them – or any wheel that’s rated at 1,648 pounds or more. I like maintaining a safety margin instead of getting rid of it.
| Wheel | Sizes That Fit | Load Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Method 501’s | 18″, 20″ (17’s don’t fit – different barrel shape – rubs) | 1,850 pounds |
| Method 502’s | 17″, 18″, 20″ (note that 17’s require special balancing) | 1,850 pounds |
| Method 502’s VT Spec | 15″ only(they don’t fit at all) | 2,100 pounds |
| Method 503’s | 18″, 20″ | 1,650 ponds – I WOULD NOT RUN THESE. There’s virtually NO safety margin. A wheel’s rating must be 1,648 pounds or higher for the Ascent (by law/by math). That leaves TWO pounds safety margin. |
