Can I swap 225/55 R 17's for the current stock 225/65 R 17's on my new Outback?

As long as you change all 4 tires I dont see an issue with this. Yes what u mentioned is true. Its important to keep the same size tires on all 4

Many thanks heich25 & the best of everything to you & family in 2015! -paul

Sorry, I don't see why you're doing this. Your point is what? I thought that "all season tires " meant "all seasons "? Are you really going to get a small performance increase from this? Sorry, I live in Southern California, my condolences on your winter.

Dropping to 55 series sidewalls will result in a very significant in handling both because of the lower Cog AND the much stiffer sidewalls. I'd be sure to stay at 35F/33R psi. The body control will still be sloppy (like all 2010+ OB s and any Forester), but it WILL be better. Odo/Speedo errors will be maybe +10%, of course, but the CVT shouldn't mind. Maybe you've tried the down-sizing last winter? How'd it go? Note to others: the OE 18" wheels use a stiffer 60 series tire to maintain OE ride height yet supply a fair amount of improved handling. But 17" wheel owners have little choice. Using 225/0-17 tires would be an intermediate compromise too, but there's no question that the 55's will feel best. Think of it as being like the lower CoG Legacy Wagon (available outside North America) with its superior handling and body control. If I was forced to own a '10+ OB I'd try 225/55-17V-rated too. If I had a Limited with 18" I'd downsize to 225/55-18 to get improved handling and not such a loss of height, or even 225/50- 18 and try to attain the best handling inherent in the sloppy body underpinnings.