Best tire choices for `01 Outback?

You could try some of the reviews/info at

Carl

I'm currently considering those Goodyear TripleTred tires. They get pretty good reviews, and they are supposed to be good in anything. Still, if you live where it snows a lot, you should get genuine winter tires for the winter. I'm at 8000', and we have to deal with snow and ice 6+ months of the year almost daily. Go to TireRack.com and see what kind of reviews their customers give different tires. You really need to be able to stop, as the AWD will take care of the going part regardless of the tires you get.

i have the same car and the same forthcoming need, although I live in an area with lots of rain and some snow (NW Washington). I read the reviews at tirerack.com on two interesting candidates: Goodyear TripleTred and Michelin HydroEdge. Both are well-regarded.

I've got a set of Michelin Hydroedge's on my wife's Altima. They are oh so sweet. I am about to rplace the tires on my Baja, and will probably go with the same, or with the Good Year Triple Treads.

I've bought tires at costco, and from Tirereack.com. Costco is nice and convenient, but be cautious of the techs' inexperience. Tirereack is great, too, but there are added expenses.

Short version....you won't go wrong with the Hydroedge or the Triple Tread.

I went through the reviews at tirerack (great resource BTW; I'm not affiliated; I don't know whether they're the best place to buy tires), and the HE and TT simply stood out from the pack for my needs, which include much rain and a little snow. The OP sounded like he needed to deal with more snow. IIRC the TT beat the HE in that department, but I haven't read the reviews in a couple of months now.

I recently put on a set of Pirelli Pzero Nero M&S and couldn't be happier.

-rick-

I do a lot of fast highway driving and the Goodyear Comfortreads I put on in December are the best tires I have ever had on my Outback in dry, rain or snow. Previously I had the OEM Michelins and Toyo 800s. I got over 100K miles on the last set of Toyos. I have read reports of short lifespans on the Pirellis and I think they may even be DOT rated for a shorter life. For the best combination of all-around ride, handling and poor weather conditions, the Goodyear Tripletread is widely considered the best tire around today. I opted for the quieter tire which doesn't give up much in the handling department. Check the user reviews and ratings for all the tires you are considering on the tirerack.com site.

I'm just a flatlander, but from what I've read - if you need to deal with snow a lot, the WORST 'snow' tires will beat the BEST all season tires in snow -period. That's why people buy take-off rims or used rims for a second set of tires for winter. ALSO, AWD with all-season tires is likely better than 2WD with snows - so I might be tenpted to just run a good all-season on my Subie unless I were a mail carrier or fire captain or had some other job that would not allow me the luxury of just staying home in EXTREME weather conditions.

Carl

In the critical area of braking, AWD with all seasons won't match 2WD with snow tires. (I live in a high-snowfall area of Ontario, I know this very well from personal experience.) Real snow tires with AWD are far the best option in heavy snow conditions. However, if you have little snow, all season tires are likely fine, except for the braking response when you do see even a little snow or ice. Each person will have to decide for themselves how important that is.

Larry Van Wormer

I put the Goodyear Triple Treads on my 04 Forester and drive them year round. I live on the west coast where driving on wet pavement is very common. Occasional snow falls (dumps) at least a couple of times a season. I take the forester up skiing and tested the Triple treads on local roads when we had snow. The TT's are very good all around and absolutely supreme in wet or dry conditions. Turning or Stopping on snow with All-seasons is acceptable but I have to adjust the driving style. It's all about physics anyway. Even with snow tires you have to adjust your driving style. I have Goodyear UltraGrip Ice tires on my FWD 1990 Legacy. In the snow they are great. On wet pavement they are abyssmal. They are probably slipperier (is that a word?) than the Firestone 440 all-seasons normally on the car. For me, I would choose the great wet and dry + good snow traction over great snow, poor wet traction anyday. But that is just me. I don't drive a great deal of snow but lots of wet roads. Most areas that get snow have the majority of roads reasonably cleared so it's generally a matter of getting to the main road. The TripleTreads do that for me easily. The only thing that would have me put dedicated snow tires on my Forester is if I lived in a n area that gets lots of icy conditions.

"Larry Van Wormer" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@donna.bmts.com...

I went to a local associate of Tirerack and got Goodyear Tripletread tires to replace my Firestone Wilderness. He (dealer) got the tires locally and matched Tirerack's price, plus if I get my oil changed with him every 3.000 miles, (

John,

Where I'm located it's really all season with the worst of winter and worst of summer hitting. Here in the Appalachians it's not unusual to get snow in November and have a solid icepack for a few months in the winter. Or like last winter, have little snow or ice. Plus I do drive to ski resorts where parking lots are ice mixtures sometimes. Then in the spring it's rainy, wet, stormy, with the summer being hot, dry, and like the Sahaira desert at times.

My concern is should I get a really good set of all weather tires and just use those, or get something that has a strong focus on rain and snow? Not that I'm living in an enviornment where it snows everyday for 5 months.

Brad

You bring up an interesting point, how much does gas mileage get affected with different tires? Is it a loss of like .5mpg or more like 2-3mpg?

Currently I'm getting 29.697mpg after having driven a trip from WV to Michigan last month while using my Firestone Wilderness tires.

my vote is for nokian nrw's or the newer nokian wr's all season...canadian government rates them as almost equal to winter snow tires...unbelievable tire...used for ice racing etc...50k warranty.

you can get 'em off ebay from tire shops for less then $75/tire..i bought five 225/55/16 for $280.and .$30 shipping.....do a search on nokians..made in finland...a great tire

Regarding reduced gas mileage, I calculate mileage by logging every tank of fuel. The difference in mileage for my switch from the stock Geolandars to the Triple Treads was about 1%. However, closer investigation shows that tires are not always the same size. Even though the Geoladars and the TripleTreads were nominaly the same size, actual circumference was different by, you guessed it, 1% (TripleTreads being 1% smaller in actual circumference. So fuel mileage is a non-issue. The biggest difference is in the weight per tire (unsprung weight). The TripleTreads are somewhat heavier.

My mileage dropped by about 1 -2 mpg after getting the Tripletreads but part of that drop is because of driving more around town than before (I was working then and am retired now) so the drop may not be as much as I figured. It has also been awhile since I had any tuning service work done. I only have a little less than 50,000 miles on my

There is a definate drop but the safety aspect is more important to me. The tread pattern radiates out from the center (like the Aquatread) which helps for better handling in wet weather. I have not had any problems with snow however I no longer have to drive in really bad weather because of being retired.

The tires look heavier than the Firestone Wilderness ones so that may be part of the reason for less mileage.

Warren

It takes forever to read the test results in set of 3 over there.

Since you want all weather capability Continental ContiExtremeContact probably would offer the most traction in a variety of conditions you drive thru. $96 a piece in your size.