Tire recommendation ?

Got to

and search for the highest rated tires for your vehicle. You can have them delivered directly to your house, and then go to a local mechanic for mounting, balancing, etc. You can also have them delivered directly to one of Tire Rack's approved installers in your area and then take the car there for installation. I have purchased several sets of tires from Tire Rack and have had nothing but positive experiences.

Good luck and happy shopping.

Like the many times before it has been posted, many people use

to read the reviews and they have a list of dealers who will mount tires that you bring from elsewhere.

You can call a local tire dealer and ask easier than ask all the people from around the world to answer "do you know if the local tire stores like Goodyear or the dealership will swap out the tires for a fee ". Sounds like two phone calls could answer that.

I have a 2005 Forester XS with original tires at 49,000 miles with 5/32 tread left so I will decide soon as this is the very minimum tread you would need during the winter months where there is snow. Hope to replace before summer. I like both Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread & Comfort Tread, but there are several others recommended in the group also. My father is happy with the Comfort Tread on his Pontiac Vibe. I am not sure if I want the extra noise of the Triple Tread in exchange for the extra traction on ice & snow. The Yokohama Geolandar's are loud enough already. Kuhmo's get mentioned here as a cheaper alternative and I bought one to use as a spare that has never seen the ground when one of my originals failed early on at ~5,000 miles.

Michelin also gets mentioned often.

If you run your size in

it will narrow down the selection just due to size availability.

Blair

I did this same thing with Tirerack....and would not do it again.

Here's why: total cost of ownership is more...UNLESS you can find a place that will mount tires they didn't sell and offer you lifetime balance/rotate for little enough to make up the difference.

I now use tirerack for the review database and pricing. Use that as a stick to bargain with your local dealer. Generally you can get them to net you out a better deal than tirerack+shipping+mounting+whateveryourlocalguywillcharge for lifetime balance/rotate.

Also, tirerack reviews told me these piece of crap Kumho Ecsta whatevertheheckthey were were the greatest deal ever... and while they yeah, they felt great new and were like $54/per, they aged very poorly and went out of round faster than any tire I've ever had.

Having grown utterly sick of tires that go out of round before their tread life it done, they were recently replaced by whatever Michelin Wal Mart had in stock and I've been very pleased with those new tires. They feel very confident in all the now we've had in Chicago here recently as well. When the wife gets back with teh car I'll figure out what model they are. About $440 out the door at Wal Mart though as I recall.

-- Todd H.

2001 Legacy Outback Wagon, 2.5L H-4 Chicago, Illinois USA

I live in Bucks County, PA just northwest of Philly so our weather is similar. I drive an '03 Baja. I've bought (3) sets tires from Tirerack.com. I found a local shop to install them at reasonable rates and have been happy (with the installation & the tires themselves) every time.

I now have my second set of Goodyear Assurance Tripletreds on my car and they are the best tires I've ever had. They come with a lot of perks directly from Goodyear (like free rotation and included roadside assistance).

I recommend these tires and Tirerack highly. Check them out:

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My workmate has the same tires on his O/B, Loves them and is known to plow through 1 foot of snow in them.

Hi, We like Michelin X and Michelin X Ice from Costco. OEM Subaru tires suck.

Jerry - I put on a set of BFG Traction TA's and like them - look good too, high overall rating. I will get the 235/55R16 next time because the O/D is the same and the extra width will mean longer treadlife and better handling. I specifically ask for "T" rated tires because the rubber mix is a slightly harder, has a denser tread pattern and more tread depth for longer wear. Sure, you can buy the speed rated tires if you really need to drive at those speeds, but I'm guessing you leave for work on time most days like the rest of us and chose a Forrester over the WRX for a reason. 99.99% of people never need more than a T rated tire but the hype of a "performance" tire is a stong draw and allows tire companies to sell more tires because they wear out so much faster. Chect the tire speed rating charts and see if you qualify as an F1 driver, or some other effin' driver - like me.

I work in the tire manufacturing industry and might have a few insights over the next guy, but here's some straight poop - you generally get what you pay for. The more expensive brands will almost always save you money in the long run as long as you stay away from speed-rated, performance tires. They will also help you with dealership problems. Just divide the cost by the warranted mileage. Verify by comparing the treadwear rating number on every tire's sidewall. The Asian tires are improving, but they still have quality issues not seen in the major NA or some European brands.

The TIRERACK is an excellent site to do the comparisons.

'04 Forrester owner

Goodyear Assurance TripleTred - by far the best all seasons that now exist! I ordered and installed them in Sam's Club. Your local Walmart might do it. And, of course, any Goodyear dealership but their quote was hiher in my case.

DK