tires and noise?

Some commentary here:

When was the last time you had the undercarriage inspected? Some places will do it for free or pretty cheap. They can check the CV joints to make sure the boots haven't ripped which would allow sand, dirt, and debris to damage the joints causing them to grind.

The tighter the tread the less the noise; however, with small gaps for the treads, they won't grab as well in snow, and may even not expel the water as well when driving in the rain. That is, the slicker the tire, the quieter it is but the less grip it will have (there will less edges to grip the road under the flex spot).

Softer compound tires are quieter, too, but they wear out quicker. They have more grab, so they're great for hard cornering (mine would growl instead of squeal when sliding into a 90-degree turn), but they'll wear off quicker which can get costly when you scrub them clean after about a year of hard maneuvering. The harder the compound, the more likely the tire will squeal and less friction it has, and why those high-mileage tires are barely passable even for everyday driving.]

Since you mention nothing about performance, likely you want all-season tires. The less aggressive the tread (the smaller the gaps) the quieter it will be, and some are okay to expel water, but they'll be less aggressive to grab through the snow. No mention under what conditions you'll be driving. I live in a state where there is lots of rain and we get tons of snow, so traction under those conditions is more important than noise (which depends a lot on how well the car itself is insulated

- some are so over insulated that you can't feel anything of the road through the steering wheel or your butt from the seat and you'll barely hear a siren coming up on you).

With off-roading, you'll want a more aggressive tread. However, just because you have a SUV (Forester) doesn't mean it ever gets off paved roads. SUVs have become status symbols, and rare few ever get off the road and many designated as a SUV really aren't usable off the road.

Why not go to a pro tire shop and ask them what's best for your car, how you drive, and the environmental conditions under which you'll be driving (rain, snow, off-road, performance, commuting, etc)?

Oh, and mention to the tire dealer what is your price range. Do you plan to spend $60 per tire, $100 per tire, or $400 per tire? How deep is your pocket? The shallower your pocket, the more likely you're stuck with a cheapy commuter tire.

I usually get the long life Japanese tires from Les Schwab.

Get two oil changes from a real auto shop (not Jiffy lube). I have them do a full preventative maintenance inspection every time. It is well worth the money. Two times ago they found a leaking head gasket, which did explain the burnt oil smell.

Thank you!

Don't do any off roading. My ground clearance is to low.

Who uses chains with a Subi ???

:-)

This one seems perfect for a Forrester:

We get our Subaru's serviced at the dealer. Mine is still under warranty.

Really surprised me that my brother who worked all his life for Chevy dealers gets his Forester's oil changed at Jiffy Lube.

If you're thinking tires, my guess is wheel bearings (Hubs). I just changed all 4 and increased my mileage and quieted my 2010 forester greatly.

Amazon says to me "This does not fit your: 2017 Subaru Forester" Ours wears the original tires, 225/60R17 Your Forester has 15 inch wheels? And that 75 aspect ratio might be a bit much.

But disregard all that. Scroll down to the Technical Details.

-> Bolt Pattern (Number of Holes) 15

-> Bolt Pattern (Pitch Circle Diameter) 1 nanometer

People who drive them in _truly_ bad icing and snow conditions in the mountains. In many places it is legally mandated -- going up to the ski areas in California's Sierras comes to mind as one example. If I had such driving in mind I'd at least have a set of four cable chains just in case.

I recall driving up to Tahoe once seeing signs that said vehicles with chains only allowed. Snow had melted but the signs were still up. It was mid September.

Is it snow tires? Snow tires are usually more noisy than summer or all-season tires. I did find a very quiet snow tire, the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2. I don't know why they are quieter than any previous snow tires I've ever had, but they just are. Barely more perceptible than my regular all-season tires that I use during the summer.

Yousuf Khan

They are not snow tires.

They are all season mud and snow

P225/60 R16 97T

Oh, I see, well all-seasons should be no noisier than summer tires. I've heard of some somewhat aggressive treaded all-seasons which might be noisier, but I don't think it would be so bad that you can notice it constantly. Have you noticed any uneven tread wear patterns on the tires? Perhaps they are misaligned?

They are wearing very evenly. I check occasionally

We do get snow in the winder