Indian Steve Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Howdy All, I am married to a die hard Subaru driver who will soon be in need of tires. She always ran Michelins on her 96 Legacy. She now has a 2005 Forester 2.5 X that she drives about 50 miles a day. We live in the mountains of Virginia and even though that we don't get a lot of snow but if it snows, she does have to get to work. She works in a hospital and snow is no excuse to take the day off. The Michelins reviews that she has looked at haven't rated as good on long milage. She is looking at Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread all season. Can I get any advice or opinions from you Great Subaru Gurus? Thanks Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I dont know anything about the Goodyears. If you want a name brand, the Cooper CS4 touring is a very good tire (I think they are changing over to a CS5 now tho). ran a set of CS4s on my 90 Legacy wagon, and our 04 Mercury Sable wears them as well. I can also recommend Mastercraft Avenger touring tires - I have a set on my 95 Legacy wagon and really like them. They are wearing very well so far - put on this spring. Mastercraft is made by Cooper Tires 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Indian Steve, I know you don't want to hear this, but you really need to consider two sets of tires and wheels, a dedicated set of winter tires and a set for summer driving. There is no comparison to be had with all season tires trying to be both, and doing neither really well. I'm well aware that not everyone can afford the expense of two sets of tires and wheels, and the inconveniences of storing and changing them over. But, how much does an accident cost, one that may have been avoided with the proper tire? I can appreciate that many drivers have to compromise when the family finances are tight. Personally, I want my wife to be driving under the safest circumstances possible, or not at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbolt1003 Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I have a dedicated winter set for my Impreza. However, a really nice and inexpensive tire my wife has on her Forester is the Kelly Explorer Plus. She didn't want snows last year despite my insisting. The Kelly's got her through the multiple northeast snowstorms we had last year and she does a lot of driving each day. She never complained once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I had the Goodyear triple tread on my 05 outback and after a short honeymoon, they were by far the noisiest tire I've ever driven. I now use the Kumho Ecsta bought locally matching the prices of Tire Rack. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikec03 Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Actually, it's not snow that I think the OP should worry about. I have been driving subarus for 40 years with normal passenger tires and have never been stuck in snow. I assume that is your main worry. I live in Wisconsin and see a lot of snow. What you should be thinking about is water skid resistance. Thats why I didn't buy Michilin for my sons 95. I didn't like the reviewers comments. The Kelly tires were not so good either. I ended up buying Gen Tire tires, partly because there are not too many alternatives for 14" rims on the 95. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upnorthguy Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I ended up buying Gen Tire tires, partly because there are not too many alternatives for 14" rims on the 95. Throw some 15" rims on there! (My '95 LS came with 15s). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 don't look at "long life" that means harder rubber compounds that aren't as good in traction. get good traction if you need it. normal passenger tires and have never been stuck in snow. I assume that is your main worry. I live in Wisconsin and see a lot of snow. in mountains where parts of roads dont' see day light hardly at all in the winter and stay snow covered on switch back steep grades and start to pack, freeze, .....all seasons will not get you down those without sliding. i don't know OP's conditions but that's how it is around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indian Steve Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 Thanks for all of the advice so far. If we could afford it we would have two sets of tires but money is very tight. Her tire size is 215/60/ 16. I will pass all of this info along to her so can do more research. She had heard that the Goodyears had a noise problem that gets worse as the tires wear. I am glad to have that verified { Thanks brus brother} Whatever she gets will only be bought after much research. Her car, her decision. All of your comments will be read by her to help her figure it out. Thanks Again, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 IMO I have never been a fan of Goodyear tires for years and years. When I did buy them, they seemed a little extra expensive when matched against comparative quality tires. They also did not seem to last long, in that they wore out quicker then expected. Michilens have a great reputation for producing quality tires. I am surprised to hear anything negative about them. They are expensive, but seem to last forever. However, they are made with hard rubber, so after 20,000 miles or so, their grip in snow declines. All tires are a trade off in performance characteristics: Touring tires...........are smooth riding made for interstate cruising, but not good in snow All Season............ not as smooth riding as Touring tires, better in snow. More of an all purpose tire. Mud & Snow tires.....designed to get you through the nasty stuff on road, and off roads, but ride rough, and chunky tread design makes for a noisy tire. Suggest your search focus on All Season type tires, since using 2 sets of tires is not what you want to do. I have Yokohama tires on my OBW that are all season. I am happy with them. Seem pretty grippy in snow, even after 20,000 miles, yet quiet on the highway. Price is competitive. Quality is there as they balance well upon installation, and have kept a good balance. Don't recommend buying any tires that are off brand. They generally cost less, but you get what you pay for. Too often I have read about cheap tires going bad 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 (edited) again - Mastercraft Avengers rained quite heavily today - standing water on the road in places - not once did I feel like I was going to loose control of the car, it felt very stable. my driving is a mix of country (gravel), city, and highway. The tires have performed well regardless of the conditions thus far. I will say that I have not used these particular tires on snow/ice, but may leave them on for a while this winter just to see how they do (i do have a set of snow tires - also Mastercraft - Glacier Grip II - awesome tire!) These are also quieter than the 2/3rds worn out Michelins that came on the other halfs 06 L.L. Bean Outback - probably not the quietest tire on the market, but very tolerable Edited August 22, 2014 by heartless 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 I checked on line. Looks like Mastercraft Avengers available in 4 different sub models. Which Avengers are you running Heartless?? Research shows tires made by Cooper, and that is good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indian Steve Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 Rooster2, What Yokohamas are you using. Thanks Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 mine are the Avenger Touring LSR (T rated - 80,000 mile) I am running the 205/65R15 size on Forester 15" rims (also have Forester struts/springs on my 95 Legacy, so no rubbing issues - awesome upgrade over stock) I am very happy with these tires so far. And yes, the Mastercraft tires are made by Cooper - as I said in my first post... The other half is thinking about picking up a set for his Outback soon - the Michelins he has are age cracking... I have had the Cooper CS4 (80K tire) - great wearing tire if you do a lot of driving - ok in winter, but not great. I didnt put enough miles on at the time to really warrant having these - they began to develope sidewall cracking long before I wore them out. I have had Kelly Explorers (45K tire) - very good traction, even in winter, but wears faster and fuel mileage does suffer (stickier tire) I have also run Roadrunner branded tires - fairly cheap, but not too bad for the money - decent traction, decent fuel mileage, decent wear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Rooster2, What Yokohamas are you using. Thanks Steve I am running Yokohama AVID TRZ tires. They have been on my OBW for about 4 years. I do know that model was the top of the line, when I bought them, but have since been discontinued, with another tire becoming the top of the line. My TRZ tires were highly recommended by sales guys and installers at Discount Tire Store. They were right,......... excellent tires, great traction, quiet, excellent tire wear, good in snow, and balance well with minimum weights added to road wheels. I would buy Yokohamas again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 The other half is thinking about picking up a set for his Outback soon - the Michelins he has are age cracking... I have Michelins on wife's car, with some sidewall cracking. A good friend of mine, who worked years as an installer at Discount Tire, told me that all Michelins have a tendency to age crack the sidewalls over time. However, he says that is not a problem, or a safety issue with Michelins, as long as the age cracking is not in the tread area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 The other half is thinking about picking up a set for his Outback soon - the Michelins he has are age cracking... I have Michelins on wife's car, with some sidewall cracking. A good friend of mine, who worked years as an installer at Discount Tire, told me that all Michelins have a tendency to age crack the sidewalls over time. However, he says that is not a problem, or a safety issue with Michelins, as long as the age cracking is not in the tread area. the tread is pretty worn, too, so it isnt just the age cracking driving this - he needs new tires before the snow flies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 the tread is pretty worn, too, so it isnt just the age cracking driving this - he needs new tires before the snow flies Fully agree, if tread is pretty warn, then new tires are needed before the snow flies.Nothing worse then driving in snow with bad tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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