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Looking for the best winter/snow tire for legacy premium 2.51.  Wanted to get Blizzaks from Bridgestone, but local dealer said the performance rating on the original tires is V rated and Blizzak's highest rating is H and thus he wouldn't put them on the car.  Any one with experience with this issue.

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Go to a different tire dealer then. I have used Blizzaks for years on Subaru's. Just remember they are a winter tire not a performance  tire. I am pretty sure you wont be taking this vehicle up to 130 mph.

 

 

Beginning in 1991, the speed symbol denoting a fixed maximum speed
capability of new tires must be shown only in the speed rating portion
of the tire's service description, such as 225/50R16 89S. The most
common tire speed rating symbols, maximum speeds and typical
applications are shown below:

L 75 mph 120 km/h Off-Road & Light Truck Tires M 81 mph 130 km/h Temporary Spare Tires N 87 mph 140km/h   P 93 mph 150 km/h   Q 99 mph 160 km/h Studless & Studdable Winter Tires R 106 mph 170 km/h H.D. Light Truck Tires S 112 mph 180 km/h Family Sedans & Vans T 118 mph 190 km/h Family Sedans & Vans U 124 mph 200 km/h   H 130 mph 210 km/h Sport Sedans & Coupes V 149 mph 240 km/h Sport Sedans, Coupes & Sports Cars
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To be honest, with AWD cars that "get it right", tires aren't as crucial in the snow, so long as you are NOT running high performance summer tires, or smooth tires with grooves instead of actual tread. I ran the tires that came on mine for 2 winters in 8"-10" of snow (I'd actually go out at 3-5 am before the side roads were salted and plowed and would drift for a couple hours on them. They were cheap all-season tires and the only time the car ever got stuck, was after climbing a really steep 45-55 degree incline on snow/ice covered grass and misunderstanding the guy that was trying to direct me to a parking spot after it plateaued and the snow was 12" deep and the rear was dragging in it. That was on lousy tires it climbed the slope w/o issue, but in 12" of snow/ice on the plateau section with grass underneath it became stuck.

 

Really soft durometer snow tires will give the best traction w/o studs, but are more helpful on RWD/FWD cars that actually need it. You can NOT run them all season as they'll be bald very quickly. Most people pick up a secondary set of cheap, used steel rims and mount on that. It'll actually save you money doing this as you can often get a full set of them for $10-15 each, then you'll pay another $15 each to have them mounted and balanced. From there, you'll have to worry about swapping rims over vs. paying MORE twice a year to continuously pay to have them mounted back and forth. I suggest steel rims as they are typically cheaper than aluminum and can weather the salt better w/o issues, and if one gets bent, it's cheaper to replace. Also, the aluminum rims will eventually flake/crack their clear coat, which is not easy nor cheap to get them refinished and it actually diminishes the value of the car if you resell it later on as they can become an eye sore.

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To be honest, with AWD cars that "get it right", tires aren't as crucial in the snow, so long as you are NOT running high performance summer tires, or smooth tires with grooves instead of actual tread. I ran the tires that came on mine for 2 winters in 8"-10" of snow (I'd actually go out at 3-5 am before the side roads were salted and plowed and would drift for a couple hours on them. They were cheap all-season tires and the only time the car ever got stuck, was after climbing a really steep 45-55 degree incline on snow/ice covered grass and misunderstanding the guy that was trying to direct me to a parking spot after it plateaued and the snow was 12" deep and the rear was dragging in it. That was on lousy tires it climbed the slope w/o issue, but in 12" of snow/ice on the plateau section with grass underneath it became stuck.

 

Really soft durometer snow tires will give the best traction w/o studs, but are more helpful on RWD/FWD cars that actually need it. You can NOT run them all season as they'll be bald very quickly. Most people pick up a secondary set of cheap, used steel rims and mount on that. It'll actually save you money doing this as you can often get a full set of them for $10-15 each, then you'll pay another $15 each to have them mounted and balanced. From there, you'll have to worry about swapping rims over vs. paying MORE twice a year to continuously pay to have them mounted back and forth. I suggest steel rims as they are typically cheaper than aluminum and can weather the salt better w/o issues, and if one gets bent, it's cheaper to replace. Also, the aluminum rims will eventually flake/crack their clear coat, which is not easy nor cheap to get them refinished and it actually diminishes the value of the car if you resell it later on as they can become an eye sore.

I had a 1986 Ea82 D/R wagon with a skid plate. I bought it in AZ so it had Rain tires on it. The winter of 2004/05 in NE PA was bad with us getting 2 feet of snow at a time. That wagon in 4 lo went thru 2 feet of unplowed  snow better the most 4x4 jeeps even with just rain tires on it..

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Looking for the best winter/snow tire for legacy premium 2.51.  Wanted to get Blizzaks from Bridgestone, but local dealer said the performance rating on the original tires is V rated and Blizzak's highest rating is H and thus he wouldn't put them on the car.  Any one with experience with this issue.

 

go somewhere else - i've never heard of someone not installing Blizzacks on a subaru. that's absurd.  just call first if you're worried about wasting your time. 

 

Tri-County tire installed snow tires on my families Subaru's up here in Canton.  Don't know if they do Blizzacks or not, but give 'em a call.

 

best - get Nokians.  they'll retain excellent winter traction over 5-7 years, instead of 2-5 like lesser/cheaper brands.  But they are exceptional in traction and their ability to retain it over the long term and tread wearing.

 

I'm in Canton, OH frequently, I'm here right now actually (Massillon to be exact) - it is so easy to drive here i wouldn't much worry about brand. It is so flat, roads are straight, never/rarely get blizzards, it's like the Disney World of snow driving.  the difference between sliding out of control here where you let off the gas and will eventually stop to mountainous driving where you wont' stop until you hit a tree if you start sliding is orders of magnitude difference in the OH CRAP factor.  If I lived here - depending on my job and situation I'd get really good all seasons and not even bother with snow tires, or I'd probably keep snows on just one, not all of my family cars.  In any event, I woudln't worry too much about "best" - but Nokians are hands down the best if that's really what you want.

Edited by grossgary
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I had a 1986 Ea82 D/R wagon with a skid plate. I bought it in AZ so it had Rain tires on it. The winter of 2004/05 in NE PA was bad with us getting 2 feet of snow at a time. That wagon in 4 lo went thru 2 feet of unplowed  snow better the most 4x4 jeeps even with just rain tires on it..

It had new struts in the front, with original in the back, and about 75 pounds of amp + box and another 35 pounds of tools toward the rear + 15 pound jack, so it had a sort of "reversed rake" going on and it got hung up in the rear. If the rear had been as high as the front and the tires had more tread, it wouldn't have gotten stuck. It pulled a RAV 4 out of a ditch and something else I can't remember. 

 

 

I'm in Canton, OH frequently, I'm here right now actually (Massillon to be exact) - it is so easy to drive here i wouldn't much worry about brand. It is so flat, roads are straight, never/rarely get blizzards, it's like the Disney World of snow driving.  the difference between sliding out of control here where you let off the gas and will eventually stop to mountainous driving where you wont' stop until you hit a tree if you start sliding is orders of magnitude difference in the OH CRAP factor.  If I lived here - depending on my job and situation I'd get really good all seasons and not even bother with snow tires, or I'd probably keep snows on just one, not all of my family cars.  In any event, I woudln't worry too much about "best" - but Nokians are hands down the best if that's really what you want.

 

Canton is sorta on the cusp of the weather path. Lake Erie snow effect often hits Ashtabula hard but often swings south into Akron, but not as hard further south (though it can). Both areas are fairly good with getting the snow trucks out. Biggest issue is ditzy people driving too fast. They seem to get "stuck" in summer mode and have to learn all over again, or think because they have a 4x4 Chevy/Ford they can magically stop on a dime. But yeah, compared to some of those CRAZY back hills mountain roads in WV with insane grades, Canton might as well be a parking lot.

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Go to a different dealer. Nokian Hakapaulita are best, but you best be ready for the sticker shock. They are too much IMO to spend on a 3-4 month a year tire. Once a tire is 5 years old, it's discard age,

 

Firestone Winterforce in my area ( heavy snowfall. 2'+ per year, we have had 5' snowfalls in recent years ) are the most common snow tire around. You will also find they are among the cheapest except the cheepo brands that come from China.

 

As far as speed rating. Find a different dealer. A good dealer knows we don't have an Autobahn in the states, and most of us are likely to never exceed even the minimum speed rating on a passenger tire ( S 112 MPH ). I've had Tire rack cancel an order over an S vs T speed rating, and T is only 118 MPH, but the car was only ever subject to 75-80 MPH tops. I re ordered without the vehicle info, but have since found Tire Buyer which is an ATD division for online sales and they are cheaper and offer free shipping

Edited by matt167
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