twodollarbill Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 great board...thanks to all my 96 outback (135k) is needing tires all around from wear. i have purchased one tire here and one there due to flats all being the same michelin raidials xw4 205 70 R15. was wondering if this is the best tire to be running on my ride, since i have seen bridgestone tires on the newer models (from subaru.com spec page---tires-225/60R16 97H M+S all-season radials with raised white letters). i live in northern mass, and frequent maine, nh, vermont, and canada annually to ski. thanks to all george Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theotherskip Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 one tire here + one tire there = bad for the AWD. i'm surprised a tire shop would sell you a single tire. when you run tires of a different circumference for an extended time, it is very tough on the AWD system because it is constantly trying to compensate for the difference in circumferences. if you have an automatic model, you should always use the FWD fuse any time that you have a non-similar tire on the car. If you have manual, it seems to be less sensitive to this out of balance condition, but you should try to get them all back together as soon as possible... as for tire recommendations, i have been very pleased with the xw4's that i bought my car with. they are wearing very well, and handled all of the snow that the mid atlantic received last year very well. Some of the reviews on tirerack.com seem to go against this, but i have been very pleased... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodollarbill Posted November 5, 2003 Author Share Posted November 5, 2003 thanks for the link... the new tires were the same xw4's as the orig. not a different tire. three of the four were replaced about 3 months apart. i am pretty happy w/ the xw4 except for some sidewall cracking at the reccomended psi. i am looking elsewere to see what other obw drivers have used or use currently; why subaru changed tires w/ newer model cars; and which tire would be the best for the price. thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarunation 713 Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 George, My wife's 96 OBW came with the xw4. When it came time to repace them there were no xw4 to be had (Explorer Firestone problem). We went with the Bridgestone Dueller (sp). They are fine. Next spring when it comes time to replace these tires I am going back to the xw4. Nothing bad about the Bridgestone I just think the xw4 is better. I live in SW Michigan so with the lake effect snow we get I have Blizzaks for the winter. I can't recommend a snow tire for the AWD Subaru enough. twodollarbill said: "i live in northern mass, and frequent maine, nh, vermont, and canada annually to ski." Think about a set of snows. Alpines, Blizzaks, Graspics or whatever is decent and affordable. They are on the car for about 90 to 110 days a year so they last forever. Snow tires on the Outback are as much about stopping as going and you can STOP! BTW-behave as you drive around those great narrow twisty winding roads you have out there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pillowsplat Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 I have 30000 on a set of the Bridgestone tires. One season of snow. I grew up in MA and VT and now reside in Western MD. My summer job was the Zamboni driver at a hockey rink. I found the OEM tires to be the best tire I have used from the factory. Usually they don't last much past 40 K. I find these tires get you going fine but can be a little squirrly in the rain and warm snow while trying to stop and turn. They are quiet. With good anticipation these tires will get where you want to go. I would give them an 8/10. I run them a pound less in the back and 4 PSI over the door pillar. John 03 OBW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 Speaking of tires, what about the Michelin HydroEdge? Michelin claims them to be quieter, handle better, and be better in the rin and snow than the Michelin X or XW4. I currently have Michelin X One/X-Plus on my '97. They were terrific in rain while newer. Now with 50K plus miles, that's not true. I've considered dedicated snow tires, but I drive 2,000 miles per month on average and a lot of dry interstates and I'd wear them down a lot faster. If the car was newer, the cost of dedicated steel wheels and snow tires would make more sense. I checked Tire Rack and a set of 4 Blizzak WS50's on steel rims was $78 + $38 each plus shipping. The clincher to me was going to the South Burlington, VT WalMat after a snostorm and parking in a row of cars, about 1/3rd of which were Subarus. Exactly one of them had dedicated snow tires - the rest had the usual M+S rated all seasons. Yankees are tight with a dollar, after all..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theotherskip Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 two dollar bill: it is important to replace all tires at the same time with the exact same tire. if you have 4 xw4's with 30k miles on them, then you replace only one, it's circumference will be different that the other ones with 30k mile on it (due to wear). keeping the same model of tire doesn't help... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodollarbill Posted November 7, 2003 Author Share Posted November 7, 2003 i have an appt. today to replace all 4 xw4's with yokohama t-4's. tire rack and consumer reports reviews for this tire are high (8/10). and they are $45 cheeper than the xw4's. i am going to give them a try. the michelin hydroedge did not catch my eye at tire rack. i will check them out now. as far as dedicated snow tires, i agree w/ ranger83, driving on plowed roads is much more common. i want a tire that is good in slush, ice, wet, packed snow, etc. not four-six inches of powder. again, this is a great source of info, everyone is very friendly and informative. i see many replies, not just from one or two names, everyone has an opinion/idea/thought/ques/etc. again, great site, and thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarunation 713 Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 Twodollarbill, Could you give us your thoughts in a few months on the Yokohama t-4's if you decide to go that way. I will continue to monitor this as an option when I get new tires in the spring. My final 2 cents on dedicated snows. I will admit the AWD Subaru is GREAT in snow, ice and slush with JUST factory tires. That is one reason I bought the car. There are places a Subaru with factory tires will go other cars just dream of. Some of us have AWD Subarus because we don't want to be stranded in a snowstorm and and AWD Subaru with factory tires will get us through. IF you have driven your AWD car in bad winter weather with factory tires and then switched to a quality snow tire then driven in the same conditions, ONLY then will you fully appreciate what your car can do and the confidence you have. The proof is in the driving. I have winter tires for the 96 OBW and winter tires for my 93 Legacy wagon. Winter weather FEARS me...OK maybe not fears me exactly! ;-) Let us know what you think of the Yokohamas. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paladin_w Posted November 8, 2003 Share Posted November 8, 2003 I have to agree both ways with snows and stocks. However I am in the mountains of colorado, and travel the continental divide quite often and if I had my option now that I have the storage space again I would put snows on during the winter when I know I will be traveling on snow more often than not and then change them out after the last forcasted mass snow fall. The little bit extra is definatlly peace of mind and although those tires are a bit more expensive, you have to consider previous posts they will only be on for about 90 days a year so with proper rotation they will last you 5 or more years. I also will stay posted to this thread to see how you like your new selection as I have my 97 and will need new tires soon, unfortunatlly my 92 has different size rims so my tire changing trick won't changeover. One last thing any one have thoughts/opinions/or experiences with chains on AWDs it would change the circumfrence and I would think that you would put them on the fronts since the weight is there... and since they would only be used for max of 100 miles I am not sure on if any damage would occure???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryb52 Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 i have a thread going on tires on the older generation subaru board. Check out the great responses. I still haven't decided what to get. Still researching..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodollarbill Posted November 25, 2003 Author Share Posted November 25, 2003 thanks for all the responses, i went with the yokohama avid t-4. so far so good. no real weather to take advantage of yet. in the dry, at highway speed, they are much quieter than the stock mich. wx4. i've only put on 250 miles so far, will post back soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 I bought the Michelin HydroEdge ('97 OB). The Michelin X Ones lasted 60K miles and still had plenty of tread left. The HydroEdge is much quieter, has better turn-in, great rain traction. Haven't tested dry cornering limits or snow traction yet, but I'm pleased thus far. My OB turned 120K, exactly, as I turned into the dealer. I now have about 1,200 miles on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 Update after Boston got 25" of snow over the weekend. And driving in the ice storm last week. These tires are excellent. I drove up and down some steep, snowy hills to test starting and stopping and the grip is excellent. I'm very impressed with these tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryb52 Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 Goofd to hear. I haven't had to use good traction yet and am hoping to get some more miles out of these tires before I HAVE to replace them. Am looking for a good sale somewhere. At least I have several options to look at now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 Terry, the X Plus tires I had on there had plenty of tread despite 60K miles. But I waqs going to need new tires within a few months one way or the other (I drive about 25K a year right now) so I decided to have new ones for all the rain in late fall and winter snow. If these last the same as the last set, I'll have 180K on the car by the time they wear out and it won't owe me anything.... P.S. If you are having "hideous roll over" problems with a tire, you need more air pressure. see below..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remarcable Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 We rarely if ever see snow here, but I've gone through several sets of outback sized tires looking for something that handles moderatly well. I couldn't. I finally switched to 16" rims and went with Dunlop SP 5000 z rated high performance all seasons. They wear quick, but remain nice and sticky even on cold days. I won't be buying them again because of the cost, but they were very fun tires on dirt roads and wet pavement alike. The XW4s and Rainforce/X-One tires all had hideous sidewall rollover upon cornering and were very unpredictable when pushed to their relatively low limits. If you see snow I highly suggest investing in a spare set of rims with snow tires on them and a jack. All season tires are a compromise and really are not great in the snow. Get snow tires! EDIT- I forgot to mention the dunlop sp's have about 12,000 miles on them and are bald on the outer and inner edges. Scooby skating ahoy! I'll need new rubber by spring, but I think the added drivability and fun the tires provided were worth the short life and high cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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