Ranger83

Wait 1,000 miles or so before you judge. Old worn tires have lower rollnig resistance. We have RSI's, it did go down but winter fuel and conditions made a bigger difference.

FWIW Consumer Reports rated it #1 of All Seasons, if you don't normally drive in icy conditions, where it had below average performance on their tests. Plenty of reviews on tirerack. Some report a decrease in mileage but it's not consistent.

Slow learner?

I paid $26,000 for my 06 Outback 3.0R (H6) I guess I need to send the dealer some money?

I don't go to dealers or chains for brakes, usually. An independent or DIY'er can buy top quality replacements. You can get Brembo disks for about $10 more than standard replacements. An automotive machine shop can turn the rotors for you. I used to photocopy the manual pages and tape them to the fender.

You mean there are people who don't do this?

Folks who live in snowy climates but don't need or have room for dedicated snows like the Nokian WR. The only all-season with the Mountain M&S designation. I pulled the Bridgestones right off mine so they'd sell better - I hope! New style mats - there's a nickel upper right so you can gage the lip depth. They match the rear cover.

05-06 better fit, higher lip, no comparison.

Kewl, I commend to you the factory rubber mats - good looking and practical. I put Nokian RSI's on the factory rims and bought a set of BBS RK's for the summer tires. They're usually close to $300 each, got a set of 4 from a SAAB dealer who is overstocked on SAABARU wheels. The OEM Bridgestone Potenza RE92A's are notoriously poor in rain and snow, although not everyone finds them so. Mine came off within a week.

In 2005 the H6 was only available in the LL Bean or VDC models. They both have sunroofs so there wasn't enough headroom for me. I discovered the reintroduction of the H6 for 2006, but they're still rare: there were only two in New England for sale when I bought mine. Same cloth interior as the 2.5i but has: 3.0L H6 cylinder engine, 250hp with Active valve control (premium fuel recommended, I don't use it); 5spd SportShift automatic transmission; Upgraded VTD all wheel drive system; Tire Pressure monitoring sytem TPMS; 6disc CD changer; Dual zone front climate control ; Body colored mirrors with turn signals; Rear seat armrest MSRP is $28,995.

I drove my 97 with Michelin HydroEdge one day and the RE92's the next, and thought they were poor in the rain. On tirerack you can search on reviews by car brand and just read the Subaru reviews. The RE92 is currently ranked 21st out of 22 in the category. It's an OEM tire on some other vehicles and doesn't get much better reviews from most of them. Lucky you, you should be able to pick up my nearly new 225/55x17 RE92's for around $200 on eBay.

I bought a 3.0R (H6). The turbo is quick but the hood scope is a little too "Boy Racer" for me and I wanted better MPG. The dealer told me an average of 20mpg, which I thought was low, but AutoWeek reported an average of something like 20.3 on their long-term test car. Turbo is a better choice at high elevations, though, I'd guess. The 3.0R is smooth, quick on the highway, and works perfectly with the 5spd auto. Downshifts are unobtrusive. I paid $26K with a couple options. Only outward difference on the 3.0R is the lights in the turn signals; five spoke alloys; and a 3.0R badge (which I removed). Has the aluminum hood. I bought a set of BBS RK's for the summer tires.

Look in your owner's manual under Snow Tires.

http://www.cars101.com/subaru/tiresandwheels.html The Potenza RE 92's and RE92A's don't seem to have very happy owners. I had them on my new 06 for 500 miles before I put on snows. I'll likely sell them on eBay as they were poor in the rain. Fairly quiet and have low rolling resistance, though. You can get 15" allots for $40-50 each on eBay, but they don't come up too often. 96-97 had the 6 spoke, 98-99 had five. Be sure you buy WRX rims with the right bolt circle, as some are 100mm and some 114.3.

I sold my 97 OBW to my sister in law with 165K, as hers was having some problems - 255K. So they don't all last to 300K. It takes a dedicated owner but many cars can make 300K. A fellow at work traded in his 98 Ford Explorer with almost 300K miles because it needed a new catalytic converter ($1,000 job) but it ran perfectly.

I'm not as smart as all you guys. Years ago when I was racing a Scirocco, I did a performance test with the stock paper filter versus no filter. No performance gain. What I would love to see is the power decrease from the big fat exhaust tips kids are putting on their cars, and the increase in drag from some of the tailgate spoilers. I worked with quite a few OEM engineers and still do. They've done their homework.

What is your budget?

Yes, I'm happy with them. They don't come in P215/55x17 but these fit fine. We also have them on a Honda Accord V6. We put Michelin X-Ice on our Quest minivan and the odealer offered 1. he'd love to be a dealer for Nokian and 2. he thought the RSI's last longer than the X-Ice. The X-Ice is a little quieter on the highway. We haven't worn any of then out: the Nokian does have about 1/32" more tread depth new.

GM didn't own 40%, they owned about 20%. They sold about 1/2 that to Toyota and the rest on the market. So Toyota owns a little less than 10%. There are rumors that Toyota wants to produce Toyotas in the Lafayette, IN plant where Outbacks are manufactured.

If you look in the Owner's Manual under snow tires you'll see recommendations for 16 or 17" rims. The steel rims are hard to find. Most folks buy cheap alloys with snows mounted. Tirerack and tires.com have different styles available. I mounted Nokian RSI snows on the stock rims. Then I purchased a set of 17"x7" BBS RK rims with BBS center caps from a SAAB dealer (for the SAABARU). They were $500 for four (they usually sell for around $250 each) with lugs, center caps and stems and weigh 18 lbs. On subaruoutback,.org or legacygt.com you will find many threads and pictures of different rims.

Why I don't miss the '97:

What company is that?

Leave it in gear and apply a little gas. Unless you're coasting down a huge hill to a stop, you're not saving anything. I'm sure you don't believe that statement (see Click & Clack about "Things your father told you...") So, borrow an 05 or 06 Subaru that has the instantaneous mpg reading, and see for yourself.

He's a teenager in MA. n LLBean is a more direct comparison wit hthe MDX and they're more like $28. But Newton is, well, different.....

The neighbors probably look down their noses at "economy" cars to boot. Bet the price delta is more like $8,000. It is quite a bit larger, especially the back seat, which is a good 4" wider. At the expense of 1,000 lbs or so. Good luck with it once you get your license.