sir robin

You know, now that you mention it, I never drove that Explorer (or my VWs) like I am driving my OB 3.0 VDC sedan. (Hehe - I've only had it a week and I've set new personal speed records on some of the highway exit/entrance ramps around here.) And that's a great point about tires being cheaper than bumpers/fenders. So I won't be expecting ultra long life from a set of tires on my Soob, then. BTW - tonight it was pretty wet on the roads and the Potenzas actually seemed to be doing OK.

I've been checking out the tires mentioned. I'm surprised that more of them don't come with raised white letters. I was hoping to keep that look. Otherwise the BFG Traction T/As look good. I like that Tirerack survey, too.

That's the one thing about professional ebay sellers - they are so aware that their sellers feedback rating could make or break their business. They don't want any unhappy customers, so they bend over backwards (sometimes taking a loss on the sale) so that nobody gives them negative feedback. And thats a good thing. He should be commended.

Thanks for the info. I have already learned some about the binding issues and uneven tread/mismatched tires thanks to the info on this board. Very helpful. I will contribute myself as much as I can as I learn more and experience more with my new Soob. As for Yokohamas, I am not completely ruling them out. I know that my Explorer was a different application with one specific Yoko model. If people regard them highly here, I will certainly consider them. But Michelin is certainly a leading contender. Any other raves about tire preferences? Thanks again everyone.

Greetings, all. I just bought a 2002 Outback Sedan 3.0 VDC - 23500mi. Rear spoiler, auto tranny, black. I'll be looking to buy a new set of tires before winter. I'm guessing the Bridgestone Potenzas (P225/60R16 97H) are the original stock ones from the factory. I live in NY State (Mid Hudson Valley, West Point area) so will see my fair share of wintery weather. I'll tell you what tires I have loved in my other cars: On an '89 VW GTI-16V, I loved my Pirelli P600 tires. Good treadwear (67000mi on the first set), great on wet roads, pretty good in snow. On my '94 Ford Explorer, I loved my Michelin LTX M/S tires. Great everything. I got an unbelievable 90000miles on a set. (I used them till the tread were very low - maybe should've taken them off sooner.) I did NOT like a set of Yokohama Geolander HT on the Explorer before the Michelins. I will pay good money for a good set of tires - I'm not trying to save. I did that with the Yoko's and regretted it. The life I got out of the Michelins more than justified their cost. I want a good all-weather tire. Not some Z rated high-perf tire that won't do anything on snow. I drive 30000 highway miles a year, and in the winter I have to get back and forth to work. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.