Ready for 3rd set of tires and wonder what others like? I liked the stock ones, but $225 each seems a bit pricey from the dealer. I have used Goodyear gas savers and found they hydro plane badly once half worn. Michelin are twice the cost of others. Are they worth the cost? Tried Pirelli and did not like them at all.

have used Kumho, I like them for a 'value' tire. Had Solus on the Outback, have used ECSTA ASX and 4x (I think) on the WRX. Great grip and good in rain. get a little noisier as they near the end of life.

The outback presently has Pirelli Cinturatos and they continue to be awesome - they may have helped save us from disaster thru winter storm Ursa a few years ago coming back from Colorado. complete white-out on a road that closed about 8 cars after we entered.

there are plenty of ratings on-line at tirerack and probably discount tire (my favorite tire store). Or go down to your local DT on a midweek-day, have a conversation with them about your driving style, budget.... - ask what tires they have been putting on other Subarus, etc.

 

42 minutes ago, rustfarmer said:

Ready for 3rd set of tires and wonder what others like? I liked the stock ones, but $225 each seems a bit pricey from the dealer. I have used Goodyear gas savers and found they hydro plane badly once half worn. Michelin are twice the cost of others. Are they worth the cost? Tried Pirelli and did not like them at all.

Look where you like to shop and google or look at sites for reviews.

It’s like anything else - a short and simple answer isn’t likely to be accurate.

Michelin’s are awesome. I’d guess there’s an exception, but Anything they make is great.  IMO they’re the only tire that can be bought blindly and expect great performance.  That’s what I tell people who hate thinking about cars and just want it over with as soon as possible and want to think as little about cars as possible for the rest of their lives.

Michelin price points can be tough and usually you can find a great fit with other tires at a lower price if you want to research. 

In my experience with helping others maintain vehicles and my own, lower cost tires usually have weaknesses. Some are minor or very low risk and some are awful.  

Higher chance of side wall bubbles on rough roads, low mileage tread wear, lower UV and exposure tolerance,  noise, turning performance, etc. 

stick them outside for a year or two in bright sun and the difference in material degradation will show. Michelin’s and some other models from other brands will look normal, average tires show some light surface cracking, cheap no name stuff will look scary and they perform like skis in the snow when that happens. 

Get in mind what’s important to you - rain, mileage wear, snow, noise...and read reviews.

 

best all season ive had were the michelin h&t's. i daily drive on a mix of dirt roads and pavement and they were great on both. in rain they did awesome. got them on a sale too which was good timing

What are H&T's? Never heard of this type.

1 hour ago, rustfarmer said:

What are H&T's? Never heard of this type.

holy dyslexia

they are the defender t&h's

standard touring all season 

Still don't know what t&h stands for, but standard all season touring I get just fine. Thank you.

I chose a set a Michelins.  They stick like glue in wet or dry conditions, they did just fine in a few inches of snow too.  I've put 15k miles on them and you really can't tell.  I'd buy them again.  And I've tried tons of tires over the years.   

 

I have 18s, so here's what size I chose.  

 

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Sport+A%2FS+3%2B+(H-+or+V-Speed+Rated)&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=355VR8PSAS3PL&tab=Sizes

 

 

55 minutes ago, ezapar said:

I chose a set a Michelins.  They stick like glue in wet or dry conditions, they did just fine in a few inches of snow too.  I've put 15k miles on them and you really can't tell.  I'd buy them again.  And I've tried tons of tires over the years.   

 

I have 18s, so here's what size I chose.  

 

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Sport+A%2FS+3%2B+(H-+or+V-Speed+Rated)&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=355VR8PSAS3PL&tab=Sizes

Thank you very much for your kind response.

 

 

 

Michelin Defender H/T (ideally T) are fantastic! I had a set of Michelin Premier prior and they were decent, but I was looking for something quieter. Defenders were the answer coming in at least 20% quieter with 80K tread and good wet stopping. Just hound your local Costco tire department for their next Michelin sale. 

Kumho Crugen tires are budget once but if you would be looking for a top performance one and you have a good budget I will suggest Goodyear the set of weather-ready.

Edited December 9, 20214 yr by Mistie