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Alternative to Bridgestone Duellers


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Hey all, great board, this is my first post, sorry if it's a FAQ, but I couldn't find an answer using search, sooooooo. . . .

 

I've got a 2001 Forester with 55k. I was not impressed with the first set of Bridgestone Duellers--they looked nasty ast 32k--but because of bad timing (not one but two nasty flats) we had to buy another set of Bridgestone Duellers from the dealer in order to make a long vacation road trip. The second set has 23k on them, and we just got another unfixable flat. At this rate, it won't be long before I need to make a decision to switch to a more durable tire.

 

Any tire recommendations? I'm in NJ, urban roads, snow/ice in winter, limited offroad, looooooong road trips to Canada in summer.

 

Otherwise, love the Forester. These are the only other problems I've had in 55k miles (other than routine, scheduled maintenance):

 

• heat shield rattle underneath (fixed for free)

• I've had to replace one tail light bulb and both license plate bulbs ($7.50)

• I have a loose connection on the left headlight (not fixed, no charge)

• I had to to replace the pillar dome light switch after wifey slammed the seat belt in the door ($11)

 

Not bad! These small parts are a beyatch to get sometimes, but so far, so good.

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Since I bought it used at least I assume it came with them. They have been fine here in CA and at about 105,000 miles I still have a lot of life left on this set. I have no idea when the first set was changed out. I bought the car at 85,000 miles.

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Not sure what you mean by durabilty. Five ply steel truck tires still get punctures. Sounds like you need Roadhazard insurance.

 

If you want long life, look at the tread wear rating on the sidewalls. While you're there, look at the temperature and traction ratings too.

 

I've always had good perfrmance out of Goodyears and my next set will be Triple Treads.

 

Buy five tire of whatever and another wheel so you have a full size spare you can rotate. Subaru AWD dosen't like tires with different tread depths.

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You should not replace just two tires at a time on your car, it will lead to all wheel drive problems. I have a 1st generation outback that came with Michelin tires that lasted about 65,000 miles. My normal tire dealer said his customers were only getting 40,000 to 45,000 miles with his tires. I bought a set of Michelin Hydroedge eventually. They are usually 120 a tire, which is pricey, but they work great and are supposed to go 80,000 miles. I found them at sears on sale for $99 a piece and there are usually offered with some other incentive. I would buy a brand that had a wear out guarantee and rotate them fairly often whatever brand i bought

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Thanks for your responses, sorry if I wasn't clear. While tire performance has been great, I wasn't impressed with tread life. The flats I know are unavoidable and can happen with any tire (each flat we've had has been nails/screws in the roadway). I was just looking for a longer lasting, good performing tire.

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