My first post.

 

I'd appreciate some advice on new tires for my 03 Forester X 5 speed.

 

I was ready to go with the Assurance Triple Treds but my local tire shop would not install them because they are not H-rated. They suggested installing 225-60-16s - rather than the 215s - because the 225s are H-rated. But, another shop I talked to disagreed. I called TireRack -- they recommended not using directional treads at all on an AWD and said I could go as low as a T-rated tire.

 

My questions are:

 

Do I need an H-rated tire on this car?

 

Can/should I go with 225s instead of 215s?

 

Any thoughts on the Triple Treds? Most reviews - including some comments on this site - seem favorable.

 

The other tires I am considering are: Bridgestone Potenza 009s, Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S, and Yokohama AVID TRZ.

 

This is basicly a commuting care. I live in South Dakota - summers are hot, winters are cold with (sometimes) heavy snow. Safety and performance are my first concerns - ride is not a big issue.

 

Thanks in advance.

H-Rated aren't necessary unless you spend the majority of your time in the car at speeds in excess of 125 mph.

As far as width, your wheels are only 7" wide, so I would stick with 215s. If you want 225s they will fit but I would choose to stick with the 215s.

Thats my $0.02

You can go with a 225/60/16 tire on the 6.5" stock rim with no problems. It will be just slightly taller than the stock size, but will fix the built-in speedometer error (speedo reads slightly high from the factory). Directional tires are not a problem either; you just rotate front to rear. You might want to check out the wheel/tire section at http://www.subaruforester.org; there are a few discussions on the brands/models of tires you are considering.

...It will be just slightly taller than the stock size, but will fix the built-in speedometer error (speedo reads slightly high from the factory)..

Sorry to thread jack, but I just wanted to say that my wife and I have argued the validity of the speedo, because it always seemed like we were going slower than indicated. it's nice to be right once in a while

 

getting back to your post- I've put T rated tires on a H-rated car- no big deal- just a little loss in handling when you push it. I wouldn't worry about it on a forester. in fact I plan on slapping on some tripletreds on our forester soon.

Tripple Treads on Subaru's make them invincible.

My first post.

 

I'd appreciate some advice on new tires for my 03 Forester X 5 speed.

 

I was ready to go with the Assurance Triple Treds but my local tire shop would not install them because they are not H-rated. They suggested installing 225-60-16s - rather than the 215s - because the 225s are H-rated. But, another shop I talked to disagreed. I called TireRack -- they recommended not using directional treads at all on an AWD and said I could go as low as a T-rated tire.

 

My questions are:

 

Do I need an H-rated tire on this car?

 

Can/should I go with 225s instead of 215s?

 

Any thoughts on the Triple Treds? Most reviews - including some comments on this site - seem favorable.

 

The other tires I am considering are: Bridgestone Potenza 009s, Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S, and Yokohama AVID TRZ.

 

This is basicly a commuting care. I live in South Dakota - summers are hot, winters are cold with (sometimes) heavy snow. Safety and performance are my first concerns - ride is not a big issue.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

I don't have recomendations as to what is the best tire available; However, I do have one to avoid- my '99 Forester came with cooper tires, moreover, they ware like iron and ride like iron(you feel every road blemish) , we have heavy snow here as well and the traction is pathetic! Even though they have many milles left in them, I will soon be moving up to either Goodyear or Michellins.

Good Luck.

John

If safety and grip really matter, you need to have two sets of tyres. One for summer and one for winter.

 

"All-season" is a useless compromise. In my opinion

Next set of tires for me will be the Goodyear triple treads, filter the reviews on TireRack.com for Subaru and there are TONS of people who have installed/love them. With a directional tire you can only rotate front to rear on the same side which is not a real big issue, but you can always dismount he tires to rotate them side to side as well but not worth the expense IMO.