Any recommendation on tires?

[DishMan]

I need to get new tires for a 2001 Outback Wagon. This is a family car driven on long and short trips, mainly in the CA high desert. We have some snow on mountain roads in winter. I don't need ultra-high performance, just safety under normal driving, comfort, and treadlife.

 

Does anyone have any recommendations for all-season tires? I have Michelin Hydroedge on my '97 Saab 900s, and I like those, but I'm not sure if they are still available (they're not at Costco anyway). What about BFGoodrich Traction T/A, or Michelin Pilot Sport A/S, or Michelin Pilot XGT Z4?

 

Any suggestions appreciated.

[nipper]

I suggest round with a slight flat spot on the bottom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hehehehehe

 

i have BFG T/A's and i like them.

 

nipper

[bigjim5551212]

Hi, I have been doing some research. I think the best tire from what I have read, talked to people and talked to tire stores, is the Nokian WR. It is a great all weather tire and has the snowflake symbol on it as well, making it a true snow tire. The other tire I have looked at, and has a lot of good reports is the Bridgestone Potenza G 009 A lot of people like this tire and it does well in the snow. I have been using the Kumho ASX on a Mini Cooper S. I am not that happy with them, they tend to hydroplane a lot.

[jon38iowa]

Others may think differently, but I had Uniroyal Tiger Paws put on mine this past summer. So far I love em- great soft ride, no hydroplaning and pretty reasonably

priced. Haven't been through snow yet, though even if they are only marginal in the snow I would still be happy, because I wanted these for the soft ride quality.

[RallyKeith]

I found the Sumitomo HTR+ to be a nice comprimise. I know several people that run them year round on their AWD cars and love them. I had them on my STi and I thought they were great. Not sure how they stack up on treadwear, but they did seem to perform OK the two times I drove them in the snow.

 

Keith

[jeep5.9litre]

BFG Traction T/A's are awesome..got em on my 98 Legacy GT

[danz75]

BFG Traction T/A's are awesome..got em on my 98 Legacy GT

Second that. I just got a set installed and so far, I love the way it handles.

[fnlyfnd]

I would say triple treads. It doesn't make any sense to me why you would want bfg a/t for your conditions. a lot of people love triple treads, i don't have any experience with them.

[cookie]

I was considering another set of michies, probably the Hydoedge. I decided to go off brand and try Big O since I have a friend who owns a Big O shop.

The Big O Aspens I selected were fairly cheap at $68 a tire and look sort of like a Michellin copy.

They are quieter than the old Michies were and so far do everything as well. Another 65,000 miles will tell if they are still hanging in there like the Michellins did.

[rweddy]

Second that. I just got a set installed and so far, I love the way it handles.

I run these on all my roos, great tires in all conditions.

[jwc41]

I've run BFG Radial T/A's for the past two years, 35K mi on my '96 OBW. I went up one size to 215's. On dry pavement they are quiet and quite sticky in rain/snow. I also drive graded and unimproved dirt roads at least twice a month and have yet to detect any unintended wheel spin. The wear is superb, I expect they'll go at least another 20K before the tread reaches the wear indicators.

[cannonball]

I'm on my 3rd set of BFG Traction T/A's. I like them a lot, but they seem to wear out fast for me. My first set I only got 25,000 out of and the 2nd set 35,000. In all honesty I can't say it's the tire's fault. It could be my driving conditions. I'll buy them again though. As for the Uniroyal TP's I had them initially and although they drove okay on light snow they did not brake good in light snow. My ABS would kick in alot with these tires.

[Commuter]

Since you seem to favor the Michelins, you might also look at the Harmony. I debated between the Hydroedge and the Harmony and finally went with the latter. The feedback I got (Tirerack and thru tire dealers) is that the Hydroedge is a little stiffer, may be a bit noisier (several Outback owners on Tirerack complained of this) and its snow traction is up for debate (some say yeh, some say neh). I also perfer a non directional tire personally.

 

I've put 75k km on mine now in southern Ontario. So far, no complaints.

 

Commuter

[Ranger83]

Since you seem to favor the Michelins, you might also look at the Harmony. I debated between the Hydroedge and the Harmony and finally went with the latter. The feedback I got (Tirerack and thru tire dealers) is that the Hydroedge is a little stiffer, may be a bit noisier (several Outback owners on Tirerack complained of this) and its snow traction is up for debate (some say yeh, some say neh). I also perfer a non directional tire personally.

 

I've put 75k km on mine now in southern Ontario. So far, no complaints.

 

Commuter

 

Test of Harmony versus hydroedge, Goodyear TripleTred, and comfortTred:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/chartDisplay.jsp?ttid=74

 

I think the Michelin X sold at Costco and Sams Club is the best overall value, at the expense of performance.

[joesauer]

Funny you should ask, as I just spent a few hours reading tirerack.com reviews and others, and purchased 4 new Bridgestone 009's today for my 2002 Outback wagon.

 

After only about 20 miles of driving today, I am as pleased as most have written. They are much better that the stock tires - and I look forward to the wet / snow capabilities everyone has been raving about.

[fnlyfnd]

non directional is the real way to go with the option of a #5 spare so you don't have to buy a whole set when you get a blow out. kinda wish my snows were ND, but what can u do

[lizs5150]

I've been around the block a few times and placed many miles on all my cars. The best ride with the best price along with the best warranty are Yokahama's. You can find them at tire rack.com. Just put a full set of all season (80k treadware) for about 225. Love them so much ended up buying another set for my minivan. Won't ride on anything else....

[Ranger83]

I've been around the block a few times and placed many miles on all my cars. The best ride with the best price along with the best warranty are Yokahama's. You can find them at tire rack.com. Just put a full set of all season (80k treadware) for about 225. Love them so much ended up buying another set for my minivan. Won't ride on anything else....

 

They seem to be good tires and are OEM on some new 07's, it appears. But they do not generally have a good reputation or ratings for snow and ice.

['05 Outback 2.5i]

We ditched the OEM tires on our '05 Outback before it turned over 100 Miles. We tried out the BFG Traction T/A's (H rated pattern), and we found them acceptable in dry and wet conditions, less than impressive in snow and ice (if this is a primary importance, think Nokian). Much better than the stock tires, but they wore out quickly for us as well (about 30K miles). We've got Bridgestone G009's on there now. I like them better than the traction T/A's in both the wet and dry, but I haven't had them in snow yet (been a mild winter). Personally I'd like something even more agressive, but that must just be the four wheelin side of me...