Tire recommendation ?

[Jerseyj]

Hi all,
I know I've seen some of this go around but thought I'd ask again.

I was at the Subaru dealership this morning for my 45K checkup and an
oil change. All was well but they said that my tires (47K miles on the
car actually) were getting thin and would probably have to be replaced
at the next oil change. I have a 2006 Forester and these are the
original tires.

I'd prefer to replace them with all weather tires and not have to swap
out tires Winter/non-Winter.

I live in northern Delaware, and while we do get some snow and ice it's
not very often , so I'd prefer the all weather stuff.

I suspect there's better stuff out there than what the dealership has to
offer.

Any recommendations ? If so, where can I buy the stuff you recommend and
do you know if the local tire stores like Goodyear or the dealership
will swap out the tires for a fee (not something I'm equipped to do and
get them balanced etc.) ?

Thanks much,

Jerry

 

[NHYankBoy]

Hi all,
I know I've seen some of this go around but thought I'd ask again.

I was at the Subaru dealership this morning for my 45K checkup and an
oil change. All was well but they said that my tires (47K miles on the
car actually) were getting thin and would probably have to be replaced
at the next oil change. I have a 2006 Forester and these are the
original tires.

I'd prefer to replace them with all weather tires and not have to swap
out tires Winter/non-Winter.

I live in northern Delaware, and while we do get some snow and ice it's
not very often , so I'd prefer the all weather stuff.

I suspect there's better stuff out there than what the dealership has to
offer.

Any recommendations ? If so, where can I buy the stuff you recommend and
do you know if the local tire stores like Goodyear or the dealership
will swap out the tires for a fee (not something I'm equipped to do and
get them balanced etc.) ?

Thanks much,

Jerry

Got to www.tirerack.com and search for the highest rated tires for
your vehicle. You can have them delivered directly to your house, and
then go to a local mechanic for mounting, balancing, etc. You can
also have them delivered directly to one of Tire Rack's approved
installers in your area and then take the car there for installation.
I have purchased several sets of tires from Tire Rack and have had
nothing but positive experiences.

Good luck and happy shopping.

 

[Blair Baucom]

Like the many times before it has been posted, many people use
www.tirerack.com to read the reviews and they have a list of dealers who
will mount tires that you bring from elsewhere.

You can call a local tire dealer and ask easier than ask all the people from
around the world to answer "do you know if the local tire stores like
Goodyear or the dealership will swap out the tires for a fee ". Sounds like
two phone calls could answer that.

I have a 2005 Forester XS with original tires at 49,000 miles with 5/32
tread left so I will decide soon as this is the very minimum tread you would
need during the winter months where there is snow. Hope to replace before
summer. I like both Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread & Comfort Tread, but
there are several others recommended in the group also. My father is happy
with the Comfort Tread on his Pontiac Vibe. I am not sure if I want the
extra noise of the Triple Tread in exchange for the extra traction on ice &
snow. The Yokohama Geolandar's are loud enough already. Kuhmo's get
mentioned here as a cheaper alternative and I bought one to use as a spare
that has never seen the ground when one of my originals failed early on at
~5,000 miles.

Michelin also gets mentioned often.

If you run your size in www.tirerack.com it will narrow down the selection
just due to size availability.

Blair

 

[Todd H.]

Got to www.tirerack.com and search for the highest rated tires for
your vehicle. You can have them delivered directly to your house, and
then go to a local mechanic for mounting, balancing, etc. You can
also have them delivered directly to one of Tire Rack's approved
installers in your area and then take the car there for installation.
I have purchased several sets of tires from Tire Rack and have had
nothing but positive experiences.

I did this same thing with Tirerack....and would not do it again.

Here's why: total cost of ownership is more...UNLESS you can find a
place that will mount tires they didn't sell and offer you lifetime
balance/rotate for little enough to make up the difference.

I now use tirerack for the review database and pricing. Use that as a
stick to bargain with your local dealer. Generally you can get them
to net you out a better deal than
tirerack+shipping+mounting+whateveryourlocalguywillcharge for lifetime
balance/rotate.

Also, tirerack reviews told me these piece of crap Kumho Ecsta
whatevertheheckthey were were the greatest deal ever... and while they
yeah, they felt great new and were like $54/per, they aged very poorly
and went out of round faster than any tire I've ever had.

Having grown utterly sick of tires that go out of round before their
tread life it done, they were recently replaced by whatever Michelin
Wal Mart had in stock and I've been very pleased with those new tires.
They feel very confident in all the now we've had in Chicago here
recently as well. When the wife gets back with teh car I'll figure
out what model they are. About $440 out the door at Wal Mart though
as I recall.

 

[phillystyle]

I live in Bucks County, PA just northwest of Philly so our weather is
similar. I drive an '03 Baja. I've bought (3) sets tires from
Tirerack.com. I found a local shop to install them at reasonable rates
and have been happy (with the installation & the tires themselves) every
time.

I now have my second set of Goodyear Assurance Tripletreds on my car and
they are the best tires I've ever had. They come with a lot of perks
directly from Goodyear (like free rotation and included roadside
assistance).

I recommend these tires and Tirerack highly. Check them out:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...ed_rating=Y&speed_rating=(Y)&minSpeedRating=H

 

[StephenW]

I live in Bucks County, PA just northwest of Philly so our weather is
similar. I drive an '03 Baja. I've bought (3) sets tires from
Tirerack.com. I found a local shop to install them at reasonable rates
and have been happy (with the installation & the tires themselves) every
time.

I now have my second set of Goodyear Assurance Tripletreds on my car and
they are the best tires I've ever had. They come with a lot of perks
directly from Goodyear (like free rotation and included roadside
assistance).

I recommend these tires and Tirerack highly. Check them out:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...ed_rating=Y&speed_rating=(Y)&minSpeedRating=H

My workmate has the same tires on his O/B, Loves them and is known to plow
through 1 foot of snow in them.


--
Steve
ASE Master Tech
L1 Diag
Currently residing at a Subaru Shop
4.5 years doing tires and alighnments

 

[Tony Hwang]

Hi all,
I know I've seen some of this go around but thought I'd ask again.

I was at the Subaru dealership this morning for my 45K checkup and an
oil change. All was well but they said that my tires (47K miles on the
car actually) were getting thin and would probably have to be replaced
at the next oil change. I have a 2006 Forester and these are the
original tires.

I'd prefer to replace them with all weather tires and not have to swap
out tires Winter/non-Winter.

I live in northern Delaware, and while we do get some snow and ice it's
not very often , so I'd prefer the all weather stuff.

I suspect there's better stuff out there than what the dealership has to
offer.

Any recommendations ? If so, where can I buy the stuff you recommend and
do you know if the local tire stores like Goodyear or the dealership
will swap out the tires for a fee (not something I'm equipped to do and
get them balanced etc.) ?

Thanks much,

Jerry

Hi,
We like Michelin X and Michelin X Ice from Costco.
OEM Subaru tires suck.

 

[Sandy Hawes]

Jerry - I put on a set of BFG Traction TA's and like them - look good too,
high overall rating. I will get the 235/55R16 next time because the O/D is
the same and the extra width will mean longer treadlife and better handling.
I specifically ask for "T" rated tires because the rubber mix is a slightly
harder, has a denser tread pattern and more tread depth for longer wear.
Sure, you can buy the speed rated tires if you really need to drive at those
speeds, but I'm guessing you leave for work on time most days like the rest
of us and chose a Forrester over the WRX for a reason. 99.99% of people
never need more than a T rated tire but the hype of a "performance" tire is
a stong draw and allows tire companies to sell more tires because they wear
out so much faster. Chect the tire speed rating charts and see if you
qualify as an F1 driver, or some other effin' driver - like me.

I work in the tire manufacturing industry and might have a few insights over
the next guy, but here's some straight poop - you generally get what you pay
for. The more expensive brands will almost always save you money in the
long run as long as you stay away from speed-rated, performance tires. They
will also help you with dealership problems. Just divide the cost by the
warranted mileage. Verify by comparing the treadwear rating number on every
tire's sidewall. The Asian tires are improving, but they still have quality
issues not seen in the major NA or some European brands.

The TIRERACK is an excellent site to do the comparisons.

'04 Forrester owner

 

[DK]

Hi all,
I know I've seen some of this go around but thought I'd ask again.

I was at the Subaru dealership this morning for my 45K checkup and an
oil change. All was well but they said that my tires (47K miles on the
car actually) were getting thin and would probably have to be replaced
at the next oil change. I have a 2006 Forester and these are the
original tires.

I'd prefer to replace them with all weather tires and not have to swap
out tires Winter/non-Winter.

I live in northern Delaware, and while we do get some snow and ice it's
not very often , so I'd prefer the all weather stuff.

Goodyear Assurance TripleTred - by far the best all seasons
that now exist! I ordered and installed them in Sam's Club.
Your local Walmart might do it. And, of course, any Goodyear
dealership but their quote was hiher in my case.

DK