New to USMB; '02 Forester tires question

[redroo]

Hi. New to USMB.

I have a Forester L '02 and need new all-season tires. I've read through 6 pages of posts here on "recommended all-season tires" and have looked through TireRack.com reviews. As expected, recommendations run the gammut. Seems it may make a difference as to just what kind of car, and even which make of Subaru, and maybe even which model of Forester (S vs L) as to how a given tire will do. On TireRack one reveiw suggested that some tires just don't do well on Foresters. And of course, many people will rave about a given tire after 500 mi and hate them after 20,000. And there are things like how great the GY Tripple Treads are, but reports of losing 5 mpg mileage with them, etc etc. My local Subaru dealer wants to sell me Firestone Affinity H/T tires, but they are rated quite mediocre on TireRack--although the TireRack ratings seem to be pooled from all car types.

 

So...the posts on this site were really helpful, but wondering if I could get some info specifically for a Forester--if that actually does matter?

 

And now here's the dumb question: how does it work to order tires online? Do you get a pile of tires delivered to your doorstep?

 

Thanks for reading through all this.

[bjwirth]

And now here's the dumb question: how does it work to order tires online? Do you get a pile of tires delivered to your doorstep?

The first time I used tire rack, the tires were shipped to my doorstep. I didn't have a garage and had to store them inside the apt. Then I had to find someone with a pickup and coordinate with them. when I finally brought the tires and the car to the shop, the guy said, "next time, you can get the tires shipped here." if you go the tirerack route, just call the tire install place and ask if it's ok to ship the tire to their shop.

 

as far as forester specific tires-- my personal opinion is that it doesn't matter. I'd be more concerned as to what kind of driving you do and what's important to you in terms of tire attributes.

[redroo]

Thanks bjworth.

 

I want good handling, good road feel, cornering etc, low noise, good traction in rain and winter conditions. Gee sounds like I want it all. I rarely go off road, but do have occasion for gravely or snowy lousy roads once in a while.

 

My driving style is very conservative, but I want to have confidence with sticking to the road in any conditions. I've learned that tires that are good in winter (certainly winter-specific tires but also some all-season) are noisy. The tires I have now have gotten quite noisy over time, and it's very annoying and fatiguing on longer trips. I'm not so concerned with how long the tires last, as long as they perform really well for as long as they last. Of course if they do last, that's great too.

 

Thanks.

[Ranger83]

I had great luck with Michelin HydroEdge on my 97 OBW. They had 45,000 miles on them when I sold the car to my sister-in-law, and still had 9/32nd tread.

 

The TripleTread is popular, costs a little less than the Michelin, but according to the local dealer who sells both has more out-of-balance problems than the Michelins.

 

The HE is reputed to have a little lower rolling resistance than the TT, but that 5mpg claim is suspect.

 

The plain ole Michelin X available at Costco, Sam's Club etc is also a good all-around tire.

 

One hting to keep in mind is that many of the rating differences in tire tests are quite small.

[nipper]

tire rack will drop ship to a mechanic of your choice, or one of thier installers. hehe i did have them shiped to the house onse just because i wanted to see how they were packaged

 

 

nipper

[bjwirth]

I want good handling, good road feel, cornering etc, low noise, good traction in rain and winter conditions. Gee sounds like I want it all.

The one tire attribute you didn't mention was CHEAP price. IMO, I think michelins are the tires that "do everything well." the only problem is that you have to pay for that. (you'll also get opinions that michilins are overpriced and overrated. overpriced? yes. overrated? definately not) but since your considering the GY TT, a tire like the hydroedge is not that much more expensive. (although, I'm sure the gy tt is a fine tire)

[redroo]

Thanks for the suggestions. I guess I'm willing to pay a little more for safety and confidence. We just got our first snow/ice and expecting more today and tonight, and my current tires, Bridgestone Dueler HT that came on the Forester when new, are pretty worn now after less than 40K mi.

 

For my previous vehicles, I've always just gone to a tire dealer and had them put on whatever they recommended or replace with the same as was already on the car. This is the first time I've researched alternatives. If I get tires either online or from a source other than a tire dealer or the Subaru dealership, is it ok to ask the dealer if they'll put them on and do the balancing/alignment, etc?

 

Thanks.

[bfg9k]

Thanks bjworth.

 

I want good handling, good road feel, cornering etc, low noise, good traction in rain and winter conditions. Gee sounds like I want it all. I rarely go off road, but do have occasion for gravely or snowy lousy roads once in a while.

Thanks.

 

You want it all eh...well, every tire is a compromise The Nokian WR is the best all-season tire for rain & snow conditions that I've ever tried. Here's a review: http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/hl/nokian.htm I've been very satisfied with them on my Legacy and they grid very, very well. They handle in dry & summer as well as your typical all-season, but they're not a performance tire. However, you don't seem to be looking for one. Expect them to be ~$135 or so in 15" diameter. Those Goodyear TripleTred tires may do what you want too, I've heard good things about them and they'd be cheaper and would probably be a little quieter on highways and handle better in the dry. They won't do snow and ice like the WR's though.

[forester2002s]

Another consideration is the wear-resistance of the rubber.

 

My 2002 Forester came with original Yokohama Geolander tires. They gripped the road like a cat, but were worn out at 53,000km. My tire shop told me that they were made of relatively soft rubber. A harder rubber tire should last longer, but may not grip the road as well.

 

I replaced the Geolanders with Motomaster SE tires from Canadian Tire. They seem to perform almost as well as the Geolanders, and should (!?) last longer, being made of harder rubber.

 

At the end of the day, I think that it is a bit of a crap shoot. I suspect that driving-style, alignment, and inflation pressure are more important.

[yohy]

redroo,

 

I have put Yokohama AVID Touring on two of my Subaru's (93 Legacy AWD wagon and 97 Legacy L sedan) and have been pleased. They wore well, performed just fine in the Maine weather and never, never lost any air. And then the added plus, they are affordable. Check them out.

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=AVID+Touring&partnum=07SR5TOUR&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&place=2