Question about tire

[danz75]

I am looking to replace the stock tires on my 03 OBW A/T 4cyl and spent many hours reading through most of the tire discussions that came out on the search. The stock has performed decently since i don't drive hard but they're wearing down fast and i would like to get new ones before the winter.

 

So far, I have narrowed my choices to the following: (prices from Tirerack)

1.BFGoodrich Traction T/A V($94)- Reviews have been positive and I've not heard anything negative. Price seems decent.

 

2. Continental ContiProContact($90) - Mostly positive. The negatives are that it has a potential to develop a flat spot.

 

3. Goodyear TT ($109) - It seemed to have mixed reviews with some liking it and some don't. Tirerack survey results rate this tire superior in the wet and dry scenarios though.

 

4. Yokohama Avids H4S($83) / V4S($79) seem to be rated superior in the wet/dry but not so in the snow.

 

I considered the Michelins as well but they are priced higher and does not seem to be much different from the BFGs.

 

I drive mainly in rainy seattle weather...occasional (once a month)trips to the mountains for skiing. Dedicated winter tires are ideal but since my driving time in snow conditions are probably 10% or less, it seems difficult to justify the need.

My preferences are in the following order:

1. Rain, wet condition.

2. Decent performance in the summer.

3. Noise

4. Reasonable in snow

5. Wear

 

 

What do you all suggest?

[Ranger83]

The Michelin HydroEdge is superb in rain and you can get them at Sam's Club or Costco at better prices than the locals. They also last an incredibly long time - they were half worn at 67,000 miles when we sold the car!

[danz75]

The Michelin HydroEdge is superb in rain and you can get them at Sam's Club or Costco at better prices than the locals. They also last an incredibly long time - they were half worn at 67,000 miles when we sold the car!

The Michelin Hydroedge does not seem to show on the website for me. I'll have to call the costco near me to find out about it. The comparable tire that he quoted me was the Michelin Pilot XGT H4 @ $132. Tirerack does show this tire available in 225/60TR16 @$102

Survey results seem good and but reviews are mixed. This tire is directional and rated T speed. Is this ideal for the outback? Granted I will never reach the T speeds but i always thought that you buy tires that are rated more for safety reasons like H and V.

[nickb21]

A year ago I was in the same spot, at 60k my RE92's were getting worn and I wanted something decent for winter. Your list of 4 are pretty much the same ones I was looking at. I ended up ruling out the Conti and TripleTreads due to cost at the time (not to say they aren't good).

 

I have the Traction T/A's on my sisters Legacy L, great wet/dry tire, seem to do okay in the snow. Ended up getting these locally, they were the cheapest of the bunch for me.

 

I ended up putting the Yoko Avid V4s on my '02 OBW, they are great in the rain and on dry road. Steering feel is a bit different than the stock tires, after 15k the tread looks pretty new still, and they're quiet. They do okay in the snow as well, made it up my fairly long driveway, through 12 or so inches of snow. Price came to ~$95 mounted and balanced locally.

 

Not sure if this would impact your decision, but you won't be able to do a 5-tire rotation with directional tires.

 

Might also want to look at the Bridgestone Potenza G 009.

 

IMO, you won't find an all-season that is better than 'decent' in the snow. I'm only out on badly snow/packed snow covered roads half a dozen times a year here, so I couldn't justify dedicated snows.

 

Hope that helps some.

[danz75]

A year ago I was in the same spot, at 60k my RE92's were getting worn and I wanted something decent for winter. Your list of 4 are pretty much the same ones I was looking at. I ended up ruling out the Conti and TripleTreads due to cost at the time (not to say they aren't good).

 

I have the Traction T/A's on my sisters Legacy L, great wet/dry tire, seem to do okay in the snow. Ended up getting these locally, they were the cheapest of the bunch for me.

 

I ended up putting the Yoko Avid V4s on my '02 OBW, they are great in the rain and on dry road. Steering feel is a bit different than the stock tires, after 15k the tread looks pretty new still, and they're quiet. They do okay in the snow as well, made it up my fairly long driveway, through 12 or so inches of snow. Price came to ~$95 mounted and balanced locally.

 

Not sure if this would impact your decision, but you won't be able to do a 5-tire rotation with directional tires.

 

Might also want to look at the Bridgestone Potenza G 009.

 

IMO, you won't find an all-season that is better than 'decent' in the snow. I'm only out on badly snow/packed snow covered roads half a dozen times a year here, so I couldn't justify dedicated snows.

 

Hope that helps some.

 

How are the traction T/A's now that your sister has them for awhile? Tirerack user reviews say that it can be noisy after awhile but I haven't heard that on this forum.

[nipper]

I have the TA's and am very happy with them.

 

nipper

[danz75]

I have the TA's and am very happy with them.

 

nipper

Hey Nipper,

How many miles do you have on the tires so far? Do you have the H or V?How is the performance in wet/dry weather? Not comparing to dedicated snow tires, how do these fair in occasional snow?

Would you recommend these for wet/dry weather?

 

Thanks

danz

[nipper]

ive got 10,000 miles on them. i have the H (though the car has seen triple digits). I think they are fine, work very well with the AWD, are good in snow.

 

nipper

[nickb21]

How are the traction T/A's now that your sister has them for awhile? Tirerack user reviews say that it can be noisy after awhile but I haven't heard that on this forum.

 

I'd say about 10k or so. They don't seem noisy to me, but I don't drive the car often for extended periods. I haven't heard her complain, so they can't be that bad!

 

I'll second the other stuff nipper said.

[danz75]

ive got 10,000 miles on them. i have the H (though the car has seen triple digits). I think they are fine, work very well with the AWD, are good in snow.

 

nipper

 

To those who run BFG Traction T/A H

 

I had a set installed yesterday from discount tire and on the way home, I noticed shimmying at 40mph+ in the steering wheel as well as a pronounced vibration through the car and I could see the passenger seatback shaking. I took the car back to discount tire and told them that i think the tires were not balanced correctly. they put it back on the machine and he said that all tires with the exception on one was perfectly balanced. the one that was out was very marginal. he checked for roundness and play but found it to be good.

Anyway, they put it back on the car but rotated the tires(he mentioned something about the heavier one in the back this time)

Told me to drive around more and if there's any problems, to come back monday. Well, I drove all around town yesterday(freeway and local streets). The shimmying on the steering wheel was less but still evident at freeway speeds but the vibration on the passenger seat seems to be stronger.

Coming off from OEM RE92s, there was no vibration or shimmying whatsoever with the OEMs but they were due for a change(not worn out but hydroplaning bad).

for some reason, discount tire shops around my area do not carry BFG traction T/A and it came from S.C. i don't want to wait for 2 more weeks for them to bring in another set so these are my options now.

1. Put the RE92s back on for now.

2. choose something different like GY TT or Michelin Hydroedge

3. go to a different store and pay more for BFGs

 

The reason why i chose the BFGs was it was priced reasonably. The GY and Michelins are going to be $30-$40 more/tire.

I have to say that besides the vibration (which does bother me), it really grips very well to the road.

???

[Strakes]

Keep bugging the crap out of Discount until they replace the defective tire(s). I've had BFGs before and they were nice and smooth, BFG is owned by Michelin, so the quality is pretty good. If you come to the point of replacing them with another brand, keep in mind that a Hunter-Road-Force Balance machine can pinpoint the cause of vibration. Here's a link to the kind of machine the shop should be using:

 

http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/features/how.cfm

 

Also, I've had a bad balance job and the above stated machine they were using had not been calibrated in a very long time. After re-calibrating, re-balancing, the vibration was gone.

[danz75]

Keep bugging the crap out of Discount until they replace the defective tire(s). I've had BFGs before and they were nice and smooth, BFG is owned by Michelin, so the quality is pretty good. If you come to the point of replacing them with another brand, keep in mind that a Hunter-Road-Force Balance machine can pinpoint the cause of vibration. Here's a link to the kind of machine the shop should be using:

 

http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/features/how.cfm

 

Also, I've had a bad balance job and the above stated machine they were using had not been calibrated in a very long time. After re-calibrating, re-balancing, the vibration was gone.

 

Thanks for the information. I called up discount Tire and they're ordering another set of replacement tires for me. They will replace the defective ones and i will keep in mind to ask them about the balancing. I didn't think that shimmying and vibration were normal especially for a new tire.