Tires for an Outback... (Potenza G009, Eagle GT/HR, Michelin MXV4,Tripletreads?)

[tom]

I've got a 2000 Outback and need new tires. The Potenza G009 tires looks
like a good choice; however, I read one account on Tirerack that the
tires didn't fit correctly and scraped the wheel well when turned all of
the way. Is this truly a problem?


Other's I'm considering are the Goodyear Eagle GT/HR, Goodyear
TripleTread, and Michelin MXV4.

I'm really leaning toward the Eagles as a compromise between price, dry
and snow traction, and ride comfort. Snow traction is kind of important
in Colorado, but I'm not sure I want the TripleTreads.

Comments?

thanks,

tom

 

[j]

Hey Tom,

It took me two and a half years, and 50,000 miles, to wear out the
Potenza's that came on my Baja. Holy hell how I hated those tires.

I bought a set of Triple Treads in August, and have had a chance to
drive them in all condidtions. I'm in northern Utah, so I can attest
to their abilities in light snow now, and I can't wait to get them out
in a good old dump. The bottom line is: I'm really glad I ponied up
the extra dough for this set of rubber.

A few years ago I had a Tacoma. The time came to replace the tires,
and I have always put BF Goodrich All Terrain TA's on every truck I've
owned. They're just good tires, and they always lived up to my
expectations. Anyhow, for the Tacoma, I decided to go with something
else to save a few bucks. I regretted it every single time I turned
the key on that truck.

There is a reason that the Triple Tread's are so highly rated...they're
the bomb. That's my 4 cents.

Good Luck.

 

[Rebecca B.]

I'm getting nokian WRs for my 2000 Legacy. They are supposed to be a
little better on snow and ice than other all season tires. Also, the
November 2006 Consumer Reports supposedly has an article reviewing
tires.

 

[Ed]

I'm getting nokian WRs for my 2000 Legacy. They are supposed to be a
little better on snow and ice than other all season tires. Also, the
November 2006 Consumer Reports supposedly has an article reviewing
tires.

Just took a look at CR and yes they do. They highly recommend the
Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip GW3. I never would have considered them. They
rate them much higher then the Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 I was
considering. They also like the Nitto Winter SN1 H.

Anybody just get the dedicated snow tires and steel wheels? I don't
really want to get dedicated alloys for winter and I really didn't want
to have the rubber remounted on my current wheels twice a year.

 

[AS]

If you want wet traction, stay away from the MXV4s.

I now use the Toyo Proxes TPT, excellent in dry and wet roads, no snow
in FL though.

 

[KLS]

Anybody just get the dedicated snow tires and steel wheels? I don't
really want to get dedicated alloys for winter and I really didn't want
to have the rubber remounted on my current wheels twice a year.

I haven't done this with our Subaru (the other half was a starving
grad student when we got this car, and we are still working our way
out of the ensuing debt, so we didn't get a second set of tires/wheels
for this car), but I have with our Audi. I started the process by
remounting the snow tires on the original alloy wheels for two
winters, and that was ok, but I did worry about the stress on the
rubber, so I hunted down some used OEM alloy wheels in nearly new
condition at a great price and mounted the all-season (summer) tires
on those, leaving the snow tires on the original alloy wheels. I
considered steel wheels, but they were so fucking ugly, especially on
the Audi, that I couldn't bring myself to go that route because our
winters are 5 months long, and that's a hell of a long time to look at
such hideous monstrosities. This system has worked out very well, but
I do have storage for the extra tires/wheels. I love having the right
shoes for the season because they let the all-wheel system do its job
right.

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

Just took a look at CR and yes they do. They highly recommend the
Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip GW3. I never would have considered them. They
rate them much higher then the Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 I was
considering. They also like the Nitto Winter SN1 H.

Anybody just get the dedicated snow tires and steel wheels? I don't
really want to get dedicated alloys for winter and I really didn't want
to have the rubber remounted on my current wheels twice a year.

This may not be the best time to shop( a lot of folks looking for winter
wheels), but a lot of folks upgrade from stock wheels when they buy a
new WRX and have them for sale - sometimes with usable rubber on them
even. I sold my stockers to offset the cost of my SSRs. Take a look
around the marketplace forums at www.nasioc.com, and especially the
Texas and southwest forums - as they are unlikely to keep a second set
of wheels.

and don't forget ebay as well as other soob forums.

Carl

 

[DK]

I've got a 2000 Outback and need new tires. The Potenza G009 tires looks
like a good choice; however, I read one account on Tirerack that the
tires didn't fit correctly and scraped the wheel well when turned all of
the way. Is this truly a problem?


Other's I'm considering are the Goodyear Eagle GT/HR, Goodyear
TripleTread, and Michelin MXV4.

I'm really leaning toward the Eagles as a compromise between price, dry
and snow traction, and ride comfort. Snow traction is kind of important
in Colorado, but I'm not sure I want the TripleTreads.

If I were you, all I wanted would be TripleTreads. They are
amazingly good.

 

[nobody >]

I've got a 2000 Outback and need new tires. The Potenza G009 tires looks
like a good choice; however, I read one account on Tirerack that the
tires didn't fit correctly and scraped the wheel well when turned all of
the way. Is this truly a problem?


Other's I'm considering are the Goodyear Eagle GT/HR, Goodyear
TripleTread, and Michelin MXV4.

I'm really leaning toward the Eagles as a compromise between price, dry
and snow traction, and ride comfort. Snow traction is kind of important
in Colorado, but I'm not sure I want the TripleTreads.

Comments?

thanks,

tom

You might want to consider Falken ZE502's or 512's. I cna't say how
either one will perform in your Colorado snow, but the 502's on my
wife's 97 Outback Sport did very well in some nasties in Oregon. I
haven't had a chance to play in the snow with the 512's on my 2000 OB.

If you do go with the 512's you can probably go up one size (225/60-16
to 235/60-16) if you feel inclined. It worked on my 2000 Outback and
there was no rub/scrape at all.