Yokohama Geolandar Tires on Forester

[Rich]

I just purchased an 05 Forester shod with Yokohama Geolandar tires. They
seem okay as they are new. However, I've researched them on tirerack and
many, particularly Forester owners, have given them very bad reviews. I
noticed something strange about them. They have a temperature rating of A
(good) but a traction rating of (B) bad. This is the first H speed rated
tire I've ever seen with a B traction rating. I realize most OEM tires are
a compromise, but why would Suburu spec a B traction tire on an AWD
vehicle? Does not seem logical. Finially, what can I expect from this
tires down the road after some miles are racked up?

 

[Edward Hayes]

A/B spec. is the most common spec on H rated tires. B is NOT bad but A
is better. I had very good luck with Geolanders on my Forester but,
wished for better tread wear. One thing I noticed about the Geolanders
is that their performance remained fairly constant over the life of
the tire. I have had many tires (mostly GY) that started out wonderful
but, when ~1/2 the tread was gone they became noisy and lost most of
the grip when wet. Just my experience and those of two of my
neighbors. Ed

 

[Edward Hayes]

Rich: I think you mixed up the traction and temperature rating. The H
Geo tire has a traction A and a temp B where B is good for 115 mph
continuous driving. Not so bad. eddie.

 

[H]

I've responded to similar inquiries recently, but here goes...

My 04 Forester (Geolandars) bought new. When I picked it up I noticed the
ride very jittery, especially over railway tracks and rough pavement. Tire
pressure check showed over 40psi in most of the tires. I wonder if they did
the PDI that I paid for. Anyway...
after correcting and then tweaking with tire pressures I still thought the
ride somewhat jittery.
I noticed the ABS kick in quite often on wet roads. A bit of research
revealed a world of tires out there, most of which outperform the
Geolandars. I ended up buying Goodyear Triple Treads. I got $40/tire for my
Geolandars and ended up with a tire that has more than twice the tread life
and better traction, plus they're more comfortable riding and more
responsive. I think the change was a no-brainer. But.... Choose a tire based
on your driving needs.

Here's a snip from an earlier post....

Triple Tread - They have a better rating than Michelin Hydroedge
(all-season). Note that the stock Geolandars have a Treadwear rating of 340
and a Traction rating of B. Compare that to the Triple Treads with a
treadwear rating of 740 (roughly 2.5 times the tread life) and Traction
rating of A. The Triple Treads really made the Forester seem like a
different (better) handling car. I think the Geolandars would be a disaster
on anything but a sophisticated AWD vehicle like a Subaru. What was Subaru
thinking with that choice?

 

[Mike]

Same Same but different --

As far as the WRX goes with the RE92A tires, I know a lot of people swap
them for the Triple Treads as well......

I did similar research a while ago and, please correct me if I am wrong,
isn't the speed rating of the Triple Tread one less than the stock Potenzas?
I understand it is never advisable to go down in rating...

 

[David]

Rich: I think you mixed up the traction and temperature rating. The H
Geo tire has a traction A and a temp B where B is good for 115 mph
continuous driving. Not so bad. eddie.

The Geos on my Forester are A temp, B traction.

All H rated tires should get a A temp rating, since the speed required for an
H speed rating is higher than required for an A temp rating.

 

[David]

I noticed the ABS kick in quite often on wet roads. A bit of research
revealed a world of tires out there, most of which outperform the
Geolandars.

Any tire with a UTQG traction rating better than B should outperform the Geo
on wet roads, without standing water anyway--the traction rating doesn't
consider resistance to hydroplaning. That group includes every other
H-rated tire I've ever heard of.

Fairly recently they've added a UTQG AA traction rating, which is even better
(for wet braking anyway), than A.

 

[H]

True the triple Treads are 1 rating down for temperature. The triple treads
are rated for 118MPH (200KPH). Plenty of reserve for almost everybody I
know. It's a typically american thing to overkill everything just because
one can. Does the Triple Tread safely meet the needs of almost every driver
in the world? Yes with room to spare.


H

 

[Edward Hayes]

The H rating has to do with how the car handles as well as a max speed
rating. Many tire distributors will not put a lower grade tire on the
vehicle than is recommended by the manufacture. The Triple tread tire
is ok IMHO but realize it doesn't meet Subaru specs. ed

 

[H]

The trick is to get a tire with BOTH the A (or AA) traction AND a long tread
life.
The Geolandars have a short treadlife AND compromised wet traction (B).
PLUS the ride is crappy.
There are hundreds of tires out there that will out perform Geolandars at a
reasonable cost.

 

[John Rethorst]

Triple Tread - They have a better rating than Michelin Hydroedge

Per
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Goodyear&model=Assurance+TripleTred,
Goodyear's utqc is 740AB.

Per http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Michelin&model=HydroEdge,
Michelin's utqc is 760AB for all sizes except 205/65TR16, which is 800AB.

? ?

 

[hwolf]

My experience (03 Forester) with the Geolanders is not good.
I replaced them at 28,000, which was MUCH too late. I was simply
lazy/dumb and hadn't really checked out my tire tread - just driving
along......duh.........and broke loose in the snow last year and put a
dent in my Subie......arrgghh!!!
So THEN I finally take a good look at my tread and notice I've got next
to nothing...........the single biggest automotice blunder/oversite I
ever made in 33 years of driving.

I figure I should have replaced those at about 20,000 - they never did
very well in the snow, even when new, and wet traction was marginal
(even when new)
Dry taction was OK (when new).
I have since replaced with BF Goodrich Traction T/A and have been very
pleased with snow, wet and dry handling/traction. To early to tell on
wear, but I have 5,000 on them and they still look new.

 

[David]

pleased with snow, wet and dry handling/traction. To early to tell on
wear, but I have 5,000 on them and they still look new.

Glad to hear, because that's what I plan to get. The user ratings on Tirerack
and 1010tires.com are outstanding, as are the AA/A UTQG ratings.

My Geos are somewhere between 26k & 27k miles. The outsides edges of
the tread are pretty thin, which seems to be a common Subaru wear pattern.
The rest is OK, but they haven't been nearly as good in the snow this season
as last.

Our other car, which is unlikely to see snow again recently got inexpensive
Fulda Assuro Carat tires (A/A ratings) from Big O, and they've been
outstanding in the wet. I'm expecting even better wet performance from
the Traction T/As, although without side-by-side tests on the same car, I'll
probably never really know.

 

[Richard Chang]

Triple Tread - They have a better rating than Michelin Hydroedge
(all-season). Note that the stock Geolandars have a Treadwear rating of 340
and a Traction rating of B. Compare that to the Triple Treads with a
treadwear rating of 740 (roughly 2.5 times the tread life) and Traction
rating of A.

It's not valid to compare ratings from different manufacturers because
the values are from tests done by the manufacturer and reported by the
manufacturer without much standardization from the government (I'm
paraphrasing a Consumer Reports article). You can probably figure on
longer life with a treadwear rating of 740 vs 340, but it's too much to
claim that it is 2.5 times.

-R.

 

[news.verizon.net]

For.2002........Geos started to act "strange" at 18k. Thread was thin at
27k. Replaced at 35k. Other than that, the car's great.

 

[Larry Davis]

I've read lots of posts here bemoaning the Geolander 900's but
I have to say they have done fine in my case. On my '03 Forester XS,
I have 38,000 miles on them and they're only showing moderate wear.
I'm hoping to get another 5 to 10 thousand at least.
Driving 46 miles daily on them, I have no complaints on ride
or traction - in rain, snow or dry conditions.
I have faithfully rotated them every 8K miles, and keep
pressure at 30-32lbs. ( Mine also came from the dealer at >40lbs)
I'm sure there's better tires out there, but no complaints
from me on the Geolanders.

Larry Davis
Cortland, IL 60112

 

[P T]

About his tires, David remarked:

...The outsides edges of the tread
are pretty thin, which seems
to be a common Subaru wear pattern...

A common wear pattern for Subarus, or a common wear pattern for people
who under-inflate their tires?

 

[David]

About his tires, David remarked:


A common wear pattern for Subarus, or a common wear pattern for people
who under-inflate their tires?

The underinflation pattern involves both sides of the tire (outside edge & inside edge).
And I've read many Subaru owners complaining about the same wear pattern.

 

[Tony]

35,000km on mine, and they are quite worn on the outside, and slightly
better on the inside, but almost need replacing.

I run 38psi rear, 36psi front when on bitumen, and rotate them.

Have heard good things about Michelin Synchrone, which are available for
Forester size 215/60-16.

Good luck