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Subaru Forester Tire/Wheel Questions

298 messages,  Last post on Mar 04, 2013 at 6:34 PM

You are in the Subaru Forester Maintenance & Repair Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Forester, Tires, Wheels

Messages Page 8 of 31

#63 of 298 Re: More on Forestert Wheel Bearings Etc [p0926] by heroine

Feb 28, 2006 (3:54 pm)

Replying to: p0926 (Feb 19, 2006 7:23 pm)
i'm curious about these wheel bearings problems people have been having. is there a sound associated with it?
 
i have a 2004 forester x, and everytime i do a slow turn of the wheel, say, like turning into a parking space, i hear this griding noise.
 
i've mentioned it to the subaru service people, but they couldn't replicate it.
 
could this be a wheel bearing problem?
 
any help would be much appreciated.
 
thanks.
daniel.

#64 of 298 AWD/tire question by tazereli

Mar 31, 2006 (10:21 am)

My wife's 02 Forestor recently got a flat tire. the flat was rather new (less than 3k on the tire). i replaced it with the same tire and size just a different speed rating. the old one was a T rating and the new one is a H rating. Any big deal having 3 t rated tires and 1 h rated? they are BFG traction t/a's size: 215-60-15. Any help./comments are appreciated.
 
Regrds,
Kyle

#65 of 298 Re: AWD/tire question [tazereli] by ateixeira

Mar 31, 2006 (11:09 am)

Replying to: tazereli (Mar 31, 2006 10:21 am)
H is higher-rated than T, so you got a slightly superior tire. I think that's fine. If you'd gone the other way, I'd be concerned.
tires.
 
-juice

#66 of 298 Re: AWD/tire question [ateixeira] by subearu

Mar 31, 2006 (3:31 pm)

Replying to: ateixeira (Mar 31, 2006 11:09 am)
An H rated tire *may* be a bit firmer riding than the T rated tire as well.
 
-Brian

#67 of 298 OEM Replacement Tires for 05 Forester by poodog13

Apr 25, 2006 (8:12 am)

Looking at replacing 4 tires on 05 Forester with an 80k tire. Wondering if anyone has any experience with a Uniroyal Tiger Paw Touring or any other 80k tires. It's my wife's car, not interested in paying extra for high speed ratings. Thanks!

#68 of 298 New Tires On '04 2.5X Maybe? by asa

May 01, 2006 (5:48 pm)

The factory Geolander tires on my wife's '04 Forester 2.5X are all showing the exact same wear pattern -- tread depth is good across the width of the tire, but the outside and inside shoulders are badly worn and perfectly matched in wear on each shoulder. I've kept them inflated to about 30 PSI, just a few pounds above the recommended pressure. They have 38,000 Miles on them.
 
Why are all four tires showing this identical wear? Knowing that the tread is good elsewhere, are they still safe to drive? I hate to spend money on tires, but I want my family safe. Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks.

#69 of 298 Re: New Tires On '04 2.5X Maybe? [asa] by poodog13

May 02, 2006 (6:12 am)

Replying to: asa (May 01, 2006 5:48 pm)
The factory Geolander tires on my wife's '04 Forester 2.5X are all showing the exact same wear pattern -- tread depth is good across the width of the tire, but the outside and inside shoulders are badly worn and perfectly matched in wear on each shoulder. I've kept them inflated to about 30 PSI, just a few pounds above the recommended pressure. They have 38,000 Miles on them.
  
Why are all four tires showing this identical wear? Knowing that the tread is good elsewhere, are they still safe to drive? I hate to spend money on tires, but I want my family safe. Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks.
 
My wife has an 05 and had the exact same treadwear. Those tires are only rated at 320 treadwear (or maybe 360) which equates to only about a 30-35k tire. OEM tires never seem to last much longer than that these days. I just replaced my wifes tires w/ 4 80k tires. Did lots of research and was leaning toward Uniroyal Tiger Paw Touring from Wal Mart but ended up getting a great deal from a local guy on Goodyear Assurance ComfortTreds.

#70 of 298 Re: New Tires On '04 2.5X Maybe? [asa] by ateixeira

May 02, 2006 (8:16 am)

Replying to: asa (May 01, 2006 5:48 pm)
38k miles is plenty for an all-terrain tire like that. I would consider it a full life of use and replace them when you get the chance.
 
-juice

#71 of 298 Re: New Tires On '04 2.5X Maybe? [asa] by p0926

May 03, 2006 (3:36 pm)

Replying to: asa (May 01, 2006 5:48 pm)
But to answer your question, the shoulders are wearing faster because the tires aren't inflated sufficiently for optimal tread wear. Because of the way radial tires are designed, at lower PSI rates, the shoulders carry most of the vehicle's weight. Meanwhile at higher PSI rates, the center of the tread wears faster because it's having to carry the whole load. For the most even (and therefore longest) tread wear, you want to find the PSI where the vehicle’s weight is spread across as much of the tire’s tread as possible.
 
Now perhaps you’re asking why the recommended TP wouldn’t be the one that maximizes the tire’s life expectancy? Well the answer is because the vehicle’s manufacturer (not just Subaru) chose to sacrifice some tread wear in exchange for improved ride comfort. That’s because generally speaking, the higher the PSI, the stiffer the ride. Now to be fair, there are some handling and safety concerns since an over-inflated tire doesn’t grip the road as well and is more prone to overheating (as is a severely under-inflated tire).
 
Personally, for tires rated at 44 max PSI, I keep them at 36. This seems to provide for almost even tread wear (and improved gas mileage) while not negatively affecting handling. The trade-off is that I have to put up with a slightly stiffer ride.
 
-Frank

#72 of 298 Re: New Tires On '04 2.5X Maybe? [p0926] by asa

May 05, 2006 (5:06 am)

Replying to: p0926 (May 03, 2006 3:36 pm)
Thanks for the tire information everyone. I was kinda thinkin' too that factory OE tires rarely last long, but had never seen my sort of tread wear -- I feel better knowing that it's not uncommon. Looks like I need to start the buying process sometime soon; my wife won't rest otherwise.

Messages Page 8 of 31

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