Ask the Car People.SM


Subaru Legacy/Outback Tire Issues

183 messages,  Last post on Oct 25, 2008 at 6:53 AM

You are in the Subaru Legacy & Outback Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback, Tires, Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 19 of 19

#178 of 183 Re: [jim2345] by paisan

Oct 07, 2008 (8:06 pm)

Replying to: jim2345 (Oct 04, 2008 8:16 am)
Unfortunately the retail price and the OEM price are significantly different. The reason for the tires is milage, wear, and well-rounded abilities.
 
These cars are not offroad vehicles, so please don't buy them thinking that they are anything at all like your Jeep. I've offroaded my Trooper, and my Armada. Even my Armada is not a competant offroader and the Outback certainly is NOT meant for offroad excursions. An un-improved road, a snowy driveway, a gravel road, etc, ABSOLUTELY, but to have any kind of knobby tires on the car would kill the milage, kill the safe handling, and overall make the vehicle not what they want.
 
I agree that the RE92s aren't the best tires, however I've driven on them on track in my race cars, driven on them in snow storms. One time I was driving my 94 Legacy turbo down to Summit Point Raceway and we hit a blizzard in PA on RE92s and then when we got to Summit Point it was 50 degrees and sunny. Did the track day on the RE92s and drove back to NYC.
 
-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host

#179 of 183 Tire symbol in Dash by twigs8

Oct 08, 2008 (7:38 am)

I seem to have the Tire Symbol with a ! light on in my new GT 2008. I've check the tire pressure and they seem to be ok. Any other ideas why it's on?

#180 of 183 Re: [paisan] by jim2345

Oct 08, 2008 (8:21 pm)

Replying to: paisan (Oct 07, 2008 8:06 pm)
Hi Mike,
 
I understand what you are saying; I'm just having a difficult time believing that these tires will get me back up my driveway in winter if I haven't had a chance to clear it of snow first. You seem to understand my perspective on this, having driven Jeeps for 20 years. I'm looking for a replacement vehicle and the Outback advertising caught my eye. By the way, have you seen what the 2009 Outback brochure looks like? Every picture shows an Outback either off-road or plowing through the snow with skis on top. Then I get to the showroom and see these "high performance" tires that are rated 150 mph. Clearly these are intended for use on the 6 cylinder and turbo sedans. You've got to ask yourself, why did Subaru put the 4 cylinder Outback on stilts to get 8.5 inches of ground clearance if they intended to put these same tires on it?
 
To me it makes no sense. It's borderline fraud to advertise in this way and then not even have an available tire upgrade so that the vehicle can perform as advertised. I don't want to go off road, I just want to stay on the roads in winter and get up and down my driveway safely, even if I have to go out or come home in the snow. I don't believe the Outback with OEM equipment can do the job and I'm mad as hell about having to buy another set of tires for a brand new car.
 
In my area, the Jeep dealers are desperate to move their leftover 2008s. I can get a brand new Grand Cherokee Laredo (4x4 - MSRP over $32,000) for $19,500! This is about $5,000 less than a similarly equipped Outback. It won't ride like an Outback, but you should see the tires on it and it WILL go anywhere.
 
    - Jim

#181 of 183 THANKS by jim2345

Oct 09, 2008 (8:53 am)

I just want to thank everyone who replied to my posts about the OEM tires on Outbacks. I have heard from a lot of people who say they're terrible and that they have either switched over to a decent set of all-season tires or are using dedicated snow tires in winter and switch over twice a year.
 
I've been to the dealer and they claim to have never heard a bad word about these tires and (of course) there is nothing they can do about upgrading/replacing them. I asked about the pictures in the brochure and the TV advertising and they said all of this is possible with the Potenzas - they think they're really good all-season tires.
 
Across the street from the Subaru dealer is a Jeep dealer. I stopped in and got a great trade. I just bought a new (2008) Grand Cherokee Laredo 4x4 (MSRP over $32,000) for under $20,000. I'm only going to get 17mpg, but my monthly payment is at least $100 less than a Subaru comparably equipped. Bottom line is that I'll spend more on gas, but much less overall each month. The big plus is that I have the vehicle that will get me where I need to go in winter - no question, no worries.
 
I won't be posting here anymore and I'll bet a lot of you are glad I won't be ranting about the Potenzas any more. Thanks again for your interest.
 
     - Jim

#182 of 183 Re: Bad Tires? [snowbelter] by xwesx

Oct 24, 2008 (3:42 pm)

Replying to: snowbelter (Sep 30, 2008 11:47 am)
I know that this conversation is long since passed, but I thought I would chime in here just to have it on the page.
 
I had the RE92A tires on both an 07 and 08 Outback. They were unsettling, even in light snow. In my experience, the car and driver were both able to somewhat compensate for the worthless tires, but had I kept either one of them long term, I would have absolutely put better rubber on them.
 
I had Goodyear TripleTread tires on a prior Outback, and they were fantastic all-seasons with an exceptional tread life. They really shined on ice, which is my most significant requirement in a tire since I drive on ice for 6-7 months of the year.
 
When I sold the 08 Outback, I strongly recommended winter tires with 16" rims (tires far less expensive compared to 17") to the person who ultimately purchased it. She found some used 16" alloy rims off a prior model year Outback and had Nokian tires mounted on them before my car was delivered to her house. When it arrived, she had her son swap out the wheels and off she went! Lucky her, she never even got to experience the "thrill" of the RE92A on ice.

#183 of 183 Re: Bad Tires? [xwesx] by dougb10

Oct 25, 2008 (6:53 am)

Replying to: xwesx (Oct 24, 2008 3:42 pm)
XWESX.....I "experienced the thrill" of the original RE92's in ice and in snow. After 1,500 km.'s on our "05 Outback Limited, I switched to Turanza LSH shoes.
 
Almost 4 years later (only 31,000 km.s on the clock), I am more than pleased with these tires. Most importantly, the Subie is a blast to drive...better ride and very confident in the wet stuff.
 
The RE92's are crap....plain and simple!
 
Doug

Messages Page 19 of 19

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement