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Subaru Outback/Legacy Tires and Wheels

124 messages,  Last post on Feb 23, 2012 at 5:42 PM

You are in the Subaru Legacy & Outback Forum.

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

Messages Page 11 of 13

#99 of 124 What all terrain tires are best for a 2005 Subaru Legacy Outback wagon? by monalea

Oct 16, 2010 (11:46 am)

Hi there! We bought a 2005 outback wagon, and wish to know what replacement tires would be best for all terrain? Our daughter is a senior now, and will take this, her car, off to college here in Colorado! We don't want to buy separate snow tires, so just wondering what all terrain tires to buy: 225 60 R16.
 
My husband and neighbors love the TOYO open country A/T tires, but I only see the size 225 70R16 in these. Will this work?
Thanks for any help!

#100 of 124 Re: tires [dougb10] by gizzer777

Oct 16, 2010 (1:45 pm)

Replying to: dougb10 (Aug 11, 2007 4:53 am)
.I purchased a VERY cherry 2008 Outback 2.5i, last year, loaded, (live in Reno Nevada) and part of the deal was new tires (AFTER settling on the price!)., and he also had the battery replaced + pollen filter, after I was going to "walk" (only had 21000 miles on the odo last year!) BTW: I would not have walked at that price for that car!!! It was also certified and still under factory warranty!!!
 
I really like the OB and this is my 1st Subaru!!
 
. Anyway they put on a set of H rated 17" FUZION all season radials. They have an aggressive tread, but are really quiet on the road....Not bad in the snow either! They give a very smooth ride, especially for a "cheap" tire"!
 
My tire dealer told me they are "back door Firestones") and they seem to be wearing very well at factory recommended PSI, especially for a "cheap tire" (under $100 each) w/o mounting and balancing or tax. He buys them from Tirerack when he gets calls for them, which apparently have been increasing.
 
So far I would recommend them for all season! I have also heard good things about Hancock brand" if one is not out to spend a bunch of Moolah!
JMHO.

#101 of 124 Re: What all terrain tires are best for a 2005 Subaru Legacy Outback wagon? [monalea] by somainer

Oct 17, 2010 (7:13 pm)

Replying to: monalea (Oct 16, 2010 11:46 am)
Re the best tires for a 2005 Subaru Outback Wagon, I posted a question like this when we first bought out 2005 Subaru Outback Wagon about 3 + years ago. We live in Maine and have pretty hairy driving conditions. We're using the Pirelli Centurato P5 225 60R16 and have been very pleased. The key is also to ensure your daughter knows that if there's a reason to replace a tire, Subaru urges all 4 tires be replaced at the same time once there's any real wear, or it may affect the AWD system. You might also check whether a slightly narrower tire (such as a 215) can fit, since this may work better in snow. Good luck.

#102 of 124 Re: What all terrain tires are best for a 2005 Subaru Legacy Outback wagon? [monalea] by xwesx

Oct 18, 2010 (1:10 pm)

Replying to: monalea (Oct 16, 2010 11:46 am)
The trick with tire sizes is to know that the first number (225) is the section/tread width, and the second number (60) is the sidewall height as a ratio of the section width. So, 225*0.60 = 135mm. The second tire you listed is the same width, but the section height is 70%, or 225*.70 =157.5 mm. That's close to 7% larger (greater diameter) than the stock tire and it's going to be too large.
 
Going with a narrower tire is not a bad idea at all (such as a 215 as was suggested above). A 215/65R16 is as close to an exact match as you're going to find, and that size will fit the stock rim no problem.
 
I use this same size tire on my '10 Forester with some Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice (winter, not all-season) tires, and they're simply unstoppable - really fantastic tires for ice, snow, mud, etc. The stock size on that car is 225/55R17 - of course, I use a 16" rim for the winter tires!
 
Here's a link to an easy-to-use tire calculator: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
 
In general, keep any alternate tire size to within 3% of the stock size and you should be fine. I wouldn't go wider (such as 235) than stock.

#103 of 124 Re: What all terrain tires are best for a 2005 Subaru Legacy Outback wagon? [somainer] by monalea

Nov 05, 2010 (5:48 pm)

Replying to: somainer (Oct 17, 2010 7:13 pm)
Thank you so much for your help! I will definately check into it now. It is time!

#104 of 124 Re: What all terrain tires are best for a 2005 Subaru Legacy Outback wagon? [xwesx] by monalea

Nov 05, 2010 (5:50 pm)

Replying to: xwesx (Oct 18, 2010 1:10 pm)
Thank you so much for your help. It was quite comprehensive and I appreciate you taking the time. We are looking now!

#105 of 124 Re: What all terrain tires are best for a 2005 Subaru Legacy Outback wagon? [monalea] by capriracer

Nov 06, 2010 (3:10 am)

Replying to: monalea (Nov 05, 2010 5:50 pm)
One thing xwesx didn't mention was load carrying capacity. You do NOT want to go down - which is what usually happens when you put on tires with a smaller overall diameter. Going down in load carrying capcity increases the risk of a load related tire failure which sometimes has tragic results.
 
In your case, 225/60R16's are currently the most poular tire size, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding suitable tires.
 
And for the record: The first number in a tire size is the section width in mm, not the tread width. The width of the tread is always smaller than the section width.

#106 of 124 tires for 05 OB by cptplt

Nov 06, 2010 (8:35 am)

If there is any chance of snow and in CO there will be you should get something which is true winter traction approved - the snowflake/mountain emblem. If you don't plan on being off road a whole lot then get Nokian WRG2s, they are true snow rated, in fact in this years CR they are the best snowtires tested, yet can be run all year round. I have put 57K on a set of the WRs(the predecessor to the WRG2) on a Tribeca and 40K plus on a Windstar running them all year round. I have a set of the WRG2 on an 09 OB for the last 18 months and they seem as good as the WRs in summer and winter.
 
 They are a little pricey. A good on line source is tiresbyweb or Mktires. I had a local nokian dealer match the mktire price, ended up paying the same price fully installed as the mkprice for tire/shipping only, which was almost 50 bucks a tire less than the local guy originally advertised. When the michelin XIce snowtires on my daughters 08 OB need replacing I will put WRG2s on the car all year round.
 
They may not be as good on ice as a dedicated "ice tire" like the blizzak WS series but they are far better than high performance snowtires on snow/ice and run much better than the blizzaks on dry roads and they don;t lose their tread when run in summer and on all the vehicles I have had them on they are better in summer than the factory all seasons.

#107 of 124 Is replacing all four tires necessary? by wired1

Nov 07, 2010 (5:20 pm)

Last year, I purchased a 2005 Subaru Legacy with fewer than 30k miles on it. Anyhow, I recently realized that my back two tires are worn to the point of needing to be replaced; the two in the front are fine.
 
After going to several tire dealers, I was told by each of them that I would need to replace all 4 tires because all tires on an AWD must be the same make and have the same tread left on them. Moreover, my specific model of Tigerpaw is no longer made.
 
To compile the issue, when I bought the car (from a Subaru dealer) last year, the tires that were on it were different makes in the front and back (Tigerpaws up front / Goodyears in the back). At the time, I didn't know about this issue with AWD vehicles. I typically get all of my service done at this dealer. Should I bring this up to them? They are trying to sell me two new rear tires of yet another make.
 
Do I have a legitimate concern here? Do I need to replace all four, or should two new ones suffice? Should I bring this up to the dealer and complain?
 
Thanks for your help.

#108 of 124 Re: Is replacing all four tires necessary? [wired1] by somainer

Nov 07, 2010 (9:20 pm)

Replying to: wired1 (Nov 07, 2010 5:20 pm)
In a word .... YES. I've owned Subarus since 1991, and have always been told this. The only "exception" has been when one goes early on and the others have almost no wear at all. Even then it's been stressed to get the same mfr and tread pattern in the new one. Replacing both front or back only (as in 2 at a time) just doesn't work. Subarus can be very twitchy with bad tires or different wear patterns. Good luck!

Messages Page 11 of 13

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