Time to get some new tires for the WRX rims. Suggestions?

[SWRT]

I have a Legacy with WRX rims. The 90 model with
the stock struts cuts it really close so I'm trying to stay at
205/55/16.

Every time I read reviews on something I think will
be good or has a high tread rating there's 5 people
that think it's good and 5 people that think it suck.

I would prefer decent traction, but I dont care about
sliding around a little if it'll last a lot longer. The cheapo
Primewells I have on there suck.
Does anyone have any suggestions on long-lasting
harder compound tires that aren't a freakin ton?

[Someperson]

Firestone champion HR, a bit more slippery than the bridgestone potenzas but seem to last longer, and if you spend an extra $15 on the warranty per tire they pro rate them if you burn em and its 15+ mounting and balancing if you fuck em up on a pothole. But only at the firestone complete auto care stores. Had good luck and no hassles so far. And i generally only get 20k out of a set of tires cause i like to slide lol.

[jamal]

All-seasons or summer tires?

I think the problem with tire recommendations is that no one has every driven on like 10 different tires to actually compare things. Anyway, I went through two sets of Falken 912s which I thought were pretty good, but coming from an RE92 that's not hard (although I didn't think those were as bad as they're made out to be either). A lot of people like the Bridgestone RE960 which is more expensive.

[originalcyn]

I'm using a set of General Exclaim UHPs

This graph from tirerack.com was what helped make the decision for me. Fortunately someone posted it: http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic. ... 44#p336544

That being said, they were a great price and seem to have lasted pretty well, even for as hard as i corner. They seem less grippy than my previous two sets of falkens which i don't remember the models for, but they do seem to have lasted quite a bit longer.

I believe discount tire company will price match tirerack.com as well. So if you have one of those in your area might be worth it to see if you can do that.

[originalcyn]

Ah, I found a newer chart for 205/55R/16:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyres ... N&showcm=N

[topsecret888]

Asking about what tires to get is akin to asking who makes the best cheeseburgers...lol.....everyone have their own tastes and preference so, there's never gonna be a right or wrong answer. It's all subjective and down to your budget, compound, speed rating, brand, and tread choices. Obviously, the more you willing to spend, the better the tire is likely going to be. Any of those major brands such as Michelin, Goodyear, Continental, Bridgestones will give you what your moneys worth. Having said that, I myself am cheap on my tires and i simply have mine from Les Schwab and those are Toyo touring tires. Excuse me for that.....hahahha. But Prime? Seriously? You do need to toss those out lol! The Korean brands such as Hankook, or Kumho are generally cheaper and give you more bang for your buck, but honestly if I'm buying a set of new tires, I'd pay a bit more to get those major brands. You can't go wrong with those.

[Someperson]

Those pole positions i had were NICE but my wallet cried afterwards lol

[mike-tracy]

Yeah I really like the pole positions. Had them on the outback and liked them well enough to get another set for my SS. They aren't wonderful in the snow, but better than other "all seasons" I've tried- they get the job done. Nothing beats a modern studless snowtire though.

[BSOD2600]

I put Conti ExtremeContact DWS (Ultra High Performance All-Season category) on both the '94 SS and '11 WRX. Have nothing to complain about.

Yes, DiscountTire will price match TireRack too. The Lynnwood store manager was more than happy to help out.

[originalcyn]

That's good to know. I usually go to the Everett store, but going to Lynnwood might be in order.

[Apex3]

Why 205/55 and not 205/50?

I had some Pirelli P4's that I liked, good wet and dry traction and not too expensive, seemed to wear well under normal conditions, wore them out though with poor alignment and from rubbing on the strut. Now I have Fuzion ZRi's since that's what came on my M3, and they suck ass.

Check Tirerack and Discount Tire reviews, usually fairly informative, you can get a pretty good idea of what they're good for based on your preferences.

[Alphius]

All of the following tire experience is in 205/55R16 size tires. Different sizes may vary slightly.

I have BSOD2600's old car now, and I am still running the ContiExtremeContact DWS tires. They are quite good in snow and rain, to the point where I can get around just as good as my girlfriend's Outback with studded snow tires. For an all-season, they are the best tire I have ever used in snow and rain. I have used lots of "top-rated" all-seasons from different manufacturers. I find that with any slightly aggressive driving, the DWSs wear poorly though. I will still probably be able to get 30-40k out of them. They are really soft in aggressive driving, lots of sidewall flex and mushy feeling. Grip in dry conditions is a little lacking, but with AWD that is not much of an issue. Road noise is not a problem with these. Overall, I do like them a lot for the price.


I have also used the Kumho Solus KR21 all-season, and they are a quite a bit worse in snow and rain but the sidewalls are less compliant which leads to a little better handling feel. They are really quiet and treadwear is fairly average, I think I got about 30k out of them. Overall, an average tire so I don't have much to say about them.


The Kumho ECSTA AST is similar to the KR21 but has a more aggressive tread design. They are even better in dry handling performance by far and wear about the same as the KR21. They are not great at all in snow.


I'll save the best for last: Best tire I have had on a Subaru is the Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread. They have a very aggressive tread design. It is more expensive by far and is almost comparable to the DWS in snow and rain performance, but without the mushy feel and lame sidewall flex that the DWS has. It is much better in the dry weather. They also come with an 80k treadwear warranty and have awesome rim protectors that can save your rims if you often parallel park poorly. Downsides to this tire are increased road noise (highest of any tire I've used aside from the aforementioned studded snows on the Outback), and when you drive them in the rain everyone behind you will hate you. They throw water spray up behind you like you wouldn't believe. They are a little more expensive, but I still love them, especially considering the 80k treadwear warranty.


I've also heard good things about the General Exclaim UHP, but I haven't personally ran that tire yet. I would expect its snow and rain performance to suffer a little but dry performance to be good.


Comedy option: These are not all-seasons. I run these on my Camaro. Nitto NT05. They have ridiculously good grip in the dry, and are passable in the rain if you are careful, but they just spin on the snow. I can get about 8-10k miles on these before they are done. I run 275/40R17.

[topsecret888]

Wow, u guys really get into all that technical stuffs...lol.....but like I mentioned earlier, basically the more u spend the better tires it's going to be. U do get what u paid. Fuzion ZRi's on a M3? That's just plain wrong......lol I myself have tires from Les Schwab, Toyo touring spectrums but since the wagon is 21 years old, I don't feel too bad now.....lol

[Alphius]

I feel that even on an older car you shouldn't skimp on tires. They are the only thing holding you to the road. You depend on good tires.

[originalcyn]

Agreed, though it is possible to go over board. Tires are one of those things like brakes that are all about safety, or should be. If the car isn't able to go a million miles an hour, then some tires might be a little much, but I would always try to get tires that at least were well rated safety wise enough to be able to handle any kind of driving I was doing in that car. I'm not going to try to save 20 bucks a tire when it could mean the difference between an accident and avoiding a collision. Especially since that 80 dollars you saved is averaged out over 40k or 60k miles. I'd much rather err on the side of safe/expensive than significantly less safe/inexpensive.

[topsecret888]

I agree that we should not skimp on tires and brakes. Those things are crucial for handling, traction and stoppage. But I'd like to add that driving behavior and skills are also important factors. No point if you have the best tires and brakes in the world, but u drive like a freaking idiot. Feel free to chime in.

[SWRT]

Why 205/55 and not 205/50?

I had some Pirelli P4's that I liked, good wet and dry traction and not too expensive, seemed to wear well under normal conditions, wore them out though with poor alignment and from rubbing on the strut. Now I have Fuzion ZRi's since that's what came on my M3, and they suck ass.

Check Tirerack and Discount Tire reviews, usually fairly informative, you can get a pretty good idea of what they're good for based on your preferences.

Thanks for all the responses, guys. My other post never
did end up going through, I guess



Taller sidewall for off-road. Every bit counts haha

I have the P4's on my green Legacy's. They seem pretty good
so far. Cant attest to the longevity though.

[SWRT]

I've heard good things about the triple-tread assurance tire and
the Exclaim UHP. The Goodyear seems like it may do a bit better
off-road with the way the tread is cut.

[Someperson]

Y u no look at truck tires then?

[SWRT]

I've considered it, but the tires I have on there now
sit so close to the spring perch that truck tires would
probably rub. I'd prefer to avoid denting in the perch
if I can. If I could get the outback struts the spring perch
should sit 2" higher so that may be a possibility then.

[SWRT]

http://www.autotiresource.com/viewtire/ ... HP-87W-BSW

I found the Exclaim UHP's here and nowhere else...but
I've never even heard of this site. Anyone ever used it
before?

I cant find the triple tread assurance tires anywhere *sigh*

[Alphius]

I can't find the Exclaim UHP on TireRack in WRX size, but the TripleTred is here:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... ckage=true
There is an $80 rebate right now if you buy four as well, which is an awesome deal.

Actually, looking at this, it seems this is the successor to the original TripleTred that I liked so much. Some characteristics may have changed about it, but I can't find the old version for sale anywhere right now.

[originalcyn]

I think the guy at tirerack i dealt with was named Luke. I think he's on NASIOC too. You might try calling him and mentioning that you can't find the set you want for your WRX rims and then mentioned you saw him on NASIOC.

The Tire Rack Team
LUKE (EXT.362)
luke@tirerack.com

[Legacy777]

Yeah....I've dealt with Luke when I bought my first set of GSD3's. He does offer a nasioc "discount" whatever that may be.

[originalcyn]

Haha, he was ok, seemed pleasant enough. I'm not sure i got a discount or anything like that, but being "part of" a forum might lend itself to getting some favors or information that might not be readily available.