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Any experience or opinion??
-mike
-Frank
My question is: should I get 2 tires or 4? If I get 2 now, does that affect tire rotations? :confuse:
1/32 is basically "bald". They are overdue for replacement.
Frank got some cool Plus Zero sized Kumhos, FWIW.
On disabling the AWD, the manual says that only applies to the 4EAT. On page 9-3 the manual says:
"All AWD AT non-turbo models without Vehicle Dynamics Control system: Before driving your vehicle with the temporary spare tire, put a spare fuse inside the FWD connector in the main fuse box located in the engine compartment and confirm that the Front Wheel Drive warning light "AWD" in the combination meter comes on. The all wheel drive capability of the vehicle has now deactivated. After re-installing the conventional tire, remove the spare fuse from the FWD connector in order to reactivate all wheel drive."
So, the steps called for by the Owners Manual are:
FLAT ON FRONT
1. Remove a rear tire.
2. Install the temporary spare in its place.
3. Remove the flat front tire.
4. Install the rear tire in its place.
5. Remove the storage tray and its contents from the spare tire well.
6. Put the flat tire in the well.
-- And for the 4EAT automatic transmission:
7. In the fusebox, install the spare fuse in the FWD slot to disable AWD.
8. A sticker on the temporary spare warns not to exceed 50 mph.
9. Don't drive too far in FWD or damage to drive train may occur.
10. After the flat tire is fixed, put all 3 tires back in their original places.
11. Remove the fuse to restore AWD.
FLAT ON REAR
1. Remove flat tire.
2. Install the temporary spare in its place.
3. Remove the storage tray and its contents from the spare tire well.
4. Put the flat tire in the well.
-- And for the 4EAT automatic transmission:
5. In the fusebox, install the spare fuse in the FWD slot to disable AWD.
6. A sticker on the temporary spare warns not to exceed 50 mph.
7. Don't drive too far in FWD or damage to drive train may occur.
8. After the flat tire is fixed, put the 2 tires back in their original places.
9. Remove the fuse to restore AWD.
In view of all that, I have put a full size spare in my 4EAT. Goes anywhere on the car quick and easy, with no restrictions on speed or distance, or affect on traction if off-road or in snow.
Opinions and expertise are welcome!
I recently put Avid TRZs on our Audi A4 & am very pleased with them (no chance to drive in the snow) & will also consider them when buying my next set of tires (note that these are T rated rather than H.
At any rate, now I'm ready for new tires. I'm considering the Michelin Pilot Exaltos, which get great reviews over at Tire Rack, and I put them on my wife's Jetta and she likes them.
Does anyone have any experience using the Exaltos on snow on a Forester? I live in Minnesota and don't own a separate set of winter tires, so that is a concern for me. I did like how the OEM Geos handled in snow. My wife had trouble in snow a couple of times this winter with the Exaltos in her Jetta, but otherwise they've been great. Any Forester owners here using Exaltos in snow?
-Frank
I purchased the Pilot Exalto A/S for my '03 Forester back in 2007. See previous posting here: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0c9f5e/131
I live in Philadelphia and did get to throw them around in the snow a few times the last two winters.
Bottom line is that I have to say for the money, I'm generally disappointed. They seem to do everything average -- they're not as quiet as I thought they'd be, they don't hold corners as well as my previous Falken Ziex's (which wore too quickly), and they do OK driving on fresh snow, but I think the competence is due more to the AWD than the tires. I wouldn't feel very confident in a blizzard with these. I've even felt the wheel go numb momentarily as I began to hydroplane in a heavy rainfall.
The worst is that they've definitely made the ride feel slightly harsher.
This is partly my fault for thinking high performance all-seasons wouldn't have any negative compromise over touring tires, but if I had to do it all over again, the all-new Michelin Primacy MXV4 would be at the top of my list for the Forester, pending further research.
This is all relative. They're still way better than the OEM Yoko Geolanders, but I'd have been happier if they were closer to $80 a tire for my experience. On the positive side, they seem to be wearing well after ~15k miles, but I don't have any hard numbers at hand to back that up.
I have yet to find a tire with an ideal balance between quiet and smooth ride, good handling, and good foul weather performance. There's always a compromise.
Just my two cents.
Elliot
If the tires are worn, I'd replace all 4. If they're new-ish (less than 10k miles), you can probably change just 2. I'd put the new ones on the front axle if you do that.
The bottom line is if they have much wear on them then yes, you have to replace all four. The only alternative is to find a tire shop willing to shave a new tire down to the same circumference as the others.
The reason for this is if all four tires aren't essentially the same rolling circumference, they AWD system will think one wheel is slipping slightly and will constantly be trying to compensate.
-Frank
P.S. There's only one R in Forester
I think you'll be OK for your type of driving, just make sure your tire pressure is always up to spec, because that's the other primary factor.
I'm hoping you might have a solution to an annoying problem here. I have an '01 Forester and within the last 2-3 years find that I have to put air in the Alloy Wheels every week. It seems to lose a good 5psi a week.
I did a little research on this and hear it might be corrosion. Do you think that rings true?
I have garaged my Forester since day 1, and am embarrassed to admit my mileage because it's very low. I'll admit to driving it in snow, salted roads in NYC and didn't give it a good wash. Could that be the cause?
Any advice would be grateful. I figure you guys are the experts on this. (I'm glad to see Teixeira is still here - way back in '00 I was here for help on buying my '01 and he was here back then).
-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host
(I also have a 2001 Forester. Mine has 181,000 miles and is getting its 4th set of tires soon.)
Len
-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host
The valves definitely have caps. And they are the original tires.
181,000 miles, leo2633!!! Man, I so don't want to reveal my mileage. It's almost 18,000. I can hear the shock and laughter now.
Thanks guys!!!
-Jeff
-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host
Len
Do you guys have any tires you'd particular recommend and should I go to a tire place, Subaru dealer or get the tires and let my mechanic do it. Doesn't it have to be wheel balanced? Can only Subaru dealers do this correctly? I hope I'm not being a pain and asking too many questions. I'll figure it out, if I am.
Len, yeah. I work in the city, so I don't get to drive as much as I should. I wonder why I have a car sometimes. But, it's convenient and I like my Sube.
Len
Len
I had old tires on my Miata that still had some tread left, but when I de-coded the production date I replaced them.
Grip improved dramatically. The old ones were dry and hard. I was not losing air, though.
Thanks Mike and ateixeira.
I appreciate your advice and thoughts.
I have a few good places I use in NNJ if you are interested, shoot me an e-mail mike @ iace.com
I like the Sumitomo HTR+ for an all season tire.
-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host
i have a Forester XS '04 (with the turbo) and need to replace my tires. Can you recommend me something?
Thanks,
Chris
I need to replace my tires for my Forester XS '04 (with turbo). Any recommendation/experience is appreciated.
Thanks,
Chris
I did not like the road noise from my Geolandars, and do not live in a snow climate. At 3500 miles I replaced them with much quieter but expensive Michelin Primacy MXV4, which is all-season but not very aggressive.
I sold the Geolandars cheap to a friend with an XT '05, who had 45K on his old Geolandars and had no complaints.
After the Primacy, my next choices for quiet all season use were Michelin Pilot Exalto and Goodyear TripleTred.
But if you need the other extreme for snow and offroad, I have heard of Grabbers and Duellers, but they are probably noisy.
In my opinion, the Geolandars were a good compromise for all kinds of driving, the natural tire for Subaru to put on the Forester. I just wanted quiet.
After ~5 years my 2 frontal OE Yokos are finally gone in the shoulders (they lasted almost 40K miles). My Subaru Dealer indicated to get new ones for these only, but given the time that has passed I will replace the rear ones as well.
I checked all your discussion for suggestions about new tires but noticed how preferences (names and brands) have changed in the last 2 years; discussion seems less active as well. I saw the last replies to Chris211 for all season-tires, but could not resist to post and check for the latest in my driving conditions:
Texans hot and rainy roads, mostly 48 mile/day commuting trips in highways at 65-75 mph (you can get killed here if you dare to go at slower speeds during rush hours), consciously aggressive driving (no hard breaking whenever possible, easy at the corners, will demand the turbo if necessary, not afraid to show local Porshe owners FXTs' power from time to time). Also, not hauling of trailers or things like that.
I will like the opportunity to improve the noisy rides I get with my OE Geolanders, hopefully with something that will last about the same. BTW, Will unidirectional tires be something worth to consider in my case?
Many thanks in advance,
Sombra
That said, when I needed new tires for the A4 I replaced the Kuhmos with Yoko TRZs - not sure I can tell much difference between the two, but I anticipate the TRZs lasting a lot longer.
Or you could advertise locally.
You can use a website like Tirerack.com to determine tire/wheel compatibility with a given vehicle.
I don't think the old rim will fit over the new, bigger brake rotors, but it may be worth a try.
To my budget-conscious mind, it is worth the research!
Agree, my budget-consciousness prompts me to work this problem for a while. Thnx for input!
You will lose a bit of ground clearance, though, since the diameter is smaller.
Okay, so the 16" rims will, in terms of clearance, fit on the '09. Looking at the size of the tires you specified, the overall diameter of the Blizzaks is: 215mm * 0.60 = 129mm * 2 (to account for both the top and bottom of tire) = 258mm / 25.4mm/in = 10.1575in + 16in = 26.1575in.
The overall diameter for the stock '09 tires:
225mm * 0.55 = 123.75mm * 2= 247.5 / 25.4mm/in = 9.744in + 17in = 26.7441 in.
So, the end result is that the '02 tires are essentially 0.59" shorter than the stock '09 setup. That means your speedometer will read a little high, as will your odometer rack up miles slightly faster than actual. Is there a problem with that? Only in relation to your warranty, since it expires at 36,000 miles.... Honestly, I am not sure of the conversion to the actual difference in rolling distance, but you're welcome to calculate the tire circumference and go from there.
The base model 2009 Forester comes stock with 215/65/R16, which has a calculated diameter of 27.004", so that is 1/4" larger still than the 17" tires. When looking at the compatibility chart, Tire Rack recommends 225/55/R17 as compatible when using 17" rims. But, it also indicates that 215/60/R16 is an optional size with 16" rims, so my guess is that they do not affect the speed/distance readings too much.
Good luck!
Probably not that significant.
BTW, the 09 purchased end July has <3500 miles (good news, obviously & bad news - have yet to do road trip in it) but it means a very slightly fast odo won't be a problem! And knowing the speedo is fast, i have instant justification! :shades:
----Size------Circumference---Diameter----Rotations--------%-------ODO at 36,000 miles
215/60/R16-------82.176-------26.1575-------771.026-------1.022-------36807
225/55/R17-------84.019-------26.7441-------754.115-------1.000-------36000
215/65/R16-------84.836-------27.0040-------746.857-------0.990-------35654
So, with the '02 tires, your speed sensor is 2.2% high.