Replacement Tires

twripper

I have a 2009 Forester with the Bridgestone Duelers on it now and am wondering what a good replacement tire would be if not the same tires? I live in Ca and go to the snow occasionally but mostly is used just on the street with a little off roading here and there! The only time I ALMOST got stuck was showing off in some really slippery mud where the tires just couldnt get traction...wasnt deep just a clay base that was like driving on ice!

Also on a side note I am looking at getting new rims when I purchase the tires and am wondering if anyone out there has looked at aftermarket rims for their forester? I am not looking for anything big or flashy, just something that looks better than the stock plastic ones and possibly that come in black or black and chrome. Let me know if anyone has any suggestions...Thanks!

prndldriver

Me, too! I'm going back and looking at previous posts as well. Noticed people mentioned something about Nokia WR tires. I'm looking forward to what people post.

kannon8833

Have Goodyear Comfort TripleTreds on our 2003 and 2007 Foresters - like them in the rain and normal weather. In snow they have not let us down so far. Mileage seems to be good. Sears matched the best prices around. Tirerack had good reviews for them Hope this helps.

prndldriver

Glad to learn you like your Goodyear Comfort TripleTreds. Right now, I'm looking at the GoodYear Assurance TripleTreds, the Michelin HydroEdge, and the Michelin Primacy MXV4. I am finding it a little confusing that GoodYear has several tires with the TripleTreds name in it. I am not exactly clear on the differences. I want a tire that has a comfortable ride but is also good in snow and on ice.

We also need tires that we can get easily replaced, if necessary, when driving in the Midwest and South -- which kind of limits me to what's available at Sam's Clubs and Wal-Mart. Not that I have to buy a tire there. But we found out the hard way that the most reasonable place to purchase tires was at the Wal-Mart stores in the South. Sears doesn't exist too much there and the chains were really poorly managed and more expensive in the small towns. The general advice seemed to be "Go to Wal-Mart." Everyone can also tell you how to find the Wal-Mart as well.

xwesx

I had a set of Assurance TripleTred on my 1996 Outback. I had them put on in late 2005, so they may have been a different design than what is currently used.

For an all season tire, they were quite good on snow and ice. They also had excellent treadwear properties. I expect, based on how well they were wearing, that they would have comfortably gone 70,000+ miles on my car.

Also, the "Assurance" name is used on more than one tire, followed by a different sort of "Tred." For example, there is the Assurance ComforTred and the Assurance TripleTred. The only other "TripleTred" they make is the Fortera, which is a light truck tire.

aatherton

"Have Goodyear Comfort TripleTreds on our 2003 and 2007 Foresters..."

Goodyear makes Assurance ComforTred and Assurance TripleTred. They are not to be confused as the TripleTred that you evidently have is a good tire for the Forester but the ComfortTred is not. I would warn Forester owners away from ComforTred.

The ComforTred is designed for a smooth ride and is usually put on large sedans. There is a layer of rubber between the steel plies, which deadens road noise but decreases mileage a little. The sidewalls are thin and flexible to absorb bumps, but such weak sidewalls allow the contact patch to move sideways under the wheel in response to cornering forces. This sideways movement of the car on the tire causes oversteer and swaying, which make car feel squirrel-y and unstable when changing direction. Over-inflating the ComforTreds may help some, but they are not a good choice of tire for the Forester.

I bought ComforTreds three years ago for my wife's big old Buick LeSabre, and while they are suited to that kind of car, they do feel wallow-y and alarming when changing direction quickly.

Comments on ComfortTred from Tire Rack reviews...

"My main complaint is that the tires make the car feel too "floaty", too soft, like you lack a good feel for control. The car doesn't inspire confidence in turning anymore. The floaty feel is worse the faster your are driving. Not good for a highway commuter."

"... they are a bit less "sporty" than the other tires... a bit less cornering stability, maybe even a bit "boaty" feel to them compared to other tires Ive had... but Im perfectly happy to have less of the sport feel to get the quiet. I would highly recommend these tires if your goal is quiet and comfortable."

"Replaced GY Assurance Comf-Trd with Cooper CS4 Touring... Cornering & steering are far superior... There was absolutely no reason why this minivan wallowed and swayed except for the GY's."

"... these have to be the worst handling tires I've ever owned. The tires are so squishy soft that it's like driving around on marshmellows. Highway driving is very annoying because the car just wanders all over and you are constantly correcting and any sort of wind vastly increases this tendency. Not looking forward to driving on these for the next few thousand miles."

"... on the highway it felt exactly like I was driving on marshmallows. You could jiggle the wheel back and forth slightly and the car would stay perfectly straight but wobble around on these blubbery tires."

... to list but a few of such comments about ComfortTreds.

prndldriver

Thanks for clearing up the difference between the different Goodyear Tred names. I felt a little silly on my confusion, but glad I mentioned it. The ComfortTreds come up as a option for the Forester, so it is good to know that it is not an ideal tire.

The Michelins also seem to have positive reviews around. I have found the HydroEdge at about $30/tire less than the TripleTreds. I'm leaning in that direction somewhat.

xwesx

If you go that route, let us know what you think! I am always interested in considering different tires. When you only purchase a set every four years or so, it is quite an investment (in both dollars and vehicle performance/comfort) and worth researching.

prndldriver

Just wanted to follow up that I purchased the Michelin HydroEdge Green tires from Discount Tires. The guy at Discount Tires showed me the Michelins and the Goodyear TripleTred. He seemed to suggest that the people who put on the Goodyears complained more about the noise than the Michelins. He pointed out the deeper, slanted grooves in the TripleTreds, which he thought were the cause of the noise. Not sure about that, but it seems a possibility. For whatever reason, the Michelins also were less expensive at Discount Tires, even less than Sam's Club. I liked the extended warranty from Discount Tires as well. My brother-in-law, who is rather obsessed about tires because his BMW needs new tires frequently, has had a good experience with the Discount Tires extended warranty. So those things all worked together.

Can't say I'm completely convinced about the "green technology" with these tires. The 90,000 mile tire life is appealing. The Discount Tire shop has only been in my town a year or so; hope they continue to have a decent staff.

The Michelins have been on for a few weeks and I've driven through big storms. I was particularly impressed how easy and quiet it is to drive through large amounts of water in the rain. Overall, these are incredibly better than the original Yokohama tires. Much quieter, much smoother rider, more secure on the pavement.

Well, the next Forester improvement is a new stereo. The original works fine through the radio but the CD player doesn't work right anymore

bren1712

Hi, am reading this with great interest, as I need to replace my tires soon on my08, Someone also mentioned the general altima r/16?? Does anyone have any comments? Also, from time to time I think about trading my 08 ( with 38,000 miles ) in on a 2011 Forester with the same package,, My 08 is a great car and paid for so am wondering how wise this would be considering present trade in value etc.. Also, I noticed Subaru has really cut down on the features of this option package.. My 08 has a great inside trim, 6 cd player, fog lights, outside mirror turn lights and the new one with the all weather pkg takes this all out,, Any thought on trade in or just keep it for the long haul , I also bought the extended warranty last year for 3years and 80,000 miles,thankyou..

aatherton

"… Michelin HydroEdge Green tires… I was particularly impressed how easy and quiet it is to drive through large amounts of water in the rain. Overall, these are incredibly better than the original Yokohama tires. Much quieter, much smoother rider, more secure on the pavement."

A rain tire is better at some things and not others. I installed Michelin Primacy MXV4 Grand Touring All-Season street tires, seeing the quietest tire. And willingly gave up the better snow traction of the OEM Yokohama Geolandar Light Truck/SUV tires.

About 15 years ago I put a set of Dunlop tires with slanted grooves on a Mazda pickup, to reduce its tendency to hydroplane. The snow traction, never good in any pickup with OEM tires, became even worse.

ericbecho

I Have a 2009 Forester with 115,000 miles on it. Hated the original yokohama tires. Replaced them with the Michelin HydroEdge. Have since put on about 80,000 miles on the tires and have started the research for the next set of tires. My review of the Michelin tires would be as follows: Great tread wear. (still have 7/32 left). Moderately noisy especially as the tires have worn. The edges of the tires are far more worn then the center. Great handling in the rain. Best I have ever driven in rain. You don't even notice the water. I drive into the mountains of NC often. Tires did really well in snow for the first 50-60,000. Was in Ny for the big snow storm last X-mas and the tires did not grip well at all. Not sure if that was due to the large snow amounts or to the fact that the tires seemed to pack the snow into the tread. Dry handling is excellent. Reason for my shopping around for a new tire is the snow handling. If I only had a day or two of snow a year I would replace with the Michelin's in a heart beat. Honestly not sure what I am going to replace my tires with just yet. Will keep reading what others have to say.

Eric

xwesx

Well, if you're saying that the HydroEdge is worse on snow/ice than the Geolandar, I can certainly see your desire to switch models/brands! The Geolandar is absolutely pathetic on snow and ice.

If you really liked all the other qualities of the Michelin (treadwear, wet/dry handling), give the Goodyear TripleTred a try. It handles snow and ice very well for an all-season.