Subaru Legacy/Outback Tire Issues

caliberchic

Question about your tires post here.

nodonuts

I purchased a new 2006 Subaru Outback about 6 months ago and the tires are already worn out at 16,000K!!! Has anyone else had this problem? What is my recourse? The tire warranty is handled by Bridgestone/Firestone rather than Subaru, and the tire warranty booklet mentions no mileage rating for the tires. This is my third Outback. I got 50,000 - 60,000 miles on my original tires with my first two Outbacks. Thank you!

ateixeira

If they are worn evenly I'm not sure there's much you can do.

If they wore unevenly you could argue it was the alignment or something Subaru did wrong.

-juice

xwesx

I agree. Heck, I would count it a blessing and go put some decent tires on it! :P

nodonuts

You don't think there is something a bit off about just sitting back and letting Subaru all of a sudden put truly inferior tires on their new cars??? I have had the car 6 MONTHS! We are supposed to simply accept it? Where is the "blessing" in this?

krzyss

that now YOU can choose tires that you like and not accept OE choice.

What tires do you have on your Subaru?

Krzys

xwesx

Yes, that is what I was thinking as well. The RE92 is "truly" a mediocre tire. Granted, I agree that it is frustrating to need to put new tires on a vehicle after such a short period of time. I think, though, that you will find any replacement to be a vast improvement over the OE tires.

I am not sure why it lasted such a short period of time, but maybe it has something to do with cost reduction since so many owners tend to oust those tires early on anyway. From the manufacturer's point of view, why pay for a 50,000 mile tire when folks tend to replace them within 20,000? I am not sure if this is the case, but it is possible.

subaru_man

My '05 outback wagon was similar. The tires were worn near the outer edge more than elsewhere. This happened on all four tires. The car pulled slightly after about 3 months of purchasing new. I took it to the dealer about 3-4 times for the same problem. They finally had to pull the vehicle frame for the fix. Dunno how the frame was bent being that this is a new car?

I was in an accident 3 months ago. The car was totaled by the insurance company. Guess what? The airbags did not deploy!! I think that I may have gotten a lemon? This vehicle was the one in the show room.

That was my first subaru. I love subaru but will reconsider next time when i look for another car.

paisan

Count your blessings and go get some good tires. I suggest the Sumitommo HTR+ which go for abouy $65 in Impreza size from Tire Rack.

-mike

paisan

Your car can be totalled and the airbags won't go off. Why do you feel it was a lemon because the airbag didn't deploy?

As for the bent frame, do not blame SOA, chances are and this is well documented, that dealers damage the cars in transport and do not (and don't have to) disclose up to 4k of damage in some states.

-mike

xwesx

The airbags are a tough one. It takes a fairly specific collision to deploy them. Most notably, a frontal impact that misses the front bumper (such as impacting a taller pickup or van) can cause a significant amount of damage to the vehicle, but not deploy the airbags because the shock did not travel through the bumper/frame. On the other hand, my grandparents were in a collision where another vehicle T-boned them at about 20 mph, and pushed their vehicle (on packed snow) such that it bumped another vehicle with a glancing blow at maybe 5 mph and the airbags popped unnecessarily.

paisan

in the old days there were sensors in the bumpers, now-days there is I believe a mercury switch inside the dash panel that essentially is a shock sensor and will deploy only if hit in a manner where the airbags would deploy and be helpful. For instance I've seen 4-runners offroading and come crashing down hard off a burm at high speed and the airbag deployed, w/o any damage to the vehicle at all.

-mike

nodonuts

My first two Outbacks came with great tires, which lasted 50 - 60,000 miles. I suppose it is my fault for not checking the tires before purchasing the vehicle. Because my first two came with good tires, I assumed this one would also. This new "cheap" tire thing seems to me like yet another way to cheat us.

So, I am calling Subaru to complain. Whatever happens, I need new tires, what is your recommendation? Best tire, not best deal.

paisan

Is the best bang for your buck. Yeah you can drop like $200/tire on "the best" tires but after 3-4 years they'll be worthless. I've used a lot of tires over the years, on subarus specifically...

Dunlop SP5000s -Great all season tire, better dry grip than wet grip, ran these tires on the track and through the winter, price in the $115 range

Sumitomo HTR+ -Outstanding all season tire, less dry grip than the SP5000s, but superior wet and snow grip, ran these for 2 winters on my SVX and were better in the snow than the SP5000s, priced under $65

Pirelli PZero Nero M&S -Haven't used them but several other subaru owners say they are great all-seasons, again not as good in the dry as the SP5000s but better in wet and snow. Priced $103

There are some $150 ones out there but I don't feel they are any better than those listed above.

-mike

smittynyc

I have to put in my usual plug for the Yoko Avid H4s (which I think come in a size that fit the Outback).

They are only $70/tire (plus installation/mounting), but they are one of a select group of tires with a AA traction rating (also A temp and 500 treadwear). I bought them as replacement tires for my old Forester and never got to use them in snow, but they were absolutely first-rate in every other respect.

paisan

I like the Yoks too, the Avid H4s are good tires, just don't have any personal experience with them, I used to use the Yokohama AVS Intermediates which were awsome. I think they were the predicesor to the Avid H4s.

For summer tires I like the Yok ES100s and the Faulken Azenis Sports

-mike

ebony5

I certainly was not aware of this. What states? How can one prevent oneself from purchasing a vehicle damaged in transit,& is there any way to find out if a particular car has been damaged and to what extent?

paisan

The $ figure varies in each state. There is no way to know if it was damaged other than via inspection. This isn't something new, been going on for years.

-mike

subaru_man

xwesx, that's exactly what happened to me. The other car was an F250. The truck crossed a red light and I just happened to cross the intersection at that precise moment. I was going about 35mph. The damaged occured near the top of the bumper and the hood. It pushed many of the engine component down due to the height of the other truck.

subaru_man

paisan, you mentioned that this was well documented. Can you cite your source?
I live in Seattle and recently a cargo ship carrying a bunch of mazda ran into rough whether. I don't think there were any physical damage to the cars but they were shifted from one side to the other. The story was in the seattle times. If car manufacturers didn't have to let the customer know, i wonder why mazda did? In this case, the damage $ was less than the figure you gave earlier.

ryster

Hi!

Since we are discussing tires for Subarus, I thought I would throw this question out there.

We have an '05 Outback 2.5i Our OEM Potenza RE92's are ready for replacement at 32,000 miles. Have narrowed down the choices to a handful, but 3 of them are directional tread.

Aside from the obvious tire rotation limitations (can only move front to back on same side of car), are there any immediate concerns with using a directional tread pattern tire on an all-wheel drive vehicle?

The tires being considering are:
Yokohama Avid H4S (Directional)
BFGoodrich Traction T/A (Directional)
Continental ContiExtreme Contact (Directional)
Kumho Solus KH16 (non-directional)
Continental ContiPremier Contact (non-directional)

The Outback is driven mostly on the highway, so low noise is very important. Ride is next most important, followed by responsiveness. Would also like something that is competent in rain and the occasional light snow.

We have read very good things about the Kumho, and that is the front-runner right now, but the Yoko also seems like a good choice.

Thanks so much!

subearu

Directional tires are fine, and you should be rotating only front to back anyway on your Subie.

-Brian

ryster

Hi!

Thanks!

I guess my concern with the directional and rotation would be if the following rotation is done:
RightRear to RightFront (OK with directional)

RightFront to LeftRear (RightFront tire would need to be remounted as it would be facing the wrong direction)

LeftRear to LeftFront (OK with directional)

LeftFront to RightRear (LeftFront tire would need to be remounted as it would be facing the wrong direction)

The only way to prevent having to remount and balance 2 tires every 5-6K miles would be to do a LF to LR, LR to LF, RF to RR, RR to RF swap. Then I would never get the real benefit of rotating the tires for optimal wear.

subearu

Subaru only requires you to rotate front to back, back to front same side, which would be just fine for directional tires. Certainly you can remount the tires so you can swap sides, but it is not necessary to swap sides as the front to back rotation every 5-6k will help the tires wear evenly.

-Brian

paisan

Probably because the manufacturer wanted to disclose it. Usually the damage that isn't disclosed is done by the regional distribution corp or the dealers themselves who do not want to take the hit on the car. In the case of the mazdas I bet they just back-charged the damages to the shipping company.

-mike

xwesx

I agree. Mazda did the same thing with the Cougar when it listed so badly this past summer off the Alaskan coast. None of the cars were damaged (apparently), but since it was at a 70%+ list for several days, they decided to sell the autos as used, or some such. Anyway, I think a manufacturer is much more likely to disclose damage than a second or third party.

subearu

on the contrary, they're scrapping all 4700+ vehicles: http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/15/mazda-scrapping-all-cars-aboard-capsized-coug- ar-ace/

-Brian

xwesx

whew... that's a shocker. I guess when the shipping and/or insurance company is eating the cost...

Surprising. If those vehicles were tied down properly then there is no reason why they would have sustained any damage unless fuel spilled.

once_for_all

could be lots of spills--battery acid, brake fluid, gear oil, tranny fluid, antifreeze, etc.

Many of those fluids are corrosive to steel, hoses, and paint jobs.

Still, I'd love to buy one at $0.10 on the dollar

John

nodonuts

Hey again,

I need new tires on my '06 Outback. I got a lot of suggestions in my last post. But, in reviewing those suggestions I realize I neglected to mention that I do not live in snow country. It freezes maybe once or twice and once in a long while we may get a light dusting, but no major snow driving. It does rain and I do commute over a twisty mountain road. In these parts we leave the same tires on the car year 'round, none of this changing of tires to fit the season. So, taking all of this into account, what is the best tire? Thank you! d

kens

I think the only reason why Subaru recommends a front-to-back rotation pattern is that it is the most conservative. In other words, this pattern will work even with directional and asymmetrical tread tires.

If your tire type allows it, there's no reason why you can't cross rotate them. In fact the rotation pattern should be determined not only by tire type but by tire wear pattern as well.

Ken

subearu

It is easier to DIY rotate when it's front->back as well. Our MPV is that way too, even w/o directional tires, though I do have directionals for it now.

-Brian

bobny57

I replaced my OE RE92's at 5,000 miles when I found that they hydoplaned. The new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S (all seasons) cost $1,000 all in but they transformed the car. It now brakes much better, handles with more stability and the rain traction puts me at ease.

ebony5

When I needed new tires I decided what my priorities were; driving weather conditions, price, tread wear, ride quality etc and then went to Tire Rack to see what their surveys had to say. Once I narrowed down the field I performed other net searches, reviews and chat rooms to see what other peoples experiences had been with the selected tires. Being from the Northeast my concerns were rain snow and then price. I was not so concerned with tread wear or ride quality. It was a couple of years ago and I ended up getting Yokahama Aeiges LS4s. They were were what I expected. There are better tires out there but for the price they are up there. I suggest you start out at the Tire Rack web sight. You can even call them and ask their opinion without making a purchase.

paisan

Dunlop SP5000s
or
Sumitommo HTR+ (These are my favorite all-season tires out there)

-mike

hamez

I am also looking for tires and rims for my '06 Outback XT. I have read the posts and have gotten a good idea of what to look for in a tire. The problem is, and this my sound weird I want to get a set of steel rims. I need to know if I can DECREASE the rim size to a 16 inch in order to put a beefier tire on. This is a result of loading up the outback for camping with the skinny OEM's on and the tires not being able to handle the weight!

xwesx

You can if they will fit over your brake calipers. But, you need to keep the overall diameter of the tire as close to the same as stock as you can or else it will affect the odometer and the speedometer.

What size is stock on the XT? 17 or 18"?

doug1

During the winter I replace the standard 17" wheels on my '05 OB XT with 16" wheels shod w/ snow tires. No problems with brake clearance (the base Outbacks, which had 16" wheels at the time, have the same mediocre brakes as the XT). The '06 has the same brakes, so it shouldn't be a problem. The tire size that would be most compatible with the 16" wheels and the OB are 225/60 16. I'm using 215/60 16 to give me a little more wheelwell clearance with snow.

As for rims, I got lucky. I found some '05 alloy base Outback rims that were taken off by the dealer when they pimped out one of their new cars. I don't know why they do such things, but I was the happy beneficiary of a set of new rims for only $300.

Doug

outbackboy

My 2003 outback's stock tires are 225/60 16 Potenza's, 50,000 and still OK never rotated. Soon I will need new tires. Question - has anyone put larger tires on an Outback? I am thinking 225/65 16 which would be about 1" larger diameter or about 1/2" at each point. Does anyone know if this can be done without any rubbing issues? I occasionally drive on the beach and the clearance is an issue, 1/2 inch isn't much but every little bit helps.

Thanks.............

outbackboy

My 2003 outback's stock tires are 225/60 16 Potenza's, 50,000 and still havge some good tread left, also never rotated. However soon I will need new tires. Question - has anyone put larger tires than the stock 225/60 16's on an Outback? I am thinking 225/65 16 which would be about 1" larger diameter or about 1/2" larger profile. Does anyone know if this can be done without any rubbing issues? The wheel wells look pretty tight. I understand the speedo calibration will be off 3 or 4 mph at 70mph.I occasionally drive on the beach and offroad and the ground clearance is always an issue, 1/2 inch isn't much but every little bit helps. Also does anyone know if there are any lift kits available for the Outback? I have heard of Scorpions from Austraila but they seem to be for older model Subarus only.

Thanks.............

hamez

My '06 XT came with 17's.

ateixeira

My concern would be the front tires rubbing at full steering lock. Take some measurements.

60 to 65 series is not that big a change, though.

-juice

mrk610

I would read your owners manual. Outbacks need there tires rotated every 7-10 k miles . You will destroy the awd system if the tires are of difference sizes.
Hope you have not already done damage to it .

ryster

We finally decided to go with the Kumho Solus. However, we chose the HP4 tread design as opposed to the "touring" tread design. The tires are on their way to the installer, so hopefully we will have them on next week some time.

There is a lot of positive buzz around Kumho tires, so we are giving them a shot.

paisan

The only ones I've liked are the VictorRacer Race tires. When the WRX came out people were using their street tires and I can't tell you how many bubbles there were in them after short periods of time

-mike

ateixeira

As long as all four are bigger, that shouldn't have an effect, i.e. do not buy two bigger tires, buy a set of four. Better yet, 5 with the spare.

-juice

xwesx

No, think the intent of the previous post was to say that by not rotating, the tires are likely to wear at different rates (for example, front wearing faster than rear). As a result, this could lead to sufficient differences in circumference to cause undue stress on the AWD system.

I think it would be tough to get enough circumference differential to cause damage to the system simply through not rotating the tires, but I guess it all depends on how aggressively the vehicle is driven. Considering the RE92's have made it 50,000 miles (!), my guess is that the vehicle is not driven aggresively.

The space is tight though. Intuitively, I would surmise the increase you are seeking should work. I doubt the height gain will be noticable though. You might do better to put a 2 or 3" lift on it (if such a kit is available).

jfl

I always thought tire wear on an AWD was relatively even. Power starts and other such actions would wear the driven tire of a FWD and RWD but with an AWD they're all driven so the wear is even.

outbackboy

My 2003 Outback with the 225/60 16's that were never rotated is a manual tranny which gives a 50 - 50 front to rear traction drive. I understand this is a different system than the auto which is like 90 front to 10 back. That may explain the mostly even tire wear. Most of my driving is around town which may explain the 50,000 miles. I wrote subaru about putting on 225/65 16's and also about ways to raise the body or suspension, however they just say they do not recommend making any modifications (to protect themselves I guess). The wheel wells look like they may have 1" of clearance at best and when the front wheel is turned to the limit as one person said the clearance is quite tight. I am beginning to think that it may not be worth the gamble to try the larger tires. I may just have to go back to an SUV or truck that is more suitable for offroad. I just hate to give up all the other advantages to the Subby.

Thanks again..............

ateixeira

It does wear evenly, in fact I have trouble keeping rack of when I did the last rotation because there is no visual clue.

-juice

njjuliano

Why not try plus zero of 235/60-16? Wider tire, with a bit radius, and less than the 225/65-16.