Forester 2006 Replacement Tire or Tires?

cmledmunds

My 2006 Forester has only 14,000 miles. My passenger rear tire has a nail on the inner edge and can probably not be patched. The dealer service that has my car now said I must replace all 4 tires because there is a difference of greater than 2/32. Mine are at 7/32 (new are at 10/32). So I just missed the cutoff to replace only the damaged tire--at least by Subaru Service.

The originals are Yokihama Geolanders, and I haven't been very happy with them because they tend to lose air fairly quickly (with minimum driving). My dilemma is I don't really want to replace all 4 tires and don't know if I need to. I can get just one replacement tire at a tire store. However, I might look into another brand that would work on my Forester. I'm looking for something cheap but quiet and able to handle snow.

ateixeira

They are using the wrong yardstick. It's not 2/32" of tread difference, it's 1/4" of difference in the diameter of the tires. Perhaps those are similar.

That mileage seems pretty low. I'd get a 2nd opinion, or measure the rolling diameter and compare to a new one (perhaps someone here has that info for you?).

cmledmunds

Thanks for the info. I'm just a dumb car chick who is very busy at work today but needs to resolve this dilemma. The 2006 Forester tire specs: 215/60-16. I think I can get away with one tire, but again, I'm not thrilled with the current Yokohamas. I've heard good things about the Goodyear Assurance Triple Treads on the Forester. Any suggestions on whom to consult or what to replace them with?

leo2633

You might want to try tirerack.com. Their site has a LOT of tire info. You can search by vehicle, or you can give them a call. They have always been very helpful to me. However, don't be surprised if they tell you the same thing, that you should replace all four tires if they aren't all within 1/4" circumference or so. To do otherwise can lead to excessive wear on the AWD system, according to Subaru.

Regarding a good tire selection, I can tell you what has worked for me. I have a 2001 Forester and I have been very happy with Continental's ContiExtremeContac's. I'm on my second set, and will be putting on a third set when these ones are worn. However, I do use dedicated winter tires during the winter months (Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50).

I hope this helps.

Len

ateixeira

Sorry, that's right, it is CIRCUMFERENCE.

I stand corrected. I've mixed that up more than once, it's 1/4" difference in circumference, not diameter.

CR named the Falken Ziex 512 a Best Buy and they're sold by VulcanTires.com and by Discount Tire Direct, but not at Tire Rack. They don't have that long of a tread life, but they're inexpensive, and if you slash another tire you're not losing a bigger investment.

xwesx

I used some Goodyear TripleTreds on an Outback. I put about 25,000 miles on them before I lost the car, but they provided fabulous handling on dry, wet, snow, and ice. Exceptional tread wear as well. I expected them to go 70,000 miles before thinking about replacement, which, for that car, meant they were the last set of tires I planned to buy for it!

The only down side to them was fuel economy. They dropped my fuel economy about 5%, unless there was some other problem that started concurrently with installing the tires. At the 22 mpg I would get with that car before hand, the result was not huge (about 1 mpg), but it was consistently less - especially on dry roads.

paisan

14k miles is way way too much to change only 1 tire. You are about 1/2 way through the life of the tire. Change all 4 to be safe, unless you plan on trading in the car in the next 2 years.

-mike

cmledmunds

Thanks--it looks that way. I'm looking for a good deal. Have you heard anything about Bridgestone 50000? They have buyone, get one free at Mr. Tire for $120.00.

cmledmunds

Oops--I got the wrong info (have someone doing research for me). It's Bridgestone Potenza G009, buy 3 & get 1 free for $126.99. I think someone in a forum liked them.

xwesx

I agree, Mike. 14,000 is quite a few miles, especially if the tire does not have exceptional treadwear. I had a sidewall failure about 20,000 miles into a set of Goodyear Allegra tires (80,000 mile treadwear), and only replaced the problem tire. It seemed fine on dry roads, but on gravel or ice, I would notice the back end of the car shift a little about once every 2-3 seconds, depending on speed. The car never had that problem before I replaced the tire or after I replaced the set. Overall, the car did not seem any worse for the wear, but I am certain it put quite a bit of strain on the AWD system.

paisan

I just put those 009s on my dad's 95 Impreza L. He liked em in our last snow/ice we had. So so far so good with them.

-mike

leo2633

I put the G009s on my kids cars: a Hyundai and 2 Nissans. They seem to do very well in all road conditions and have worn well also.

Len

ateixeira

Vulcantire.com has the Falken Ziex I recommended for $60 each, so $240 for a full set of 4, plus shipping. I'm pretty sure you can have them shipped to a shop that will mount them, too, check there.

They are a directional tire with very good grip. The only catch is tread life is not that good. Consumer Reports named them a Best Buy.

cmledmunds

Thanks for the info--thanks to everyone who replied. I think I'll probably get the Potenza G009s and stop obsessing over fuel economy and noise. My current Geolanders are supposed to be loud, and while they're by no means quiet, they're not too bad.

msera

I have a 2001 Forester S with 215-60-16 tires. I need to replace them and I am thinking about 215-65-16 for a taller tire. Anyone try this. I dont think the 215-60-16 fill the wheel wells very well.

saywhat

Hi
What tires would be good for a 04 forester turbo?
Thanks

bigdadi118

Tire size calculator ... the new tire diameter should be within 3% difference of the OEM tire

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/brochure/info/tmpInfoTireMath.jsp

cmledmunds

After over-researching replacement tires in December 2007, I selected the Bridgestone Potenzas. While they were noisy, they were great for handling. I maintained tire pressure, balance, and alignment for the past 3 years. Despite putting less than 30k on these tires, there is a sidewall crack in the rear passenger tire. In May 2011, I went to get a 6-month rotation, and the tire folks wouldn't do it because they said I needed new tires again. WHY?! No, I didn't hit a curb. I also don't have a garage where I park my car, but give me a break. Less than 30k on these tires in less than 3.5 years.

Now I'm looking to replace all 4 again. At this point, not only do I not know what tires to get, but I don't know the best place to buy them. I've decided against buying online because I need to find a place with good service, and I want to be able to check the tire DOT code on site. Ideally I'd like to find something for less than $100/tire. So far I have recommendations for Yokohama Avid TRZ @ $127 and General Altimax HP @ $117.

This AWD thing is expensive. Where should I go, and what should I buy that will last 5 years with less than 10,000 miles of travel/year?