2010 Mitsubishi Outlander

ny_outlander · January 2010

I just found out from multiple dealers here in the US, that although Mitsubishis website lets you build a 2010 Outlander GT in blue, white or brown with Beige interior, Japan does not make them. Nationwide, there are only GTs with black interior. And the XLS does not come with a sunroof, so if you want a 6 cyl. with sunroof now, youre stuck with a black interior. Unless of course, they make them later in the year like they did the 2007 Red Outlanders.

My lease is up in October (July if I wanted another mitsu) but I may have to consider some other manufacturer. A beige interior is available for lesser models, but not the top of the line? Does that make sense? You would think top of the line means a pick of all the available options. I mean, its not like they are custom making a new interior, just installing one that is currently available on the XLS or SE. What could the costs be? They could even charge a premium for the color like a few other manufacturers do, but no. Wow, I think Mitsubishi has really outdone themselves this year to screw this up.

fushigi · January 2010

Have you talked to a dealer about ordering one with the beige interior? You have enough lead time that the unit could be built & shipped in advance of your lease expiration.

I bought a '10 GT last month and so far have very few nits to pick. The black interior was not my first choice either, coming from a Galant with a beige interior. But I'm hoping the tinted windows are adequate to keep the seats from hating up too much in summer. If not, well, mine is garage-kept at home & I can get partial shade at work so it won't heat up all the time.

The other thought is that perhaps sales experience favors black interiors much like it favors automatics over manuals. I don't know.

ny_outlander · January 2010

Wow, good luck with your new GT and I hope you're right. I'm sending off a letter to MMNA to see if that district sales manager was wrong and that a beige interior GT can be had. Man, and I was really getting excited. But that new brown color with a ??black?? interior instead of beige reminds me more of something else instead of chocolate cream mousse. I'm going for the blue myself. What's your, black or white?

How's the new GT? I was told, not that I believe it, that they added more sound deadening. Is it quieter than the previous years and do the doors sound less tinny when you slam them? (I kick the tires too, by the way). Less torque steer around slippery corners??

fushigi · January 2010

Mine is red; I put a profile pic on my CarSpace page.

I had only test-driven the '09 once back in July so I can't say for sure if it's quieter. But it's quiet to me. The 6 cyl is really smooth and there's very little wind noise. A little road noise now and again but nothing obtrusive. I don't think the doors sound tinny at all. There's a little noise freom the cargo area; I think it's the 3rd row seats not fully down, but I haven't bothered yet to isolate it.

I bough on December 5 and have already made use of the AWD (Chicago area snow storms), expanded cargo capacity (hauling lots of xmas presents & luggage to the airport), and increased seating (6 adults). With 1100 miles I'm getting about 20MPG overall on winter blend gas so fuel economy is about where I'd expect it to be, especially since I'm leaving the climate control on full auto and that runs the AC for defogging.

You might just want to call Mitsu @ 1-888-MITSU2010. It should net you a faster response than writing a letter.

ny_outlander · January 2010

Thanks. I made the call and they have a case opened for my question. Should find out in a day or so.

batman47 · January 2010

I bought my 2010 Outlander GT the 14th of December. At the moment it has 3,500 miles. I traveled to Glen Canyon (Utah) where I had to cope with temperatures of -12 degree centigrade. It was so cold that I decided to head to Los Angeles to enjoy warmer weather. To my misfortune LA was flooded with torrential rains and snows and highways closed. My GPS direct me to the East of LA in order to reach the north of California and avoid the closed roads. I found myself in the middle of mountains with heavy rain first and after torrential snow, with boulders on the roads and some tarmac washed away by dirty water. I drove through these roads for more than 60 miles until reaching the highway, which was still covered in snow, that eventually brought me to San Francisco.

I did use the snow mode and together with my Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S tires the driven was more than impressive. Some parts of the road had more than 2 of snow and the car never skidded or behaved unpredictably. The entire event was a rewarding experience indeed. The heated seats were great. The automatic screen wiper was great, and the xenon lights were great.

A couple of times I heard some short strange noises when the vehicle was brought to still when braking unexpectedly when in snow mode (automatic). It appears that the action of braking was faster than the automatic to down grade the gears to cope with the action of braking.

Although the stalk switch (steering lighting) has a scribble/icon to indicate that the facility of headlight (low beam) exist in the vehicle the dashboard doesnt show any illuminated icon to show that the headlight (low beam) is indeed ON. The low beam is only obvious when the xenon light illuminates the road. The dashboard only show when activated the following 3-icons are visible: High beam indicator (blue), front fog light, and position indicator. The stalk switch has 4-icons scribbled on it.

I am also getting 20 miles per gallon. Road noises are similar to those reached in the Outlander XLS. The Outlander is perhaps above average road noise. However, when the engine is warm and still the engine noise hardly can be heard. I havent noticed any vibration.

fushigi · January 2010

On the dash there should be a green icon with something in the middle and three whiskers/lightwaves on either side to indicate the lo-beams are on. I put my headlights on Auto and have left them there the entire time. The DRLs switch to lo-beams when I drive into my garage.

Sounds like you picked a less-than-stellar time to travel but at least you got to test the Outlander's capabilities.

I've also found snow mode to be very handy so far.

With a couple of bass-heavy songs I've had the stereo up to 42; any more and I'm not sure my ears could take it.

batman47 · January 2010

My 2010 Outlander GT (3,500 miles) started to show more frequently some kind of bumpy automatic change of gear (Tarmac mode) especially at low speed (usually when the vehicle starts moving). When the car is moving from steady speed to higher speed sometimes the change of gear can be felt as a noticeable step. On many other occasions I am unable to feel these patchy or bumpy automatic speed controls but when these happen it can be felt and heard. I wonder if other 2010 Outlander GT owners have experienced a similar situation.

I remember with my previous 2008 Outlander XLS with more than 10,000 miles the vehicle had a similar infrequent and not synchronized automatic behavior (which I thought was normal). In spite of the fact that the accelerator was pressed down the automatic didnt change the gear up and it took a relatively long time to change until a technician from a Mitsubishi garage in New York identified it and said that he needed to load some of the latest software (or patch) into the vehicle computer so it could regain normality (i.e. smooth automatic) which he did. The problem was solved.

I think I have also got a slight warp tire noise at slow speed. I have had the tires rebalanced and rotated with the intention that the warp noises may eventually go. No success. I wonder if the new Yokohama tires start to develop this phenomenon. I dont think -when I tested the brand new vehicle with the Good Year stock tires- I felt this slightly distorted (up/down) noise.

Comments appreciate it.

fushigi · January 2010

Well, I can notice the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts but pretty much all shifting after that is so smooth I can't tell what gear it's in without going to manual mode. I will keep an eye on it, though.

My '99 Galant, which I replaced with the '10 GT, had the occasional 1-2 shift flare but it never developed into a daily problem or led to a major issue. That car had a couple of recalls but IIRC none were powertrain-related.

If the tire balancing doesn't work, you can consider rotating the tires to see if the problem sound follows it. If it does then you've a bad tire. If not, there could be a suspension piece that's gotten bent (perhaps from hitting a bad pothole).

The only technical issue I've got so far is the headlights .. not really a problem for me but the default setting of 0 on the load leveler has them very close to intruding on the interior of cars in front of me. I'm debating making 1 my normal setting to be polite to others.

I'm in the Chicago suburbs so I've been using a mix of Tarmac & Snow modes. Snow proved it's worth in my first week of ownership.

piast · January 2010

That sounds like typical "drive-by-wire" sensation. You may notice it more easily with sudden acceleration or on a cold engine. I think this is common for all new vehicles with this feature. It sometimes feels like small turbo lag. I have my (07 XLS) computer "flashed" too, it fills better now, but only marginally. In normal driving, I don't feel any gear changes, and the re-programming was to fix slow acceleration from second gear (after making a turn for example). Original programming was geared more toward fuel economy, than spirited driving.

batman47 · January 2010

On the stock alloy wheels that come with the vehicle Outlander 2010, the transversal surface (the edges which are utilized to attach the wheel weights) is practically flat which allows attaching wheel weight circumferentially or transversely.

I ordered through my local Mitsubishi an extra alloy wheel Part# 4250B368 for my Outlander GT and to my very disappointment the wheel although it looks the same as the Japanese original the transverse surface has circumferential grooves. These circumferential cross sections of the wheel (where wheel weight are attached) dont allow attaching wheel weight transversally because the area is not flat. The dealer explained that after querying to MMNA he was told that few parts are manufactured for the Japanese market only, e.g. wheels, oil filter, jacks, etc. The final result of this is that the 5th alloy wheel doesnt have flat transversal surface (where wheal weights are attached) and indeed it is not equal to its other 4-siblings. Some of my friend has criticized for buying a alloy wheel (extra) but I have my personal reasons.

The curious thing of the whole occasion was that the technician that put the Yokohama tire on this wheel attached 16 wheel weights of ¼ ounces each circumferentially (15-pieces in one edge and 1 piece in the other edge). This was weird. This was the first time in my life I saw so many wheel weights in only one wheel. The dealer charged me $25 per each wheel tire assembly.

Talking with other tire specialists they told me that the number of wheel weights can be reduce significantly if the tire/rubber is rotate in relation to the wheel that sustains it. So this is what I am going to do next.

fushigi · January 2010

GT off-road video. Cross-posted from Mitsu's FaceBook page.

comem47 · January 2010

But where's the off-roading? :confuse:
(It's an interesting introduction, but is there a followup where they actually try to get stuck?) Gotta be a part 2 that's coming. I understand that it 's probably difficult to show the new S-AWC is better while not making the older system look bad, but I'll be curious to see what they demo comparing the 2.

fushigi · January 2010

Yeah, that's the gist of the comment I left for Mitsu on Facebook. OK video but it needed to actually show more off-roading, sand-slinging, crawling over a few rocks, etc.

batman47 · January 2010

Oscillating tire noise

I have inflated the 4-tires (Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S) to 37 psi from 32 psi (recommended by the manufacturer) and to my happy surprise the fluctuating tire noise simply has gone.

The ride now is pleasant. I thought that increasing the tire pressure the ride would become a bit harsh and I will be able to feel all the imperfection of the road but this didnt occur.

The solution has worked for me but it may depend on the make and manufacture of the tire.

cigarpro · February 2010

Hi Same problem here. The shift is noisy when cold but does seem to go away when warm. I took it to dealer for another problem. Bad injector turned out to be bad wiring harness. Had it replaced and shifting seems to have improved. Not sure if it is the fix or a fluke.

Cigarpro

batman47 · February 2010

My Outlander GT has 5,500 miles at the moment and I have been driving 100% only on Tarmac and I havent adventure to drive on any other road that this.

After washing my car a few weeks ago I felt nauseous when I saw 100 to 200 little paint chips (spots) caused by a combination of little stones flying from the front tires to the rear of the car and the little stones flying in opposite direction from the rear tires. The result was paint chips precisely located at the bottom of both rear doors and back panels (next message will follow with photo).

My previous 2008 Outlander XLS came with some transparent protection film exactly located in the same place where my GT got the paint chips. Mitsubishi engineers got it wrong again by thinking that a wider mud guard in the front tires and extra chrome extension than runs just under the doors (front and rear) will prevent paint chips on the car. Yes it prevented paint chips at the bottom of the front doors but unfortunately they didnt put on the protective transparent plastic film on the bottom of the rear doors close to the rear wheel arches.

I wonder if I can put a claim (warranty) for re-painting both areas. Reading previous forum members complaints it appears some dealers were willing to repaint it and others refused to do it. Will some members comment on this? I was told that the District manager or Mitsubishi District (Zone or Area) manager usually visits dealerships only one time per month and that I have to wait 20-days because the manager was in this particular dealership one week ago for his monthly visit! I have also been told that a reputable body shop will commonly charge $3000 to $4000 for a re-paint to eliminate the hundreds of little pain chips in both rear doors at the bottom side of the vehicle.

batman47 · February 2010

Rattles

I have collapsed the second-row of seats in order to have a temporary extra cargo space. To my disquiet, after the car started to move, the effect of having the rear seats collapsed produced an indescribable number of rattles (at least 3 different sources of noises) from only the event of collapsing the seats. The noises stopped after the seats were put back in their normal and usual seating position.

Will some members of this forum do a similar experiment of collapsing the seats and report in this forum a similar experience if any?

batman47 · February 2010

The dealer order a new back driver cover seat when he saw that 3 stitches (sutures) have become loose from the driver seat cover. The parts department ordered the leather cover by using the VIN# of my car. To the disappointments of the service people the cover was a very dark black that doesnt match the original color of my imported Japanese car which I believe is a charcoal color (not a deep black). So the technician didnt do the replacement. The parts department has insisted that in the USA there are only 2-colors being sold: beige and black. This is scary because I did have a very disappointing experience when I ordered a new alloy wheel. The alloy wheel for the 2010 Outlander is made in the USA and its inside design differs from the Japanese wheel siblings.

It appears that a numbers of parts for the Outlander sold in the USA dont match those of the Japanese market (site where the cars are manufactured) and MMNA doesnt bring those parts because MMNA thinks that those parts can be covered with products locally made in the USA by USA companies or subsidiaries. The results are, for example, leather color mismatch, inside wheel design mismatch, oil filter mismatch, jack mismatch, etc.

I have asked the dealer to take the original seat cover to a reputable upholster to re-stitch it and put it back on my car.

Furthermore, the bezel leather combination meter one edge protrudes out because the fastener clip will not clip properly as there is too much leather at this edge. The technician cannot put it right (the end finish doesnt look right). It appears when the car was in Japan the driver right air vent edges and the leather bezel combination meter edges dont fit evenly producing an ugly look that I wasnt aware when I bought the car. The Dealer has asked for a new bezel combination meter cover. However I am afraid that the USA color may not match the original (charcoal) color of my car.

mrdang · February 2010

Ah so looks like my investment in clear bra protection in that area will be well worth it. I feel your pain, batman. When I went a trip to the slopes and went back home, I noticed that those rear quarter panels got quite dirty. It is an area that I didn't think would take a beating because of the way the car is shaped. Good thing I don't have a degree in aerodynamics. HA.

Thankfully no rocks chipped that area, but I went to my local clear film specialist. He added some nice rear quarter panel protection there. BTW, I do not have mud guards.

mrdang · February 2010

I only notice rattles from the 3rd row seats. I will have to try to recreate the 2nd row seats. Its probably rattling because of the latch is not very snug with the locks.

In regards to the 3rd row, the rattles do go away if you have something moderately heavy on top of them. I have some folded up blankets back there.

fushigi · March 2010

http://www.edmunds.com/mitsubishi/outlander/2010/review.html

comem47 · March 2010

That review stated "Inside, there's a new LCD gauge display". Does that mean the former LED radio display or only the gauges through the steering wheel? The radio display really needed to be changed (washes out in sunlight) the other gauges were OK.

fushigi · March 2010

Was the display between the speedometer & tach color prior to '10? My GT's is full color but I know some older Mitsu's had a red display.

As to the navi screen, I have no idea if it was upgraded or not. It can get a little washed out but so far hasn't been a problem for me. But then my first months of ownership have been through a somewhat dreary winter; ask me again in July.

comem47 · March 2010

Yes, the display for engine,etc functions is between the tach and speedo on my '07. The display is normally red, but warnings like icing road conditions and low fuel come up with a yellow display. As I mentioned before I have no problem with this one(visible all times of the day) but the radio display(non-navi or music sever, just AM/FM/CD/Sirius with Rockford Fosgate) is totally useless in daylight. That and the fact the steering wheel program button for next channel means next in the spectrum, not programmed favorite next are my 2 biggest beefs with the vehicle . Otherwise I'm a pretty happy camper.

fushigi · March 2010

Well the red/yellow is now full color and the steering wheel controls do jump from favorite to favorite on AM/FM and by track on a playlist or CD. Haven't tried it on the satellite.

IIRC there is a brightness control for the nav screen; I seem to recall seeing that in the first days of ownership. If the screen does wash out I'll have to see if it can compensate. There just aren't that may screens that can overcome daylight so it may not be able to.

comem47 · March 2010

Not having a NAV screen( with no graphics to display) I would have preferred LCD, not LED. What makes it worse is when it's rainy and you turn on your headlights to gain also having the taillights on vs just DRLs on the front, the display steps down even further. While the gauge display is variable with intensity (and hardly needs it)the radio display only has those 2 levels (dim, and dimmer!!!)

fushigi · March 2010

I always like to know how close to empty "empty" is, and for my '10 Outlander I now know. It was getting low and I was going to fill up while running an errand. The errands didn't materialize and I've been shuffling our dog to the vet for some after-effects from having a fatty tumor removed so an opportune moment never arose. This morning forced my hand.

When the trip computer drops below 30 miles remaining, it changes from the number to "---" which I think is TC-speak for "too close to call". A couple of miles later the TC put forth a rather large orange "Refuel" warning and the pump icon on the gas gauge started blinking.

About 4 miles later I fulled up & was able to put in 13.6 gallons. AWD Outlanders have a 15.8 gallon tank (it's larger for FWD versions). So when the Refuel warning pops up you've just over 2 gallons left.

Normally I fill up when it drops around a quarter tank but it's nice to know there's plenty of headroom if I have to go longer.

Still averaging right at 20MPG. I'm tracking every expense for the moment so I can track not only the MPG but the cost/mile, cost/day, etc.over the car's life.

authurdent · March 2010

Your fuel finding are consistent with ours. Our old Mirage also flashed "low fuel" with 2 gallons to spare. Only difference is that we can't be so "devil-may-care" with the comparative half-mileage Outlander.

fushigi · March 2010

There's a as station about 3 blocks from my house. Along my 23 mile commute there are 25 gas stations that I can think of off-hand and that's without leaving the roads I take by even a single block. So while on trips I'll pay close attention, around my normal haunts it's no problem. I would have preferred a larger tank to simply go more days between fill-ups but even for highway trips, stopping every 300ish miles for a bathroom break is fine.

toomanyfumes · March 2010

I ran the fuel on my '07 to the point where it was flashing refuel and showed -- miles to empty. It also took about 14 gallons in the 15.8 gallon tank. By the way, I guess it's bad for in tank fuel pumps to run them that low on gas, the gas cools the pump or something?

fushigi · March 2010

The gas absorbs the heat from the pump. Sort of like a heat sink except that the gas moving in the tank helps draw the heat away.

I imagine with 2 gallons left there's not much risk but if you really run it down the pump could behave some potential for overheating. Not sure if it's much of a risk or not as while I've heard of pump failures I've never heard of them overheating.

Other factors like the outside temp could matter as well; 90 degree summer with minimal gas in the tank probably nets a hotter pump than 30 degree winter with the same amount of gas.

authurdent · March 2010

Good to know. I've had many people tell me to fill up at half tank, to avoid damage from condensation. I've always taken the tank to the "2 gallon warning," and have never had trouble with corrosion or fuel pumps.

fushigi · March 2010

Gas is what, 7 or so pounds per gallon so with just 2 gallons left you're still talking 14 pounds of heatsink (not to mention the gas transferring the heat to the tank & chassis and so on). And as your range decreases with the volume of gas in the tank, it's not like you'd be driving forever with less gas mass; you have to stop for more gas soon. Even if the pump was running on the hot side, it wouldn't be doing it for a sustained duration. Just a few miles.

I think you're fine to drive to the warning but shouldn't push it much beyond that if possible.

cadefoster · March 2010

Can anyone confirm this. Dealers in NE are saying mitsubishi are now only putting sunroofs in GT trims, not XLS. Although the mits web site lets you add the sun and sound pkg to FWD XLS's (not AWD), they can no longer be had? Has anyone recently ordered any such trim levels. Hey Mits, if you don't offer it, take it off your web site. Thanx

ny_outlander · March 2010

That's what I found, and I didn't know the website would let you install a sunroof on the FWD XLS. When I went shopping for the GT w/o NAV, I was offered the XLS but no sunroof so I stuck with ordering from the factory. The SE gets the sunroof option. Sucks, huh?

comem47 · March 2010

I wish I could give you my sunroof (2007 LS). Back then it was bundled in the "Sight and Sound package" when I really only wanted the "sound" and I rarely use it. I've heard of 1 or 2 exploding (thermal stress?), but not recently so maybe it was a fluke. Unfortunately these vehicles are so low volume, you're kinda stuck with what's already made.

toomanyfumes · March 2010

I've got the roof in my '07 LS also. Wife loves it, I only like it at night or on cloudy days, don't like the sun blasting on me. It is nice to tilt it up for ventilation.

batman47 · April 2010

I own an Outlander GT (7K miles). Passenger and driver areas are full of scratches everywhere. I did an experiment and use my finger nails to see if my finger nails were producing this numerous scratches and the results were that my finger nails were indeed producing the scratches on all the plastic covers including the silver painted areas. Now I have cut my nails to the very permissible nail cut and my wife simply hasnt follow suit.

I have also a Lexus SC300 and I can hardly see scratches in the same areas as the Outlander. What is true is a $ 10K difference in price. The learning of this is that there is a tradeoff between quality of the interior and price. The higher the price the better interior finish may be the answer when engine hardware, suspension, number of differentials and other things are similar when comparing similar make models.

batman47 · April 2010

My experience with car service garages (including Mitsubishi ones) is that personnel that do this service are constrained with time management and they usually have a boss controlling the time for doing a task and worse these garages employ just young lads with almost no experience to service your car.

Although I usually do the service of my cars there are some times that I take the car to some of these expert garages. With the like of Wal-Mart, Pepboys, etc. Recently I have problems with the staff at Pepboys. I took my Outlander for a simple change of oil where I took my own oil container, gasket and filter. The young technician struggled so much taking the old filter out that I thought he was doing something wrong with it. The young lad came to me to tell me that the gasket doesnt fit in the filter. So this technician couldnt tell that the gasket was for the drain plug. After this he took the oil container and dropped the 5-quarters of oil into the engine. After I paid for the service he returned the car to me. When I checked outside their premise the level of the engine oil I found that it was over full and flooded with oil. The amount of oil for a V6 engine is 4-quarters + ¼ quarter. He persisted in telling me that I shouldnt worry, that everything was OK until I complained to his boss who after an elaborated check found out that indeed the engine was flooded with oil. The young lad wanted to drain the oil through the drain plug and I had to ask then boss to use an oil extractor, which he did and instructed the lad to do the job. The lad took the extractor but didnt know how to use it. He didnt suck anything for 15 minutes until I approached the lad to ask him to call his boss to teach him how to use it. Eventually the boss had to do it himself.

The other frustration happened with San Rafael Mitsubishi, CA where under guarantee the drivers leather seat cover had to be replaced by a new one due to the original having some loose stitches in one end. The new part came in a compact package which as should be expected was full of wrinkles. As it is known the dealer instructs you to wait in the waiting room while the expert changes the cover. The car was given back to me with the leather cover full of wrinkles and the seat padding out of shape. I indeed complained about the wrinkles but I was told that the wrinkles will disappear after a couple of weeks. This didnt happen. I am not in California now and the Mitsubishi dealer at the other end of the Pacific is telling me to bring the car back to San Rafael.

authurdent · April 2010

I'm sure this topic is better dealt with in the Tires forum, but this forum seems to be more active. After a few months of ownership, I finally checked tire pressure. All 4 tires were 46psi ... cold! I looked at the manual, and the door jam, and 225/55R18 tires are supposed to be 32psi, cold.

While I always thought the ride was a bit "rugged," I never thought it was too harsh, but 46 seems crazy. Did the dealer over-inflate to show off handling? I tentatively deflated to 40, but just now took a leap, and all 4 tires are 32, cold.

Is there an "ideal" psi for general road conditions for the Outlander and Goodyear Eagle LS tires?

fushigi · April 2010

The tires most likely came that way from overseas. If you look around, you'll see it mentioned here & there that the factory has a tendency to over-inflate. If you want, you could gripe to your dealer that they should have caught that during their prep but it's a common enough problem.

32 PSI should be a reasonably balanced ride; definitely softer than what you're getting with 46 PSI. However, 36-37 would be a little firmer and provide slightly better fuel economy that 32. 36-37 should be noticeably softer that the 46 you mentioned. Dropping from 46 to either value may reduce your fuel economy a little, but I doubt it would be enough to notice.

batman47 · April 2010

To buy a set of new tires doesnt guarantee that once the car is moving it will not have for example, the dump-dump noise, in my opinion. I did an experiment with the brand new tires I bought Geolandar A/S-T. The dealer inflated the tires to around 37 psia according to my pressure gauge. I left the dealer with my new tires on but to my surprise I was able to hear that annoying bump-bump noise. I was disheartened so I reduce the pressure to 32 psia and the dump-dump noise was worse. Then I increased the pressure to 40 psia and the dump-dump noise was practically gone. The Geolandar is an all terrain tire and perhaps the size 225/55R18 is not the optimal for this type of tire with this dimension. I had a previous car with 235/60R16 with the Geolandar and it drove OK without any noise at all until I sold the car. My Outlander has 7K miles presently and the tires just look practically new. The little unperceptive dump-dump noise is still there but when my friend took me to home in his Toyota Camry I was able also to hear that unperceptive little noise in his car which has calmed my paranoiac super sensitivity to noises. No all tires behave the same.

authurdent · April 2010

We weren't getting any dump-dump noises. I was just concerned that we were running too-high psi, which would firstly diminish the tires too quickly, and secondly create a harsh ride, With 32 (cold) all-around, the ride is a bit smoother, but cornering seems to roll more than before. Our Mirage manual spec'd 29/26 front/back. This seemed to make sense, with engine weight. I would often keep cold tires at 31/28. I might do something similar with the Outlander, and run 36/33 cold.

authurdent · April 2010

According the Mitsu technicians, 35psi (cold) on all 4 tires seems to be the best bet. Sadly, where our old car 185/60R15 routinely got 60K, our new 225/55R18 might only get 25K. A MUCH higher price to pay for slightly better handling (and looks?).

batman47 · May 2010

My Outlander GT is presently in Ushuaia (Patagonia) the end of the world near the South Pole. Although the car is just a crossover it has shown that until now that it is coping relatively good with more than 2000 miles of almost unmaintained gravel road between Puerto Montt in the South of Chile to Ushuaia near the Antarctic at the very South of Argentina.

The Outlander GT has a total cargo equivalent to seven people and it has undergone a few terrible bashings when hitting unexpected pot holes. Speeds have varied between 5 miles per hour to 50 miles per hour of 5 to 6 hours continuous driving. The car has responded very well on uphill drive on terrains that were a mixture of pot holes, gravel, mud, stones, water channels and sand. In relatively non corrugated road the car managed to maintain speeds of around 50 miles per hour. Corrugated roads were a big problem for the GT.

The masters of these roads were the pickups of all makes. These trucks seem to drive about 50-60 miles per hour regardless of the condition of the unpaved road. However I was told that those pickups dont last more than 3-4 years on the road.

The car has all terrain tires (225/55R18), the engine oil is Mobil Synthetic 5W-20, and there is also a full size spare wheel/tire. So far I have suffered a puncture going in the direction of Puerto Montt. The full size spare wheel was very useful because it allowed us to continue our adventure until finding a proper tire repair garage.

I havent seen any of those expensive SUV, e.g. Toyota Land Cruiser, Rovers, BMW X5, Volkswagen Touareg or Audi Q7/Q5. I saw a few Outlanders old models, Jeeps, Dodges, Subarus, and Fords

Wheel profile seems to be paramount for unpaved road. Of the majority of cars I have seen the tire profile is not less that 70%. The GT is 55%. My opinion is that by increasing the profile of the GT from 55% to 60% the drive will improve on unpaved roads and still be safe. My next set of tires will be 225/60R18.

Two years ago I took my Outlander XLS to Alaska (Dead Horse) and now I am testing the GT on roads worse than those in Alaska. If the GT manages to stand firm in this adventure that will take me to the Atacama Chilean dessert, Bolivia, Peru (Madre de Dios), Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela I will credit this car as one of the best, because it has been tested in real and demanding roads and weathers. The test will be real and not at all [non-permissible content removed].

tidester · May 2010

I am impressed!

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

elgatoloco · May 2010

Batman, when you head up through Peru on the Pan-am highway turn right at the Blue Goose Inn about 50-60 miles north of Tacna. Another 50 or so miles ( and about 8000 feet higher above sea level ) see if an old company mining town named Toquepala still exists. I lived there for about 10 years.

Seriously though, if you are documenting your trip with video you should contact the folks at Mitsubishi Motors North America. Your journey would make a terrific Outlander commercial.

comem47 · May 2010

Batman,

This is one point I keep making about current wheel trends. Low profile tires/wheels may look good(current design tastes), but they are out of place on an SUV/CUV that will encounter less than perfect roads. Taken to the extreme there is next to no sidewall on say a 35 series profile tire and it is inviting disaster when it comes to destroying rims on potholes. This is one reason I bought an LS vs an XLS in 2007 (LS has 70 series vs XLS 55 ) and I added back features I wanted, vs paying more for features I didn't (like rear seat). I think all CUV/SUV vehicles mfgrs should think more about practicality and offer low profile as the option tire, not the standard. Low profile is contrary to what these vehicles are intended for considering the broad scope of their use. Now if you are talking something like a Corvette, then having a less squirmy low profile tire becomes more important for more direct steering response, but owners can expect to suffer the consequences on streets that are poorly maintained with potholes.

authurdent · May 2010

Batman, And here I thought I was a tough guy bouncing off a few curbs! Nice account of Outlander capability. Good luck with your trip!

As for tires and pressures. This all reminds me of many years of experience with bicycle tires. Cyclists will go to great lengths to find the skinniest/lightest tires, only to reduce psi so they can stand the ride. But this defeats the purpose since skinny squishy tires are more prone to flats. Its better to shod fatter tires and inflate to higher psi to get both comfort and handling. Right now I'm messing with psi on 225/55, but I might have better luck finding the sweet spot with 225/60 or 225/65.

2010 Mitsubishi Outlander

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