Tire recommendations ?
 

I'm in the market to buy tires for my Outback Suburu.
Current tires are General Alti-Max, that supposedly have a 70k mile warranty, but for me only got about 50k.

Won't buy Generals' again, so looking for a suitable replacement. Looking to purchase an all-season tire, good in snow, and a quite tire is mportant to me. I do primary around-town driving, but occasionally highway.

I've looked at Tire Rack website, and others for suggestions, but the info. can all be too confusing ?

Your feedback is greatly appreciated !

Only Walmart has the Goodyear Viva-3 ...... and no one else ..... is a mud & snow tire that is round, black, and looks like a tire ..... plus you get free tire rotation for life of Viva-3 at Tilton or Plymouth Walmart.

So sorry Gilford ..... Gilford Walmart does not have tire installation/oil change service ..... too bad!

Every time I take my Scion xB to the Plymouth Walmart it's get sandwiched in between a vintage Porsche and a late model Lexus! ...... both big money cars, there, for a new set of four Goodyear Viva-3's. ...... :eek: ...... so's join the parade and put some Viva-3's on the Suburu to make it a very happy Suburu!

I had great luck with Town Fair Tire.
They match the price of online sales.

Good Luck

I don't love chains, but Town Fair had wheels I liked for my 4Runner, so I went with them for my new wheels and tire package.

The 4Runner is notorious for having tire shimmy, so I needed to bring it back about ten times, but the thing I really appreciated about TF is that they NEVER suggested I should live with it. Maybe the only company I've ever worked with that I felt they actually cared that I was completely satisfied. Pretty awesome experience.

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Simple tire
 

They are easy to order from, carry tons of brands, and have free shipping. I really like and have had good luck with Solar. I have a pair on my '17 Forester and '96 Lexus. My sister has a set on her '14 Forester and my daughter on her '13 Pilot. They are quiet and have worn well. Can't beat the price either.

Here's one example of a common size...

https://simpletire.com/brands/solar-...e&productPos=3

BJs Wholesale
 

I've had good luck on my Outbacks with Michelins from BJ's in Tilton. They typically run a coupon every month with savings of $100 to $150 on alternating brands -- Michelin, Bridgestone, and Goodyear. They offer free lifetime tire rotations and if you also buy snow tires they will swap them over for free. Both my Outbacks wore out the original equipment tires within about 40,000 to 45,000 miles. On my 2012 I replaced the Continentals with Michelins and rotated them every 10,000 miles; they were going strong with about 70,000 miles when I traded it in. Recently put a set on my 2018 and hoping they will do the same. It's a bit out of the way but I get the tires rotated and then do the standard warehouse club shopping -- paper towels, water, etc...

IF you are also getting wheels, the Tire Rack will mount and RoadForce balance your tires for no extra charge and includes 2 years free road hazard coverage. The tires/wheels arrive all set to be put on the car.

If tires only, I go to Belknap tire because they do RoadForce balancing. Don't forget an alignment if you haven't had one done recently. Note that RoadForce balanced and properly aligned tires not only run smoother and last longer, but, IMO, tend to ride quieter as well.

Two of your requirements, good in snow and quiet, may be in conflict. Grippier tires tend to be a bit noisier, if not when new, then as as they age. On my truck I have Michelin LTX M/S. Good snow traction but a bit noisier. I don't do a lot of long haul drives with the truck so that is fine. When I had an SUV, I would put summer cruising tires on it and gripier snow tires in the winter. It is my OPINION that all season tires just don't cut it around herein the winter. I get a separate set of wheels for my snows so the tires don't have to be remounted every year. I go with a high rated (Tire Rack) Michelin summer performance tire (for an SUV it seems to be the all season Michelin Primacy A/S) and the Michelin X-Ice (SUV) for the winter. Yes, it's more expensive to have the two complete sets but if you want the best for the each season, that's the way to go.

The Primacy IS an all season tire so it "MAY" be sufficient in the snow but I have no experience with it. These kinds of questions tend to depend not only on the tire but also the vehicle it is being put on. One SUV might be good with the Primacy but another SUV only marginal.

Win-Win...
 

Comfort also decreases with age.

I gave up trying to get 70,000 miles out of new tires, and buy new tires when either the ride suffers--or they get noisy.

Fortunately, with my 14-inch tires, a Craigslist ad for good-looking tires (still on the car) will sell the old tires to buyers looking for trailer tires. (Trailer-marked tires are inferior to truck/passenger car tires).

Since I started this Post, thought I'd add I've bought from Town Fair tire for years, and have only had a positive experience, and will return again for next set of tires.

Will take everyone's comments when making decision, and thanks to all !!!!

I recently purchased tires at town fair tire for my miata. They were not able to get them properly balanced after taking the car back several times and even after replacing 2 of the tires because they were out of round. They finally offered to sell me a different brand of tire. I have to give them credit for being so patient trying to solve the problem. I ldiscovered that road force balancing is recommended for this car which town fair tire does not do. I finally gave up and went to a local shop that specializes in tires. Turns out that the rims and the tires had balance indicators that were ignored. The car is significantly better but Not 100%

Good to know belknap tire does road force balancing. I may take it there

http://www.forresthowesautorepair.co...-services.html on Route 3 just north of Plymouth in Campton and close to Exit-26 or Exit-27 on Route 93 is soooooo gooooood with doing alignments ...... is where the NH State Police take their police cruisers for a quality, $99 real deal, Forrest Howe alignment!!!!! ...... ;) ...... if you want your car to drive straight and hold road position/traction..... go take it to Forrest!

With the money you save on four Goodyear Viva-3 tires at the nearby Plymouth Walmart .... you save $99 buying four Viva-3 tires..... and go spend it on a Forrest Howe $99 alignment because Walmart does not do alignments .... just the tires.

www.tirereviewsandmore.com/goodyear-viva-3/ made at Goodyear plant in Lawton, Oklahoma .... www.facebook.com/GYLawton/

After Walmart installs the tires, you probably want to check and recheck the hubcaps and wheels to make sure they are on good. For replacing lost hubcaps, suggest you try www.rockauto.com. For replacing a lost wheel ..... call 9-1-1 ..... ha-ha .....just kidding! ..... that was a funny joke! ..... :eek:

With this in mind...

I purchased a set of 4 - 'Good Year Assurance 'tires for my vehicle. I drive mostly City (NH City) and very little highway. I have found these to be one of the best tires I have every had. They grab the road! Even when wet/snow covered very well. Even on icy surfaces they have been better grip than a lot that I have had. They are like one notch below the BEST that Good Year offered at the time. About $150/ea installed etc.

You can reach your own conclusion.

This is real world testing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22pMODgh6bE

Plymouth Walmart will get the Viva-3 tires with the aggressive, snow tire tread and studs/no studs available in one day, as well as having your size in the in-stock, more widely used Viva-3 all-season tread.

Viva-3 is en-TIRE-ly for you! .... ;)

Looking at a few state police cars, I've seen Hakkapelitta tire, winter treads, on all four wheels and it has a very different type of winter tire tread.

Great video that confirms the difference between "all season" and snow tires.

I have used both Bridgestone Blizzak and Michelin X-Ice. The Tire Rack ratings fluctuate slightly year to year as each brand tries to improve themselves but they are both excellent snow tires. In general, my opinion is that Blizzak has a slight edge in winter performance over X-Ice. However, Michelin has a noticeable lead in ride comfort and noise (especially as the tires age). Since the roads around here are generally clear and often dry between snow storms, I find the comfort factor (ride/noise) puts the x-Ice in the lead and their winter performance is excellent. I have them on two cars.

For summer tires, the Tire Rack ratings for the Bridgestone TURANZA QUIETTRACK and Michelin CROSSCLIMATE2 are both top rated. The Bridgestones are rated to be VERY quiet but not as good in snow. There are also other good tires by Pirelli, Continental, Goodyear, and others.

It all depends on cost and what trade offs you are willing to make.

All weather tires
 

Can't understand why SUV owners think they can conquer the world in their vehicles with all-season tires and vehicles not designed for off-road use. A trip to Wally World, that's about it.

Did research on all-weather tires vs all-season. Bought my first set Nokian WRg3 and never went back to all-season. I'm currently on my second set of WRg4 and love it. 40K plus wear and quiet at speed. Even pulled various SUVs out of ditches with ease! Both the Quattro and Challenger GT have WRg4s.

My significant other has the Goodyear WeatherReady on her Avalon and she will never go back to all-season.

Would be worth your while to investigate.

I've sold and installed tires for over 50 years. For my vehicles I buy nothing but Michelins. They may be expensive but if you keep your vehicle for a long time they pay for themselves provided you keep up chassis maintenance.
I have a 2011 Silverado, it came with Goodyear tires from the factory that were bald at 32K. I put Michelins on it and it now has 93K. If I was coming into winter I would probable change them now but I will probably have over 100K when I change them with 70K on them.

There are two kinds of tires: Michelin and everything else

For extending the life of the tires is good to check the tire pressure with a one dollar tire guage and remove any small pebbles stuck in the treads and make sure the valve stem caps are in place ...... hut-hut-hut! .... :D

Here's an interesting tire factoid about Michelin tires and 42-year old Michelin President ..... Edouard Michelin .... www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12993885 ... father of six, drowned in a May 2006 fishing accident, boat sinking off the coast of France.

Betcha he was not wearing a pfd? You know that a $4.50 foam swim noodle tied with a line threaded through the hole, and worn around his waist could have made a big difference for the Michelin man.

So many posts here so many possibilities.... Your outback is somewhat similar to the Forester that my wife drives, same drive train, however the outback has a bit longer will base....

We have tried many different tires over the years, on the various Foresters we have owned. The best by far have been the last two sets we have gotten. Both sets of tires where manufactured by Yokohama....

We first had the Ascend LX rated as a 85K mile tire, we where at about 60K when we replaced them... They still had tread left and likely could have gone to 85K however it was November, and my wife does a lot of traveling in the winter, so some new shoes came into the picture.....

After looking around we settled on the Ascend Touring-S very similar tread pattern and a 65K mile tire.... They have shown to create less road noise then their predecessor, handle the snow well, and ride comfortably.

Yokohama tires are available all over the place, however I did find the best deal was at Town Fair.... In my research the Yokohama's where the best compromise, when looking at ride noise, winter traction, est. mileage and price..... The money saved more then makes up for possible falling 10K-15K short on the mileage factor.

As s note I also priced out Michelin and Goodyear options, for similar mileage tires, which in my experience have done a much better job living up to the foretasted mileage estimates..... they came in $200 - $300 dollars more expensive.... What you learn with a Subaru, is that after about 10K-15K miles, if you have to replace a tire, you need to replace all 4.... saving that money makes it a little more palatable when it happens...

Anyway I will stop my rambling...

Yokohama is a very good tire also.Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

Can be difficult for some to take the time to view any posting video. Even if video has real life information.

I have purchased the Firestone Weathergrip for my AWD vehicle.
Don't need dedicated snow tires. But wanted something that was rated high in both rain and snow. As well as all season driving.

I also have Cooper CS-5 on my other vehicle. And really excellent in rain, snow, and ice. Got caught in a severe ice storm and I sailed along fine on highway with others got stuck or off road.

People seem to go by a brand and not by a specific model. All/most tire companies make varied quality tires to meet price points.
There is no one brand that is the best.

I skip the China tires and I skip the Korean tires. Have visited both countries. China can be a basket case when it comes to quality control.
May be a cultural thing.

Done some research, and have made some conclusions/decisions
 

First, THANKS to all for all the great responses !!!!
I started to my own research before hearing feedback, and have come to the same conclusion several others have also made.

Oh, I didn’t say what tires I’m replacing…. General Altimax RT43… they’ve been a so-so tire, but they’re rated for 70k miles,
and I have 45k now and should be replaced. I was actually told by Town Fair Tire could get another 10k miles more if I wanted to stretch it, but have decided to purchase new at this time. This is our main family car, and want to feel safe ! Because of the mileage the Generals have given I wouldn’t buy them again.

I have been a customer of Town Fair Tire for over 20 years, and they have provided excellent service and pricing. They also provide a free from-end alignment when you purchase tires, that’s a bonus !However, you may wait all day for your car to be serviced, as they have a ‘first-come’ first-serve policy, and not sure I want to spend all day in Concord, for the free alignment gimme.

That said, I think I’ll just head on over to BJ’s in Tilton, it’s only 20 minutes from the house. They offer basically, the same type service, with the exception of the alignment. In the past I’ve got my alignments at Stratham Tire in Laconia, and have been great. I will call Stratham Tire for pricing as well.

My research based on my car and needs have narrowed my tire search down to the following.
Yokohama Avid Acend LX (Made in U.S.)
Yokohama Avid Acend GT (Made in Phillipines-This said I would buy U.S.)
Michelin Defender
and the Sleeper in the pack goes to… wait for it…. wait for it……
UNIROYAL TIGER PAW TOURING H or V Speed rated
Rated best in category including WEAR, NOISE, SNOW etc
(Side note: Was told that Michelin manufacturers Uniroyal tiger paws)
Uniroyal has IMHO always been underrated and overlooked by consumers.

Hankook Kinergy ST still would be on my list but at bottom of others mentioned, these tires are made in Korea, but this company is a leading edge technology when designing tires. These tires give a lot of bang for the buck !

Yokohama Avid Touring S would be on the list also but Tire Rack rating indicate that they are not great in snow/ice. If someone can contradict that, I would like to hear your feedback.

Based on the above comments, my first choice would be 'Yokohama Avid Acend LX (Made in U.S.), and #2 UNIROYAL TIGER PAW TOURING.

I'm sure Michelin's are top grade, but so is their pricing, so for that factor nixing !

So if folks can give me there feedback on my comments would be greatly appreciated !

Being " in the business", Michelin Defenders get my vote!

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Glad you nix Michellin. The allroad came originally with the Pilot Sport AS3+. Third generation all-season high-performance tire. The tire was outstanding on the highways but a dog in extreme weather. Switch to the WRg4s and I am extremely happy. The Outback came OE with GEOLANDAR. Nice tire but feels like truck tires. Switched to the WRg3 and the vehicle feels more like a car.
The Avalon came OE with Michelin MXM4. Not as quiet as the Pilot at highway speed but a little better in extreme weather. GF bought Goodyear WeatherReady to replace them, told they were made in America. Tire has a code for Canada. Great tire but not as quiet as my WRg4. It is good in snow.

You won't find the Nokian tires on display at the tire dealers, but if you ask, they can get them for you. They are not popular tires here, but extremely popular in the snow belts of Europe. I was told Volvo shipped OE with Nokians but North American cars get 'domestic' brands. Something about the 'brand loyalty' cult of Americans.

I bought Hankook ICE winter tires for the Avalon because the MXM4 were not good for winter. Excellent winter tires but noisy as heck! Since the switch to WeatherReady, we never used them. The winter tires are available if anyone is interested.

Doing a quick peruse on Micheliin, it looks like their Michelin Defender is their lowest priced tire so that makes it a good one for serious consideration if I go with Michelin?

Who knows but maybe there's a real deal way to make a driving comparison between the Goodyear Viva-3 and the Michelin Defender? For every Defender purchased there's probably like a thousand Viva-3 that get purchased in the United States? Just based on the U.S. sales volume Viva-3 will most likely roll over the Defender for driving tire safety.

Never going faster than 75-mph is something to consider when shopping for the Viva-3. That's something you will never hear from a tire maker because it's a sales killer but is probably true ..... or at most, never-ever going faster than 80-mph. Tire traction goes down as the speed goes up.

www.tiredeets.com/goodyear-viva-3-review/

Every Nokian tire I've seen has worn out before it's mileage rating. They say all season but they are more like a snow tire. If you run them all year they will wear out quickly.

Not my experience. I'd rather have the comfort of knowing I can handle extreme weather. 44,000 miles on my current set of WRg4.
We only got 30+ on the Michelins. The tire salesman claim OE tires are of a lower quality to satisfy the bean counters. I can't find evidence of that.

Do-it-yourself tire rotation with two el cheapo $30-floor jacks should be doable?

Will this work?

Using two el cheapo floor jacks placed under opposite tires; front right and rear left ....... remove both wheels and reinstall to opposite corner.

Ditto this again ....... on opposing two wheels ...... front left and rear right.

This should be doable?

With just one jack, is not doable, but with two jacks, is doable. Is good to chock the two tires that stay on the ground, so the chocks face each other.

Hey Biggd ...... in your fifty years working on tires ..... you must have done this, somewhere, without a lift!

You know that Tire Warehouse in Laconia has no lift, and will use four floor jacks for each car, but not the $30-el cheapo floor jacks from Walmart.

The internet says it only costs $2.50 to get each tire rotated at Walmart but I don't believe it ...... is too low price to be true!

Of your Two Top choices I don't think you can go wrong. Do to my past experiences I would vote for the Yokohama, we have been very pleased with the product, as previously mentioned.

I have had Uniroyal Tires on other vehicles I have owned, and they hold there own.... Another tire brand that is often over looked is Cooper.... Before Yokohama, Cooper was a favorite of mine. The only issue has become price... Cooper are expensive........

While we are on the subject of tires, for others reading this thread... Beyond my wife's subaru, I have a Silverado... the go to tire there is the Goodyear Wrangler SR-A..... I have put them on my trucks now for over 10 years..... always get the promised treadwear and even better usually... Another great tire....

When I stated out as a kid I work at a gas station with only 2 bays. All tire work was done outside on the ground all year long. Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

Big surprise here ..... turns out that ten dollar price for rotating all four tires at Walmart is correct ..... I checked at the Plymouth store ..... so why mess with two jacks and all to do-it-myself .... plus working with tires and cars and jacks can be ...... is ....... dirty, heavy, and dangerous work when done at home with el cheapo floor jacks on a soft dirt driveway.

Four tires and wheels probably have a total of 20 lug nuts or lug bolts and doing it yourself gives you an up-close experience with your car!

But if you was like really really desperate or lived in that Moultonborough wilderness area or Alaska or someplace, rotating the tires can actually be done with just one el cheapo floor jack and one single el cheapo jack stand.

Could become a new reality tv show ..... ha-ha-ha-ho-ho-ho ..... get to work .... rotate these tires, now! ...... or pay ten dollars at Wally World ..... and get it done ......WRONG ...... oops .... I mean right!!!! ... for just ten bucks while you luxuriate in the big clean store, there. ..... :D

How much does it cost at Valvoline on Union Ave in Laconia where you probably get a higher level of quality service because it is less busy than Plymouth or Tilton Walmart? I don't know but I will find this out, soon.

And, Goodyear Viva-3 means permanent free tire rotation at Walmart which is a tough price to beat ..... but on the other hand ..... all four tire rotation at Walmart is only ten bucks ..... just get there early ..... like at 7-am, when they open, all 7-days of the week.

Interestingly, Consumer Reports says the mileage on the General Alti-Max is realistic. I had them on my previous car and liked them (sold car before the tires wore out). However, I've never gotten more than about 30,000 miles out of any tire. (Clearly I'm doing something wrong.) I believe the best expert reviews are at Tire Rack. They rated the General Alti-Max best in its category. Personally, if I got 50,000 miles out of a tire I would buy it again.

There are so many variables to buying a tire it's not as simple as pick a brand, a size, throw it on and ignore.

What are you putting them on and are the specs of the tire well within the tire ratings or just barely adequate? The latter is usually the case as it reduces the upfront cost.

What's the UTGQ rating?
What's the load range\index?
What is the speed rating?
What is the temp and traction ratings?
Are the tires properly kept in balance?
Is the car kept aligned?
Are the tired rotated frequently? Very important on AWD vehicles!
How is the vehicle driven?
Are the tires kept properly inflated?

To compare I have had 3 sets of General Alti-Max tires replaced after buying new, all were on AWD vehicles which notoriously are hard on tires, two set I got a little over 70K an one set (on my commuter car) I got a 100K but that is all highway driving. I am not a hard driver, tires are rotated every oil change (5K) and I get the tires road force balanced, checked annually when inspected and nitrogen filled.

Many of these popular tires are available with differing load index, speed ratings even with a tire that is the same make, model and size. The huge mistake most customers make when buying a tire is looking at the upfront cost and always opting for the cheapest price. The sellers to accommodate this will install tires are are borderline adequate for the application. The result is the cost savings up front will translate to shorter overall tread life.

Generally speaking you get what you pay for, a good quality tire properly spec'd for the application and properly maintained should easily be able to meet whatever the advertised tread life as advertised. If you are falling short of that then any one of the aforementioned is probably wrong or not being done.