Puck it
Well-known member
My son had them on the Liberty bit they were the AT ones and they were good in the snow.
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Subaru
- Thread starter SkiDork
- Start date
My son had them on the Liberty bit they were the AT ones and they were good in the snow.
xwhaler
Active member
You probably already saw this but those who reviewed them on TireRack are also not fans
xwhaler
Active member
Puck it
Well-known member
BTW, the OEM Goodyear Eagle ST's on the Liberty sucked in the rain even.
Geoff
Well-known member
Every tire sucks at something. Consumer Reports bashes Nokians and Blizzaks for hydroplaning.
If I end up getting an Outback, I guess I'll get 17" winter wheels and put Nokian Hakka SUVs on them. From what I've read, Subaru requires you reprogram the car when you swap TPMS. That's really annoying compared to my VW where I can buy a set of 4 TPMS on Amazon for $100-ish and the car figures it out when you swap between summer & winter tires.
Edd
Well-known member
I bought new tires for the Forester recently and there was no mention of reprogramming. I didn't even think about it but I bought them at Town Faire Tire. I just assumed it was taken care of.
Cannonball
New member
She's getting snows put on tomorrow. I agree with what you say, but the Geolanders get some reviews that make them sound horrible even in the rain. So I'm not sure if they are ever going back on. Want a set cheap?
Yeah I saw that. Bad stuff.
Oh, I should also note as part of this: I checked the tire pressure today and they were nearly 10psi over inflated. As I mentioned this car is only 3 months old with only 3,500. So basically it's new off the lot. I never considered checking the pressure until we had this problem. Could be a contributing factor.
Edd
Well-known member
Yup, that could do it.
Newer VWs, or at least mine, use the ABS sensors to just monitor wheel diameter so no tpms sensors needed at all and you just hit the reset button when you swap wheels.
AdironRider
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I suspect over inflation isn't hurting your snow performance, low pressure would be worse.
Did you check the tire pressures after the car had been driven, should register a higher psi that way?
Puck it
Well-known member
Love that.
Geoff
Well-known member
I have a 2007 MK V GTI with the pressure/temperature senders in the valve stem. VW went to the ABS solution with the MK VI.
The Subaru solution where you have to reprogram the car when you swap between winter and summer wheels blows.
Edd
Well-known member
I'd think low inflation = softer tires, which would be better for snow. Overinflation would tighten up the tread and decrease grip on snow.
AdironRider
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Snow is unique opposed to other forms of terrain/weather that would require 4x4. You want minimal surface area so the tires punch through down to pavement. Otherwise running a low tire pressure increases the surface area of the contact patch, and will result in less traction as a result.
All other 4x4 areas low tire pressure is your friend.
Puck it
Well-known member
. Yup. 14psi for sand and all seasons are best for sand.
Geoff
Well-known member
For winter driving, I don't think there is an ideal tire width because there are so many different kinds of road conditions.
In unplowed slush, a wide tire will want to hydroplane and a narrow tire is an advantage.
The worst traction condition is black ice where the water layer on top of the ice is what makes it slippery. On that condition, you need something to channel the water away. That's why friction tires have all those siping cuts. Width is inconsequential compared to tire design.
I don't encounter much deep, unplowed snow. I think most of us mostly drive on plowed, packed, snow-covered roads where you can't possibly "punch through to pavement" unless you're running on steel rims. In that condition, I think more surface area touching the road and an aggressive tread pattern work better than a really skinny, over-inflated tire.
I optimize for black ice since that's the surface where I'm most at risk to crash my car. I just run the same width as my summer tires but I don't have super-wide summer tires. I guess hydroplaning on slush is the 2nd worse condition I see so I might consider going narrower if I had really wide stock tires.
Cannonball
New member
Got the snows on last Thursday. All the difference in the world!
I don't think the Geolanders are going back on ever. Kinda sux to throw away a brand new tire. They provided probably the worst driving experience I've ever had in 30 years on the road. As I read more and more reports about people having the exact same experience I'm getting pretty pissed at Subaru for stocking them! The New England Subaru consumer has some pretty obvious reasons for choosing their vehicle. Putting tires on that completely negate the AWD is pretty irresponsible.
I don't think the Geolanders are going back on ever. Kinda sux to throw away a brand new tire. They provided probably the worst driving experience I've ever had in 30 years on the road. As I read more and more reports about people having the exact same experience I'm getting pretty pissed at Subaru for stocking them! The New England Subaru consumer has some pretty obvious reasons for choosing their vehicle. Putting tires on that completely negate the AWD is pretty irresponsible.
Geoff
Well-known member
I borrowed Dork's 6-cylinder 4th generation Outback on Saturday. There are none on dealer lots to test drive and I thought the 4-cylinder was really underpowered.
I'm wondering how the Nokian all season would perform as a year-round tire. It's heavily biased towards winter performance. Assuming I stay on plan and buy a Subaru sometime soon, I think it would be a good experiment. It's certainly easier than messing with winter wheels and reprogramming the TPMS system twice per year.
http://www.nokiantires.com/winter-tires/nokian-wrg3-suv/
AdironRider
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Is it really that annoying though?
I would find myself being much more annoyed with the resulting compromise (which all, all-season tires are) than having to jack with a TPMS light twice a year.
Ultimately I'd just pull the bulb for TPMS and call it fixed. Thanks Uncle Sam but I can check my own tire pressures myself.
I would find myself being much more annoyed with the resulting compromise (which all, all-season tires are) than having to jack with a TPMS light twice a year.
Ultimately I'd just pull the bulb for TPMS and call it fixed. Thanks Uncle Sam but I can check my own tire pressures myself.
Cannonball
New member
Exactly. Went sans-TPMS on the snows we just put on. The light hasn't bothered me for a second. But anyone know the vehicle inspection rule on this? I assume it won't pass inspection with the light on. Just happens that the car is on a December inspection cycle. So I probably either need to pull the bulb or wait until mid-Dec (after inspection) to put the snows on.
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