Subies out of control!

[SkiDork]

I would love to get snow tires for my subie but I'm worried about tread wear and handling down here when there's no snow on the ground. I admittedly know nothing about snow tires.

Beano, I have 4 Nokian snows on my Suburban. 3rd season running them. I got some cheap steel rims so I switch between the all weather set in the summer and the snow in the winter, thereby increasing the life of both sets.

Handling with the snows on dry pavement: No noticeable difference from the all weather.

Tread wear? Just a bit, but still have a lot of life left in them.

I would go for it. FWIW.

 

[riverc0il]

I would love to get snow tires for my subie but I'm worried about tread wear and handling down here when there's no snow on the ground. I admittedly know nothing about snow tires.

The only difference you would really notice is "softer" cornering. Hard to describe. I notice it for a day or two after switching tires but quickly get used to the change and then don't notice the difference. Some people report some snow tires being "louder" but I have never noticed. Just get snows without studs and you are good to go. You may lose 1-2 MPG with snows. Tread wear will happen but that is why you switch them on and off for a few months out of the year. Honestly, even up in NH, 85% of my driving is still on bare road but snows are essential if you are chasing storms. or driving on snowy roads frequently.

 

[Geoff]

The only difference you would really notice is "softer" cornering. Hard to describe. I notice it for a day or two after switching tires but quickly get used to the change and then don't notice the difference. Some people report some snow tires being "louder" but I have never noticed. Just get snows without studs and you are good to go. You may lose 1-2 MPG with snows. Tread wear will happen but that is why you switch them on and off for a few months out of the year. Honestly, even up in NH, 85% of my driving is still on bare road but snows are essential if you are chasing storms. or driving on snowy roads frequently.

I've never noticed an MPG drop with snow tires. I think it depends on what you're using for tire pressure more'n anything. My MPG drops in the winter because the air is much more dense when it's cold. On my SUV, the decline is significant since it has such a big surface area.

My snow tires are louder than my summer tires. The Blizzak WS-60's I run now are quieter than the Nokians I ran on my last GTI.

My rims on my winter setup are 2" smaller than on my summer performance setup. The handling difference between low profile tires and big profile winter tires with soft sidewalls is dramatic.... but I don't have to worry about bending very expensive alloy rims in pot holes.

 

[billski]

you can get regular or performance snows. Regulars have softer rubber to grip ice better. They wear out faster. Performance snows have harder rubber this not as good on ice, wear longer and are quieter. I havve one set of regular on the van and one set of performance on the sedan. Done lots of back roads snow covered miles with both. Happy with both. Wife is very nerveous winter driver.. I do a ton of highway miles on the sedan. Both are blizzaks.

 

[BeanoNYC]

I'll have to start looking into prices. Maybe have them put them on the same rims this season then check out CL for rims in the future. Who knows...with the baby, I'm not getting a lot of days in. Perhaps I'll look to pick them up over the summer for next season when we'll be bringing her up.

 

[BigJay]

My rims on my winter setup are 2" smaller than on my summer performance setup. The handling difference between low profile tires and big profile winter tires with soft sidewalls is dramatic.... but I don't have to worry about bending very expensive alloy rims in pot holes.

See, i prefer the handling of my car with the 16in winter wheels then the summer 17in...The 17in are so harsh... The 16in are also a lot lighter... which makes steering and parralel parking a lot easier!

My car runs on 205-55R16 in winter... It's a pretty expensive size... I know some expensive cars have that size like BMW 3 series, Mercedes C class, Subaru Impreza and Audi A4... No wonder it costs a lot for tires!

If i could run 15in wheels in winter it would mean a lot better handling (and lighter on the wallet!) but the discs are so big that i can't go any smaller...

 

[mondeo]

If i could run 15in wheels in winter it would mean a lot better handling (and lighter on the wallet!) but the discs are so big that i can't go any smaller...

I'm forced into 17" wheels due to my brakes. Which also forces me into 225 width snows. My old Cougar with 225/65-15s handled better in the snow, especially the kinds that push cars around. And larger sidewalls give you worse handling, just better ride comfort. Responsiveness is sacrificed.

But AWD, limited slip diffs, and snows - I can still accelerate quicker than a lot of cars can on dry roads. Makes for some fun. When I need to redo my brakes, though, I'll consider downsizing to the WRX discs. I really don't need the brakes I have now, given that I don't autocross or do track days, and it would probably be just as expensive to replace the disks as is as it would be to switch over to the smaller brake setup. And it would allow me to go to 15" wheels in the winter, making it that much better in the snow.

 

[Geoff]

See, i prefer the handling of my car with the 16in winter wheels then the summer 17in...The 17in are so harsh... The 16in are also a lot lighter... which makes steering and parralel parking a lot easier!

My car runs on 205-55R16 in winter... It's a pretty expensive size... I know some expensive cars have that size like BMW 3 series, Mercedes C class, Subaru Impreza and Audi A4... No wonder it costs a lot for tires!

If i could run 15in wheels in winter it would mean a lot better handling (and lighter on the wallet!) but the discs are so big that i can't go any smaller...

You think 17" wheels are harsh? Maybe you should upgrade to a Crown Vic?

I run 205/55R16 on my GTI in the winter. 15" wheels won't fit over my brakes. I'd be really surprised if many Bimmers or A4s come through with 16" wheels.

 

[BigJay]

I'd be really surprised if many Bimmers or A4s come through with 16" wheels

Pretty much the standard... I gave my used winter tires to my friend who has an A4 Quattro from a few years ago... My boss has a 328XI with same size tires...

 

[Marc]

I just came in here to say my '99 Outback 5 spd with Firestone Winterforce tires ownz trucks and suv's running around here on AT tires (it's the compound, not the tread, numbnutz).

Also to say to you both good luck, we're all counting on you.

 

[Geoff]

Pretty much the standard... I gave my used winter tires to my friend who has an A4 Quattro from a few years ago... My boss has a 328XI with same size tires...

OK. I just looked it up. A completely stripped A4 has 16" wheels. If you get any of the packages or the bigger engine, you end up with 17" or 18" wheels. The Bimmer is the same way. The stripped one has 16" wheels. I'm used to looking at S4's and M3's.

 

[Euler]

I'm driving a Forester this year after many years in a Focus Wagon with studded snows. I started out the season with the tires that came with the Subie and the first snowfall convinced me that AWD was in no way a replacement for snow tires. Went and got a set of snows put on it and now all is good between me and my Subie.

 

[mlctvt]

I would love to get snow tires for my subie but I'm worried about tread wear and handling down here when there's no snow on the ground. I admittedly know nothing about snow tires.

I've got performance snow tires, Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3s in size 215/45/17. Their dry road performance and handling is better than the stock Re-92 tires in every way. I live in southern Connecticut so I had the same concerns you had about dry road performance. I was pleasantly surprzied just how well they handle, none of the normal snow tire "squirm" but they're unbelievable in snow and Ice. I can get three winters out of a set. Probably 15,000- 20,000 miles.
Read the reviews on any of the Subaru forums and Tire Rack.

 

[BeanoNYC]

Thanks for all the help on the tires guys. Going to look into it. I put 25,000 miles on the car in the last 11 months, don't want to buy a new set each year.

 

[Geoff]

Thanks for all the help on the tires guys. Going to look into it. I put 25,000 miles on the car in the last 11 months, don't want to buy a new set each year.

Look at the Nokian WR G2. It's an all season tire but it has siping cuts for black ice performance and an aggressive enough tread to be severe service (snow tire) rated. If I were doing big flatland miles, that would be my first choice.
http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=11899&group=1.02&name=Nokian+WR+G2

The regular Nokian Hakka snow tires wear very well. I saw 4 winters out of mine where I was probably doing around 8K-10K per season. This all season tire should wear like any other all season tire.

 

[WJenness]

OK. I just looked it up. A completely stripped A4 has 16" wheels. If you get any of the packages or the bigger engine, you end up with 17" or 18" wheels. The Bimmer is the same way. The stripped one has 16" wheels. I'm used to looking at S4's and M3's.

You can still put the 16" on the A4.

I've got the '04 A4 3.0L V6 Quattro with the sport package.

The sport package comes with 17" wheels, but you can go down to 16" for a winter setup (in fact, it's recommended).

-w

 

[Geoff]

You can still put the 16" on the A4.

I've got the '04 A4 3.0L V6 Quattro with the sport package.

The sport package comes with 17" wheels, but you can go down to 16" for a winter setup (in fact, it's recommended).

-w

Right. I run 16" on my GTI in the winter. I have the same brakes as the A4. I really wanted to run 15" wheels but there's no way I'd have enough clearance. I don't mind having huge flabby sidewalls for 4 months in the winter to make myself impervious to pot holes.

All I was sayin' is that I don't see a whole lot of A4's and Bimmers in the summer with 16" wheels since most people buying those cars don't get the entry level model. I was actually surprised that they still ship with 16".

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

I'm running Continetal ExtremeContacts (performance all seasons) 235/45zr/17 and they've been great...i have 5spd manual, sport package.