All season tires

[Jegan_V]

Originally Posted by Lelandjt

Wouldn't a high performance all-season tire be the ideal tire in cool, rainy conditions? So it's not useless, just not good in hot/dry or cold/snowy. If you live in a place that rarely has those conditions but is often mild temperatures and wet are there rain specific tires that are better? When I had my STi in the high mountains of Colorado my summer tires were the highest performance all-seasons I could find because that car rarely saw temps above 75°, frequently saw 32-55°, and saw about as much wet pavement as dry. For winter I had a set of snow tires on other wheels.

If you don't have to deal with freezing rain, then you won't be seeing the worst problems of using all seasons. My issue with all seasons is when you frequently have temps going below and above 32F. They're already less effective when that cold vs. winters and now you're telling them to deal with ice. You need every advantage possible when dealing with ice, heck even winter tires are not perfect during that but at least you equipped your tires as best as you could to give yourself as much braking and traction possible.

You absolutely can get through a nasty winter on all seasons, I've done it several years, but those weren't my own vehicles. The thing is I've also experienced the limits of all seasons and that's why I never recommend them for 4 season use in a place where freezing winters is a thing. I however choose safety over convenience with a compromise when it comes to tires which means 2 sets of tires. Want a winter tire that's for every season? Go with an all weather one, they're fantastic but expensive.

As for the michelin crossclimate2 just posted, that's an all weather tire and that I have no qualms about that for safety.

[Lelandjt]

So are we all in agreement that all-season tires are actually cool weather and rain tires? Are there summer tires that are better in rain or 35-65° temps than something like Pilot Sport 4S?

[bobka7914]

I ended up by purchasing Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06+, set of 4 $565.79 at Mavis tire Quakertown Pennsylvania. When the Limited comes in early next year, the dealership will road force balance and mount the Conti tires, taking off the Michelin summer tires.

I am considering purchasing a set of 4 wheels through TireRack for the summer tires. My research indicates 18 x 7.5 for a Limited automatic. However TireRack does not have that size available. Can you help me out with some suggestions or alternatives?

Thanks!

[LanceLane174]

Originally Posted by bobka7914

I ended up by purchasing Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06+, set of 4 $565.79 at Mavis tire Quakertown Pennsylvania. When the Limited comes in early next year, the dealership will road force balance and mount the Conti tires, taking off the Michelin summer tires.

I am considering purchasing a set of 4 wheels through TireRack for the summer tires. My research indicates 18 x 7.5 for a Limited automatic. However TireRack does not have that size available. Can you help me out with some suggestions or alternatives?

Thanks!

You can get 18 by 8 with no issues. But if I were you I would keep the summer tires on the oem rims and put the DWS on the new ones. Then I would tires that are a little wider for that wider wheel which is better in the snow.

[Midnightsky]

Originally Posted by LanceLane174

You can get 18 by 8 with no issues. But if I were you I would keep the summer tires on the oem rims and put the DWS on the new ones. Then I would tires that are a little wider for that wider wheel which is better in the snow.

Explain why that is better in the snow? My experience has been(fwd at least) that slightly skinner tires cut thru the snow better. Does that change with rwd?

[LanceLane174]

Originally Posted by Midnightsky

Explain why that is better in the snow? My experience has been(fwd at least) that slightly skinner tires cut thru the snow better. Does that change with rwd?

I think I got it backwards on thicker tires being better in the snow. What I meant was that if you are insisting on staying with tire rack and getting 8 inch wide wheels then I would not put the oem tires on them. Some here will tell you that isn't too much stretch, but if that is how they wanted the car to handle then they would have put these tires on 8 inch wide wheels.

If you find 7.5 inch wheels then it doesn't matter. But if you look at 8 inch wheels they tell you that the perfect size on that wheel is a tiny bit wider than our oem tires. But our oem tires are still within spec to go on an 8 inch wheel.

I went back and forth with all of this for the past 2 months. And now I am just putting All Seasons on and selling the summer tires that come with the car.

If I drive it for a few months and just have to have the summer tires then I will find 7.5 inch wheels so that it has the same feel that Subaru intended. But that's just me. I have driven 2 of the first generation cars and fell in love with how they handled so I don't want to mess with that too much.

[saluki89]

Does anyone know what Subaru will charge for their 18” wheels that are standard on the Limited? Just curious.

[azndavepgh]

Originally Posted by saluki89

Does anyone know what Subaru will charge for their 18” wheels that are standard on the Limited? Just curious.

MSRP is $398.40 each. You're better off buying them used or going aftermarket.

https://parts.subaru.com/p/Subaru__B...8111CC050.html

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by Midnightsky

Explain why that is better in the snow? My experience has been(fwd at least) that slightly skinner tires cut thru the snow better. Does that change with rwd?

2 differing theories.

first theory is that narrower is best to cut through the snow to the hard surface beneath for maximum traction.

2nd theory is that wider is best for maximum floatation on the top of the snow.

the main difference i've noticed it in is slushy roads, narrower is definitively better, as the slush just jams up the tread, and slips unless you get to and grip the road surface beneath it. but for area's that remain cold enough that they sand the roads instead of salt them, and it just becomes a hardpack instead of a mixture of ice/slush, i've always felt that wider is better to increase the overall contact patch.

[Midnightsky]

Originally Posted by azndavepgh

MSRP is $398.40 each. You're better off buying them used or going aftermarket.

https://parts.subaru.com/p/Subaru__B...8111CC050.html

Mine might be for sale as I want 16's anyway.

[wheelspeed]

I'd prefer skinny tires for snow around Pittsburgh where they salt. These cars will only be driven in a few inches at most, and better to cut through that to the street or hardpack snow below. 4x4 offroad guys like wide tires for mud for floatation so they don't sink up to their axles in a mud bog, but I doubt anyone will be driving a brz through 4 inches of unplowed snow.

Maybe it depends where you are. I visited Edmonton, Canada one week in January and it was -40 one morning and the snow was almost sticky it was so cold! (Fun fact, -40 is the same in F or C.) And it seemed they just used sand up there. Maybe wide snow tires are okay up there.

[Lantanafrs2]

I can tell you that the low cost all seasons you get at shithouses like tire kingdom suck. Mine make noise and are wearing quickly despite reasonably mature driving and a spot on alignment

[azndavepgh]

This video is pretty good:

[PhatFreshPrince]

Okay, I watched the video. It really made me appreciate living in the south. If I want to splurge, I can get summer tires that are really sticky and run them until they are bald. Or get the tires with the longest warranty that does not break the bank. I could not imagine having two sets of tires.