Topic: Tires for Subaru Legacy GT

[Lamey]

Hey guys,

I just bought a 2001 Subaru Legacy GT with just over 50kms on it. It appears as the stock tires are POS since they are already worn out..
I don't want to get the same ones, but was hoping to get some advice from the many Subie owners out there.
I have a family friend who owns an auto shop who swears that Cooper all-season tires would be perfect - cheap and guaranteed for 100km. Should I get these? Has anyone heard of this make?
I spent quite a bit of $$ on the car and I don't really want to be left with crappy tires for a sporty wagon..  

Any recommendations??

[davidm]

What part of the country are you in?  How aggressively do you drive your car?  What aspect of the tire is most important to you - price, longevity, noise, traction, etc.?  How much were you mentally preparing to spend?

These things will help us make some recommendations.

[ovr50]

Just so your expectations are not too unrealistic - getting 50K on the OEM tires is not bad and they are 4 or 5 years old to boot. Also, getting 100K on ANY tire is going to be a challange. Certainly won't happen if you drive your "sporty wagon" aggresively. Just something to think about.

[Lamey]

I'm located in Toronto, mostly doing driving through the city. I guess price is a priority - I assume that it will be in the $800 ballpark, but if I can get anything decent for cheaper, that would be nice. If they could last a bit longer than the original set, that would be nice too!! :-)
I think I have the Potenza RE92 on now..
Would all-seasons cut it for city driving in the winter? Or should I look at getting 2 sets?

Thanks again!!

[bittermelon]

If you want an all round tire with decent wet weather traction, mileage, quiet ride the Pirelli P3000 Cintauro was a good match for our Subaru.  It's a touring tire but it held up pretty good at a driving school.  It doesn't sidewall flex as much or have vague steering that plagues most touring tires.  It won't give you as much absolute grip as a summer tire but enough for day to day driving and emergency maneuvers which we were practicing at the school.

If you want something more sporty, but it comes at a price of less mileage and more road noise the Kumho KH16 Solus Tire just came out.  It's an excellent match for your GT with OEM sizes.  I put them on an 05 Altima (replaced the crappy OEM Conti's-these were scary in the rain) and it's a totally different car.  More precise turning with hardly any flexing of the sidewalls and more grip than I dare to find the limits on the streets.  I also put these on lighter weight 17" Konigs rims so some of the enhanced feedback may be from the upgrade to the wheels as well.  You can get them at a great price from Tire Trends.  I didn't buy them from them because I bought my wheels/tires from another shop but they offered competitive pricing for the tires.  (They didn't carry the wheels I wanted) When I replace these Kumho's with another set, I'll be buying from Tire Trends.  I boought my locking nuts from them and met them.  They are friendly and knowledgeable guys.  I don't work for them or anything but just sharing my experience.