Topic: New 3 Season Tires for the Forester, Opinions Needed

[Trainman]

So I need to get a set of spring/summer/fall tires for the Forester.  The current set of Nokian's just won't cut it for me anymore (that is another sad and expensive story).

Want something that will be reasonable on gravel, but not necessarily as aggressive as the General Grabber's I used in the past; size is 215/65R16.

Went to KalTire and they offered 3 options:

Some sort of Firestone that they said was a good all season; no further details provided;

TBC Matrix Tour RS's, like these:  http://tires.pmctire.com/ent/summer-tires/multi-mile/matrix-tour-rs/multi-miles-matrix-tour-rs-215-65r16-98t.tire  KalTire price is just under $130/tire, plus balancing and taxes.  Seems steep for a no-name tire 



The Grabbers (at $60 more than the Matrix).

Those TBC's don't look like they would be all that great on the gravel, so I may end up going back to Grabbers.  So my question is, what other options are there, at a reasonable cost as the Forester will be passing on to my son in the fall?  I was also looking at Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S as they are the same price as the General's.  Anything else, especially a bit cheaper?

Opinions and suggestions will be welcomed!

[pi314]

are you looking at KalTire exclusively? What about Costco? They seem to have very reasonably prized tires.

[johngenx]

Were you using the Grabber A/T2 tires?

[Trainman]

are you looking at KalTire exclusively? What about Costco? They seem to have very reasonably prized tires.

KalTire is convenient here, but will be looking at other sources as well (Sidney Tire in Parksville for one) as I have not been too thrilled with KT.  There must be other options besides what they offered up today.

For Coscto, am worried about warranty service as they have (or had in the past) tires made exclusively for them and other tire stores would/could not do warranty repairs.  Saw this happen a few years ago for some Michelin tires.

Edit, just checked the Costco web site, they only show 3 tires in the size I am looking for, 2 are winters and the one summer tire is the Michelin - LatitudeŽ Tour HP at $200/tire 

Were you using the Grabber A/T2 tires?

I had them for 4 seasons while we were in Merritt and was using the Forester off-road much more than I am now (but this may change with my new job, not sure yet) and was very happy with them except for really wet conditions, so not sure if they would be a good choice for the climate I am in now    Replaced them with the Nokian's, at KalTires suggestion.  Gone after 2 seasons 

[initial_D]

Driving on gravels create way more friction than smooth roads, so look for a tire with high mileage tread rating. Nokians are way too soft for non-sealed road driving. In my experience, tread type didn't really make a lot of difference when driving on gravel, the actual drivetrain configurations make a huge difference is 'traction feedback" to the driver.

Check on 1010tires for price comparison and reviews. I had good experience with Yokohama tires in the past, and their price point is decent.

http://www.1010tires.com/Tires/Yokohama/Avid+Ascend/32350

[Trainman]

Driving on gravels create way more friction than smooth roads, so look for a tire with high mileage tread rating. Nokians are way too soft for non-sealed road driving. In my experience, tread type didn't really make a lot of difference when driving on gravel, the actual drivetrain configurations make a huge difference is 'traction feedback" to the driver.

Check on 1010tires for price comparison and reviews. I had good experience with Yokohama tires in the past, and their price point is decent.

http://www.1010tires.com/Tires/Yokohama/Avid+Ascend/32350

Thanks i_D, that is a nice looking tire, with decent reviews and recommendations.  Been very happy with Yokohama winter tires I have too.

[PJungnitsch]

I put the Hankook Optimo 4S's on the Vibe in March this year, and much as I don't like them as a winter tire, I have to say they are pretty good in early spring. Temperatures warmer than mid winter seem to suit the rubber much better. They've always been a good summer tire, looks like they are a good choice for a early changeover.

http://tires.canadiantire.ca/en/tires/all-season-tires/product/0041732P/hankook-optimo-4s/0062063/

[Noto]

I'd stay away from the Geolanders.  They're the OEM on our Fozzie, and while I'm 'impressed' as to how long they've lasted, they're also rated at something like 320 UTQG.  If I were to be taking the Fozzie offroad often, I would want something a little firmer.

Maybe B.F.Goodrich Advantage T/A?