14ers.com

I am about to replace the tires on a newly purchased but very used Outback. What kind of tires have worked well for you on Outbacks? 90+% of my miles will be city/highway, but there may be some off-pavement desert or mountain driving as well.

I've run Michelin Defender and Big O Euro Tour, and been happy with the performance of both for an all weather tire. Never felt the need for snow-specific tires, and I definitely got a lot of miles out of them.

+1 for the MDs. 2007 Outback with 170000 miles.

Another vote for the Michelin Defenders, they are great tires and last a long time. Very high (top) score in Consumer Reports tests. For winter, I have the Michelin X-Ice 3 on my 2013 Outback and the traction/driving confidence on snowy/icy roads is absolutely unreal.

I use the Nokian WRG3 as they are the only winter rated tire that you can drive all year around. They work pretty well off road too. Only downside is they are a bit pricey and only have a 50k mile lifespan.

I'm in a 2008 Outback.

Another vote for the Michelin Defenders. BTW they are the latest version of Michelin's LTX series of tires which get top reviews. I don't own a Subaru Outback, but I've had really good luck with them on my last 4 vehicles (two trucks and two cars). You can expect to easily get 60-80,000 miles on them without much wear (they are rated 70-90,000 miles depending on which model you get). They even do pretty admirably on snow/ice and 4WD roads (except where it's really muddy), and are really quiet on the highway.

Kai

kaiman wrote:Another vote for the Michelin Defenders.i

+1 I have them on two cars and love them.

I have all season tires and a set of winter tires which I think are Bridgestone Blizzaks from November thru April. Game changer for winter driving for me.

SnowAlien wrote:I have all season tires and a set of winter tires which I think are Bridgestone Blizzaks from November thru April. Game changer for winter driving for me.

Yes...Blizzaks are amazing.

Jay521 wrote:

kaiman wrote:Another vote for the Michelin Defenders.i

+1 I have them on two cars and love them.

Same here, have them on two Foresters. I've been happy with them. For me I thought the wear was about average -- I got about 40k on my last set. Took 'em back to the dealer and got a mileage warranty discount on the next set.

Thanks, everyone. On our other cars, I've been running Michelin Premier LTX rather than the Defenders even though the Defenders are a longer lived tire. After having kids, my priorities shifted from long life on a tire to pure stopping power. The softer Premier LTXs seem to be fit that bill. But I agree that Defenders are probably the better way to go here, especially if I go off-road.