17 inch tire options aren't great...

[Thermo1223]

Ya it's not that I can't find any tire's just not the brands I was looking for locally. I was trying to avoid ordering online but it seems that is the best bet.

Funny I did not mention Nokian WR's just to see how many would chime in with them. I had them before on small FWD sedan and they blew me away. I never knew an all-season tire could work that well.

My main concern with the Forester regarding those was weight & wheel size. I don't want to chew threw them in 2 years just because our roads suck plus vehicle weight.

Regarding Continental, I've been warned by a few to stay away, even shops that sell them. A family member had DWS's on his new GTI and they barely lasted a year with rotation. He lives about 60 miles north in Scranton.

I have heard good things & read reviews on Kumho & Hankooks so I will certainly give them a try. Price is paramount so not having to pay a Michelin or Goodyear price for 95% of that performance wouldn't be bad.

Thats not to say I want to be the cheapest tire either obviously. As I said I was more concerned with snow performance because I want the AWD to work and not handicap it by throwing on a subpar all-season. If I can find some 16 inch wheels cheap I may even go that route for the winter and worry about 17's in the summer if they come with TPMS.

Thanks for all the info I will update when I make a choice.

 

[Thermo1223]

Originally Posted By: faramir9
I live 30 miles uphill from you, so I know how varied winter conditions can be in the Lehigh Valley, Poconos and NEPA in general. It can be hard to explain to folks from elsewhere, who see annual snowfall totals and average temps from LVIA and shrug.

If you can deal with the speed rating drop to T, then the Hankook H727 would be perfect. If you want to stick with the OE-spec H rating and also get excellent winter traction---shop hard for deals or hear your wallet groan.

One choice in your size not yet mentioned (I think) is Michelin Primacy MXV4. Never rode on 'em but have heard nothing but good things. All this assumes you do not need to stick with highway all-seasons for some reason....


Ya it is so screwy here, the valley's effect on the weather sometimes, Rain in Allentown, clear in Bethlehem, Hail in Easton. It has happened.

We don't really get any worse winter's than most but they hit one day, melt, hit again, melt. There is never a continuous amount of snow on the ground. I felt my previous snows on a previous car grinding away on the payment one sunny winter day. It was like that for 2 weeks! Then after I took life off of them it blizzards and now the tires are worse than before.

 

[Ken2]

Find somebody that wants to swap wheels with you and go to 215/65-16. There's some Subie driver out there who will think 17" wheels are better than his 16".

 

[Tones]

Go to discounttiredirect and look at the Yokohama YK580s. Excellent price for this size. An extra $10 off each right now as well. $30 more for other sizes. I have been eyeing this one for a while. These are similar to the Avid Ascends. I'm not sure about the snow.

 

[CharBaby]

I DO like the idea of the ContiExtmDWS and I tried to get my BIL(talk about limited tire availability) to buy them for his '12 Elantra Limited(215-45-17). But, I only recomend them on vehicle that can use their performance...as an UHP Tire!

My BIL's Criteria was SNOW Traction too and the H727 aren't available in his size!

And, the DWS do very well in the snow for a UHP Tire but, I don't think they're better in the snow than the HankOptH727's, I just think that the DWS are good in the snow(and they are) considering they're a UHP Tire!

The DWS would cost more money and have shorter tread life than the H727 so, my pick for a Subaru Forester AWD would be the H727's as a much better value. And the fact that two tires(H727/DWS) are apples & oranges in comparison...T Speed rating compared to W Speed rating...for everyday use!

If more/better handling at higher limits is part of Thermo1223's criteria than YES, deffinately get the DWS as you won't be dissatisfied. And, the DWS ride quite nicely even as a UHP tire but, can get loud over time(my SIL has'em on her BMW Z4)

Just my thinking!

 

[Thermo1223]

I would like to say yes, handling & grip matter to me when dry but in reality the SUV isn't the corner carving beast I like to think it is at times. I am far more concerned with snow & wet traction.

 

[Tar_Rat29]

So I had a set of 17 Cont DWS on my car for over 40,000 miles. They were great new and seemed to wear very well. However, the more miles I had on them the more uncomfortable the tire became in wet conditions. So I switched to the new Mich pilot sport AS/3. I love these tires. I am on vacation and went through the mountains of West Virginia in the pouring rain and the tires did great. Was able to take the curves at normal speed and braking was just as good in the wet. I would buy again.

Scion TC 2005 redline 5w-30
Honda Civic EX 2008 mobil 1 5w-20

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Thermo1223
I am far more concerned with snow & wet traction.

In that case, Nokian WR G-whatever is the clear winner, IMO. DWS is OK in snow, but WR beats it by a long shot. There is no contest. And on a non-sports car, the WR does OK in other seasons, too.

As far as longevity, I think you'll get similar life out of both. The only time WR will wear very fast is in places down south like Texas or AZ.

And if you want to do it right, get a second set of 16" rims and dedicated winter tires, but you already knew that.

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: Thermo1223
I would like to say yes, handling & grip matter to me when dry but in reality the SUV isn't the corner carving beast I like to think it is at times. I am far more concerned with snow & wet traction.


Then, my opinion on the H727 still stands! As their handling(as I mentioned before) DOES NOT SUCK!

My second choice would be the DWS, and then you can have that "corner carving beast" as well as snow traction! But, you may want to install some KYB's

Keeping in mind that the discomfort with the DWS' may increase with time but, less so with the H727's.

I can't answer for NOKIAN Tires as I know absolutly no one that has'em(any NOKIAN for that matter)

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Thermo1223
I am far more concerned with snow & wet traction.

In that case, Nokian WR G-whatever is the clear winner, IMO. DWS is OK in snow, but WR beats it by a long shot. There is no contest. And on a non-sports car, the WR does OK in other seasons, too.

As far as longevity, I think you'll get similar life out of both. The only time WR will wear very fast is in places down south like Texas or AZ.

And if you want to do it right, get a second set of 16" rims and dedicated winter tires, but you already knew that.

Dedicated winter/ice tires is what the OP is trying to avoid!
Good A/S tires w/ AWD is very good in this climate!
Trust me, I've been driving in the NE Winters for 45 year when we only had Bias Tires/Snows and RWD vehicles.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Dedicated winter/ice tires is what the OP is trying to avoid!

I realize that. That's why I wrote "but you already knew that."

Quote:

Good A/S tires w/ AWD is very good in this climate!
Trust me, I've been driving in the NE Winters for 45 year when we only had Bias Tires/Snows and RWD vehicles.

No need to trust you when I have my own experience in this area. I have dedicated winter tires on my RWD car. Wife has DWS on her AWD car. We spend a lot of time in Michigan. Not sure how different PA winters are from Michigan winters, but in my experience, my RWD with winters handles it a lot better than her AWD car with DWS. DWS is just not that great at stopping in the white stuff. We are not going to keep her car much longer, but if we were, I would have installed the Nokians on it.

 

[CharBaby]

Well stated, understood & no hard feelings!
Never meaning to come across harsh. I should always put a

after each sentence so folks take it for what it is

 

[Quattro Pete]

I hear ya. Hope the OP can draw some conclusions for himself from our discussion and both our experiences.

 

[Thermo1223]

Well I might have dodged the bullet a bit.

If I can get 16" wheels w/ snows that I saw on craigslist I will run those on the Subbie for the winter and if I don't like them I will get new A/S in the spring. The best part is I can also use the snows on the Jetta since it has the same bolt pattern.

I know where I can get them put on that won't give a whoot about not using TPMS on then. I'll be darned if I am paying $150 more just to tell me what I already knew.

Unless something new & fancy comes out H727, DWS. WRG3 will be my 3 choices in the spring if this works.

 

[UG_Passat]

Originally Posted By: Thermo1223
So all the tires I would like to try aren't available in my size 225/55/R17.

Going on the Forester so replacing all 4 I need some opinions I guess.

Snow traction being first & foremost but not at the expense of dry or wet which is why snow tires are off the list for now. I just don't think we'd use it enough to justify an extra set.


For the region, it's not snow that is the biggest factor for snow tires, it's ice, especially black ice.

Just imagine hitting Rte 22 where the hard curves (which is fun to drive fast)...

you will benefit with snow tires and it will maximize the capabilities of Subaru symmetric AWD.