11-20-2010, 12:46 AM
I'm in Eastern MA too, and I drive a Subaru (Forester). This is the first year I've decided to go with a separate set of winter tires on rims. I never really had a big problem with all-seasons in the winter in the past, but I keep reading about how much better it is with dedicated winter tires. So, a couple of months ago I bought a nearly new set of Altimax Artic winter tires. And a few weeks ago, the dealer supplied me with a brand new set of Michelin Primacy MX4V all-seasons. In fact, I'll probably do the switchover tomorrow. After much research on what all-seasons to have the dealer give me, I thought I had decided on Hankook Optimo H727. Problem is, they were on "intergalactic backorder" according to the dealer. Second choice was the Michelins, based on my research. My third choice would have been the TripleTreds, if I couldn't get the Michelins (or rather if I had to pay for them).
I really like the Michelins. But they're new tires, and pretty much anything new would have been a lot better than my OEM Yokohama Geolanders with about 5/32" tread remaining. The only thing negative I've noticed with the Michelins is about a 1-2 MPG drop in fuel efficiency, but that could be coincidental with the cooler weather and slightly longer warm-up time in the morning.
If you don't already, I would strongly consider checking out the Subaru Forums out there. The Forester forum in particular has been incredibly helpful and there are as many good, helpful, and knowledgeable people there as there are on this forum. I'm sure there are Outback forums as well, but peruse the pages there and you'll find a lot of info. There an entire sub-forum on wheels and tires. You'll have to register to post, but you can read all you want without doing so.
I really like the Michelins. But they're new tires, and pretty much anything new would have been a lot better than my OEM Yokohama Geolanders with about 5/32" tread remaining. The only thing negative I've noticed with the Michelins is about a 1-2 MPG drop in fuel efficiency, but that could be coincidental with the cooler weather and slightly longer warm-up time in the morning.
If you don't already, I would strongly consider checking out the Subaru Forums out there. The Forester forum in particular has been incredibly helpful and there are as many good, helpful, and knowledgeable people there as there are on this forum. I'm sure there are Outback forums as well, but peruse the pages there and you'll find a lot of info. There an entire sub-forum on wheels and tires. You'll have to register to post, but you can read all you want without doing so.