With no off road and no snow, I would absolutely get these over the CC's. Have them on my wife's 2011 Q5 V6 for summer and they're a blast. Probably overkill for her driving style but not for mine. š
2020 Outback Aftermarket Wheel & Tire Thread
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what are your impressions with those tires regards to road noise, comfort, and mpg compared to OEM tires?
noise - negligible difference. Couldnāt say if it was any louder. Sounds the same to me.
comfort - perfectly comfortable
mpg - only had 500 miles on the OEM and vehicle total, and havenāt driven a full tank on these yet, so couldnāt really give an accurate analysis if itās made any difference. On paper, this new setup is the same weight as the OEM wheel/tire combo so not expecting a huge difference.
So I want to keep my Onyx wheels, but want to improve my tires. I mostly drive back roads of maryland (very curvy and hilly roads that can pond in rainy days and ice over when cold frequently) with some highway, and the ocasional gravel road to hit a national park or state trail maybe only a few times a year. I would say that the majority of my driving is the back roads. Would the wildpeak make sense? Or what would be better option?
The Yokohama Geolander G015 has been a popular favourite amongst previous generation Subaru Outback owners, before the Wildpeaks were available on the market. Practically, I think both are going to be plenty for off pavement excursions and won't be the limiting factor for our Outbacks. On pavement, reviews suggest the Geolanders are slightly better than the WPs but Im not sure if there are any objective head-to-head comparisons. I have some on order so no first hand experience though.
If you are looking for ultimate backroad grip, then you'll have to look at performance summer tires like Michelin Pilot Sport 4S etc. but I think those sacrifice too many things in other areas (off road, they'd be useless almost, dangerous on ice/snow even) to be worth it on the Outback. I have Continnental Extreme Contact Sports on my other vehicle in the Summer but always dread an early snowfall in the shoulder seasons because the tires become hockey pucks below 0 Celcius.
Not sure if I am looking for ultimate back road grip. I am loving the wildpeak and geolander I guess what I want to make sure is that if I would go with an A/T wheel I am not shooting my self (really my car) in the foot. Meaning I am actually improving performance and not down grading by going with those tires on my typical driving day. Are there better suggestions?
Oh not sure if this video was ever posted, donāt think I have seen it on this thread, its very interesting: 2020 Onyx gets new tires
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So how bad (or good) are the factory tires (Yokohoma Avid GT) on the Limited XT. I live in the Washington DC area and 99% of my driving will be on city streets and highways. Skiing this season is proving to be difficult, but how are they going to be for the occasional snow that I encounter in the hills of West Virginia?
They are ok. Feel is squishy but more than functional, but if youāre like me and love following the line on a turn while channeling Clarkson (POWWWWWWWEEERRRRRR) then you may want something with more grip and bite. For highway no worries for back roads donāt get all animated stay calm cool and collected and you should be fine.
Those tires would be comparable to the Michelin CrossClimate SUV's/CC2's. Based on on-line reviews I've read, I think you'd be giving up some handling going with an A/T tire over a Grand Touring All Season like the CC or the Quatrac Pros. Probably some mpg's as well.
I change my mind on a daily basis on what tire I'm going to go with. š CC SUV, CC2, Quatrac Pros, Geolandar G015, Wildpeak A/T Trails, wait for the new Vredestein A/T this Spring, etc., etc.
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I have seen that video and have some comments - He is open that he is being sponsored by that tire manufacturer now. The stock wheels are 7" wide and the wheels he is testing the new tires on are 8" wide. The stock tires are 225 and the tires he is testing are 235. So he is doing dry testing comparing a 225 on 7" wheels to a 235 on 8" wheels. It's not an apples to apples comparison. On dry pavement a wider wheel and tire is expected to perform better on a skid pad.
All tires are compromises but the latest category of all-terrains are trying to straddle on-and-off road performance in a way similar to the character of an Outback so I think it's a great fit. All-terrain tires are reinforced compared to regular all-season passenger tires for the occasional rocks on a back road. They do weigh about 15% more than a regular all-season but that's not a huge burden.
The CrossClimate SUV is also slightly reinforced but not to the extent of an all-terrain tire and is lighter in weight, so if you think an all-terrain tire is overkill for your needs this one might be considered.
Thanks silver, you made a valid point about the A/T and The Outback. I think I will feed my inner child and go with the A/T WP or Geos (they just look so good) and once I am settled into my new home here I will be exploring more of the trails and kayaking areas (but that might not be for another year) so they might help me in a pinch. Wondering if by going with the nameless axle back and loosing some of that weight from the the mufflers might help mitigate some of the new added weight of the A/T tires...though not really the same is it? I mean one is unsprung weight and the other is sprung so shrug. I suck at math so I would leave that sort of calculations for others in the same boat.
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You have the Turbo with more than enough power! If you want improved driving dynamics buy the minor handling mod things in the other thread - they do make a difference.
Yup doing that too!
Sprung weight and un sprung weight are two completely different things. I don't know what the exact number / calculations would be but a 1lbs increase to each tire would have a noticeable effect on MPG whereas a loaded outback with 5 adults would have essentially none.
If you do not need AT tires do not put them on an outback. Doing so is actually making your car less capable off-road in many situations, specifically hills / inclines. Those guys with the two-inch lifts and 36lbs BFG TA KO2's... go ask them to climb an incline and laugh as you have to tow them up it. The issue with the newer Outbacks and foresters is with the CVT which already struggles under its own weight. Adding more un sprung weight just compounds the problem and ensures you will be buying a new $10,000 CVT.
Side note: I lost about 3mpg daily driving with the WP / AT trail tires. Highway / over 80 mph, i am under 20mpg. I have the 4 cylinder so if you have the six the hit to mpg wont be as much but it will still be a significant amount.
Was that in OEM size?
Yes...
225/60R18
And that's 5 lbs per tire over stock with the 235/60/18 being 9 lbs over stock.
The GO15 in 225/60/18 seems to be the "lightweight" A/T choice at 29 lbs per tire.341 - 360 of 452 Posts
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