Hi,

I am sure you know what symbol to look for:

On the right the M+S. As far as I know it is debatable to what extent such a tire performs in the snow; I think there is no standard for it. These tires are no longer accepted in Europe for use in winter conditions. The left symbol - mountain and snowflake - certifies a winter rated tire.

The Outbacks over here have a different OEM tire, so I cannot just have a look. The Yokohama Avid GT is sold as a summer (only) tire here, but maybe you find an M+S on it to at least match the regulations. If there actually is snow or ice, I would not recommend using this tire anyway.

 

The AVID GTs are M+S rated, but they are an "all season" tire. There are better tires out there for dedicated winter (snow) service, but for general all around usage, the AVIDs are fine. Do check the weather conditions prior to going - - there are certain conditions in which OSP will require you to have traction devices, regardless of having M+S rated tires.

 

Thanks guys, I did confirm that the OEM tires on my Outback have the M+S marking (in pretty small font). Not going to depend on that fact to get me through heavy snow but I just need to get over Siskiyou Summit and although there was a snowstorm today, the ODOT cameras show the pavement to be largely snow-free, so I am hoping that I'll be fine tomorrow.

 

So, I have a 2024 OB Touring with the 18 inch Avid GTs a here are my thoughts. We finally had our first significant snow of the season here in extreme northern Illinois - so far about 6 inches of very wet heavy snow. In addition to dry pavement, I've now driven the Subaru on wet roads, light slush, 4+ inches of loose wet snow, and on wet hard-packed snow. These tires are fine for dry pavement and moderately wet roads but they are marginal, at best, for snow. While they seemed to handle the loose wet snow fine, when on the wet hard pack they had absolutely no bite.

My conclusions - 1) By next season, I will have winter wheels and tires - 2) I will replace these with a better tire once they wear out - 3) I will garage the Subaru during winter weather and drive my Highlander until the Subaru receives its set of winter tires.

 

I recently bought a new 2024 OB Premium (which I love thus far) and it came with the Yokohama Avid GT tires. Out of curiosity I checked out the ratings on those (as well as other brands) on the Tire Rack website and the Avid GTs rank 74th out 83 tires they have available for the 2024 OB. Quite pathetic, and shame on Subaru for using such sub-par tires.

Michelin's CrossClimate2 tires were rated #1, and perform in snow better than most "Winter" tires (and they only cost about $10 more per tire than new Avid GTs at Tire Rack) and long-time users report in their reviews that they're getting 60,000 miles out of them. Crazy good!

So, next time my wife isn't looking ... I'm ordering a set of the Michelins for the OB ...

 

Putting crappy tires is not a proper way to cut costs. We have to spend a grand to replace them, so just add the freaking $40 to the price of the car, and nobody would complain.

 

I'd just replace them with some Cross Climate 2's when they are worn out. The Avid GT is a decent tire, but not good in icy conditions. A lower cost option is the General AW365.