27,000 miles is nearly 43,500 kilometres. That's about two years worth of driving for the average Australian driver, so it sounds like you really did get the maximum life out of those tyres.

All terrain tyres rely on the ability to dig at the road surface, which means you need chunky blocks on the tyres. Once those chunky blocks disappear by natural wear, the tyre will of course be unable to grip as much because there's less flex in the blocks, less space to channel water, etc.

I suspect the fact that you get to experience extreme differences in weather that necessitate a separate set of tyres is what is the primary issue here.

Obviously I could get away with wearing one set of tyres all year around unless I make an actual effort to find some snow, but maybe all you need is a second set of G015's just for winter, so they have more grip than your summer G015's? I know that's not really much better than buying dedicated snow tyres, but still it might be the reality you have to accept?

Maybe to reduce cost, just get the tyres and swap them on the wheels as the season dictates?

 

Hello all, just want to preface this by saying I'm running a 2016 Subaru Outback Limited 2.5 and 235/65r17 sized tires. The rest of my vehicle is mostly stock except for my Method 501 wheels. I purchased a set of Yokohama Geolandar G015 tires back in 2019 (in the 235/65r17 size) from Discount Tire. DT was and has been awesome. They price matched the tires and have always been super friendly with everything. Highly recommend them when purchasing new tires.


My problem has been the tires. I live in Minnesota where I transition from the Twin Cities to northern Minnesota all the time. In the two years since I've had the tires, I've put on about 27,000 miles. The problem is I am already down to 6/32nd of an inch for the tread and replacing the tires. Whenever it snows now, even just a slight dusting, I can't stay on the road. My Outback slides all over the road. I get stuck at stop signs. My traction control and ABS are constantly going off. When I first got the tires, they were awesome. I was happy with the all-season traction and they were great in snow. They were OK on ice, but what tire is when it's not a dedicated snow tire? I didn't want to shell out the $800+ for new wheels and snow tires and then have to store my other wheels and tires, so I wanted a compromise that would work in all seasons. I work from home, so I'm not commuting anymore and purposefully wait for plows to go through. I drive conservatively and yet, the tires just can't keep me safely on the road. I suppose there isn't a point to this point except for people to realize once the initial tread on these tires is gone, it becomes a hazard in the winter. Also, the tread life has been dreadful. I don't tow anything and don't race to get anywhere. I have been severely disappointed by Yokohama and just wanted to let others know as I know it's a popular choice for Outbacks. Anyway, if you have any similar experiences, feel free to let me know!

I’ve had a nearly identical experience with my car and G015s. Albeit I have about 8k more miles on than yourself. Just installed dedicated winter tires on different wheels and the difference is big. I’ll still get more driving out of the Yokohama set just not during full on winter.

 

I honestly may have to end up doing this just to have some peace of mind and to get the max life out of all sets of tires

 

I can't remember which tire it was but someone was saying that their tires have two different tread depth indicators - one for winter and another for summer, with the Winter rating of the tire only applicable with more tread depth. This may have to do with whether or not the tires have "full depth sipes" - some brands tout their sipes as being full depth, so that the tires are usable in winter for longer.

Can you say whether or not your tires are showing all their original zigzag sipes?

 

I can't remember which tire it was but someone was saying that their tires have two different tread depth indicators - one for winter and another for summer, with the Winter rating of the tire only applicable with more tread depth

#8

 

Did you go back to DT?
from their site:
Because you're choosing Yokohama, your purchase includes a limited treadwear warranty up to 60,000 miles

 

The tread depth is not going to have much effect on ice. I fear your tread blocks have worn in such a way that they no longer grip well on ice. That or the rubber has hardened with a couple years of age.

The suggestion of having a set of dedicated winter tires and separate summer tires is a good one. But am guessing is also time to start experimenting with another make/model of tire. Otherwise use a new set of Geolanders in the winter, the old in the summer until they wear out, then move the winter tires to summer and start with a new set for winter.

Purpose made winter tires make for awful summer tires.

 

I’d be curious to hear what the WildPeak and CrossClimate tires perform like after a few years of service. I formerly had Continental ContiPros on my last Outback and they had a dry/wet/snow wear markings on them.

 

I'd definitely love to see this. At least after 20,000 miles or so. Most of those tires claim to have a 60-65k mileage warranty so It would be interesting to see how they fair in different weather after some solid wear.

 

We had Geolandar G95s on our 2018 Forester, which we bought and drove while we still lived in the snow country of the Central Sierras of CA. They were only fair in the snow, even when relatively new. That being said, for the OP, getting down to 6/32" is about the most wear you're going to get with any "all season" tire before needing to replace it. If you're driving on ice, you'll need traction devices (cables or tire socks).

Steve

 

As posted, check for the tiny zig-zag on the blocks, those are the biting edges for snow & ice, and quite important for ice. Many tires now have a Rain / Snow / Replace indicator, where the letters have different depths. The snow indicator becomes invisible at around 5-6/32nds of an inch, as that's the absolute minimum depth for reasonable snow traction, the rains is around 2-3/32nds, depending on the tire, which is when hydroplaning & wet traction take a big drive.

Most tires today have multiple compounds, Continental & General for instance, use one compound on the outer few 32nds, and then employ a softer compound that's grippier, but wears faster, below that, to help make up for the reduced tread depth. One of the reasons the tires suddenly start wearing faster, once the depth gets below around 7-8/32nds of an inch. - There's quite a bit of technology in a tire.

Lots of things affect tire life, ranging from alignment, and it doesn't take much Toe or Camber to wear them faster, tire pressures (remember 1 psi loss for every 10 degree drop), and of course driving habits. Those that drive more spirited, or do more city/suburban driving with constant turning, will wear through tires much quicker.

Long story short, the rated tread life isn't for snow traction, it's the life before hitting roughly 2/32nds (wear markers) requiring replacement, however, conditions such as snow, ice, sand, and basically anything other than clear road driving, require replacement sooner. - It's the tire industry's dirty little secret you could say, just like your mileage may vary, on the EPA ratings.

 

Hello all, just want to preface this by saying I'm running a 2016 Subaru Outback Limited 2.5 and 235/65r17 sized tires. The rest of my vehicle is mostly stock except for my Method 501 wheels. I purchased a set of Yokohama Geolandar G015 tires back in 2019 (in the 235/65r17 size) from Discount Tire. DT was and has been awesome. They price matched the tires and have always been super friendly with everything. Highly recommend them when purchasing new tires.

My problem has been the tires. I live in Minnesota where I transition from the Twin Cities to northern Minnesota all the time. In the two years since I've had the tires, I've put on about 27,000 miles. The problem is I am already down to 6/32nd of an inch for the tread and replacing the tires. Whenever it snows now, even just a slight dusting, I can't stay on the road. My Outback slides all over the road. I get stuck at stop signs. My traction control and ABS are constantly going off. When I first got the tires, they were awesome. I was happy with the all-season traction and they were great in snow. They were OK on ice, but what tire is when it's not a dedicated snow tire? I didn't want to shell out the $800+ for new wheels and snow tires and then have to store my other wheels and tires, so I wanted a compromise that would work in all seasons. I work from home, so I'm not commuting anymore and purposefully wait for plows to go through. I drive conservatively and yet, the tires just can't keep me safely on the road. I suppose there isn't a point to this point except for people to realize once the initial tread on these tires is gone, it becomes a hazard in the winter. Also, the tread life has been dreadful. I don't tow anything and don't race to get anywhere. I have been severely disappointed by Yokohama and just wanted to let others know as I know it's a popular choice for Outbacks. Anyway, if you have any similar experiences, feel free to let me know!

are the tires not good technically down to 3/32 or even 2/32?
I had the G015's on my previous 2018 2.5i OB in 23/65/17 size. felt they were poor in wet weather as they aged and front end would slide out, as well as rear a bit (even with the zero torque the 2.5i has). had 70k (kms) on them when I traded the car in for a 2017 3.6r and am now running 225/65/17 Falken Wildpeak AT3W.
on this 3.6r, even the Bridgestone Duelers that came with the car had grip and they are down to 3/32. perhaps due to the heavier engine. this car feels way more composed, way more grip, power, CVT shifting is way smoother.

for your G015's, try upping the rear tire pressure to 35psi, else, sell them for what you can get and get something different. I'm sure you can get a set of lightly used winter tires/steelies for under $500

 

Coming from X-ice Xi3’s on my Forester, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with my CC2’s in snow and ice. Have about 12k miles on them so I’m not certain how they’ll perform long term.

Nokian just released the Outpost APT mild A/T. That might be a tire to consider. Not sure how they would perform after getting some miles on them but I’ve run WRG3’s in the past as my winter tires and snow performance didn’t really suffer the entire time I had them.

The manager at the tire place that I go to steered me away from GO-15’s (the same issue you’re having), WRG4’s (too much like a winter tire in summer. He runs them in winter), and the previous version of the CrossClimate (original version was recalled due to compound issues).

When Michelin showed the Xice Snow to the media, they also did a comparison on tires that were buffed to 4/32nd’s. Too bad that type of comparison isn’t more common.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-100...id=autolinker&url=https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=258

I agree with @Masonjarbeer99 about increasing the pressure.

 

All terrain tires cannot be dedicated winter tires because they are not meant to be like that. I like in Canada, and yes, the GO15 may have the 3 peaks mountain, but that does not make them winter tires. I run 3 seasons tires for spring, summer and fall. In winter, I have another set on rims only for snow, ice and cold weather. The problem isn't the thread... it's the temperature. The rubber use for those tires is a jack of all trade/master of none. It wears more rapidly in hot weather... but in cold weather (-10 C or less) , it's just like plastic....