Recently, after 38,000 miles, I replaced the OEM Bridgestone Potenza tires on my '09 Outback Limited and since then the handling has changed.
I first replaced the Potenza tires with a set of Michelin Primacy MXV4. After these were installed I noticed the Outback had a tendency to "follow" grooves in the pavement and the handling seemed off from what it had been. The tire store then suggested I change tires to the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S which I did. Handling improved some with these tires but the car still wanted to wander and the overall feel wasn't as good as it had been with the Potenza's. Next I had the Subaru dealer do a four wheel alignment and they said the alignment was a little out of spec so they adjusted the alignment to be back in spec.
My problem is since I replaced the OEM Potenza tires the overall feel of the car is now different and not as much fun to drive. It still wants to follow any groves in the pavement (but not as bad as before) and the overall drive feel seems "light", especially at higher speeds. I've lost the great road feel that I had before and it doesn't feel as solid to the road as it did before.
I'm surprised at the negative impact to the driving feel changing tires made, especially considering the OEM Potenza tires are not considered to be a very good tire. I hate the way the Outback is driving now and now my Honda mini van is more fun to drive. Has anyone else run into this problem? Any thoughts/suggestions would be great. Thanks!
I first replaced the Potenza tires with a set of Michelin Primacy MXV4. After these were installed I noticed the Outback had a tendency to "follow" grooves in the pavement and the handling seemed off from what it had been. The tire store then suggested I change tires to the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S which I did. Handling improved some with these tires but the car still wanted to wander and the overall feel wasn't as good as it had been with the Potenza's. Next I had the Subaru dealer do a four wheel alignment and they said the alignment was a little out of spec so they adjusted the alignment to be back in spec.
My problem is since I replaced the OEM Potenza tires the overall feel of the car is now different and not as much fun to drive. It still wants to follow any groves in the pavement (but not as bad as before) and the overall drive feel seems "light", especially at higher speeds. I've lost the great road feel that I had before and it doesn't feel as solid to the road as it did before.
I'm surprised at the negative impact to the driving feel changing tires made, especially considering the OEM Potenza tires are not considered to be a very good tire. I hate the way the Outback is driving now and now my Honda mini van is more fun to drive. Has anyone else run into this problem? Any thoughts/suggestions would be great. Thanks!