I don't know the specifics of the tires you mention as there are many models of the Dueler and the Defender. However, I would not go with the exact same Dueler as is OEM on the Subaru. Although it seems as though you had good luck, many of us did not. Sidewall tears, weird wearing, etc highlights the fact that they were about the cheapest tires Subaru could put on a car and have the reasonable expectation not to leave someone stranded.

Not unexpected though, this is true of almost every car company on cars of this price point.

 

Good point, the OEM Bridgestone Dueler aren't very good.

 

What about Michelin Premier? I have heard really good things bout the Premiers.

 

I got 83k out of a set of Michelin Premier A/S's on my 2013 outback. I highly recommend them!

 

moved from gen5 to tire section.

where lots of.....tire threads are found. ...even by people with gen5 swapping out their OEM turds for the first time.....

 

Michelin Defender T+H

I have a set of 17" Duelers in the rafters of my garage with under 1000 miles. They are off my 2018 Premium. I didn't like the ride or tracking. The Michelin Defender T+H were a nice improvement (for me at least). And they did just fine in NE Ohio winter. The Premiers are popular but only come in 18". If you search this forum it seems there are a lot of negative posts about the Duelers.

 

I. The Premiers are popular but only come in 18". If you search this forum it seems there are a lot of negative posts about the Duelers.

The Michelin Premiers are available from Tirerack in 16", 17", & 18 " sizes to fit an Outback. My only interest is I am replacing my Duelers on my 17 Limited with the Premiers. I had Defenders on a Honda in the past and have Premiers on a Mazda in the present. I prefer the Premiers to the Defenders. They are worth a close look.

 

Defender vs Defender T+H

Just to clarify... There are Defenders and updated Defenders T+H. Some reported problems with wear on original line of Defenders. I think T+H have a stiffer corner for taller vehicles.

Stock 17" tires on Premium = 225/65R17 102H No Premiers in that size according to Michelin or I may have gone with them.

!8" tires have different choices between different models of tires. You have to explore that.

I like to stay with the original factory size.

 

^^ The Premier LTX comes in 225/65/R17 102H -- just not the Premier A/S.

I'm not close to replacing my stock tires, but in the flush of new ownership have been doing tons of research on options, and am gravitating towards Mich Premiers - but again I am likely a ways away, so I'll do it all over again when it is time.

(on a related note, I'd love to hear any perceptions on the differences on performance between Premier A/S vs Premier LTX. I've read the reviews on tire rack / discount tire, etc., but curious if anyone has had both on the same or similar car and can compare - I have 18" so could chose between A/S and LTX). EDIT - and have done forum searches for such comparison; just looking for additional views that may not have yet been expressed.

 

^^ The Premier LTX comes in 225/65/R17 102H -- just not the Premier A/S.

I'm not close to replacing my stock tires, but in the flush of new ownership have been doing tons of research on options, and am gravitating towards Mich Premiers - but again I am likely a ways away, so I'll do it all over again when it is time.

(on a related note, I'd love to hear any perceptions on the differences on performance between Premier A/S vs Premier LTX. I've read the reviews on tire rack / discount tire, etc., but curious if anyone has had both on the same or similar car and can compare - I have 18" so could chose between A/S and LTX). EDIT - and have done forum searches for such comparison; just looking for additional views that may not have yet been expressed.

I also would like to hear some 1st hand user info on the Premier LTX vs A/S. My daughter had the A/S on her Mazda before she bought her new Outback. I have the A/S on my wife's Mazda. My daughter and wife have both been very happy with the A/S on their Mazdas. My gut instinct is the A/S may be a less aggressive tread but that is just a guess.

 

I have a 2017 3.6R that came stock with Duelers, which are good tires. I have had various versions of Duelers on a several SUV’s in the past. However, after a ton of research, I opted for Michelin’s LTX Premier for my Outback. I bought them from Tirerack on-line and had them shipped to an authorized installer. I sized up to 235/60/18 and absolutely love these tires. They are so quiet it’s amazing. The extra .5” of diameter (to 29.1” overall) makes the ride great and doesn’t rub or impinge. The extra tread width (6.5” to 7.7”) give the car a stronger stance as well. As a side comment, the LTX’s are made with cotton seed oil which makes them very sticky in rain and light snow. The only negative thing that I have found is that they don’t last 60k mi and that Michelin has honored this with a proportional credit towards a new set. Hope this helps.

 

2018 3.6R - Replaced OEM Bridgestones at 25K miles - had 5/32" tread left but had unrepairable flat on one tire. Surprised at how quickly the tires wore. Always complained about highway noise even with newer sound dampening glass on car. New tires have helped with this issue.

New Tire Yokohama GK470 - available only thru Discount Tire. Found this tire to be smooter and quieter than Dueller OEM.

 

I've run the Michelin Defender on my daily commuter for 1.5 years and can't say a single negative thing about that tire. It's been great for me.

 

How are they in the rain ?

 

I have 2017 Outback with 32k miles on it...just dumped my Bridgestone Duelers for Michelin Premier AS and my goodness....what a huge difference driving off the lot. The original tires still had some life, but were loud and living in rain country figured it was time. I'm certainly glad I decided to upgrade tires. It's like a different car.

 

I'm not usually a fan of stock tires, but the Duellers on my car now have 33,000 miles on them and look to have another 20,000 left. They are extremely quiet (previous car was a Lexus GS). I found a new set on craigslist for $500. Tires and wheels. Guess I'll be stuck with the Duellers for quite some time.

For those of you who swap out new tires and wheels, thank you for the good deals.

 

I know there are a lot of Michelin fans on here, but for those a little more economical,
I would encourage looking at and researching specs and reviews on Sumitomo tires.
I went with the Encounter HT 235/60/R18.
I think you will be surprised.

 

I had a set of Sumitomo Touring LS T tires on my 2013. I put 30K plus miles on the tires before I traded the car. I had really good service with these tires. There was still many miles left on them when I traded the car. I never drove them in the snow. They had good wet and dry traction. I was amazed at the performance for a low cost tire.

 

2013 Outback 2.5, 176k miles. After my OEM Contis and a similar set of replacement Contis lasted about 50k miles each, I went with the Michelin Defender T&H. These tires have been great: quieter than the Contis and a better ride. After 75k miles on the Defender (each tire is now down to a consistent 4/32" of tread), I'm shopping for a new set of tires. It would be hard to convince me to take a risk on something different. To be clear, I live in Florida and didn't drive a mile in snow or ice. My main need is wet traction, and the Defender T&H performed very well in that regard.