Best Tyres for the Subaru Outback

Great studdd tyres here in Norway, Scandinavia with real winter variables, ice and harsh temperatures on country roads and highway. Beats the shit out of others!

These tires are a massive step up from where I was. In a 21 Outback and the cabin is almost silent. Super impressed with the quality and price of these tires.

Very good grip and softens the bumps even at highway speed. Very satisfied with my purchase!

On my Subaru Outback these studded tires are like being on magnetic rails in the winter in snow and ice. Drove across a bridge last winter in the total dark at 4am - I had no idea it was totally iced up - bunch of pickups and cars wrecked behind me. Climbed a mountain pass with a Ford F 150 in 4x4 mode spun out couldn't climb I just went around him no problem - he may have had all season tires on, IDK. Only cost me an extra $1 to get them studded.

These tires lasted as long as they should have. My wife bought a new set of the same tires for her Subaru. I have to show up for work in the winter so I wanted to try studded tires for the winter - so having to spend on 8 tires I was looking for tire more economical. I'm now running Nordman North 9 with studs and Sumitomo in the summer - these studded winter tires are unstoppable. Drove across an ice coated bridge in the middle of the night, didn't know it was slippery, and people wrecked behind me.

Since my old tires were worn out, I needed a new set for the summer. I spent the winter reading forums, tests, and recommendations on this site and concluded that these tires were excellent. However, after mounting them and driving just 5 km, I realized they were absolute rubbish. There was tremendous road noise—despite the fact that my car has been fully soundproofed. Okay, I thought, let's drive a bit to warm them up; maybe it will improve—but nothing changed; the noise actually got worse. My 80-year-old mother even asked if I was driving on studded winter tires; it was impossible to hold a normal conversation or listen to music in the car. On top of that, the steering feel is terrible; the sidewalls are incredibly soft, so forget about sporty driving. The tires pull on the highway, making it hard to keep the car steady—it feels like jelly. With five adults in the car driving at 130 km/h, controlling the steering is an immense struggle. There is also noticeable vibration at speeds of 120–130 km/h. The only plus side is the reasonable price. Previously, the car had Pirelli PZero PZ4s, which lasted two summers. Then I switched to Falken FK520s, which lasted three summers. The Falkens were actually better than the Pirellis—great grip, sporty handling, stiff sidewalls, and low road noise (the Pirellis were noisier). The only solution for me, if I want a decent driving experience again, is to buy Falkens back and take these old tires to the scrapyard. I wouldn't recommend these tires to anyone.

"I purchased these all-season premium tires for my 4WD Subaru Outback, and I am extremely satisfied with them. As soon as they were installed, the car felt remarkably smooth and pleasant to drive.
The tires are wearing perfectly evenly, and I’ve already rotated them once. I used to be hesitant about all-season tires, but this brand completely convinced me that I made the right choice. While tire selection always depends on the specific car, driving style, and usage, these have worked out incredibly well for my Outback. Highly recommended!

My priorities were quiet tyres, that were predictable and consistent across dry and wet conditions in spring, summer, and fall. I've found the Pirellis to be stable and consistent in the dry and wet, and I've never experienced any aquaplaning at highway speeds (up to 110 kph). I drive sedately, so I can't comment on limit handling behaviour.

Compared to the stock Yokohama tyres that were on the Subaru Outback from factory, the Pirellis were more quiet, and provided a far more stable base for the car under braking and turning. The stability meant that I could apply throttle more smoothly through corners rather than waiting for the car to settle first. The stock tyres felt "squishy" under-load where the Pirellis feels solid.

These tyres are not used in snow and ice. The lowest ambient temperatures they experienced was around 3C at highway speeds, and I did not notice a substantial change in how the tyres responded to acceleration, braking, or turning.

The best compliment that I can offer these tyres is that ever since I've put them on my vehicle, I've rarely thought about them, and I haven't reconsidered my purchase decision.

For thirty years have used Continental as replacements on all my cars, passenger and 4WD. The Alenza's are softish, comfortable and quiet on Macadam hotmix, less so on top flush blue metal road surfaces. They handle very well. They are not appropriate for long distance gravel, too fine a tread for Australian gravel and corrugated conditions. Their replacements will likely be Pirelli Scorpion which are an all-round excellent performer on AWD vehicles. Whilst Subaru have elected to use Alenza instead of Geolanders to perhaps placate city dwellers I consider the Yokohama a superior tyre on gravel. On my passenger cars the Continentals yield about 46,000 k's, on my Land Rovers about 70,000. On my current Holden V8 Sportwagon I recently fitted Pirelli Powergy, a softer but quieter and better handling tyre than Conti's. I don't expect the Pirellis or the Alenza to last as long as the Conti's but accept the trade-off of handling and noise. Not impressed this quiz is tuned for the US market, some Subarus shown on the dropdown are not sold here and the model I own is not listed; lift your game.

This is the third generation of Subaru Outback I am currently driving (Europe). This car is not really powerful but handling and suspension makes it impressive, responsive and agile to drive when fitted with the right tyre providing a best in class experience. I have tested various premium tyres on these models from Yokohama through Dunlop and Pirelli to Continental mainly because of availability reasons. The latest generation has been factory equipped with Bridgestone Alenza unfortunately. This set of tyres has only one advantage: relatively silent. Otherwise it is simply killing the capability an Outback could normally deliver. No matter if dry or wet, the tyres are creaking, deforming, slipping even at moderate speed. The car feels completely different even with regularly adjusted pressure levels. The same car on Pirelli Sottozero winter tyres runs great.