Need new tires for 05 Subaru Outback. Winter and Summer in Colorado. 90% communter and light weekend camping. Considering Michelin Primacy MXV4. (225/60/16) Good choice? Bad choice? And, why?
Consumer Reports Nov 09 issue makes it #1 in its class, as a performance all season. Good snow and ice traction. Go for it.
I have the other top tier choice on a sibling car in that report (Nokian WR G2) and they are great performance all-seasons with icing on the cake, they really work in winter conditions and are rated winter tires.
Michelin would be great too, not sure of winter capability. However if you had factory tires RE92a’s before ANY all-season tire will be world’s better in the winter conditions.
I own the sibling car a 05 Legacy turbo Wagon.
Ask at a good tire shop. There are a range of tire types and sizes listed for this vehicle. The list is identical from shop to shop. The assumption is the list was made by people who know what they are doing and you should not doubt them. Ask the tire shop if this tire is a good fit. He has no motivation to mislead you and a whole bunch of experience to give you good choices for an all-season. Tell him what you heard about this tire and let him respond. Drove Michelin for years and cheaper tires (same warranty and size) for years. Never saw a difference worth spit.
You will certainly be happy with the Michelins, I’ve always been satisfied. That said, you might also be happy with others for a bit less, check out tirerack, the CR article, etc.
Tire Rack owners rate them highest in the grand touring all season category. In their own testing, the liked:
#1: Michelin Primacy MXV4
#2: Bridgestone Turanza with Serenity Technology
#3: Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum
#4: Goodyear Eagle featuring ResponsEdge Technology
The top 2 were almost identically rated. I’m sure you would be happy with any of them. Note that the Michelin had the best customer satisfaction with snow and ice driving.
Colorado has some very different driving areas. If you experience a lot of snow and ice, I would highly recommend a set of winter tyres for the winter (mount them on a second set of steel wheels) and a good set of all season (they are really only three season) shoes for the rest of the year