I have a 2004 WRX and I must say that the factory tires suck. This is my first AWD car and first winter in it. I think I was under the impression that the car would handle better than it does in the snow. My only thought is the tires. It has to be them because my old car use to handle better than this one around corners and it was a one wheel wonder in the snow. Driving home was hell tonight from work. Getting off the line wasn't a problem but I could feel it sliding all over with just simple lane changes. I'm pretty let down over how it handled. I think it is time to invest in some good winter tires. Sigh... Anyone else feel this way?
I had a bad experience with better Dunlop SP Sport 5000 tires over the RE92's. Even these better all seasons didn't stick well and caused my car an unnecessary spin-out as I was entering the onramp to the freeway. After that, I bought winter tires and I stuck with winter tires in the winter like a fly on fly paper.
Yep, I don't have a clue how the factory tires are, but I know my mom's legacy has crappy tires, and I "got" to drive it out to spirit mountain today in the snow! It is only FWD, but it handles like crap, we had to push it just to get out of the dang alley. Long Story Short, get snow tires, I even have them for my GL!!
Got the Nokian Q91 never fails on me, but prefer the RS1 or any Nokians brand... any kind...whatever:I
Nokian Q has been replaced by Nokian RSi, which is better in all respects than the Q :-D RSi is my next winter tire.. just saving pennies. (Meanwhile my old Nokian NRWs are doing fine)
Mark Utecht still has a set of four almost-new Hakka Qs for sale for $320. I called dibs on them but they rub the edge of the fender wall on the rear of my car so they won't work for me. As long as you don't have a lowered car you'll be fine with them. Check out his thread in the "For Sale" forum.
I still use the stock tires, this is my second winter on them. Yester day it drove just fine, it actually did better than my wive's SUV. I do have suspension upgrades but I don't know if they are what made the difference.
The RE92s that came on my wife's subie were so bad in the rain that I replaced them with Nokian WRs before it even saw it's first winter. Having driven other cars with RE92s, I can officially say they are the suck in ALL conditions, especially rain and snow.
Hmmmm, really I don't think the stock tires are sooo bad, in fact it thought the legacy I was driving didn't have stock tires until I looked, I had no problems what so ever getting around anywhere yesterday, as unhappy as 99% of the people seem to be about them I can't say I think they are all that bad, ok, that being said I've only had this car a day, but we did a lot of driving, and if handled everything pretty **** well if I do say so myself. I'm sure the short commings would show up if the car was pushed hard, but for normal driving right now, I wouldn't be unhappy enough to change them. Come summer I would probably expect to hate them too, but I drive very fast at times, and demand a lot from my tires then. I passed people stuck on my street in about a foot of blown drifted snow today, with no problems, and there they were stuck on the same road I was motoring down, now if I stopped, that wouldn't have probably been a good thing, but I didn't have to and I didn't get stuck. I felt more like IFI would actually get stuck it would be because I was high centered, and not because of the tires. Clearance wise I wish I had taken the truck once we got going, but it ended up being a non issue. Not so bad so bad afterall IMHO. Oh and all that being said, IF there were winter tires on this car, I'm sure it would be a hundred times better, but as long as I don't get stuck or spin out and crash they are fine by me, I just gotta take it a bit easier. Heck if you guys would've driven the previous rental I had the week before a 05 buick LeSaber, you'd complain not abotu ****ty tires, any Subaru is 1000000000000X's better, anyday. Honestly Ididn't think I could dislike the Buick as much as I did, I rather they'd given me an escort. This in a 05 Legacy Auto wagon.
MNStrider.. anyone who hasn't eaten anything besides poop their entire life might think that poop is fine.. until they try something else.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Steve-o I heart my re92s, someday I hope they save the transmission <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote"> I hope they don't total the car before they save your tranny. :-p
My buddy was looking at the tires on my Legacy loaner car, and said they were different that the stock tires on his legacy GT, so I guess I don't really know what these tires are they do say re92.... But he says they are different. ( not just because of size)
