The Vredestein Quatrac Pro tire is an ideal match for the Subaru Outback. It offers excellent all-weather traction, short stopping distances, balanced handling, and superior hydroplaning resistance. Furthermore, its twin cushion silica tread compound resists uneven wear to increase tread life.
These sporty directional asymmetric tread patterns with biting edges offer enhanced traction and stopping power across different weather conditions but do not come cheap; prices for each tire begin at approximately $215.
Yokohama Geolandar GO55
The Yokohama Geolandar G055 touring all-season tire is tailored explicitly for CUVs and SUVs. Featuring a tread design that offers excellent traction on dry, wet, and light snow surfaces as well as providing a comfortable ride with excellent handling, its symmetric tread pattern with transition grooves provides stable steering response; additionally, its wide shoulder ribs increase wet weather grip significantly for maximum damp weather gripping power as well as lower road noise levels. Additionally, it boasts exceptional durability with low road noise levels.
GO55 tires are constructed using Yokohama’s Nano BLEND rubber compound for maximum speed without compromising tread wear or ride comfort. Their symmetric tread pattern features five longitudinal and two shoulder ribs that work harmoniously to enhance directional stability and responsive handling and an innovative drainage system with four longitudinal channels to maximize traction in rainy conditions and avoid hydroplaning.
GO55 tires have also been designed to minimize road noise. Their tread design reduces noise generation and vibrations, while their high-tech internal structure enhances vehicle braking performance. This tire offers a superior wet-weather grip backed by a 65,000-mile treadwear warranty!
Consumer Reports conducted tests on the Yokohama Geolandar G055, earning it second place in their highway terrain category. With impressive traction and stopping distance on wet pavement, as well as excellent handling and steering feel ratings, this tire landed itself as one of the highest-rated options for CUVs and SUVs.
Toyo Extensa A/S
The Toyo Extensa A/S all-season tire is an economical option for everyday road use, offering tested tread life and an extended warranty to give drivers peace of mind and save money when replacing tires. In addition, its smooth ride and excellent handling provide drivers with peace of mind and value; although wet traction may prove challenging at times, it still provides a comfortable drive under most conditions.
The Extensa A/S tire is ideal for passenger cars, minivans, and SUVs with its silica-based tread compound that improves wet traction while prolonging tire lifespan and fuel economy. Furthermore, rolling resistance is reduced, leading to improved fuel economy and road noise reduction, and its unique interlocking sipe design minimizes uneven wear for quieter performance and reduced road noise.
Extensa A/S stands out from its competition with a unique symmetric tread pattern designed for optimal dry handling and efficiently evacuating water more quickly, improving wet weather traction. Four full-depth circumferential grooves help prevent hydroplaning in damp or snowy conditions, while multi-wave sipes further boost wet weather traction.
Comparable to the Falken Azenis FK460 A/S, Toyo Extensa provides a slightly more excellent wet traction rating; however, Azenis has much faster response times, which makes them ideal for high-performance vehicles such as sports cars.
Although the Toyo Extensa A/S may offer poor ice and snow traction, it performs well in most conditions. With its tested tread life of 65,000 miles and extended warranty coverage, you can be assured of value and peace of mind with your purchase. Its all-season rating ensures smooth travel during Spring, Summer, Autumn, and light snowfall conditions.
Extensa also boasts an impressive owner satisfaction rating; most owners were pleased with its wet traction, ride comfort, fuel economy, and directional tread pattern, which enhances handling and braking in dry and wet conditions. Ideal for everyday driving but not advised for off-road use.
Michelin Defender T+H
The Michelin Defender T+H all-season passenger tire offers excellent year-round performance and long-lasting life, thanks to its MaxTouch Construction that evenly disperses contact forces while its EverTread compound ensures long tread life. Furthermore, this tire has maintenance indicators placed within its grooves, alerting users when the tread depth becomes shallow, and should be replaced as soon as it wears away with regular usage.
The Defender T+H tire for Subaru Outback vehicles is an outstanding option. It offers exceptional lateral stability, comfortable ride quality, and excellent vibration absorption capabilities. Unfortunately, it doesn’t perform as well in wet or winter conditions as other tires in its class.
This tire is designed for comfort and handling, and it also comes with an impressive 80,000-mile tread life warranty – the longest among all-season tires on the market! Michelin’s Max Touch Construction evenly distributes tread contact forces, while EverTread compound helps ensure durability and longevity.
Intellisipe technology, developed exclusively by Michelin, uses zigzag sipes to provide grip in wet or icy conditions while reducing hydroplane incidences and providing maximum performance in dry weather conditions. Braking distances under these conditions are among the shortest in its class.
The Michelin Defender T+H comes in various speed ratings. The H-rated version is intended for high-performance vehicles, while T-rated versions can be found on more traditional touring cars. In our testing, this tire excelled and placed among the top three in dry traction, highway comfort, and noise isolation – in addition to having excellent lateral stability that made quick accelerations and turns much simpler. Unfortunately, it does not handle snow or ice well and should be upgraded with dedicated winter tires instead if this is your primary driving environment.
Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring
The Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring tire is a grand-touring all-season passenger for mid-size sedans, coupes, and minivans. Offering all-season performance on dry, wet, and snowy surfaces makes this tire an excellent option for most drivers at an attractive price point compared to premium options from Michelin, Hankook, or other top brands – while its exceptional stability in various driving conditions sets it apart from competition.
In Consumer Report’s lab tests, the CS5 Ultra Touring excelled in acceleration and braking traction tests, with stop distances among the lowest in its category. The lateral grip was good enough for daily driving purposes, while a wet road handling test found them lacking in their grasp when pushed hard enough. However, damp road handling wasn’t tested sufficiently or when stretched beyond their limit, resulting in unstable handling when cornered at speeds over 25 mph compared with others tested similarly.
This tire’s all-season traction was impressive, while its handling was unimpressive and nerve-wracking. While you will enjoy its responsive ride quality and responsiveness at higher speeds, its nervous handling creates an unstable driving experience at higher rates. As its handling was less sporty than anticipated, Continental CrossContact 2 would likely provide a more sports car-like experience for aggressive drivers.
The CS5 Ultra Touring boasts many great features, such as its all-season tread compound that uses up to four times more silica than previous models. Silica helps improve traction and heat dissipation while decreasing rolling resistance for increased fuel efficiency. It provides the CS5 Ultra Touring with an enjoyable ride and extended tread life, as well as Stabiledge technology that enhances steering precision, asymmetrical tread patterns that reduce uneven wear, and 3D Micro-Gauge siping that maximizes surface contact. Other features include Stabiledge technology which enhances steering precision; 3D Micro-Gauge siping maximizes surface contact; Stabiledge technology enhances steering precision; asymmetrical tread patterns reduce uneven wear, as well as Stabiledge siping which enhances steering precision; Stabiledge technology which enhances steering precision; and 3D Micro-Gauge siping maximizes surface contact between surfaces maximizing surface contact area while increasing surface contact by 33% or so compared with conventional models. Wear square visual indicators to allow for accurate estimations of remaining tread life. Furthermore, an asymmetrical pattern allows for tire rotation, which extends their lifespan. The CS5 Ultra Touring tire comes backed with a 70,000-mile warranty for V and H-rated models and 50,000 miles for W-rated versions, making it an excellent option for drivers of older vehicles who require balanced tires capable of adapting to various driving situations.
