I live in the PNW. I have had the defender and cross climate on my outback. I personally prefer the cross climate so far. We drive in very wet weather and snow. I have not had any issues so far. I do like the handling in extreme rain and light snow with the cross climates.
Best Tires for Subaru Outback
2022 Wilderness OB that came with Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015 (very good tires--I ordered my car online and it was delivered new) and I just replaced them at 52,000 as they were getting thin.
I didn't replace my factory Yokohama tires on my 2022 Limited until around 38k miles, and I still had around 1/4" tread left. I wanted better winter tires and replaced them with Michelin Cross-Climate 2 tires with a 60k tread wear warranty. There is a bit more ride noise than with my Yokohama tires, but nothing a few more decibels on the radio doesn't fix
So far no issues with these tires at 12k, on my '24 OB. I live in the Bay Area (CA) and go to Tahoe frequently in the winter, the tires are OK in snow but not so bad that I'm gonna upgrade before they're due. They've been fine in pouring rain too.
Michelin x ice have been great for me. On my second set.
My 2017 Outback with winter tires is like on rail during snowy season. I have never driven a car this good on winter.
I'm on my second set. I got just about 64k miles over three years before they were cracking and down to 3/32. I just don't have the same confidence in those so I went back to the A/T Trails. They definitely grip the road better and are less bouncy.
My 2023 OB has 22k miles on the Avid GT’s and they are wearing very well in my opinion. I may replace them with the same tire when it becomes necessary. Also, ten inches of snow is no problem with these tires.
I went with the Yoko Geolanders. They are quieter than the Michelins that they replaced, but my gas mileage has dropped like 5%.
Those are the worst tires I’ve ever had on an Outback and I don’t get why everyone wants or likes such insanely heavy stiff tires. They are also ansotkrkt horrible in winter on ice and snow and caused my car to slide and perform like crap.
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