Which tyres for 2012 Subaru XV?

My XV has four Bridgestone Potenza RE003s (225/55/R17) for around 2.5 years and I've noticed that they have been wearing out quite quickly. The car is only driven around Sydney suburbia (probably less than 10,000km/yr), and rarely on freeways. I knew when I bought them that the RE003s are performance tyres and would likely wear out quicker, and this has largely turned out to be true. The RE003s were certainly very grippy when they were first installed, but over time the grippyness seems to have diminished somewhat.

I've been checking the tyre pressures fairly regularly and keep them all at 38 PSI. When I went for a regular maintenance tyre check at the local Bridgestone centre the guy said that two of the tyres are below the legal limit of 1.5mm tread, while the other two are very close to it. As rego/pink slip is coming up soon, I'll probably need to replace all 4 to pass pink slip.

The two tyres that seems highly regarded are the Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus and Michelin Primacy 4 (or 3 ST). Which one would people recommend and why? If there's another alternative, please advise! My main concerns are tyre noise, longevity of the tyre and of course grip (i.e. safety in dry and wet).

The Bridgestone guy told me that the Turanzas will be on sale with the buy-3-get-1-free promo in June, and gave me a quote of $750 for 4 (assuming b3g1f). Does that sound reasonable or should I shop around with KTAS/Jax/BJ/Costco/Tyresales?

Comments

  • +1

    If you want longevity, go with Cooper - guaranteed to last from 50,000 to 80,000km and guaranteed against manufacturing faults for a period of 72 months from date of purchase. Tempe Tyres lists them as $185 each , so that's $740 for 4 which is comparable to the Turanzas

  • That tyre life seems far too low, did you notice if they wore evenly or more on the edges or center?
    I've had a set of RE003s for closer to 50,000kms and they are just getting towards needing changing.

    Car is a lot lighter than a Subaru hatchback but does do some spirited driving on occasion.

  • Of the tyres you quote, I would go the Primacy.

  • If you can afford the Michelins they are a top tyre choice. But in saying that compared to your potenza or ecopia tyres that are around the $190 per tyre area you'd be paying $240-250 a tyre for the primacy 4s, 3st are obsolete to my understanding.
    The primacy 4 would tick all the boxes you're after.
    And Michelin as a top tier product only has a maximum discount of $100 for the set whereas bridgestones and the likes usually do the 3 for 4 deal.

    Happy hunting.

  • The car is only driven around Sydney suburbia (probably less than 10,000km/yr), and rarely on freeways.

    25000kms on Sydney roads may course more wear than 25000kms on freeways.

  • I've driven on the "old" Turanza and they were fairly horrible. The price quoted by your Bridgestone guy isn't amazing either.

    I had 225/55r16 Primacy HP on the Octavia and they lasted 70,000km whereas RE050A and CSC2 are more like 45k. Note that the Primacy is a touring tyre and the RE050A and CSC2 are more performance focused.

    You will pay around $250 for the Primacy3 (there is a Primacy4 too) - try Costco for a good deal.

    You might also try the ContiEcoContact which are ~$190

  • Always shop around

    I can't advise on actual tyres, but Jax has some promotions such as 4 for 3, and $100 off:
    Jax - Promotion
    Please be sure to compare prices between shops.

  • I did the call-around and got the following quotes for a set of 4 x 225/55/R17:
    - Bridgestone Tyre Centre: Turanza Serenity Plus for $750 ($250 b3g1f)
    - KTAS: Continental MaxContact 6 for $796 ($199 x 4)
    - Blairs Tyres: Toyo Proxes C100 for $796 ($199 x 4)
    - Jax Tyres: Michelin Primacy 4 for $896 ($249 x 4 + $100 cashback)
    - Costco: Michelin Primacy 4 for $996 ($249 x 4) - forgot to ask if they did the Michelin $100 cashback
    - Tempe Tyres: Michelin Primacy 3 for $1000 ($250 x 4) - forgot to ask if they did the Michelin $100 cashback

    So far, I'm leaning towards Bridgestone Tyre Centre or Blairs Tyres, but keen to hear your thoughts. If only Amex would do a cashback promo for Bridgestone Tyre Centres…

  • +1

    I'll probably need to replace all 4 to pass pink slip.

    Highly recommended to replace all four a t once in a Subaru. If you dont, it can reduce the lifespan of the centre diff becuase full time AWD

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