Tyre choice for 2004 Forester 2.0 XT?

[billzeebub]

My brother has just picked up a rather smart Forester, for summer camping trips, which he is very pleased with. Aside from the non-matching rubber on all corners that is!!. So, we are looking for recommendations on tyre choice to replace all 4. A good compromise between price/ on road /off road performance is sought. Any advice from owners would be much appreciated. Also, if anyone knows what was the original tyre Subaru fitted and sizing?

As a more general point, what should he be looking for regarding reliability and wear & tear? The car is a 80000 miler bought from a Subaru dealer who changed the cambelt as part of the deal

Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide

[markCSC]

I think the OEM tyres are Yokohama Geolanders (they are on the old ones). Fine for a general tyre with a bit of offroading, but they squeeeeeal lots and aren't great when pressing on.

A lot of Forester owners run Falken ZE912

Oh and get him on the Forester Board
http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f75/

[CaptainSlow]

How much did he pay for it?

I have these on mine

http://www.neobrothers.co.uk/21560zr16-neuton-nt50...

Low price but certainly not low performance.

One thing to keep an eye out for are the rear self leveling shocks. These will leak at about the age and mileage of your brother's car. Give me a shout when it happens as there are lower cost and better solutions than paying Subaru a grand to replace them.

Edited by CaptainSlow on Friday 11th May 16:29

[rovermorris999]

My 2003 2.0 XT auto had some Dunlop or other on it when I bought it which were ok, I then tried Goodyear Excellence. Good grip but noisy and a rubbish ride. So when they wore out I tried the original fitment Yokohama Geolanders and what a transformation! Smooth, quiet and comfortable but a little more squishy when cornering. I'd shied away from them before because of the 'Geosquealer' reputation but I think they really suit the car. I've not heard a peep from mine but then I tend to not 'press on' round corners, a softly-sprung high ground clearance estate with off-road capability isn't ideal for that despite the good straight-line performance. I tend to keep the power for overtaking.
Whatever you get, swap front to back on the same side every 6k or so miles to even out the wear. A proper 4 wheel alignment is a good idea too.
Driven reasonably gently, keeping off-boost (under 3k rpm) except for overtaking and living in a rural area so no short trips or traffic, I can get a regular 29-30mpg on VPower. Not bad for a 2 litre petrol auto with the aerodynamics of a shed. I don't hang about either, I just don't floor it when accelerating and try not to brake, anticipating and decelerating off throttle where possible. A lot easier in the sticks, I admit. I get under 20mpg when towing a car trailer though.