RebDovid Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 I've narrowed my consideration of winter tires to these three, all in size 225/60/17. (We're leasing our Outback 2.5i Limited for three years. All prices are from reputable area dealers and include lifetime seasonal change-over of the tires at no additional cost.) Installed, the Hakka R comes to just under $544; the Toyo Observe and Michelin Xi2 are each about $625. In each case, the price includes sales tax. (At Tire Rack, which does not currently show wheel and tire packages for a 2010 Subaru Outback, the cost of the tires, shipping, and one-time mounting and balancing from an approved Tire Rack installer would be $800 for the Michelins -- before a $70 rebate -- and $623.80 for the Toyos.) Is there any reason not to go with the Hakkapeliittas? (On a prior car, a VW Passat, that we owned, I ran minus-sized Nokians on steel wheels.) Most of our driving will be in Boston's western suburbs, with possible trips to southern New Hampshire (not skiing), central Massachusetts, and Philadelphia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aczwild Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Xi2's are getting all the good reviews over the Hakkas and other highly touted ones so I went for them JDM'd All to hell Thanks Jimmy @ Hkc-Speed.com! RIP Coxx & Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebDovid Posted October 20, 2009 Author Share Posted October 20, 2009 Xi2's are getting all the good reviews over the Hakkas and other highly touted ones so I went for them Yes, but are they enough better to justify the additional cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
civic2scooby Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 I had Nokian Hakka 2's on my 2.5RS and my 01 Leggy. I have never been happier in my life with snow tires. I have ran blizzaks on the mercedes one year and went back to the nokians, only tires I have ever run up until this year, I am trying the general snow tires on my 05 LGT due to cost crunching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aczwild Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Yes, but are they enough better to justify the additional cost?the Xi2's were less than the Hakkas and have been getting better reviews so I went with them I cant wait for the snow to fall JDM'd All to hell Thanks Jimmy @ Hkc-Speed.com! RIP Coxx & Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinlsb Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Toyo Observe Garit KX Tires. For a few bucks more you can get a much better tire:) "Belief does not make truth. Evidence makes truth. And belief does not make evidence." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebDovid Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 Toyo Observe Garit KX Tires. For a few bucks more you can get a much better tire:) According to the Toyo website, they're not available in my size, 225/60/17. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinlsb Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 According to the Toyo website, they're not available in my size, 225/60/17. And you would want 60's because????????? "Belief does not make truth. Evidence makes truth. And belief does not make evidence." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebDovid Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 And you would want 60's because????????? First, because the oe size is 225/60/17. Second, because neither Tire Rack nor my usual local dealer has specs for a 16" winter tire and wheel package. Third, because we've only leased our Outback for three years, which I don't think justifies paying for another set of wheels. ******* Edited to correct aspect ratio to 60. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
__raj Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Which tire dealer for Hakka R for $540/installed? That seems like a great price. Go with the least expensive. All are great tires, one may be better in a certain condition than the other a bit, but winter conditions are extremely variable. Having winter tires simply gets you about 85% there in winter traction. The specific choice gives you the extra 5-15%. I have owned 7 different sets of winter tires from budget(artic claw) to top tier brands(Blizzack, Michelin, Nokian). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinlsb Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 First, because the oe size is 225/60/17. Second, because neither Tire Rack nor my usual local dealer has specs for a 16" winter tire and wheel package. Third, because we've only leased our Outback for three years, which I don't think justifies paying for another set of wheels. ******* Edited to correct aspect ratio to 60. OK, I am an idiot. I was thinking LGT specs:redface: Sorry,brain fart "Belief does not make truth. Evidence makes truth. And belief does not make evidence." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lekmedm Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 I had Nokian Hakka 2's on my 2.5RS and my 01 Leggy. I have never been happier in my life with snow tires. I had Hakka 2's on my '98 Outback and have them for my '06 Outback as well as my '07 Jeep. Love 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 the Xi2's were less than the Hakkas and have been getting better reviews so I went with them I cant wait for the snow to fall Updates? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesuby Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Which tire dealer for Hakka R for $540/installed? That seems like a great price. Go with the least expensive. All are great tires, one may be better in a certain condition than the other a bit, but winter conditions are extremely variable. Having winter tires simply gets you about 85% there in winter traction. The specific choice gives you the extra 5-15%. I have owned 7 different sets of winter tires from budget(artic claw) to top tier brands(Blizzack, Michelin, Nokian). That is a great price on Nokians. I want to know as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aczwild Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Updates?So far so good. They have been quite a bit of fun. The Xi2's have been great in the light stuff (3-4 inches) and unfortunately I havent been able to test them on the ice yet to see how they behave there. No pull so far like I used to have with my old Icebear W300's, where the car would drift with the snow, these just plow right through and keep you on course. Even when screwing around goosing the throttle, or holding it at WOT when in bad conditions, the Xi2's keep it in a straight line, or at least pull the car in the correct direction when they break traction (granted the VDC helps a bit too). So far they are a great choice and it will be interesting to see how they respond in the nasty.... JDM'd All to hell Thanks Jimmy @ Hkc-Speed.com! RIP Coxx & Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 So far so good. They have been quite a bit of fun. The Xi2's have been great in the light stuff (3-4 inches) and unfortunately I havent been able to test them on the ice yet to see how they behave there. No pull so far like I used to have with my old Icebear W300's, where the car would drift with the snow, these just plow right through and keep you on course. Even when screwing around goosing the throttle, or holding it at WOT when in bad conditions, the Xi2's keep it in a straight line, or at least pull the car in the correct direction when they break traction (granted the VDC helps a bit too). So far they are a great choice and it will be interesting to see how they respond in the nasty.... Thanks for the update. How is dry and wet handling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbcracken Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I find the Xi2's to be "decent" snow tires on dry & wet. I find that keeping the tires at 38/36 psi helps improve the turn-in feel and evens out the small bump absorption. If front tires get below 35 PSi, they start to feel pretty squishy for me. I also taper my driving down to match the snow tires. They seem to be pretty good at hitting standing water at highway speeds and hold their course fairly well. This is also my 2nd season on them and wear seems to be decent. Hope that helps... Cheers, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aczwild Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Havent really had any problems or concerns with dry & wet handling because I know I shouldnt expect much. Its not god awful at all, its just ok. There is noticeable sidewall flex when being aggressive, but in normal everyday driving its not an issue. I dont have them on the car for performance, or for good dry/wet handling, but for when the S*** gets bad and I need to be able to make it home with confidence, or down the mountain without having to really worry about smacking a guard rail JDM'd All to hell Thanks Jimmy @ Hkc-Speed.com! RIP Coxx & Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSiWRX Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 ^ +1 to both of the latter, in their evaluation of clear-wet/dry scenarios. I also feel there's a noticeably more "vague" feeling, at typical highway speeds, again, in the clear. unclemat, check out: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1338937 ^ The cross-comparison that C&D made, between the Michelin tires, is very interesting - especially in the clear-wet, I find. <-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges '16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derkahn Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 xice2's, size em down (like the owners manual suggests) you shouldn't be worried about dry handling too much .. there soft tires meant for snow/cold temps, fanging around on the dry would just eat em up quicker, you shouldn't be driving "aggressively" on snow tires unless your in the snow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandman Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 So, what did you get? We just put Nokian R's on a company van but I haven't driven it in snow yet. The reviews I've seen put those tires and the Xi2 pretty close to each other. Don't know if all dealers do this but ours gives us a road hazard warranty on the Nokians, saved me $140 last winter on WRG2's when I hit a pothole. Who Dares Wins スバル Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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