Subaru Tires Cost: How much are they?

Modern-day Subaru models are usually characterized by approachable price tags and the legendary Subaru always-on Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive (SAWD) system. This AWD system is widely regarded as one of the best ones in the industry as it offers unparalleled traction in virtually all environments.

For the AWD to perform as well as it can, you need a set of proper rubber. So, how much do Subaru tires cost?
Subaru Tires Cost
Common Subaru tires typically cost around $150 to $350 per tire which is the price most owners are prepared to pay. If you want a high-performance tire for your Subaru, you will often have to pay $500 or more per single tire which certainly is a lot.
However, it often makes sense to go with performance tires for certain Subaru models. If you want to make the most out of your Subaru, a set of premium tires is the best way to go. However, if you don’t care about the ins and outs of what your Subaru can do, you are likely going to be satisfied with the average.
Best Subaru Tires
As mentioned in the beginning, Subaru models are known for their AWD system and superior resilience which enables them to traverse terrain most other cars from this segment can’t. However, Subaru cars are much more than that as they are also great daily drivers that can do long-distance journeys and in-city driving really well.
Best Subaru Tires:
- Continental TrueContact Tour – Best all-season tire
- Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS – Best performance tire
- Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack – Best highway tire
- Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 – Best winter tire
What Is The Best Tire For A Subaru?
Choosing the best all-around tire is an incredibly difficult task as it involves matching your driving habits with a single tire option. However, if we were to choose a tire that is known to perform really well in virtually all situations, we would likely recommend you to buy either the Michelin Defender T+H or the Continental TrueContact Tour tire.
An all-season tire is your best bet if you want to use a single set of tires year long, and the reason why we chose the Conti TrueContact is that it comes with an 80,000-mile warranty, it offers great traction both in the wet and dry, it is incredibly responsive, and one of the most fuel-efficient tires on the market. The only place where this tire isn’t up to the task is off-roading, but most people don’t take their cars off-roading anyway.
What Is The Best Performance Tire For A Subaru?
Some Subaru models like the Impreza or the Subaru BRZ are typically being bought by people who enjoy the thrill of dynamic driving. As such, these cars are better off with high-performance tires as those enable you to enjoy your Impreza/BRZ in the best way possible. In this instance, we choose the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS as your best bet.
The reason why we listed the Potenza RE980AS is because it is an all-season tire with an asymmetric compound that performs better than most tires when it comes to rain. This, combined with Subaru AWD will give you consistent traction no matter the weather. Moreover, it is also one of the quietest performance tires on the market.
What Is The Best Highway Tire For A Subaru?
The Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack is widely regarded as one of the most comfortable and quietest tires in the entirety of the tire industry. An 80,000-mile warranty, excellent traction in both wet and dry conditions, and adequate performance in the snow make the QuietTrack a really well-rounded option for a Subaru.
If you spend most of your driving time on the highway, you will enjoy the Turanza QuietTrack as there aren’t many tires that can even come close to it. Bridgestone used more than 30 different compounds to ensure that this tire can last a really long time without losing its effectiveness, and it seems like that is the case.
What Is The Best Winter Tire For A Subaru?
Because Subaru offers one of the best AWD systems in the industry, you need to complement that system with a set of great winter tires that will enable you to go anywhere at any time. The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 fits a Subaru like a glove because it is a 3PMSF-rated tire that offers excellent traction on snow and ice.
It also comes with clever tire tread indicators which will help you when it comes time to replace them. One drawback of the Bridgestone WS90 is that it does not come with a specific treadwear warranty, but that is often the case as winter tires are known to last significantly shorter than summer and all-season tires.
What Are The Most Common Tire Types?
- All-season tires
- Performance tires
- Touring tires
- Summer tires
- Winter tires
What Is An All-Season Tire?
All-season tires try to combine the benefits you get with both summer and winter tires without adding the drawbacks that come with each. This, of course, is a really difficult thing to do which is why most all-season tires aren’t the best in a particular situation. An all-season tire is never going to outperform a true summer tire during the summer, nor is it ever going to match the performance of a winter tire during winter.
Be that as it may, there are situations when an all-season tire is best. If you live in a balanced climate where the temperature does not fluctuate too much, a set of all-season tires are all you need. By opting for all-season tires, you are going to save quite a bit of money on swapping your tires each season, especially if you maintain your tires in order for them to last as long as possible.
What Is A Performance/Summer Tire?
A performance/summer tire is designed to offer you the best possible experience if you value traction, steering responsiveness, driver feedback, and handling above everything else. Performance tires are designed to deliver power onto the road in an uttermost consistent way which means that break of traction should only be possible if you really push these tires.
These need to be up to temperature to perform as best as they can which is why performance tires aren’t winter tires. All in all, performance tires don’t last all that long, and they tend to be loud and not as comfortable as all-season tires. However, these tires will enable you to explore the limits of your performance car better than any other street-legal tire currently in existence.
What Is A Touring Tire?
A touring tire is what you will likely find with most cars as these tires prioritize likely the most important aspects of driving, which are refinement and longevity. High-end touring tires, also often called Grand Touring Tires, are your best bet if you own a luxury car that you tend to use for long-distance journeys as these are some of the most comfortable and fuel-efficient tires out there.
Given the fact that most of us spend the majority of our driving time on the highway, touring tires are the obvious choice. Even if they do cost more money than your regular everyday tires, they also last longer and they save you fuel which can somewhat even out the final price.
What Is A Winter Tire?
Winter tires are the exact opposite of summer/performance tires because these are designed to tackle an entirely different set of challengers. In order to achieve that, winter tires need to be designed with softer rubber compounds that can stay flexible during the winter, but the downside of that is that these tend to wear out faster.
They also usually come with deeper treads and grooves because they have to dig into the snow to find traction. Zigzag lines, jagged edges, and aggressive shoulders are all hallmarks of a good winter tire. These also come with stone and water repellant technologies in order to keep the tire safe from chipping and from aquaplaning.
Should I Buy Premium Tires For A Subaru?
It depends on your driving habits and the type of Subaru you own. For example, if you own a Subaru Impreza WRX/WRX STI or the Subaru BRZ, you should indeed invest in a decent set of premium performance tires as that is the only way for you to truly experience what those cars can do. On the other hand, if you own an older Subaru you really don’t drive fast, or often, you can invest in cheaper tires and save some money in the process.
It’s also worth mentioning that many people use their Subaru models in constantly snow-covered areas which is why a set of premium winter tires is also a must as that will keep you and your car safe at all times.
Conclusion
At the end of our “Subaru Tires Cost” article, we can conclude that common Subaru tires cost between $150 and $350 per tire. Those who drive older Subaru models are typically more inclined to pay around $150-$250 for a tire while those with newer Subaru models can even spend upwards of $500 per a single tire.
You ought to consider how you use your car and that is going to tell you if you need a premium tire or not. Yes, a premium tire is always going to outperform a budget tire, no matter the circumstances.