I have an XLS 4wd 2007 My Goodyears went out at 27,000 to the wear bars....They failed Texas inspection....

I bought 4 new Yokohama YK520 tires in size 225/60/R18 from Discount tire....also got the TMPS sensors rebuit for $8 each...quite satisfied...
I paid about $530 for the whole job...

I drive summers in Colorado and winters in Houston....

 

don't think you know what you are talking about. there are AT tires that have the mountain and snowflake symbol which means it is approved for severe winter conditions.
and yes some AT tires are noisy but not all.

look here for a comparison on AT tires and their ratings for noise and road conditions.
and if i were you, i would stay away from Nokian or any tires that isn't a major player.
you really don't want to be a guinea pig for something that is not proven.

i myself use the Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmour and had excellent grip in the summer and perfect grip in the winter at -13 which is the lowest we have gotten so far.

 

this is a crock of crap. i have all seasons on my outie and they do absolutely great in the winter. do i recomend it, no. but they do great. as for being useless in winter what a load of garbage. we have had 5 feet of snow fall in the last month (in southern alberta, foothills of rocky mountians) and my outie is outpreforming 4X4 pickup trucks at work. i never slide. i never get stuck. i can go through snowdrifts about 2 feet deep and with some adjusted driving i do just great. never had a problem.

snow tires are good for some things but not great for many. living where i live it warms up to plus 10 and drops to -20 daily. winter tires just melt to pieces on the ashfault when its that hot.

this is simply a matter of opinion. dont believe this garbage tho. id like to see a good reason for using winter tires. if u dont drive ,like an idiot and slow down on bad roads, you will be fine. leave adequate spacing between vehicles and you "improved stopping distance" wil not matter. not like its really that great anyway. once ur on black ice ur screwed. just slow down. and pull your head out of your *** not like these idiots that think 4wd means u can keep normal speed limits. ull end up like the 10 vehicles i passed on my way home from work on the higway this morning. 8 of them were 4wd vehicles with some new looking winter tires on them

if you are convinced that i am wrong, do this:

go to an empty parking lot that is full of ice on the pavement. drive forward doing about 30km/h and whip the wheel to the side and accelerate hard. check out what hapens. do this with the so called non existent all season tires on it.

the skid control system on this SUV kicks ***. and it will stop you from having problems in the skid.

then go to an incline on a roadway if u can. and slam on the gas and see how "useless" your all seasons are. i climb a hill thats about a 40degree incline to get to work and its about 2km long. and i never have ever had an issue. even when it was coverd in sheer black ice. if u have that many problems i suggest you go back to driving school and learn how to drive in the winter.

 

i've always used all-season tires in my previous vehicles and the only downfall i have encountered with them in winter is the stopping distance on slushy roads.
never had trouble in snow however.

 

Now that the new Outie has been around for a few years, there finally seems to be more choice for replacement tires for the XLS's 18" wheels. Tire Rack, for example, now has 15 tires listed at 225/55/18 - up from 3 or 4 only two years ago. There are two winter specific tires listed, but both are pretty expensive. I would seem that 16" winters on steel rims would be a more economical choice (TPMS issue, I know!).

The last entry on Tire Rack list are the Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S - a "new" tire that seems to be designed specifically for drivers who want "...a bold off-road attitude with a capable on-road aptitude...". They score well in all categories - from wet to cornering to snow. What I don't know is: How do they compare to regular all season or winter passenger tires?

I've seen these tires on pick-ups here in southern Alberta, but none so far on an SUV or CUV. So if anyone has tried these, on any vehicle, tells us what they're like. Do they work well in all conditions or are the only "good" when compared to other All Terrain tires (which aren't that great "on road" IMO).

P.S. Winter tires perform better in winter conditions. On ice and snow they will always stop shorter, accelerate quicker, and all around out perform any "all season" tire. Yes, an AWD will corner and accelerate better than FWD/RWD vehicles when all are fitted with all seasons tires. BUT, AWD won't help you stop any shorter when the temperature begins to fall.

Southern Alberta does provide one with a tire choice dilemma - the "Chinook"! Temperatures can fluctuate from -30C one day to +10C the next. So, I guess tire choice comes down to which compromises you're willing to make...

 

I just ordered a set of these and should have them installed within a week or so... it'll still be a little while before I can comment on snow though, I'm in Chicago. My outlander had Yokohama G033s on it originally. I just bought the car at 31k and they're shot. I spoke to several people, including to a representative from Yokohama.

The guy from Yokohama told me the G033s are designed for the outlander, and that they may have small advantages in certain aspects, such as cornering. Just because they had a little r&d put into it. However, he said the difference probably wouldn't be much switching to the A-T/S. He said they're really great tires, and is what he would run if he lived in Chicago with my car. They're not loud on the highway, are pretty beefy, have a nice tread pattern, and great in bad weather. The only negative he had is that they weigh 28 lbs each (vs 24.35 for stock 215-70/r16"). This may have an impact on gas millage.

- Another guy I spoke to at Discount Tire had a friend who uses these on a truck he also plows with, and has never had any problems. His friend got tired of paying for Michelin's, gave these a shot, and hasn't had one complaint.

Check out http://www.yokohamatire.com/tires/geolandar_ats.aspx.

We'll see how it goes...

 

I got the Pirelli P6 Four Seasons, $120 at a local Goodyear and have been happy. They are not noisy and they handle well...so much so my girlfriend who is the primary driver of the Outlander doesn't even notice them...trust me, if they weren't great, she'd be bitching.

We live in SF were there is lots of wet roads, but no snow...

 

Has anyone tried a different site width/sidewall ratio on their outlander? For the LS that normally has 215/70R16 tires, the 235/65R16 tires are nearly identical size wise. Wife's Geos are about shot at 40k and we'll be looking for a new set soon.

Edit:
here is a table outlining differences between the tire sizes:

 

I also just had the Pirelli P6's installed last Friday. They seem to be a good tire.

 

Anyone got Firestone Winterforce or Cooper Arctic Claw as their winter tires. They're the cheapest ones with 215/70/16.