Best tires for the Subaru Forester
Top picks across four categories for the Subaru Forester, anchored to the current-generation OEM size 225/55R18. Every recommendation is selected from our 22,000-tire catalog by ranking on UTQG treadwear, mileage warranty, cabin-noise rating, and season class — no commission-weighted reordering.
Daily driver
Best all-season touring
Long warranty, low noise, balanced ride. The one-tire compromise that works for 80% of owners.
Goodyear
Assurance MaxLife
UTQG 820 with a 85,000-mile warranty — long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Subaru Forester owners.
Michelin
CrossClimate 2
UTQG 640 with a 60,000-mile warranty — long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Subaru Forester owners.
Michelin
Defender 2
UTQG 800 with a 80,000-mile warranty — long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Subaru Forester owners.
Hankook
Kinergy PT
UTQG 800 with a 90,000-mile warranty — long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Subaru Forester owners.
Lowest cost per mile
Best budget
Best price-per-warranty-mile in this size. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options, not safety.
Goodyear
Assurance MaxLife
820 UTQG with a 85,000-mile warranty works out to roughly 0.00¢ per 100 miles before install. Best price-per-mile in this size — no premium-brand markup.
Hankook
Kinergy PT
800 UTQG with a 90,000-mile warranty works out to roughly 0.00¢ per 100 miles before install. Best price-per-mile in this size — no premium-brand markup.
Michelin
Defender 2
800 UTQG with a 80,000-mile warranty works out to roughly 0.00¢ per 100 miles before install. Best price-per-mile in this size — no premium-brand markup.
Yokohama
AVID Ascend LX
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Lowest cabin noise
Best quiet
Tread patterns engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning. Pick this if you commute long highway distances daily.
Michelin
Defender 2
68 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label — library-quiet. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Goodyear
Assurance MaxLife
70 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label — library-quiet. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Hankook
Kinergy PT
70 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label — library-quiet. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Michelin
CrossClimate 2
70 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label — library-quiet. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Cold-weather grip
Best winter
Dedicated winter or all-weather compounds that stay pliable below 7 °C. Necessary for >5 snow days a year.
Bridgestone
Blizzak WS90
Dedicated winter tire compound — stays pliable below 7 °C where summer/all-season rubber hardens. Recommended for Subaru Forester drivers in cold or snowy regions.
Michelin
X-Ice Snow
Dedicated winter tire compound — stays pliable below 7 °C where summer/all-season rubber hardens. Recommended for Subaru Forester drivers in cold or snowy regions.
Side-by-side
Pick the trade-off that matches your driving
| All-season Goodyear Assurance MaxLife | Best quiet Michelin Defender 2 | Best winter Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| UTQG treadwear | 820 | 800 | — |
| Mileage warranty | 85,000 mi | 80,000 mi | — |
| Cabin noise | 70 dB | 68 dB | 71 dB |
| Season class | all-season | all-season | winter |
| Type | touring | touring | passenger |
OEM tire sizes by year
What size does the Subaru Forester use?
Recommendations on this page are anchored to the latest model-year's OEM size. Confirm yours against the driver-door placard before purchase.
| Year | OEM size | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997–2006 | 215/60R16 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2007–2008 | 215/55R17 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2009–2013 | 225/55R17 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2014 | 225/60R17 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2015–2021 | 225/55R18 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2022–2024 | 225/60R17 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2025–2026 | 235/60R17 | Year-specific fitment → |
How we ranked these tires for the Subaru Forester
We started with the latest model-year's OEM tire size — 225/55R18 — and filtered our catalog of 22,000+ tires to those offered in that exact size. From there, four parallel rankings:
- Best all-season ranks on a weighted score: tire type matches SUV segment, season is "all-season", premium brand bonus (Michelin / Continental / Bridgestone / Pirelli / Goodyear / Nokian).
- Best budget ranks on cost-per-warranty-mile — the lower the better. Premium brands get no bonus here.
- Best quiet ranks on the EU tire-label dB rating; lower is quieter.
- Best winter filters to tires marked 3PMSF severe-snow rated or all-weather class, with a small premium-brand bonus because winter-compound R&D is capital-intensive.
SUV-specific tire models (CrossClimate, CrossContact, Defender LTX) have reinforced sidewalls designed for the chassis mass and often a wider tread for better wet traction at higher curb weight. Use the side-by-side comparison above to weigh the trade-offs against your specific driving — highway-heavy, winter-state, performance-oriented, or budget-constrained.
NHTSA-reported issues for Subaru Forester
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (53) · Sidewall (10) · Bead (1) · Tread / Belt (1) · Tube (1)
Reported across: 1998 – 2024 (21 years)
Complaints are voluntarily submitted to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation and are not verified by NHTSA — they represent owner-reported problems, not proven defects. Counts can be useful as a relative quality signal across comparable tires or vehicles.
FAQ
What's the best all-season tire for the Subaru Forester?
Should I get a cheaper tire for my Subaru Forester?
Does the Subaru Forester need winter tires?
Can I run a different tire size on my Subaru Forester?
Where can I buy these tires?
Last verified 2026-06-09.