[PNO3]

I just purchased a new 2022 WRX base model, and I like the care quite a bit. Unfortunately the stock tires seem to have some of the worst bad weather performance of any care I have ever driven. As soon as the first snowflake hit the ground, it felt like I was driving on round bars of soap! I have been poking around the site looking for what to do about it, but honestly, I don't know much about cars, and even less about tires, and this is the first car I have had this problem. I have never needed winter tires before, and If possible, would like to stay away from having to change tires twice a year. Are there better all weather tires that I can leave on my car that will have better traction in the snow?

-The stock tires on the car Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT 600 A

-I asked the dealer, and they offered to install a set of Continental DWS06 PLUS tires. just looking at them, they don't look like they would be much better than the stock tires, but maybe they will work?

-I went to a tire store, and only one set looked aggressive enough for all season, the Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady, but the salesman was very addiment about not putting these tires on the care, because they were not sport tires.

To be clear, this is a stock WRX, I don't race, and it is my every day commute car. Does having touring tires on a WRX matter that much for everyday driving? I like to stomp the gas every now and then, but my normal driving is nothing exciting.

 

[XJman]

The dws06 is a mighty all season tire. One of the best.

Depending on how much snow you see dedicated winters are the way to go

 

[silver_scooby]

Stock tires are summer tires, i.e. warm weather only (50F+). More grip and better handling in warm weather but little to no grip in cold.

 

[mike d]

I just got my 22 WRX in November. I didn't wait till snow hit. I swapped to Conti DWS06 Plus based on a lot of investigation and reviews. Since then, Utah has had a few snow storms and I've driven them in snow and slush. They have been fantastic. They grip as good as any all weather tires I've had on any of my other cars. I'm sure dedicated snow tires would be better (blizzak), but I'm not into swapping tires every season. The Conti's also seem fine on dry. I don't do track so I don't worry about that. I think your dealer knows what he's talking about.

 

[PNO3]

Thanks everyone for the reply, it sounds like the DWS06 tires are going to be what I go with. I guess I'm interested though, what are the real world effects of putting touring tires on instead of sport? Is it really that bad to do?

 

[silver_scooby]

Touring and sport are marketing crap. Difference is in grip & steering response but for your use case, probably no difference. List is maximum to minimum dry grip:

Slicks - 50F+ & dry only
R-compounds - 50F+ & some rain
Summer tires - 50F+ & heavy rain
All-seasons
Winter tires
Studded tires

 

[jb75087]

I got my 22 WRX base in May. The Dallas area has enough cold weather that I was not willing to stay on the Dunlop summer tires. Replaced with Nitto Motivo all season rated tires. I upgraded slightly to 245x45x17. No cold weather yet but I know the wet traction is good.

 

[bbuckis]

The real world effect all depends on the style of driving you do. If you’re a little more aggressive in your driving habits, having sport tires on in the warmer months might prove helpful. Otherwise touring tires are a great alternative.
Tire:
life span (Touring)
Seasonally versatility (Touring)
Handling and responsiveness (Sport)
Gas mileage (Touring)
Ride quality (Touring)
Tread life (Touring)
Price (Touring)

 

[VitovH]

I run the Continental tires in warm weather. Didn’t like the way they wear and become not effective in snow. I run Blizzaks on a dedicated winter rim in the cold weather. My theory is if you can afford the tires a inexpensive set of alloy rims for winter shouldn’t sink you.

Vito

 

[PNO3]

I run the Continental tires in warm weather. Didn’t like the way they wear and become not effective in snow. I run Blizzaks on a dedicated winter rim in the cold weather. My theory is if you can afford the tires a inexpensive set of alloy rims for winter shouldn’t sink you.

Vito

Hi Vito, thanks for the information,

I am not sure I understand, are you saying the continents wear more in the winter?

 

[Jbravo_AK]

I run the stock tires in the summer and Blizzak Ws70s in winter on 2 seperate sets of wheels. This is the route you should go if you get actual winters and not acouple days worth of snow on the ground. All season do everything "ok-good" while dedicated summer/winter are the ideal setup. You could probably get away with all seasons if you have mild winters.

 

[VitovH]

The Continentals have three letters on the treads. Once you wear through the S they are no longer good for winter tires. I run them as 3 season tires because changing to winter tires ,from summer only tires, in November is too early for me. Summer tires are only good to 40 degrees per manufacturer.

 

[TÅRN]

I just brought a new 2022 WRX base a week ago this last Saturday. I took off the WRX Dunlap summer tires and OEM rims. I bought a set of 2016 WRX OEM rims. I put Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 tires on the 2016 WRX rims this last Friday.

The week before last, I used these new Pirelli tires for one 300 mile ski trip on my 1992 3000GT VR4 to White Pass and back. These Pirelli winter tires perform well.

I have not yet driven the WRX in snow yet. There is snow forecasted this week. I hope soon see how the Pirelli tires perform on the WRX very soon.

 

[PNO3]

I just brought a new 2022 WRX base a week ago this last Saturday. I took off the WRX Dunlap summer tires and OEM rims. I bought a set of 2016 WRX OEM rims. I put Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 tires on the 2016 WRX rims this last Friday.

The week before last, I used these new Pirelli tires for one 300 mile ski trip on my 1992 3000GT VR4 to White Pass and back. These Pirelli winter tires perform well.

I have not yet driven the WRX in snow yet. There is snow forecasted this week. I hope soon see how the Pirelli tires perform on the WRX very soon.

I thought about getting a set of winter rims because I was worried that the ice and sand might damage the finish on my rims, but when I wet shopping online, may sites asked what the "offset" on the rim was, along with some other information I did not know. If you are using rims from a 2016, does that mean that Subaru has been using more or less the same rim size since then? If that's true I might be able to find some winter rims in a junkyard and save a couple bucks. Are the WRX rims the same size as the BRZ? I see a lot of older BRZ rim listings in junkyards, could I just get those?

 

[silver_scooby]

Wheels are sized by 3 nums, rim diameter x barrel width + offset. Unless you can do suspension design, the best option is to stick to oem size. For 15-21 wrx it was 18x8.5+55 or 17x8+55. Find the size for your gen and get brz wheels if it's the same.

P.S. wrx wheels are 5x114.3mm hubs.

 

[TÅRN]

I thought about getting a set of winter rims because I was worried that the ice and sand might damage the finish on my rims, but when I wet shopping online, may sites asked what the "offset" on the rim was, along with some other information I did not know. If you are using rims from a 2016, does that mean that Subaru has been using more or less the same rim size since then? If that's true I might be able to find some winter rims in a junkyard and save a couple bucks. Are the WRX rims the same size as the BRZ? I see a lot of older BRZ rim listings in junkyards, could I just get those?

Silver Scooby is right about the 2022 WRX wheel hubs being 5x114mm. As I understand the 2022 WRX wheels sizes are 17x8 inches or 18x8.5 inches. I unsure of the exact offsets, but 55 is likely right for those wheels. On Facebook market place I bought the 2016 17x8 inch rims for $300. They seem to fit well.

 

[scott5626]

I have a 22 base as well. I am having new wheels and tires installed today. These are the all seasons I went with. The snow and ice rating is fantastic for an AS tire.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/michelin-pilot-sport-all-season-4

 

[TÅRN]

I have a 22 base as well. I am having new wheels and tires installed today. These are the all seasons I went with. The snow and ice rating is fantastic for an AS tire.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/michelin-pilot-sport-all-season-4

With one set of tires and rims you will likely not have to deal with TPMS sensor issues. I have so far found them to be a pain. Taking the wrx to Subi dealer next week to hopefully resolve TPMS light staying on. Discount tire could not resolve the issue.

This question is off topic, what mounting bracket did you use for your front license plate?

 

[scott5626]

No issues at Tire Rack with the TPMS. I did new ones though. I’m in Indiana. No front plate required.

 

[Ag76]

2020 wrx two sets of wheels: one with Blizzaks and one with the oem dunlops. This is the best for me because the winter in upstate NY is cold and snowy, so this allows for spirited driving all year round. The oem's are dangerous under 50 degrees but very good in warm weather. The blizzaks are excellent in the snow (think "snowmobile") but melt like butter in warm weather. It is worth mentioning that the wheels fit inside the car so it is convenient to haul them to the shop twice a year when they need to be swapped.