The Legacy is one of Subaru’s best-selling mid-range sedans and has existed since 1989, gradually growing and evolving through seven generations. Older generations offered both sedan and wagon models, although newer incarnations are only available as sedans.
The Subaru Legacy is an ideal workhorse vehicle for drivers who need mid-size sedan space, with all-wheel-drive traction and control.
[sc name=”best-tires-for-subaru-legacy-aag”][/sc]
Subaru Legacy Tire Size Overview
To find the right tire size for your Subaru Legacy, you’ll have to check which generation your vehicle belongs to. Here’s an overview of the different generations of the Subaru Legacy and their tire sizes:
- OEM Tire Size(s):
- 185/70/14 (Brighton)
- 205/60/15 (L)
- 205/55/16 (L, L SE, GT, GT Limited)
- Trim(s): Brighton, L, L SE, GT, GT Limited
- OEM Tire Size(s):
- 205/55/16 (2.5i, 2.5i Limited)
- 205/50/17 (2.5i, 2.5i Limited, 2.5i Special Edition)
- 215/45/17 (2.5 GT, 2.5 GT Limited, 2.5i Special Edition, 3.0R)
- 215/45/18 (2.5 GT spec.B, 3.0R Limited)
- OEM Tire(s):
- Yokohama Adven A82
- Bridgestone Potenza RE92
- Bridgestone Potenza RE92A
- Bridgestone Potenza RE050A
- Trim(s): 2.5 GT, 2.5 GT Limited, 2.5i, 2.5i Limited, 2.5i Special Edition, 2.5 GT spec.B, 3.0R, 3.0R Limited
- OEM Tire Size(s):
- 205/60/16 (2.5i, 2.5i Premium)
- 215/50/17 (2.5i Limited, 2.5i Premium)
- 225/45/17 (3.6R, 3.6R Limited, 3.6R Premium)
- 225/45/18 (2.5 GT Limited, 2.5 GT Premium, 2.5i Sport)
- OEM Tire(s):
- Bridgestone Potenza RE050A
- Bridgestone Turanza EL400-20
- Trim(s): 2.5i, 2.5i Limited, 2.5i Premium, 2.5i Sport, 2.5 GT Limited, 2.5 GT Premium, 3.6R, 3.6R Limited, 3.6R Premium)
- OEM Tire Size(s):
- 225/55/17 (2.5i, 2.5i Premium)
- 225/50/18 (2.5i Limited, 2.5i Sport, 3.6R Limited)
- Trim(s): 2.5i, 2.5i Limited, 2.5i Premium, 2.5i Sport, 3.6R Limited
- OEM Tire Size(s):
- 225/55/17 (Base, Premium)
- 225/50/18 (Limited, Limited XT, Sport, Touring XT)
- Trim(s): Base, Limited, Limited XT, Premium, Sport, Touring XT
Choosing New Subaru Legacy Tires
When choosing new tires for your Subaru Legacy, think about how you use your vehicle. Cars that run mostly on highways or city roads will need different tires than a vehicle that faces rural roads. Choosing the right tires can save you money and give you a more comfortable ride.
What’s Your Weather Like?
Your region’s weather conditions can make a huge difference to the kind of tires that you’ll need. If you live in a state that experiences harsh winters, snow tires will be a good investment. But if you live in a fairly humid climate, you’ll need tires that can cope with wet roads.
What Do You Use Your Subaru Legacy For?
If you’re just running errands and ferrying the kids around downtown, some All-Season tires are all you need. But if you often use your Legacy as a tow vehicle or drive it off-road frequently, you’ll need some specialized tires that can handle harsh punishment without sacrificing grip.
Comfort, Performance, Budget. Pick Two.
The type of tires that you run on your Legacy can have a big impact on the comfort or performance. Generally, wider and softer tires will provide more comfort for everyday driving. Harder or firmer tires typically produce a better outright performance at the cost of a smooth ride.
Comparison of the Best Tires for Subaru Legacy
[sc name=”best-tires-for-subaru-legacy”][/sc]
The Best Tires for Subaru Legacy
After comparing hundreds of choices, we’ve narrowed down our list of the best tires for a Subaru Legacy down to five products. After using our own data and grading system to reach our conclusion, we chose five tires that fulfill different needs for different drivers. Here are our top five:
Best Overall
Michelin CrossClimate2
Ratings (out of 5)
Dry Performance: 4.7
Wet Performance: 4.8
Overall Comfort: 4.6
Treadwear: 4.7
Snow/Ice Performance: 4.6
We may earn commission from purchases made from our links, at no additional cost to you
Michelin’s CrossClimate2 tires are great all-rounders for most Subaru Legacy owners. These tires fall into the Grand Touring All-Season category, providing good levels of comfort and cornering performance. These tires are pretty durable too, although Michelin only covers them for 60,000 miles.
The CrossClimate2 tires can also handle most winter conditions with ease. Thanks to their Three-Peaks Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) rating, these tires will serve you well in light or moderate snow. Our User ratings gave these tires a grade of 4.6 for light snow and ice performance. However, these tires can’t handle heavy snowfall or thick ice on the road.
Michelin’s CrossClimate2 tires are also not recommended for frequent off-road driving. These tires perform much better on the highway, scoring high marks for dry performance (4.7), wet performance (4.8), and overall comfort (4.6).
For the majority of Subaru Legacy owners, Michelin’s CrossClimate2 tires are the best overall option.
Other Specifications
UTQG Rating: 640 BA
Directional: Yes
TireRack Road Hazard Protection: Yes
Treadlife Warranty: 6 years / 60,000 miles
Price Range: $189.99 to $215.99
Best Summer Tires
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
Ratings (out of 5)
Dry Performance: 4.8
Wet Performance: 4.6
Overall Comfort: 4.5
Treadwear: 4.2
We may earn commission from purchases made from our links, at no additional cost to you
To get the best out of your Subaru Legacy in the summer, Michelin’s Pilot Sport 4S tires are a perfect choice. These tires scored an impressive 4.8 for dry performance in our User ratings and are classed as Max Performance Summer tires.
Michelin developed the Pilot Sport 4S tires using technology from the famous Le Mans 24 Hours race. But even though these tires are focused on pure performance, our users still gave them a respectable 4.5 score for overall comfort.
One weak point of the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires is that they won’t cope with off-road driving or with snow and ice. However, Michelin’s Pilot Sport 4S tires do perform well in the wet – our users gave them a 4.6 score for wet performance.
The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires are ideal for Subaru Legacy owners who live in states with warmer climates and long summers.
Other Specifications
UTQG Rating: 300 AA A
Directional: No
TireRack Road Hazard Protection: Yes
Treadlife Warranty: 6 years / 30,000 miles
Price Range: $254.99 to $256.99
Best Cheap Tires
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
Ratings (out of 5)
Dry Performance: 4.7
Wet Performance: 4.4
Overall Comfort: 4.3
Treadwear: 4.2
We may earn commission from purchases made from our links, at no additional cost to you
Few tires can match the great performance and low cost of the Firestone’s Firehawk Indy 500 tires. Inspired by Firestone’s storied racing history, these Ultra High Performance Summer tires can help turn your Subaru Legacy into a superlative sports sedan.
These tires may be affordable, but they’re certainly not lacking. Our User ratings saw the Firehawk Indy 500 tires achieve high marks for dry performance (4.7) and wet performance (4.4). These Firestones will easily see you through the searing heat and sudden rain showers of any summer.
Firestone’s Firehawk Indy 500 tires also score well for treadwear rating with a respectable grade of 4.2. The main weakness of these tires is that they aren’t geared towards off-road driving or winter conditions.
But for most Subaru Legacy owners, it’s hard to argue with the fantastic price of these Firestones.
Other Specifications
UTQG Rating: 340 A A
Directional: No
TireRack Road Hazard Protection: Yes
Price Range: $155.99 to $164.99
[sc name=”see-table-button”][/sc]
Best All-Season Tires
Michelin CrossClimate+
Ratings (out of 5)
Dry Performance: 4.7
Wet Performance: 4.8
Overall Comfort: 4.4
Treadwear: 4.5
We may earn commission from purchases made from our links, at no additional cost to you
The Michelin CrossClimate+ is a fantastic Grand Touring All-Season tire for Subaru Legacy owners. These tires are capable of performing well in a range of weather conditions – from dry roads to rain showers and even light to moderate snow.
This is backed up by our User rating scores for the Michelin CrossClimate+. These tires scored 4.7 and 4.8 for dry and wet performance respectively as well as a 4.4 grade for snow and ice performance. That said, these tires aren’t recommended for off-road use.
With an overall comfort grade of 4.4 and a treadwear rating of 4.5, our users found that Michelin’s CrossClimate+ tires are great all-around tires for highway and city driving throughout the year. This year-round performance is what put the Michelin CrossClimate+ in our top five.
Other Specifications
UTQG Rating: 600 A A
Directional: Yes
TireRack Road Hazard Protection: Yes
Treadlife Warranty: 6 years / 50,000 miles
Price Range: $211.21
Best Snow Tires
Bridgestone Blizzak WS90
Ratings (out of 5)
Dry Performance: 4.4
Wet Performance: 4.6
Overall Comfort: 4.4
Treadwear: 4.3
Snow/Ice Performance: 4.7
We may earn commission from purchases made from our links, at no additional cost to you
Bridgestone’s Blizzak WS90 tires are the best snow tires for Subaru Legacy drivers. As you’d expect, these tires score close to top marks for snow and ice performance in our User ratings surveys with a 4.7 grade.
These Bridgestones are capable of handling even the most severe winter conditions – perfect for any Legacy owners who live in states that have harsh winters. These tires also have a Three-Peaks Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) rating and thicker tire block edges than older Bridgestone snow tires.
The Blizzak WS90 tires can also sustain driving comfort and good tire wear even in harsh conditions, scoring 4.4 for overall comfort and 4.3 for treadwear rating in our user surveys. For Subaru Legacy drivers who want the best winter protection without compromising on comfort, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 tires are an excellent choice.
Other Specifications
Directional: Yes
TireRack Road Hazard Protection: Yes
Price Range: $161.99 to $189.99
[sc name=”see-table-button”][/sc]
Conclusion
So that wraps up this list of the five best tires for a Subaru Legacy. When choosing new tires, it’s crucial to look at how you use your car and then pick options that fit those needs. These five tires meet all of the main driving needs for Subaru Legacy owners.
[sc name=”see-table-button”][/sc]
People Also Ask
Choosing new tires for your vehicle can be an in-depth process, so it’s perfectly normal to have some questions. To help you make the right choice, we’ve responded to the main question we get asked about tires for a Subaru Legacy.
Subaru Legacy models come with different tires depending on the specific generation and trim level of the vehicle. The newest generation of the Legacy comes with either 225/55/17 tires or 225/50/18 tires. This may differ for older generations and models, so always check the sidewall of your old tires for reference.