[bionicbadger]

Anyone know how the tire pressure monitoring system works if I swap to a set of winter rims/tires? I want to have the factory rims/tires as summer tires and a separate set of winter rims/tires.

Can I just get 4 more sensors, have them installed on the winter set and swap to the winter set when it gets snowy? Does the tribeca need to be programmed to recognize the new sensors or something?


Also any idea how much the senors cost?

Thanks.

 

[hawker800mech]

I believe you will have to have the dealer program them in. I imagine it would be one hour of labor. 1stsubaruparts.com has them for about $47 each.

 

[Magic Marker]

I believe you will have to have the dealer program them in. I imagine it would be one hour of labor. 1stsubaruparts.com has them for about $47 each.

Ahhh the price we pay for convenience and technology.

 

[bionicbadger]

I believe you will have to have the dealer program them in. I imagine it would be one hour of labor. 1stsubaruparts.com has them for about $47 each.

Me being the cheap bastard that I am, will most likely say no to the extra $50+/tire and drive without the TPMS on winter tires and have the stupid warning light on all the time then.

 

[Magic Marker]

Do you guys think we even need winter tires?

 

[hawker800mech]

Do you guys think we even need winter tires?

If you've ever driven a car with dedicated snow tires you would think 'YES!' It, of course, all depends on your regional snow fall and how far you drive every day. I can get away without having them, but am reconsidering them for my wife's Legacy due to her daily drive. I would, also, like to get them for my B9, but I don't think I can do two sets of tires in one year.

 

[bionicbadger]

Do you guys think we even need winter tires?

Depends where you live and how much snow you get

 

[SubOperator]

Me being the cheap bastard that I am, will most likely say no to the extra $50+/tire and drive without the TPMS on winter tires and have the stupid warning light on all the time then.

Me too. paying $47 for each wheel sensor is a ripoff. Somehow I managed to drive all these years without this feature, and chances are high I'll do just as well in the future

As far as winter tires go, here in northeast having good winter tires on the car makes day and night difference. I personally tend to stick to Nokian (Finland).

I am not sure If i'll be doing it this winter though.

 

[Magic Marker]

I think we'll tough it out with the stock tires for this winter and see how it goes. We've never driven on winter tires, so I really don't have a point of reference anyway.

 

[b727plumber]

Winter tires and wheels

I just got some winter tires and wheels installed and I'm really pleased with the way they turned out! (Pics to follow).

I looked up the various packages at TireRack.com and chose the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-Z3 in 235/65R17 and the Sport Edition F7 wheels in 17 x 7.5. I really wanted to narrow up the tire for good snow performance, so going to the 17" rims with the 65 aspect ratio did the trick. I also sprang for the TPMS sensors so that I wouldn't have the warning light staring me down every winter.

I went to my local Discount Tire store down the street and showed them the info from TireRack and the manager said he would be glad to order them for me and save me a small amount of money at the same time. They arrived a few days later, completely assembled and balanced - Discount Tire just had to put them on. They also said that they would do the swap every spring and fall for free as well.

After driving on them for several miles, the TPMS sensor hasn't illuminated - I assumed that Discount Tire got the new sensors talking to the black box. Would you agree? Hopefully, the lack of illumination of the TPMS light is a good thing! (It does light up during engine start.)

I'm looking forward to the first significant snowfall to test them out!! (We have Blizzak WS-50's on our other Subie and they work wonderfully.)

I'll keep everyone posted on how they work out.

 

[crazycanuck]

We switched over to winter tires as soon as we got our Tribeca. I have read reviews on the Factory Goodyear tires and apparently they are pretty horrible in the snow. We get a lot of mixed weather here, lots of snow to mush to ice and everything in between. We stuck on Cooper Discovery winter tires with steel rims and have been through enough snow to tell you they are worth it!
I decided against the TMPS sensors and am just living with the blinking light... which only goes on after 20 or so minutes. It doesn't come on for short trips.

PLus getting winter tires extends the life of your summer set, so really, you are not spending extra money.

 

[hawker800mech]

Where did you get the steel wheels from?

I would like to get winter tires next year. The Goodyears do lack winter grip most of the time. Especially over a couple inches.

 

[Magic Marker]

I've been through some snow w/ the Goodyears and didn't feel like I was lacking any traction.

 

[crazycanuck]

I have not been through the winter yet with the stock tires, and since I have my winters probably never will. Thats just the reports I got off tirerack and other sites that review tires. You can go to any local tire garage and they will have 17" steel rims that will fit... you do have to go up in sidewall thickness to compensate for the smaller rim.

 

[singincanary]

if you are willing to go with 17" rims, check nasioc for oem '05+ sti rims. i picked up 2 sets of them for $400 each set, and sold 2 of the extras at $125 each, leaving me with 2 spares. most steelies sell for $80+ new each. if you are willing to spend a little more for an oem alloy that will fit i have a set of '07 sti limited alloys for sale at $600 plus shipping.

 

[ozeguy]

More on TPMS

There's been a lot of publicity recently here in Ontario about winter tires, & I can attest that on a RWD car they make a lot of difference. I live in on the south shore of Georgian Bay, & with winter tires my old BMW 535i got thru deep snow uneventfully.
On a Tribeca I'm not so sure about the necessity of winter tires on salted roads while tire tread is still good, but sooner or later I will need to buy some winters.
But what is really a pain is the associated trouble & cost of the TPMS. After all, it is just a (government required?) gimmick for people too lazy to go to Walmart & spend $5 on a gauge, & then use it once a week, isn't it?

So, I would like to just disable the warning light on the dash when I replace/supplement my tires.

Can it be as simple as removing a fuse so the receiving sensor is not working?

Anybody know how to simply disable the whole system to avoid that flashing light? And go back to "normality".

 

[crazycanuck]

black masking tape

 

[b727plumber]

Bridgestone Blizzak DM-Z3 in 235/65R17

Well, we just got a good 6" snowfall yesterday and I'm pleased to report that the Blizzak's work great!

On the stock tires, we would slide all around in just 2-3 inches of snow - these Blizzak's are a huge improvement! Accelerating, manuevering and stopping are all so much more confidence inspiring - the wife really feels alot better driving it in snow. Now, we just have to worry about stopping too quickly in front of someone that doesn't have the same capability! (We'll just have to punch it and move out of the way!)


If you have to drive even a few days in significant snow every month of the winter, highly recommend some type of winter tire over the stock Goodyears.

 

[Kamkze]

I believe you will have to have the dealer program them in. I imagine it would be one hour of labor. 1stsubaruparts.com has them for about $47 each.

Anyplace else you know to get them? 1st doesnt have them listed anymore.

 

[crazycanuck]

I believe tire rack sells them