Daily driving
Grand touring
Everyday-tier power and daily driving is grand-touring territory: strong wet grip and comfort without paying for grip you'll never use.
Best tyres for the Subaru Forester 2.5
The Subaru Forester 2.5 is a all-wheel drive SUV with 136 kW and a kerb weight of 1,622 kg. That’s 84 kW per tonne, in the everyday tier. Mainstream hatches, sedans and SUVs. Enough power to notice good tyres in the wet.
Power-to-weight
84kW/t
- hp/t
- 112
- kg/kW
- 11.9
- lb/hp
- 19.6
- 0–100 est.
- ≈ 8.2 s
Under the P-plate limit. Comfortably under the 130 kW/t limit for P-platers in NSW, Victoria and Queensland (under-25s). Engine modifications or a banned listing can still rule a car out. P-plate rules
Recommended tyres by how you drive
For a mild, wet climate. Cold and snowy climates are further down.
Gravel & off-road
All-terrain (A/T)
For gravel and dirt, an all-terrain's tougher carcass matters more than outright grip.
- BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3PremiumTyroola
- Toyo Open Country A/T IIIMid-range
- Falken Wildpeak A/T4WMid-rangeTyroola
- Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015Mid-rangeTyroola
Also consider: if you rarely leave the bitumen, touring.
What to look for on the sidewall
- Speed rating
- Typically H or V. H covers up to 210 km/h.
- Load index
- At least 92 (630 kg per tyre). Your placard may ask for more.
- Treadwear (UTQG)
- 400–600 for grand touring tyres; expect 40,000–65,000 km.
Estimates from power and weight. The tyre placard on the driver’s door jamb is the legal minimum.
Grand touring: character
- Dry grip
- 3 out of 5
- Wet grip
- 4 out of 5
- Below 7 °C
- 3 out of 5
- Snow & ice
- 1 out of 5
- Quiet & comfort
- 5 out of 5
- Tread life
- 4 out of 5
- Efficiency
- 4 out of 5
In cold or snowy climates
Cold winters, little snow
Your tyre: All-season / all-weather
Michelin CrossClimate 2 · Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 · Continental AllSeasonContact 2
If you'd rather run summer tyres: Grand touring
Bridgestone Alenza 001 · Continental PremiumContact 7 · Bridgestone Turanza 6
Snow and ice
Summer set: Grand touring
Bridgestone Alenza 001 · Continental PremiumContact 7 · Bridgestone Turanza 6
Winter set: Winter
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 · Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 · Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
If you want one set: All-season / all-weather
Michelin CrossClimate 2 · Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 · Continental AllSeasonContact 2
Things to know about the Forester 2.5
All-wheel drive: replace all four
Keep all four tyres the same make, model and near-identical tread depth. Many AWD systems tolerate only 2–3 mm of difference before the centre coupling or diff is strained, so a single damaged tyre can mean replacing the set, or shaving a new one to match.
SUV
Choose the SUV or 4x4 version of a tyre where one exists: it has a stronger carcass for the extra weight and higher centre of gravity. Match or exceed the placard load index.
Buying only two?
On AWD, avoid it. On other cars, put the new pair on the rear axle: grippy rears keep the car stable when braking or cornering in the wet.
Quick answers
What is the power-to-weight ratio of the Subaru Forester 2.5?
84 kW per tonne (112 hp per tonne), from 136 kW and a 1,622 kg kerb weight. That puts it in ratio's Everyday tier.
What tyres should I buy for my Subaru Forester 2.5?
For everyday driving, grand touring tyres. Good options include the Bridgestone Alenza 001, Continental PremiumContact 7, Bridgestone Turanza 6. Always match or exceed the load index and speed rating on the car's tyre placard.
Can P-platers drive the Subaru Forester 2.5?
On power-to-weight, yes: at 84 kW per tonne it is under the 130 kW/t limit for P-platers in NSW, Victoria and Queensland. Engine modifications can still make a car off-limits.
What speed rating does the Subaru Forester 2.5 need?
Cars in the Everyday tier typically run H or V-rated tyres. The legal minimum is whatever your placard, on the driver's door jamb, specifies.