Given
87%
while driving a
Subaru Forester
(215/60 R16) on
mostly country roads
for 10,000
spirited miles
Fitted to my wife's Forester (which I drive occasionally). So, a sporty tire in a mostly non-sporty context. I'm interested in tires & when I've driven the Forester I've had a bit of an exploratory "go" on familiar twisty roads in dry & wet conditions. Conclusions?
Dynamically, it's a very talkative & responsive tire that operates at low slip angles yet is not snappy when at the limit of its adhesion. Further, recovery of grip in that transition stage is easy to modulate. So, a nicely behaving tire for both the enthusiast who can "play" it & the non-enthusiast who won't be caught out by untoward behaviour on the tires' part in, say, an emergency avoidance manoeuvre (which I've simulated).
As for absolute grip levels, my impression is that it is way good indeed in dry condition, streaming wet "tread pattern" conditions & merely slick "compound" conditions. Buy with confidence.
Not that it is of any interest to me but the tires didn't seem to me to be noticeably uncomfortable or noisy (my wife certainly has not complained & she is more concerned about these things than me). As for longevity, I think that, on current indications, they will be faster wearing than most competitors but that bothers me not at all as it's often the trade-off for a wet-grippy compound.