2009 Subaru WRX 265

The car was at the dealership this week for a MAJOR unexpected repair (I will write about that and the events that followed in short time) but I want to give this topic first attention and get opinion.

I was planning on taking the car in for service soon and putting on my snow tires but this incident happened and forced me in. I had noticed that the tire tread is getting low, but did not think it was that bad, until the shop called me and told me that my front tires where pretty mush dead, the tread is gone, the steel is coming through, you cant drive on them any more. Fair enough, let put the snows on I said and so it was.

The car has 27K on it, of these about 5 where put on snow tires last year. So the factory installed tires lasted 20K or so. THAT is low in my opinion. I know they are performance, and tread life depends on “how you drive the car” but 20K? that is all you get?

Is that normal? what do you think?

Well i cant wait anymore, I wanted to see if the tires that came with the wrx 265 where going to hold up given that the car was AWD.

So far they did ok, but today maybe because it was too cold, i found the traction very low, I slipped and slid on take off and as I slowed down.

So i have to bite the bullet and get the ugly steel rims, and snow tires.

Even though i can drive it now because of my cast, sooner or later or at least when its time to get on to driving again, its gonna be snow, so the question then becomes do i need snow tires for my WRX? Do AWD cars with stabilization controls really need snow tires? what do you think?