Top 10 Best Tires for Subaru Crosstrek: Recommendations & Reviews

The market for crossovers and SUVs is growing every year – now even the smallest compact cars have their own elevated versions. Subaru is one of the pioneers in this sector – their car-based crossovers offer many SUV-related advantages, such as symmetrical all-wheel-drive, but also many advantages of normal passenger vehicles.

The Subaru Crosstrek, their smallest crossover, is the perfect example of that. It has small dimensions, large and practical interior, excellent driving dynamics on the street, and usable traction for off-roading. For most people, this will be the only vehicle they truly need. With all that said, to fully extract the best out of your Crosstrek, you will need a set of high-quality tires.

The thing is, there is no single tire that can satisfy the needs of every Crosstrek owner. To make things even more difficult, Subaru’s small crossover is usable on dry, wet, and snowy surfaces, as well as off-road surfaces. Good luck finding a set of tires that will do everything your Crosstrek can.

In other words, some tires will provide you with better handling experience on a dry tarmac; others will provide better snow traction. There is a middle ground for sure, but then you lose on off-road traction.

The best Subaru Crosstrek tires should provide the driver with safe and reliable traction and grip for everyday driving. More precisely, they should work excellently in urban conditions and on the highway. Then, if possible, they should also offer reliable snow traction and ultimately, good off-road traction.

Luckily, you are just in the right place to find the best Subaru Crosstrek tires. In this article, we will cover everything there is to know about tires for the popular Japanese crossover. Every model that you will find on the list below will contain Subaru Crosstrek tire sizes (the tires will fit your wheels perfectly).

The list itself will contain several different types of tires. We firmly believe that you should choose tires that will suit your needs perfectly. That’s why choosing the first tire on the list might not always be the best choice for you. Read thoroughly – maybe the last set of tires will give you the most reliable handling.

If you don’t know what type of tires are best for you, we created a buying guide for the best Subaru Crosstrek tires. There you can learn everything about the different tire types available on the market and how they affect your driving. Afterward, you’ll have the knowledge to choose the best set of tires for you and the weather in your area.

The 10 Best Tires for Subaru Crosstrek You Can Buy

1. Cooper CS5 Grand Touring

Best Touring Tires for Subaru Crosstrek

The Cooper CS5 Grand Touring is a product that offers a lot of value for the money. It comes with an 80,000-mile treadwear warranty, which is excellent.

The CS5 is also very quiet and comfortable on the road, even at higher speeds. The handling is also very good. Responsiveness isn’t the best out there, but more importantly, there is a lot of grip and traction on dry and wet surfaces.

The only big downside of the Crosstrek is the worse snow traction, but that is something that most all-season tires suffer from.

2. General AltiMAX RT43

Best Touring Tires for Subaru Crosstrek

The General AltiMAX RT43 is one of the most popular touring tires in North America and for a good reason. The price is lower than on premium competitors, yet you can’t tell that when driving.

Sure, the handling isn’t on-par with Michelin’s and Bridgestone’s, but it’s fine for everyday driving. The RT43 is responsive, has high levels of grip and traction, and works in the wet too.

On top of that, this is one of the quietest and most comfortable tires on the market. Pair that with a 75,000-mile treadwear warranty, and you have a dependable solution for the next few years.

3. Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus

Best All-Season Grand-Touring Tires for Subaru Crosstrek

Bridgestone’s grand-touring tire is one of the most comfortable we encountered. It doesn’t produce a lot of noise on the highway, and it provides the passengers with a magic carpet ride.

Despite the focus on comfort, the Ecopia EP422 Plus is still very good in the handling department. Responsiveness is good, there is a lot of grip in the corners, and excellent traction in wet conditions. The only area where we wish the Ecopia was better was snow traction.

The tire bounces back with a low-rolling-resistance compound that improves fuel economy. Lastly, the 70,000-mile treadwear warranty is pretty good for a grand-touring tire.

4. Goodyear Assurance ComforTred Touring

Best All-Season Grand-Touring Tires for Subaru Crosstrek

Goodyear’s grand-touring tire is the new champion in the category when it comes to comfort. Thanks to the Comfort Layer and ComfortEdge technologies, the Assurance ComforTred Touring provides its passengers with an outstandingly quiet and comfortable ride.

This makes the tire a tad worse in our handling testing, but that’s not something you will feel in everyday driving. More importantly, the Assurance ComforTred accelerates, brakes, and turns safely and predictably on dry and wet surfaces.

Finally, the 80,000-mile treadwear warranty is the best in the grand-touring category.

5. Michelin Premier A/S

Best All-Season Grand-Touring Tires for Subaru Crosstrek

If driving performance is high on your list of priorities, there is no better tire than the Premier A/S. Michelin’s grand-touring tire is the most responsive in its class, has the best traction and grip, and strongest braking.

That is true even for wet performance. The Premier A/S handles excellently on damp surfaces, but also in case of very heavy rain. The EverTread Technology also keeps the outstanding rain performance even when the tread is worn out. Furthermore, the Premier is as quiet and comfortable as you could expect from a Michelin tire.

With all that said, the Premier A/S is also expensive and only comes with a 60,000-mile treadwear warranty.

6. Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring

Best All-Season Grand-Touring Tires for Subaru Crosstrek

The CS5 Ultra Touring is the sportier and more responsive brother of the CS5 Grand Touring. Right now, this is one of the best-handling tires, which is especially impressive considering the lower price. Grip, traction, and braking are outstanding on dry and wet surfaces as well.

The CS5 Ultra Touring is also very comfortable and quiet and comes with an outstanding 70,000-mile treadwear warranty for the price. If the snow traction was reliable, this would’ve been a perfect tire!

7. BFGoodrich Advantage T/A Sport

Best All-Season Grand-Touring Tires for Subaru Crosstrek

The grand-touring version of the Advantage T/A Sport has only a 60,000-mile treadwear warranty, which is worse than its closest rivals.

However, much like the Michelin Premier, it scores very highly in our handling testing. The tire is very responsive, it grips the road very well, brakes strongly, and has excellent traction. Wet performance is among the best in the category as well, while highway stability is exceptional.

Finally, the BFGoodrich is quiet and comfortable, albeit not on the level of the best grand-touring tires.

8. Vredestein Quatrac 5

Best All-Weather Tires for Subaru Crosstrek

The Vredestein Quatrac 5 is our favorite all-weather tire because it brings offers excellent performance throughout at a lower price point. If you can look over the shorter 45,000-mile treadwear warranty, this is a faultless tire.

In snowy conditions, the Quatrac 5 works almost like a winter tire. It accelerates, turns, and brakes very well. Wet performance is also excellent, while dry handling is very good, even in warmer weather.

Unlike many all-weather tires, the Quatrac 5 is also very quiet and comfortable, which is a nice bonus.

9. Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady

Best All-Weather Tires for Subaru Crosstrek

Goodyear’s all-weather tire is the best when it comes to winter traction. It works on packed and unpacked snow, slush, and even ice.

On top of that, the tire is also very responsive and grippy on dry surfaces and has one of the best wet traction in its class.

The 60,000-mile treadwear warranty is the highest of any all-weather tire. That said, the Assurance WeatherReady is a tad noisy on the highway, which might be an issue for some drivers.

10. Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

Best Winter Tires for Subaru Crosstrek

The Blizzak WS90 is the newest winter tire from Bridgestone, and right now, it is better than any competitor.

Over the snow, this tire provides the best traction and braking in its category. It is also the champion in our ice and slush testing, and it even produces outstanding results on dry and wet surfaces. When it comes to performance, we couldn’t find any fault.

That said, the Blizzak WS90 doesn’t come with a treadwear warranty, which is a shame given it a higher price.

Best Tires for Subaru Crosstrek: Buyer’s Guide

1. Touring Tires are the Best Choice for the Average Crosstrek Driver

The Subaru Crosstrek is a capable vehicle on any type of terrain. However, most of its owners will only use it on the street, be it in urban scenarios or on the highway. For those people, the best choice is touring tires. This type offers the most balanced set of qualities that a Crosstrek driver might want.

It all starts with the pricing. Touring tires are very affordable nowadays, especially those from budget-oriented manufacturers. Sure, premium models might be expensive, but not when compared to other tire types. If you want to save on cash, touring tires are the way to go.

Then, these tires are also extremely durable. One set of touring tires will last for 5-6 years on the Crosstrek, and that’s even if you use them throughout the year. Most manufacturers today offer a 70,000-mile treadwear warranty on their touring models and some go as far as 90,000-miles. Pretty amazing considering the price.

Furthermore, touring tires are supremely comfortable, just as their name suggests. If you want a set of tires that will make long journeys more approachable, look no further than touring tires. They provide the passengers with plush ride quality on uneven surfaces for a pleasing driving experience. More importantly, though, they don’t produce a lot of noise, even at higher speeds.

Performance-wise, touring tires are perfectly capable for everyday driving. The best Subaru Crosstrek touring tires offer very good traction and usable grip on dry pavement. Wet traction and grip are also very good, especially in heavy rain, thanks to the excellent resistance to hydroplaning. Highway stability is admirable – driving at 70mph with touring tires is completely safe.

That said, while they are safe, touring tires aren’t the best choice for aggressive driving. Touring tires lack the responsiveness or precision that enthusiast drivers might want. Moreover, you might experience a lack of grip when driving very fast through the corners, even on the all-wheel-drive Crosstrek.

In other words, touring tires aren’t made for sporty driving. That said, neither is the Subaru Crosstrek, despite its WRX-derived symmetrical all-wheel-drive system. Read on if you want sportier tires.

2. Grand-Touring Tires Offer Better Stability, but They Are Also Pricier

Grand-touring tires are a version of touring tires made for more powerful and faster vehicles. Compared to touring tires, they have slightly stiffer sidewalls and stickier tread compound, which translates into better handling and braking.

When driving with a set of grand-touring tires, the steering on the Crosstrek will be more responsive and direct. The tires will grip the road better, too, which means that you can drive faster through the corners.

Furthermore, grand-touring tires allow for better traction and shorter braking distances. They work equally well on dry and wet surfaces, and some models even work over light snow. The highway stability will be improved as well – grand-touring tires are available in higher speed ratings.

The best thing about these tires is that they don’t sacrifice comfort. Despite the stiffer sidewalls, you should still experience plush ride quality, especially at higher speeds. Noise is also not an issue in most grand-touring tires.

Durability is another advantage of these tires. Sure, they don’t last as long as touring tires, but the difference is negligible. Some premium models are offered with an 80,000-mile treadwear warranty, more than enough for the average Crosstrek driver.

The biggest disadvantage in the eyes of potential buyers might be the higher price of grand-touring tires. In our opinion, if you mostly drive on open roads and the highway, grand-touring tires are worth the extra cost. If not, touring tires are still an excellent option.

3. High-Performance Tires are the Best Subaru Crosstrek Tires for Enthusiast Drivers

For some enthusiast drivers, even the best grand-touring tires won’t cut the mustard when it comes to handling. Given the rally pedigree of the Crosstrek, there are some people that might want to attack the corners more aggressively. For those drivers, high-performance tires are by far the best choice.

These tires are primarily designed for performance. They have very stiff sidewalls and sticky tread compound. The result of that is a much more responsive drive, precise steering input, and improved road holding.

High-performance tires also have much better traction and grip, especially on dry roads. Thanks to that, you can attack twisty roads with much more ferocity and carry higher speeds through the corners. Some high-performance tires are great to use on the track as well, unlike touring or grand-touring tires.

On wet surfaces, high-performance tires are also very capable. They work outstandingly well on damp tarmac, better than almost any other tire type. Traction and grip in heavy rain will be limited, though. High-performance tires have very good hydroplaning resistance, but not on the level of touring and grand-touring tires.

When it comes to comfort, the ride quality will be choppier due to the stiffer sidewalls. You should also be prepared for increased road-noise, albeit not by much. Still, these disadvantages are often accepted by enthusiast drivers in order to get more performance out of their vehicles.

Finally, high-performance tires are expensive and not as durable as touring or grand-touring models. You will definitely pay more to drive on high-performance tires, and more often. Nevertheless, speed is always expensive in the automotive world.

4. And What About the Climate?

The climate plays a very big role here as well. Every tire available for the Subaru Crosstrek is designed to operate in strict temperature conditions. Driving on tires that aren’t made for the temperature conditions you are encountering can be dangerous.

The main takeaway here is the tread compound or the rubber that touches the road. Every tire comes with a tread compound that performs best in a given temperature range. Tire manufacturers decide on the temperature range regarding where they sell the tire. In other words, the tires that you buy in your area should be designed for that climate.

However, when you buy tires online, you might make a mistake and purchase tires for a different climate. If you buy tires designed for warmer climates and you live in a colder area, the tread compound will become hard and brittle during the freezing months. This translates into worse traction and grip, especially on wet tarmac.

Vice versa, tires that have cold-temperature tread compounds become too soft in warm conditions. When this happens, the tires become unresponsive. Traction and grip will be limited as well, while the high-speed stability will also be worsened. On top of that, tires designed for cold weather wear much faster when the temperature outside is very hot.

To mitigate these issues, every tire manufacturer today offers all-season tires. The all-season tread compound is designed to work in a wider temperature range. These tires also have deeper grooves and siping to help them combat wet and snowy surfaces.

That said, all-season tires are really at their best in warmer climates. They work in very cold conditions, but only when the surface is dry. All-season tires aren’t very good on icy roads and don’t provide the driver with good traction in deep and packed snow. The all-season tread compound is available in most tire types today, including touring, grand-touring, and high-performance tires.

All-weather tires are a version of all-season tires designed for colder conditions. The tread compound in these tires is softer and more pliable, which translates into better snow and ice traction. These tires are very good in warm weather, but slightly worse when compared to all-season tires. All-weather tires also wear faster than all-season tires due to the softer rubber.

Despite their advantages in wintry conditions, all-weather tires aren’t designed for very harsh wintry weather. If you live in areas with constant snow and ice in the winter, you might want to consider winter tires.

Winter tires are specifically designed for freezing conditions. They are made from a soft and pliable tread compound with deep grooves and a lot of siping. The result is the best possible traction and braking on snow, ice, and slush. Of course, winter tires aren’t usable in hot conditions, so you will need to replace them in the summer.

Finally, summer tires are absolutely the best choice for very hot climates. Even when you compare them to all-season tires, they offer much better responsiveness, more grip, and better traction. That said, summer tires also wear faster than all-season tires. That’s why most manufacturers today offer a summer tread compound only in the high-performance categories.

Final Words

As you can see from the list of the best tires for Subaru Crosstrek, it only includes high-quality tires from reputable manufacturers. We firmly believe that very cheap (Chinese) tires don’t offer safe driving, especially on wet roads. Reputable tire manufacturers do a lot of testing before putting their products on the market, unlike unknown companies that first arose several years ago. In our books, safety should be No1 priority, and that’s why we always list Subaru Crosstrek tires from manufacturers that we fully trust.