Top Tire Brands to Elevate Your WRX's Performance

Choosing the right tires for your Subaru WRX can significantly enhance your driving experience, whether you're navigating urban roads or tackling adventurous terrains. With numerous brands offering a variety of tire options, it can be overwhelming to make the best choice for optimal performance and safety. Notably, some brands consistently emerge as top choices, praised for their durability, traction, and engineering excellence. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a list of the best tire brands for your WRX, which you can explore further below.

Illustration of tire for wrx

Best brands of tire for wrx in 2025

Michelin

Michelin stands out as a top tire producer for the Subaru WRX, with the Pilot Sport 4S being a popular choice, offering superior handling and cornering. Some users report a noticeable improvement over previous tires, and although they can be pricey, with replacement typically around 25,000 miles, they deliver excellent performance in both wet and dry conditions. Michelin tires also provide a comfortable and quiet ride compared to some other performance tires and are available in various sizes such as 245/40R18, which is a common fitment for the WRX.

Bridgestone

Bridgestone, established as the world's largest tire and rubber company, offers a range of tires, notably the Potenza series, that are often cited as excellent options for Subaru WRX models, with the Potenza RE-71RS being a top choice for track and summer performance, known for its exceptional grip and consistent lap times, although it may be less effective in heavy rain. Meanwhile, the Ecopia EP422 Plus provides a reliable all-season option with a 70,000-mile warranty and a SimpleScore of 9.4, demonstrating great handling, traction, and longevity. Additionally, the Blizzak series is a highly recommended option for winter driving, ensuring safety and control in snowy and icy conditions. You can explore Bridgestone tires for your WRX.

Continental

Continental, established as a leading tire manufacturer, offers the ExtremeContact Sport 2 with a SimpleScore of 9.3, making it a top ultra-high-performance choice for Subaru WRX, featuring Sport+ Technology for enhanced handling, and a 30,000-mile tread life warranty. Meanwhile, the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is a premium all-season tire, ensuring great performance in various conditions. Though the brand is a great alternative to Michelin, some users have found their sidewalls to be softer. Some of the tires have features like an innovative asymmetric tread pattern for excellent handling and acceleration, and Tuned Performance Indicators to alert the driver of the tire's condition.

Pirelli

Pirelli stands out as a top-tier tire manufacturer for the Subaru WRX, offering a diverse range including the P Zero for summer performance, the Cinturato P7 for all-season versatility, and the Sottozero for exceptional winter grip, with some drivers reporting a 99% satisfaction after 5,000 spirited miles on track using the Sottozero winter tires, which also have options available in 245/40R18 sizes for a 2022 WRX; various Pirelli tires are frequently chosen by WRX owners looking for enhanced handling and performance in different weather conditions, showing a preference for the brand. You can explore their product catalog.

Yokohama

Yokohama, a well-regarded tire manufacturer, provides excellent options for Subaru WRX owners, with the ADVAN Sport V105 being a popular choice as original equipment on the WRX STI, specifically the 245/35R19 size, offering superior handling and comfort; while not one of the top three in market share, Yokohama holds a 3.6% unit share in the US replacement tire market and is expanding its high-value-added tire sales, aiming to increase their share from 40% to over 50%, and is also known for its all-season and winter tires that are suitable for various driving conditions, despite some reviews noting potential hydroplaning issues. For more information, visit their official website.

Dunlop

Dunlop is a top tire manufacturer for the WRX, with the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT600A being selected as factory standard tires for the new Subaru WRX S4 in 2022, due to its innovative rubber compound that provides balanced performance with both rolling resistance and grip. The Sport Maxx RT model, often used on the WRX, offers excellent handling with a SimpleScore of 9.1/10, and many user reviews mention it is a good choice for summer with great dry handling. However, some report harsh ride quality and that they are not suitable for winter conditions, as some have only lasted around 20,000 km, and others mention their performance drops as they wear, especially in wet conditions. Meanwhile, the Dunlop Direzza ZIII is another option, an excellent 200tw tire, performing well in both wet and dry conditions, with its quickest laps being the first ones, making it a good choice for autocross. Here is a link to the Dunlop Sport Maxx RT tire.

Goodyear

Goodyear is a reputable tire manufacturer, with the Eagle Exhilarate model offering responsive handling and strong traction in both wet and dry conditions for the Subaru WRX, while the Ultra Grip series provides reliable performance in various winter conditions, including snow and ice; additionally, Goodyear also has the Assurance WeatherReady which is a good all-weather tire; for a more performance-oriented tire, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric is also a good choice. Many WRX owners have used Goodyear tires such as the Eagle F1 and Ultra Grip 9+ with great satisfaction, and depending on your driving habits, Goodyear offers a variety of tire models that can enhance your vehicle's performance.

Falken

Falken tires, particularly the Azenis line, are frequently cited as a top choice for Subaru WRX vehicles due to their ultra-high performance, excellent grip in both dry and wet conditions, and the availability of all-season options like the Azenis FK460, which comes with a 50,000-mile limited tread life warranty and road hazard protection. Falken has a history of providing tires for Subaru's motorsports activities, including the WRX NBR Challenge racecar in the SP4T class at the Nürburgring 24h-Race. Falken's tires are engineered with advanced 4D Nano Technology, ensuring a balance of performance, year-round traction, and long tread life, making them a great choice for WRX enthusiasts since 1992 when the WRX was a top-of-the-line model based on the venerable Impreza. For more details, visit the Falken Tires official website.

Hankook

Hankook, established in 1941, has emerged as a leading tire manufacturer, offering a range of high-performance tires, notably the Ventus RS4, which is designed for both street and track use, providing excellent grip and stability for vehicles like the WRX; the Ventus V12 evo2 is another popular option known for its impressive traction and handling in various conditions; Hankook's commitment to innovation is evident through its investment of 5% of revenue in R&D, with the company also being an official tire supplier for various motorsports events, showing their dedication to high-performance driving; while some users have had balancing issues with certain models, many reviews highlight the brand's good wear, sidewall stability, and overall performance, with some drivers even preferring them over more expensive brands; with a global presence and a history of producing tires for OEM, Hankook continues to be a strong contender for WRX owners seeking performance and value.

BFGoodrich

BFGoodrich, founded in 1870, stands as a premier tire manufacturer, notably for Subaru WRX vehicles, offering high-performance options, including the g-Force COMP-2 A/S, often ranked top in the ultra-high performance all-season category; while the brand held a 9% market share in light truck tires in 2009, it also boasts a rich racing heritage, with 28 overall victories at the Baja 1000, making it a popular choice for both street and off-road enthusiasts; this brand has a distinct style and is known for its performance in various motorsports events and the development of innovative tire technology; BFGoodrich has been a part of American automotive culture for over 150 years, with many of its tires seen on iconic movie and TV vehicles.