I just returned from a 47-day, 11346 mile, trip from WV to the Dempster Highway, Top of the World, Denali, Cassier and the Stewart-Hyder area in my 2009 Forester, and want to report a couple of good things to know.
I bought Hankook Optimo H727's (described as a touring tire) two years ago, and have been impressed with their handling in all conditions (except I don't know about deep snow, which we haven't had in the last two years). I was a little concerned about using them on a road like the Dempster, but all was well. Due to all the stuff I was carrying, I had the tire pressures at 39-40 psi. I talked to the guys at the Dempster/Klondike junction, and on their advice I lowered pressures to about 33 psi, and I took my time, driving about 40 mph most of the time (the autumn scenery was breathtaking, so going slow was not a chore). No tire troubles at all.
The tires also did great in muddy/snowy slush on the Top of the World, and of course on the bigger paved roads. I did develop a shimmy at about 65 mph after I saw a big pothole "too late" on the road up to the Stewart Glacier, so I need to get them rebalanced. But, hey, I used to live in Pittsburgh...
edit: the shimmy was an imbalance from hard, dry clayey mud (from the Dempster?) on the inside of one wheel that I found at tire rotation time. Cleaned it good, shimmy gone.
And I averaged 24.37 mpg for the entire trip, one of the main reasons I got these tires and the Suby.
I also want to thank folks for their input on racks. I ended up getting the Subaru roof bars and mounting a Yakima Load Warrior basket. The second full-sized spare (recommended for the Dempster), two 2 1/2 gas cans, and a duffel with the tent and two foam mattresses (old joints, ya know) went on top. Had enough room inside that I could even use the inside rear view mirror.
I also took along my own oil and filters and discovered that the Walmart in Whitehorse will do the oil change and tire rotation for less than $50.
We had a super trip, and these items helped make it trouble free.
I bought Hankook Optimo H727's (described as a touring tire) two years ago, and have been impressed with their handling in all conditions (except I don't know about deep snow, which we haven't had in the last two years). I was a little concerned about using them on a road like the Dempster, but all was well. Due to all the stuff I was carrying, I had the tire pressures at 39-40 psi. I talked to the guys at the Dempster/Klondike junction, and on their advice I lowered pressures to about 33 psi, and I took my time, driving about 40 mph most of the time (the autumn scenery was breathtaking, so going slow was not a chore). No tire troubles at all.
The tires also did great in muddy/snowy slush on the Top of the World, and of course on the bigger paved roads. I did develop a shimmy at about 65 mph after I saw a big pothole "too late" on the road up to the Stewart Glacier, so I need to get them rebalanced. But, hey, I used to live in Pittsburgh...
edit: the shimmy was an imbalance from hard, dry clayey mud (from the Dempster?) on the inside of one wheel that I found at tire rotation time. Cleaned it good, shimmy gone.
And I averaged 24.37 mpg for the entire trip, one of the main reasons I got these tires and the Suby.
I also want to thank folks for their input on racks. I ended up getting the Subaru roof bars and mounting a Yakima Load Warrior basket. The second full-sized spare (recommended for the Dempster), two 2 1/2 gas cans, and a duffel with the tent and two foam mattresses (old joints, ya know) went on top. Had enough room inside that I could even use the inside rear view mirror.
I also took along my own oil and filters and discovered that the Walmart in Whitehorse will do the oil change and tire rotation for less than $50.
We had a super trip, and these items helped make it trouble free.
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