New Footwear!

For the Super Wagon*.  The winner in the "best tire for my purposes" showdown was the Bridgestone RE960 A/S Pole Position.  Sadly, they are not cheap.  But according to widespread tests and word-of-mouth, they offer the best dry/wet grip with an acceptable amount of cold/snow performance.  I'm too lazy to swap between summer tires and winter tires, so "Ultra High Performance All Season" it is:

The stock Bridgestone RE92's still have abundant tread, but at five years of age, there's very little grip left.  No grip in the wet, or cold, or snow.  And to be fair there was very little grip even when spanking new.  They are not very good tires, unless endless tread life is your goal.  Not so much with the stopping and the cornering.  Needless to say, I'm excited to see what the Super Wagon can do with quality tires.

While getting new footwear, the Super Wagon will also be getting an alignment.  It's never been aligned.  Five years without an alignment.  That's pretty good!  The Super Wagon has a very sturdy suspension.  It's shared with the Outback which was designed for light off-road use, so it has ample beefiness for asphalt.  But of late the car's been wandering a bit, pulling a bit more than usual on off-camber sections, and bump-steer has gotten noticeably worse.  I figure it's time.

Possibly on tap for the Spring are some suspension upgrades.  Anti-roll bars, spring, and dampers.  Maybe a bushing or two.  Front tower brace, perhaps.  If the Super Wagon has a fundamental flaw, it's the overly-soft suspension.  More "wagon" than "sport".  Got squat?  I do.

*Super Wagon = 2005 Subaru Legacy GT Limited Wagon.  One of very few sold with a manual transmission.  The manual, in fact, was only offered for this one year in the wagon, so they are few and far between.