Are Costco tires safe for the 2016 Subaru Outback

Costco does not have its own brand tires. Name brand tires like Goodyear, Pirelli, Yokahama, etc. are good.

If you drive in snow get all weather tires, if you drive a lot in snow and ice get tires with the severe snow duty rating (mountain/snowflake symbol on the sidewall).

As much as we champion COSTCO for its sales on Mobil1, and those nice cheap Interstate batteries that are cheaper than rep wholesale (!), there are no great bargains there, as they're locked into contracts with premium makes. For the 2015-2019 OBs I trade in and service there are a lot of alternatives for the SUV-Truck-size 225/65R17 OE size. But I STRONGLY recommend you dial down 1/4" height to far better handling with the 2010-2014 OE size 225/60R17. You'll thank me. If you have a Limited with OE 225/60R18 you already have a decent handling profile, but prices are of course a bit higher for 18s. I just similarly dropped 1/4" on my wife's '16 Limited by fitting 225/55R18. A nice 225/55 profile was used to great effect in 2000-2009 OBs, CURRENT Legacy Sedans and euro-market OBs. Brands? Lots of choices. General Altimax are a nice, mid-price all-season choice. Bridgestone sells $$ stuff, but also markets their rubber under Firestone and Uniroyal (?), so there are savings there too. My favorite high performance all-season 50-60 profile tires are by Kumho's parent company OHTSU, who quietly markets the FP0612, which are high speed rated, asymmetrical, but NON-directional (important for rotation midlife), and a ridiculous bargain online. The 55s ARE a harder ride than the Limited's native 60s, but the 225/60R17 is an amazing choice for all Premiums 2010-2019. The last time I bought a couple of batteries for my OBs last fall I asked the manager again if there were any nice "dealer" offerings, and he said "Nah...you're better off with your other lines." That's ok...ya can't beat their fresh roasted chicken and occasional clothing bargains. It's refreshing that their employees are well-paid, and that there's work for the otherwise- marginalized "tasters" at the endcaps. That might go away when min wage hits $15/hr, but I hope not. If you're overwhelmed by this tires treatise have a friend reread it to select a proper tire based on your wheel size (17 or 18). But if you have CLOTH interior you'll want to get the 225/60R17 (sic); if you have LEATHER you can stick with 225/60R18 unless you want to compromise pothole comfort marginally and get even better steering with the 225/55R18 I'm using. Store techs will recommend that you not stray from the OE sidewall profile, but that's for their internal legal reasons...not a technical reason. Best, Ern TSG/B

Further, mid-level Michelins are rarely a good choice as they're overpriced. Same with cheaper OE Continentals et al. You can use Tire Rack's rankings for your size, but know they don't sell all brands, including off-label good'uns like the OHTSUS (Falken) If COSTCO has a sale on Altimax 43 H-rated they're perhaps a fairly-priced choice. Just do NOT put S or T-rated junk on your nice OB. It deserves H-rated. Also look into replacing your rear native 16mm anti-swaybar with Subaru's own STi division 20mm one for a VAST improvement in body control and reduced understeer...with NO compromise in pothole comfort. But this is another thread topic....Ern

I use Arizonan tires from America's Tire. They are cheap but just as good or better than the premium tires I have tried. Quite good in snow too.

You mean ArizonIan Tires...a sub-brand of Cooper Tires, made for wholesalers.