I wish they made the Michelin LTX with an aggressive looking sidewall

I really like these tires but I wish they had a more aggressive looking sidewall pattern. If any Michelin reps or persons in the tire industry see this maybe you can put a bug in their ear as a suggestion. That is all.

 

Back in the early 90's I ran Michelin AT LTX with raised white outlined letters. They were very similar to what a BFG AT KO2 has for a tread design now. Great tires!

 

What about the AT that came on the Pro? It’s a pretty good looking tire, I have it on my Pathfinder.

 

link, model?

 

I'm running Discount Tire's Goodyear Wrangler UltraTerrain AT | Discount Tire in 275/60/20.
In this size it is an SL rated tire, bigger sizes get up into D rated.

Great tire with an AT tread and sidewall.
Been very happy with them.

That said, Michelin LTX Defender is the only tire I would purchase for 10 years of owning my 2005 DC.

 

The Michelin LTX Defender is much better than the Michelin AT2. Still a good tire but the Defender is in a league of its own IMHO. I am interested to see the reviews on the OEM Michelins that are coming on the 3rd gens…. At the sake of sounding like an a$$, those tires are so good that I am simply tune out the boring look. It would honestly be a different story if the behaved like every other HT tire on the market.

 

So your saying the Defender is a good tire?

I am already shopping for my next set of tires so I might just have to ignore the boring looks for performance and longevity. Really I do most of my driving on the hwy and street so I do not "need" rough terrain or mud looking tire just for looks.

 

Good is truly an understatement by far unless your doing serious off-road trails or dealing with constant snow. I have used quite a few AT tires and the Defenders are superior in the rain, handling, ice/light snow performance , quietness, comfort, and mpg categories. Highly sure footed and confident in inclement weather but again still better than many AT’s. Please don’t get me wrong that I am not advocating these over a true winter tire. But in my personal opinion that unless your in a legit blizzard these things are better than many 3 flake rated tires. And simply incredible for an all season HT thread…. I have never gotten stuck in a blizzard and I have never had the luxury to be late to work or not going into work because of snow.

I also have never seen any tire (car/truck/commercial) that has provided the consistency of performance over its life span like the LTX line.

…They are just one damn boring looking tire for sure…

 

Couldn’t agree more !

 

The Defender has been discussed on several threads on this site, all placing it far above other AT tires. The only time I have run anything other than Defenders over the past 20 years was:
1. When I bought a vehicle that did not have them on it
2. When I tried a tire based on glowing reviews back in about 2009-2010. I forgot exactly what tire it was but it was a Continental tire. That set caused me so much trouble, my tire dealer was able to give me a full refund after 6 months. I replaced them with Defenders.

 

That is the point of my post, I just wish Michelin would revamp the look of the sidewall to look more aggressive and not look so much like a dad tire

 

The Michelin LTX tires are great tires for safety, riding, on the road driving and mileage. They are not made for mud. I had a set on a Dodge and they wouldn't do much in the Georgia red clay. I loved the tires though.

 

Hey! I feel a bit targeted.... LOL.

Seriously, I like everything about the stock tires except for the size. If Michelin would offer it with the same tread pattern, "P" rating, just a couple of inches bigger, I'd be all over it.

 

No I get that. It’s just that the performance far outweighs the looks when outside the truck.

 

Michelins are street tires. If you want a more aggressive tire buy another brand.

 

Defenders are sexy to me, for the first 20k miles or so. I wish they came in P295/55r20!
...Then they lose the deep black and the corners get rounded over and then you are stuck with
then for another 50k because you are old and stubborn.

I am really considering a 295/60 But I really don't want a 10ply.

 

I am really considering a 295/60 But I really don't want a 10ply.[/QUOTE]

Stop putting the tire shine on them if you drive on dirt roads. It embeds in the sidewalls.

I actually think the 10 ply is a good thing. I plan to to get the 295/60s in June. Having a stiffer sidewall will benefit our front heavy trucks. I am a few 16ths from getting rid of my original Bridgestones and I can’t wait. I run 40psi to keep them from rounding the edges with 70% highway driving.

Michelin’s ARE boring looking and I’ve pretty much exclusively run M/S for the last 20 years dreaming of a “tougher” looking tire. My truck is white and I’d love to run the General Mud Terrains with red letters. I can’t bring myself to change. I don’t need them.

I’m all about hydroplaning resistance and the 4 deep channels make me happy.

 

I’d also like to add, I wish they had a slightly more square appearance. The roundness of the sidewall adds more feel but I prefer straight lines.

 

Anyone have a trd pro with defenders on it?

 

Can you get 65-70k miles out of a set? Cause the money you save with longevity on BFG KO2 could offset the mpg savings and give you the look you want

 

I really don’t see why not if properly or at least consistently rotated. My step father got well over 70k on his suburban. And we both got over 90k on our Tacoma’s.

 

Easily if your Tundra is aligned properly (never been an issue) and you don't abuse the tires. 80K on my '07, 78K on my '14 (stock size) and then went to 295/70R18 Defender M/S which is where I am at now.

 

I don't think I've ever gotten LESS than 65k out of a set of Defenders, in over 30 years.

 

I don't think BFG KO2s are known for the longevity. As a matter of fact they used to not give a mileage warranty at all when I first started buying them. They are known for their off-roading ability in the AT type tires without going to a mud tire. On the other hand Michelins are known for their longevity.

 

I went with Bridgestone Revos, exactly because I wanted something good on the road but looked more aggressive then the Defenders. Coming from nearly 60k miles on Ridge Grapplers they are so quiet and comfortable, even E-rated.

 

I am looking hard at the new Nikian Hakkapelitta AT's that they came out with. 60K mile warranty, decent tread and nice looking sidewall.

 

Just a random data point, my original D-rated KO2’s lasted about 65,000 miles including several thousand miles towing a ~7,500lb travel trailer. My heaviest off-roading was bad gravel and broken pavement roads, and some mostly cleared fields; most of the miles were city or highway. I replaced them probably 5,000 miles or so from truly “done.”

 

And the BFG's really suck in wet weather

 

They’re fine in a downpour, no hydroplaning issues. From a stop or sharp turns on wet pavement, I’d agree they’re not very good. They cause the traction control to kick in way more than it should to the point of me just hitting the auto LSD button a lot in wet weather. I’ve never had any concerns while driving though, no issues except low speed maneuvering for some reason.
I’m still planning on probably getting a set of the Defenders for the next set just to see the difference but I hopefully have a long time to decide.