Stock Michelin LTX's vs Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S's

Sticking with the OEM wheels for budgetary constraints so a 275/65R18 size, how would you chalk up the winter performance of the stock LTX against the Discoverer AT3 4S? I'm looking at ~$1200 a set installed with warranties and such as I was truly, truly underwhelmed by the LTX performance this morning on our first snow fall. This set was recommended by the local truck shop I trust.

Only thing I've missed so far from my Highlander is the 18X9.5 wheels I put a set of Toyo Open Country ATIII's on, could climb mountains with that minivan after that. Need some good similar performance, but man those ATIII's were the height of road noise.

 

If you were underwhelmed with the Michelins you will be very underwhelmed with those Coopers.
The Coopers are good tires as I have them on my 2000 Silverado but it sees little work and not much in climate weather.
I have 275/80/20 Michelins on the Tundra and they are impressive in the snow in my opinion.
I was very surprised at how sure footed they are in the ice and snow. However I am not convinced that the OEM Michelins are the exact same as the what you get from elsewhere. OEM tires are made to different specs on occasion but carry the same name. Buddy’s OEM Michelins are wearing much faster than my non OEMs

 

Michelin Defender is a much better tire than the Michelin LTX AT. Great on road, very good ride, good in wet, snow. Downside is they look very tame, but do perform well.

I run wildpeaks, great tire on road, wet, snow, offroad but they are aggressive, heavy. Mine a quiet for an aggressive AT, but I do rotate every 5k miles. Hard to beat them if you need an AT tire. If you dont need an AT, look at the defenders.

 

Cooper 4s dry rotted on me in 2 years. Don’t drive much. Decent tire in bad weather rain or snow. But overall wasn’t impressed because of the rotting issue Have Michelins now and love them.

 

Are you refering to the Michelin Defender LTX M/S?

 

Yes, if you don't need an AT or MT tire and can handle a tire with more tame looks they perform excellent on road, snow, sand, wet, ride well and a great mileage warranty. It the best tire Michelin makes for trucks/SUVs.

 

I have both Michelin defenders and michelin LTX AT2s, both are near silent on road, perform well off but the AT2s have side snipes to help with whatever non-road surface and snow. Can't imagine how the defenders are better offroad for some than the AT2s...

 

Thanks for the reply!

I have the KO2's that are 7 years old with 28K miles. Tread wear is great but wet traction sucks. Noise and vibration are bad as well.
I don't put many miles on it since I retired.
Just looking for a quiet tire that is great on wet pavement. We get some snow but a few inches at a time. If it's too deep I'll stay home.

 

I had vibration problems with BFGs in Load Range D. Not sure why I've had problems when so many others havent.

I went with Yokohama Geolander AT G015, P rated. They are slightly more aggressive than a highway tire.

No complaints so far. Even towing, I didn't miss the D range tires.

 

I think I've ruled out the Coopers as a sidegrade, but man, I drifted my truck sideways this morning (managed to avoid hitting anything, was kinda fun, but best not to tempt the fates with repeats). Running into the "which ones do I pick, too many choices" conflict. Want to select a set to buy on a Black Friday sale next week.

I had Toyo Open Country ATIII's on my last vehicle but they were so noisy, and the Falkens are tempting to get back into that same wet/snow performance range with good mileage expectancy and less road noise. They seem pretty comparable to those Geolanders though. Choice paralysis!

 

How are they on wet roads? Especially when taking off. My KO2's spin all the time.

 

I have had three sets of these on three different vehicles. 2010 CR-V, 2020CX5 and a 2007 Silverado. I used them for winter snows even though we don't get much snow anymore in the Finger Lakes, NY. I would burn up a set of Blizzaks in two years hence a high mileage all terrain tire with a 600 UTQG.

 

Had KO2's on a 17 TRD Pro 4Runner. Great tire until I hit 20K and then literally overnight became scary in any wet road situation.

 

I have those currently, and DT is buying me a new set, (long story, not due to the tires), of pretty much whatever. They have been pretty decent.

 

Are you getting the G015's again or something else?

 

ETA: Now 100%, just told the DT manager to go with Geolanders.

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I'm 99.9% sure it will be the G015s again. My truck had Pro-Comp Muds on it when I bought it new, (DSI conversion), then I went with Cooper Discoverer AT3s, which started a wheel shake at 5K, went to the G015s to replace them, DT scratched my rims, replaced them with a new set of Fuel rims, two of which had flat spots, replaced those with a new set of Fuel rims that don't have flat spots, but now the tires have high spots, most likely due to the second set of rims having the flat spots. DT is providing the new tires, and I'm paying to have my guy at 4WP put them on.

My buddy swears by these tires on his Tundra:

https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/continental-terrain-contact-a-t

And they are the best A/T tire in Consumer Reports, but not available in my tire/rim combo, 35-12.5-20. The metric equivalent is about a 33.5, which would look like I skipped leg day, with my 6" lift.

 

I've found that Cooper tires, while durable, tend to wear out faster than Michelin tires under heavy use. They are great for off-roading, but they might not last as long if used primarily on paved roads.

https://sandiario.com/