Thoughts on Michelin Defender LTX M/S2?

[JoT.]

Oh shoot, yes the poor reviews are for the Michelin LTX Trail tires. Not the Defender tire which the OP is inquiring about. Sorry.

Well, not what he was asking abt, but.. is what prob 1/2 of us are driving around on currently..

 

[Altitude]

Defenders are in my opinion the best tire on the market for any vehicle that doesn’t need a specialty tire. On this forum, specialty = all-terrain and everyone can make their own choices whether they need that.

I just got 70,000 miles on a set of Defenders on my 2016 Tahoe. I replaced them with Falken Wildpeaks to get a 3-mtn snowflake rating, but if I’m honest after one winter season on the Falkens it’s not clear how much better they are on snow than the Defenders. Obviously the Defenders were quieter and I might have given up a couple MPG with the Falkens. They look cool though.

I very much recommend Defenders in that tire segment.

 

[Dominus]

Defenders are in my opinion the best tire on the market for any vehicle that doesn’t need a specialty tire. On this forum, specialty = all-terrain and everyone can make their own choices whether they need that.

I just got 70,000 miles on a set of Defenders on my 2016 Tahoe. I replaced them with Falken Wildpeaks to get a 3-mtn snowflake rating, but if I’m honest after one winter season on the Falkens it’s not clear how much better they are on snow than the Defenders. Obviously the Defenders were quieter and I might have given up a couple MPG with the Falkens. They look cool though.

I very much recommend Defenders in that tire segment.

This was really helpful feedback, thank you for sharing your insight! I decided to pull the trigger on the Defenders — I’m looking forward to the next 60-70k miles on them.

 

[lmwong]

how do you like the Defenders? What size did you get? How do they look?

 

[Dominus]

Love the Defenders— they ride very quiet and smooth. I went with 275/70/18 E rated for the added strength of 10 ply, didn’t notice a decline in mpg or ride quality over the factory 20” wheels.

Looks are just ok, not as cool as an AT tire.

 

[lmwong]

Love the Defenders— they ride very quiet and smooth. I went with 275/70/18 E rated for the added strength of 10 ply, didn’t notice a decline in mpg or ride quality over the factory 20” wheels.

Looks are just ok, not as cool as an AT tire.

I really like how they fill the wheel well. Thanks for the pic. I think I’ll do the same! Do you remember what offset those TRD wheels are?

 

[Dominus]

I really like how they fill the wheel well. Thanks for the pic. I think I’ll do the same! Do you remember what offset those TRD wheels are?

Absolutely— glad to help! These TRD wheels are 45mm, which seems like a nice balance between factory and full aftermarket.

 

[REB27]

For whatever it’s worth, just watched this
video from Westcott Designs where he recommends “6 ply” tires.