35 psi on mine. Thinking I’ll consider the LTX A/T next time, not b/c of any dissatisfaction with the Defenders but to get whatever additional off-road capability those might offer.

I got Michelin LTX M/S2 several years ago. About 20-30K miles later, the tread was still fine on them, but they were dry-rotting. I had them prorated at a Toyota dealer (Michelin dealer) and, of course, were given new ones. Anyway, a few years later, they are dry rotting yet again. I have a low tolerance "crap" and went with Bridgestone Dueler Alenzas H/L plus. Can't comment except that they have only have about 200 miles on them so far.

I've been warned by my friends about Michelins and the dry rotting problem they have. Now that I've gone through this first hand, I'll more than likely NOT get that brand again. Having that said, these same folks tell me that the tread lasts a good long time. I've had Primacy's on my DD (Civic) and loved them. I got about 70K miles off them, yet I only had them for about 2-3 years. No dry rot to report on them.

If you guys plan on having them for a long time (more than 3-4 years), be aware of this. If not, then I guess it's a moot point. I have to doubt these Defenders are great tires, but don't count on them not deteriorating before their time.

My 2 cents.

I am likely to get defenders once my current, crappy, improperly rotated tires wear out, but have thought about some ATs as well if there was one with a good on road design since 95%+ of my driving is on pavement. For those who have had an AT with good road handling and the defenders, what kind of MPG difference did you see?

So, with Michelin being so darn good (rep wise), i emailed Michelin asking about their sidewall.

This was my question to Michelin:

“I am shopping for tires to replace my OEM (Bridgestone Dueler
HT). I am interested in Michelin Defender LTX M/S. But i have a few
question. Defender has 2 steel, 2 polyester, and 1 polyamide for the tread.
Sidewall has 2 plies. My question is...the POLYAMIDE layer...is that just
the cap (tread area only)?? Or does the polyamide reinforcement extend to
the SIDEWALL too?? In other words, is the sidewall on the Defender
reinforced with anything other than 2 polyester plies?? One last
suggestion......can you make Michelin AT-2 in more sizes?! (Is the sidewall
on AT-2 tougher than Defender?) Thank you in advance. (I do plan on going
off-roading a little, nothing extreme...thus, concern about sidewall
strength.)“



This is Michelin response: (great response time too!!)

“Thank you for reaching out regarding the Michelin Defender LTX M/S. The polyamide (nylon) layer is placed above the top steel belt and is directly below the actual tire tread. This layer does not extend to the sidewall of the tire. Sidewalls of a tire are generally non-reinforced, with the exception being Ultra High Performance tires. UHP tires use steel or fabric cords to help strengthen the sidewall for stability in high speed cornering.

The Michelin LTX AT/2 is an all-terrain tire so the actual tread is designed for more off-road usage but the sidewall of the AT/2 isn't necessarily any stronger than that of the Defender LTX. Both tires are available in Load Range E (10ply) strength and have the ability to carry heavy loads and have good light off-road ability.

We hope that your issue has been addressed to your satisfaction. If we can assist you further, please respond to this email or call us at 866-866-6605 (toll-free) between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. EST Monday through Saturday.

We appreciate your business and thank you for choosing Michelin.

Sincerely,
Craig
Consumer Care Department
Certified Michelin Product Expert”

My question: When you talk about puncture resistance b/w P-metric and LT, are you talking about the TREAD area or sidewall? Within the same class (Defender LTX), going from P to LT, is there a difference in sidewall strength?

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Michelin response: Regarding puncture resistance I'm technically referring to both. P or LT metric Defender LTX will have the same strength. Even though the LT can carry more weight, those additional plys do no carry over to the sidewall nor do they make the tread area puncture resistant.

Great responses from Michelin; thanks for posting them!

Hi folks, I'm new to the forum (and having a 4runner), so I figured I'd piggy back off this review as I can't yet create my own thread. I need some advice, and am hoping that it is relevant to these tires.

Work has changed a bit, and I now need to be a postman, at least in the sense that neither snow, sleet, hale, flooding, mudslides and zombies should stop me from getting to where I'm going.

99% of my driving will be on paved roads, so I need a tire that handles reasonably well there.

At the same time, that 1% is a doozy. I'm in the mid-atlantic area, and some of the locations I have to be able to get to are off poorly maintained dirt roads (which get muddy and/or flooded), as well as traveling these same roads (and paved roads, obviously) in winter, where there can be snow and ice (both plowed and unplowed).

The Michelin LTX AT/2 looked promising for this, but I'd love some forum feedback from all y'all who actually know 4runners and their abilities.

I'm looking for a jack of all trades tire, as well as recommendations for wheels, which fits the bill. Obviously nothing will be perfect, but I'm trying to get something good enough to meet my requirements. I'm afraid that having a second set of wheels with dedicated snow tires isn't practical for this at the moment.

Are stock wheel sizes sufficient? I don't really have the budget to get raised suspension, so if I go larger, I need to limit it to what will fit the 4runner (5th gen) without rubbing.

Any and all advice would be welcome!

I think Michelin AT2 will be perfect for you. Defender are nice (and prob just as good) but AT tread is more aggressive for that 1%. Defender would not do well in mud.

Thanks for the response! I might just do that, and keep some wheel chains in the back for when the snow gets really hairy.

Yikes, forgot to add. What about sizes? I'm not doing any suspension work (for the foreseeable future, anyway), but I'd like to maximize traction. Is there a recommended wheel size and tire size you could share, or should I stick with stock wheels and tire size?

Stock size is probably best for what you're after. Taller tires increase clearance but messes with your speedometer and power delivery (acceleration)...esp if the taller tire is heavier. Ground clearance does not seem to be what you need from what you wrote.

True, I was thinking more tire width. With stock wheels (and suspension) can I run 275s without rubbing?

Many thanks for the help!

I’ve had Michelin LTXs on all my previous vehicles. Many sets. Long life, great on the road in dry and wet conditions. Pretty good in not too deep snow and hardback too. They last so long (65K+ miles) that you can get into the dry rot / sidewall cracking condition if you have them longer than 5 years, and park outside. But tires have a 6 year lifespan at most anyway. Discount Tire always gave me some credit on tire mileage or age when buying new ones.

On my latest 4R I changed over to Michelin AT2. Stock size. Loving them so far. Great on the road, with a little more noise. Not too aggressive of a tread but does well in dirt, sand, and mud. I’m happy with them.

How do they handle on the road? Though I'm a wannabe postman, that lion's share of my driving will be on pavement. And how noisy are they on highways? Just curious, it isn't a deal breaker.

They handle really well on pavement. Comfortable ride, and they balanced well. No vibrations of wobbles. I do a lot of highway driving and I’m very pleased with them. You can check out various reviews on tire dealer websites.

There is more noise than a pure highway tire like the Defender LTX. Kind of an audible buzz you can hear around town if you have your music turned off and are really paying attention. At highway speeds you hear more wind noise and the tire noise is not even noticeable. See the tread pattern difference in the pics below (LTX M/S2, then AT3). Bigger lugs means more noise.

If you buy from a Discount Tire (America’s Tire) you have 30 days to try them out. If you don’t like them you can return them and try a different tire. However you will pay for mounting and balancing again so it could get pricey if you do this too many times. Check out their policy at your local store.

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