09-12-2019, 10:10 AM
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#1
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Join Date: May 2009
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Michelin defender ltx m/s vs. General grabber atx
Hi all. I need opinions on these 2 tires. I just got a set of 4runner xp wheels and im stuck on these two tires.
By the numbers and reviews they are pretty even with general slightly in the lead. I have the defenders on my other 4runner and they have been bulletproof. I did have the old bfg ko's and the Michelins are night and day. I did have the general at2 on my pickup and i never needed 4x4.
What are your thoughts? Im not interested in any other tire( falken, toyo etc.)
They are going on a 08 v6 limited with a 2.5, 1.5 lift.
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'08 4Runner Limited V8 Shadow Mica: Sport hood, bilstein 6112's, 5160's, b12 coils, Gibson cat back, 4runner XSP rims, Michelin X LT AS 275/55-20
'06 4Runner Limited V8 Salsa Red: bilstein 6112, 5160, Wheeler T12's, 4Runner XP wheels, Michelin AT2 275/55/20, Magnaflow Exhaust,, Powerstop brakes, sport hood
RIP.....'08 4Runner Limited V6: white, bilstein 6112s, 5160s, b12 , powerstop brakes, nav, TRD cat back, 4Runner XP rims, Michelin Defender LTX 275/55-20, sport hood
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09-12-2019, 01:36 PM
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#2
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Junior Member
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Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Florida's Space Coast
Age: 49
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Real Name: Dillon
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FWIW, i have the Michelin Defenders and I really like them. Quiet and Capable on my 08 Urban Runner with Bilstiens and FJ rear coils.
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09-12-2019, 11:07 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Sep 2014
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Real Name: Russell (OB #9908)
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A link to my build thread is in my sig. There you will find a list of videos, all of which were on Defenders. Well, with the obvious exceptions of the Australia, Lambeau Field, Ford TriMotor, & traveler vids, though I did drive to the airport on my Defenders in each case. ;-)
Never had an issue with a Michelin tire. I will likely buy the A/T version of the Defender next time, those look like the perfect road/trail balance to me.
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09-13-2019, 07:48 AM
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#4
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Depends if you are mainly on road with occasional light off road or do you like to get a little more dirty once in awhile? The Michelin can not be beat for on road performance in any condition. I have pushed snow with my front bumper in just regular AWD. They are quiet as you know and will outlast the General by quite a bit, but the general will probably beat out the Michelin in offroad abilities. I have used the Defenders and previously LTX M/S for several years on my 4runner and previous truck and have never gotten less than 105k miles out of them. I doubt I will ever go to a different tire.
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09-13-2019, 08:55 AM
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#5
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Olathe, KS
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I recently went from Goodyear Duratracs to the Michelins and man my truck feels like new. So smooth and quiet. I mostly do farm roads, fire roads, and gravel roads when I'm offroad and the Michelins have handled that just fine. My fuel mileage went up as well. I'm pretty sure I'm a Michelin fan for life.
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Ryan
2004 4Runner SR5 V6 | 198k miles | Bilstein 5100's, front @ 1.75" | 245/75-17 Michelin LTX MS2 | FJ Cruiser steel wheels
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09-13-2019, 09:47 AM
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#6
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Location: Connecticut
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatafly
........y LTX M/S for several years on my 4runner and previous truck and have never gotten less than 105k miles out of them. I doubt I will ever go to a different tire.
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Is that a typo? 105K per set??
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2009 SR5 V6 ---RIP
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09-13-2019, 12:59 PM
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#7
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Those tires don't seem like they're all that comparable, so I guess for me it would depend more on how you were going to use your truck. My 4runner was wearing Michelin LTX Energy tires when I bought it, great on pavement, but recently replaced with the General ATX on 17s. The General's are also really good on pavement, but I can hear them ever so slightly. I do like them a lot more than the Duratracs that I had on my 3rd Gen, and that's saying something. Whatever decision you make, I just got an email from discount Tires Direct, and they're running a flash sale today and tomorrow, I think its $80 buck off!
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2007 Limited V8, Biltstein 6112s, SPC UCA, Bilstein 5160s, Wheeler T12s, General ATX 265/70-17s.
Last edited by tors10; 09-13-2019 at 01:11 PM.
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09-13-2019, 04:50 PM
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#8
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Moving this to the Wheels and Tires section.
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'84 4Runner - ARBed 5.29s F&R, 4.7 & 2.28 t-cases, 2" drive train lift, BudBuilt x-member/skid, 30 spl Longs
'83 Toy P/U - Buick 231 V6, Holley 4 bbl, Weiand intake, Downey headers, TH350 w/700R4 low gearset,
'89 4Runner SR5 - stock
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09-13-2019, 06:50 PM
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#9
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It's an apples-to-oranges comparison... The Michelins core focus is being a road tire and the others is an all-terrain.
In terms of road tires... I absolutely love the Michelin. That said, it does fine on the occasional drive on a dirt road or even trail for that matter. Its not going to excel in this application but it can hold its own. I've beat the crap out of mine off-road and its really impressed me how much intentional abuse to was able to sustain. These days I have a separate set of tires (mud terrains) that I actually use for off-road because I kinda wanted the best for each.
If you want a AT do-it-all tire for daily driving and more frequent off-road use, the General Grabber would be a better fit. I've never owned one, but I suspect it wont be as nice on-road.
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09-13-2019, 08:47 PM
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#10
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Join Date: May 2009
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Join Date: May 2009
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Thanks all. I am and havve always been a michelin fan. I have them on 3 of my 4 vehicles. I ended up with another set of defenders. They should look great on the new 4runner xp rims.
Its kinda stinks because the ones in the 4runner now are Michelin ltx ms2. They are 5 years old, have between 9-10/ 32nds on them but dry rotted rally bad.
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'08 4Runner Limited V8 Shadow Mica: Sport hood, bilstein 6112's, 5160's, b12 coils, Gibson cat back, 4runner XSP rims, Michelin X LT AS 275/55-20
'06 4Runner Limited V8 Salsa Red: bilstein 6112, 5160, Wheeler T12's, 4Runner XP wheels, Michelin AT2 275/55/20, Magnaflow Exhaust,, Powerstop brakes, sport hood
RIP.....'08 4Runner Limited V6: white, bilstein 6112s, 5160s, b12 , powerstop brakes, nav, TRD cat back, 4Runner XP rims, Michelin Defender LTX 275/55-20, sport hood
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09-13-2019, 09:29 PM
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#11
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09-14-2019, 07:55 AM
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#12
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Location: Livingston Manor, NY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by inscarguy
Thanks all. I am and havve always been a michelin fan. I have them on 3 of my 4 vehicles. I ended up with another set of defenders. They should look great on the new 4runner xp rims.
Its kinda stinks because the ones in the 4runner now are Michelin ltx ms2. They are 5 years old, have between 9-10/ 32nds on them but dry rotted rally bad.
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I’m right there with you. Exact same thing happened to my exact same tires. Ltx ms 2 dry rotted and sidewall cracked before 60k. I could not proof my date of purchase for warranty but Michelin paid for one of my 4 new Defenders ltx ms. Now I keep the receipt. And yes, defenders are overall good tires for my use. No hard off road, but occasional sand and snow. Mostly pavement.
Do not use tire shine! Any of them!
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09-14-2019, 09:04 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Sep 2014
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bumbo
It's an apples-to-oranges comparison... The Michelins core focus is being a road tire and the others is an all-terrain.
In terms of road tires... I absolutely love the Michelin. That said, it does fine on the occasional drive on a dirt road or even trail for that matter. Its not going to excel in this application but it can hold its own. I've beat the crap out of mine off-road and its really impressed me how much intentional abuse to was able to sustain. These days I have a separate set of tires (mud terrains) that I actually use for off-road because I kinda wanted the best for each.
If you want a AT do-it-all tire for daily driving and more frequent off-road use, the General Grabber would be a better fit. I've never owned one, but I suspect it wont be as nice on-road.
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You’re right about apples & oranges but IMO this is underselling the Defender’s off-road capability based on my experience. I’ve driven the sand on the Outer Banks and trails with mud, rocks, branches, ruts, you name it, and no worries about the tires. Again, see for yourself in the videos in my build thread. Maybe our difference comes down to degree, because I’m not talking rock crawling Moab, just trails the average 4R driver is likely to run - but definitely more challenging than fire roads.
This is the tread on the Defender A/T I plan to get next time. Can’t imagine going anywhere it wouldn’t take me.
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09-16-2019, 01:12 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
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@ Bluesky 07
I can see where we are having a misunderstanding...
The thread title says Michelin defender ltx m/s, which is a different tire than the one you posted a picture of.
You are posting a photo of the LTX A/T2.
Truck Tires, Car Tires and more – Michelin Tires
The Defender LTX M/S is the newer version of the original LTX M/S which is a road tire.
Truck Tires, Car Tires and more – Michelin Tires
That said... I haven't tried the LTX A/T but it sure looks like a good choice for something that is going to see on and off-road conditions. Perhaps ill try one in the future.
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09-16-2019, 09:01 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Sep 2014
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Senior Member
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bumbo
@ Bluesky 07
I can see where we are having a misunderstanding...
The thread title says Michelin defender ltx m/s, which is a different tire than the one you posted a picture of.
You are posting a photo of the LTX A/T2.
Truck Tires, Car Tires and more – Michelin Tires
The Defender LTX M/S is the newer version of the original LTX M/S which is a road tire.
Truck Tires, Car Tires and more – Michelin Tires
That said... I haven't tried the LTX A/T but it sure looks like a good choice for something that is going to see on and off-road conditions. Perhaps ill try one in the future.
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No, I'm aware of which of those tires is which. I have the Defender M/S on my truck and have taken them on many trails as previously mentioned. What I said was that I would likely get the new A/T version the next time I buy tires b/c it should offer more off-road capability while retaining the Defender's other outstanding characteristics.
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