another Michelin ltx AT2 vs MS2 question

[tonyk]

Sorry to keep bringing this up, but I haven't quite gotten the answers I need from hours of reading (tirerack, consumerreports, etc.)

I'm leaning towards the MS2 because the consensus seems to be that they get better snow/ice traction than the AT2's. I live in Colorado and admit, 80-90% of my driving is highway. However, I do take several camping trips in the summer and I want to know how well the MS2's do off road. By "off road" I mean medium-difficulty Colorado mountain roads. One trail i like in particular is Hermit Pass, which is steep and pretty rugged. My concern is that the MS2's won't be able to handle some of the fairly large rocks and may get punctured.

Can anyone comment about the MS2's ability off road? I won't be driving in mud or sand.

Thanks

 

[WV runner]

I have had 2 sets of the MS2s and they are close to the best set of tires I have ever owned. Excellent in the rain and snow and quiet and smooth on the road. Never really did any hardcore off roading with them but did plenty of backroad ridgerunning and never had 1 problem. Great tire EXCEPT they are pricey.

 

[02SE]

I had the original LTX M/S tires on my 4Runner, and they were great on-road, in snow, rain, and were quiet and smooth. They still had usable tread when I replaced them at 70,000 miles, due to age. I took them on many 4wd trails in the Colorado San Juan Mountains. Black Bear, Imogene, etc. etc. I never had a problem, but those trails don't have any extreme rock crawling, or generally lots of mud, either.

My sister has the LTX M/S2's on her 4Runner, and I have no reason to believe they wouldn't be just as (if not more) capable as the originals.


I think for moderate off-roading, and if you avoided mud bogs, they would be great.