Michelin tire availability

[lockerc18]

My Michelin Cross Terrains are getting to the point where I need to replace them. They have 58K miles on them, and still have some decent tread, but they're losing traction in wet weather and are really starting to slide around.

So, with winter coming, I've been thinking about getting either Goodyear Fortera Tripletreds or Michelin LTX A/T2s. I have the GY Assurance TripleTreds on a Honda Accord, and they've been really good in all types of weather. And, I've always had Michelins on my other vehicles, and have always had good luck with them. The CTs have been great. And, I really don't go off road, I just stick to pavement.

I went around to a few local stores today, like STS, Mavis, GY, and so on, to get prices on 4 tires. No one has either the GYs or the A/T2s in stock. In fact, STS told me that there are no A/T2s to he had anywhere since Michelin is having some kind of supply problems. And that's true for all Michelins, not just the A/T2s.

Is anyone else seeing this lack of availability of Michelins? This is in SE NY State if that makes a difference.

I saw the Scorpions and Revos, which seem to be in stock, but I am really thinking about the GYs given their snowflake and the experience I've had with them on my Honda. The A/T2s seem overly pricey for tires without the snowflake.

 

[stevied]

Wow.. 58,000 miles.

I'm about to hit 40,000 and thinking about replacing my Michelins . I figure I have maybe ~ 15% tread left, but it's a little uneven wear.

 

[Barefoot]

I just ordered a new set of Michelins from Tire Rack for my old Explorer yesterday.

The previous set has 85,000 miles and isn't down to the wear bars, but with my daughter now driving the car, I decided to replace them before winter.

 

[JP4RNR]

My 2004 that I sold to my Brother back in 06 has Michelins and he just turned 70,000 miles. They do need to be replaced. There is about 10% tread left. My 06 has the Bridgestone tires. My 06 currently has 35,000 miles. I maybe can get 70,000 miles out of the Bridgestones if I am lucky

 

[aamills]

Hi All.
Recently I have been looking for tires it seems to be complicated as women are. So many decisions, how are they going to "handle" how long will it last, will I like them, will I hate them, is the ride smooth or rough, what kinda mileage will I get...you get my point .

OK. Thai recomended the Michilens AT2 (ok more than Thai persuade me to AT2). I really don't know if these are the tires for me. My truck is my only vehicle so 99% of the miles are on the road. BUT several times out of the year I some how ponder of the road. And love it.
OK back to the tires. So I called Sears, checked on pricing ~170 each not to bad for new technology, great tires, hey what else is touching the payment. Today ran by walmart to check on the price to do a comparison shop, price ~190 ea. So I went into sears and they pulled up the quote and they had quoted me the cross terrains. When I explicitly said AT2. AT2 were around ~190 at sears too. They checked availability, and there were none.
I called Michelin to check out availability. Michelin said that production just started and have ship tires out this week. Some dealers (including Sears!) can back order tires.

I have not gone back to Sears but if someone says they are not available, ask if they can back order them!

I don't know what my next step is. Maybe do a little more research and if I find my self back to the AT2 I will let you know. Until next time.

As always, when I need information you all are here. Thanks and have a great Thanksgiving!
Aaron

 

[aamills]

Forgot to mention when I called Michelin they said if I buy the tires without anyother Michelin promotion they will send me a $50 check. So it could never hurt to go to Michelin website and call them or sign your email address for promotions if you are looking for new tires.

 

[XJeepguy]

If you can find a dealer with the older model , they are great tires . Have owned a few pairs of these and they are good on and off the road . Quiet and long tread life .

The Michelin LTX A/T proves that while you may not be able to have it all, you can get pretty close to it. With its rugged off road durability and quiet, comfortable, Michelin highway ride, you may find it hard to believe how much traction the LTX A/T really has. The excellent grip comes from the special tread compounds that work over a wide range of temperatures and the open shoulder, all terrain tread design that really bites into snow.

IMO ,I still like the older design better

 

[singintheblue]

I have run Michelins exclusively since the 70s, unless something else came with the vehicle. When it wore out, Michelins went on. I would typically get 3 or 4 years out of a set and by that time, they were no longer available. (I keep a vehicle for 10+ years)Their customer service people have been very informative, helping me select from the latest models. Most recently, I have run the LTX and then Cross Terrains and have been very satisfied. As for pricing, around here in SC, you can't beat Sam's.

 

[lockerc18]

I looked at the AT2s, too, but decided against them. Not that they aren't a great tire. From what I've ready, they are, and I've always had great luck with Michelins. But, the "bad weather" ratings for rain, ice, snow, etc., didn't seem to measure up to the Goodyear Fortera TripleTreds. So, I just got a set of those (today). I'll have to wait until the weather gets worse before I know how much better these tires are than the Cross Terrains were which were OEM, and those tires were really quite good.

But, whatever tires you get, make sure you get an alignment that's done CORRECTLY. I got my tires at Mavis, and they screwed the alignment up royally. I've gotten tires there before, and I go back because the prices are usually the best in my area ($165 per tire plus mounting and the rest for the TripleTreds), but I have NEVER gotten a good alignment out of these folks. In fact, they screwed an alignment up so badly on a BMW 3 series I used to own that I ended up having to replace the control arms on the dang front end.

But, I'm sure you'll be happy with the AT2s if you end up getting them. I never go off road, so maybe those are better for that than the TripleTreds. I don't know about that. But a major factor in me getting the TripleTreds was that I have them on another car (Honda Accord) and they have been really good in all kinds of weather. So I thought they'd be just as good on my 4Runner.

 

[Gromulus]

Tire Rack Ratings

I looked at the AT2s, too, but decided against them. Not that they aren't a great tire. From what I've ready, they are, and I've always had great luck with Michelins. But, the "bad weather" ratings for rain, ice, snow, etc., didn't seem to measure up to the Goodyear Fortera TripleTreds. So, I just got a set of those (today). I'll have to wait until the weather gets worse before I know how much better these tires are than the Cross Terrains were which were OEM, and those tires were really quite good.

But, whatever tires you get, make sure you get an alignment that's done CORRECTLY. I got my tires at Mavis, and they screwed the alignment up royally. I've gotten tires there before, and I go back because the prices are usually the best in my area ($165 per tire plus mounting and the rest for the TripleTreds), but I have NEVER gotten a good alignment out of these folks. In fact, they screwed an alignment up so badly on a BMW 3 series I used to own that I ended up having to replace the control arms on the dang front end.

But, I'm sure you'll be happy with the AT2s if you end up getting them. I never go off road, so maybe those are better for that than the TripleTreds. I don't know about that. But a major factor in me getting the TripleTreds was that I have them on another car (Honda Accord) and they have been really good in all kinds of weather. So I thought they'd be just as good on my 4Runner.

Of course you are comparing apples to oranges. The TripleTreds (like the Cross Terrains) are an all season highway tire while the AT2 is an on/off road all terrain tire.

 

[lockerc18]

Re: Tire Rack Ratings

Of course you are comparing apples to oranges. The TripleTreds (like the Cross Terrains) are an all season highway tire while the AT2 is an on/off road all terrain tire.

Well, I don't know about apples and oranges... oranges and tangerines, maybe...

So, an update on my GYs... I get the tires on Friday, and on Saturday, as I'm backing out of my garage, I see that the front right tire is flat.

Flat, I say!!!!!

I pump it back up some so I can get my truck back into the garage, and I replace it with the spare and bring it into Mavis this morning. I am ALL ready to do battle with these guys, because I know the tire's not defective, so either they didn't mount it right or they screwed the alignment up so badly that the tire came off the rim.

They depressurized the tire and blew it back up again, and rebalanced it, and re-aligned the front wheels again, and took about 2 hours of me sitting around, twiddling my thumbs. I was not real happy.

So, when it's all done, I go up to the counter and the guy hands me a work sheet and it says.... $0 due.

Nuts! I was ALL ready to lay into this guy when he charged me for the work to fix the flat THEY caused. But he didn't!

And, to top it off, the front end is aligned just great, thank you, and the truck rides real smoothly.

Man, what a way to waste a good rant.

 

[hammersc]

I have run Michelins exclusively since the 70s, unless something else came with the vehicle. When it wore out, Michelins went on. I would typically get 3 or 4 years out of a set and by that time, they were no longer available. (I keep a vehicle for 10+ years)Their customer service people have been very informative, helping me select from the latest models. Most recently, I have run the LTX and then Cross Terrains and have been very satisfied. As for pricing, around here in SC, you can't beat Sam's.

My factory bridgestone duelers wore down to 3/32" at 40k miles. Last month after some research I put some new shoes on 'er - Michelin CT's. The bridgestones did fine - I drive pretty easy (rarely above 2500 rpm) and 95% road. The new CT's seem nice - slightly quieter and slightly smoother - emphasis on slightly. There weren't very many choices in the factory size - 265.65.17, but these were and that's partly why I went with them.

You mention Sams, which we have here in florence, sc - but their selection is very limited, and had no CT's available - weren't even offered. I timed it right and hit a buy 3 get the 4th free sale at my dealer. The Ct's seem like a quality tire - first set of Michelins I've bought, so time will tell. I certainly hope to get more than 40k mi out of them though.

 

[aamills]

After spending too much time researching...I Ordered the AT2, I should have them on the truck next week.

 

[Pittbull]

Cross terrains are great tires designed for the 4runner. They are severe snow rated and will do better then any AT tire on the road and in the snow Ice. That is what they are designed for. I got 60K miles off my first set on my 2004 SE V8 sport with good thread left when I bought a new set. If you are going to go off road and do rock crawling then get the BFG AT/KO's otherwise the Xtrains are a superior tire for on road, snow, Ice. Its all about the sipes and the AT/KO's don't have the sipes that the Xtrains have.

 

[Mixed4u]

I got 74K on my stock Dunlops. I changed them out to the Cross Terrains last weekend. It rained most of the week here, and maybe I expected too much out of the new tires, but I did experience some hydro planing with the new tires. The ride is nice in dry weather and the tires run very quiet. I rotate my tires religiously every 5K, and I'm pretty easy on tires. (not much time off paved hwys.) That's probably why the Dunlops lasted so long, but they were slipping in the rain we had the previous week, (that's why I changed them out,) but that was after 74K miles. I sure hope these Cross Terrains last as long as the Dunlops did. I know people hate those Dunlops, maybe I just got lucky the first time out.

 

[Climb14er]

I too have been a Michelin man on every vehicle since the early 70's and tried to switch to a Yokohama set of Geolanders and switched right out of 'em in no time, thanks to Discount Tire.

Went back to Michelins in the Cross Terrain and I could not have found a better tire for my 2007 V8 Sport. :rocker:

There is a big difference to people who've ridden on Michelins and appreciate their quality and ride.

 

[Gromulus]

Cross Terrains

Cross terrains are great tires designed for the 4runner. They are severe snow rated and will do better then any AT tire on the road and in the snow Ice. That is what they are designed for.

Huh? Cross Terrains are not branded with the mountain and snowflake symbol so I am not sure what yu mean by "severe snow rated".

I think Mixed4u and I hold the minority opinion re. the Cross Terrians.

I have had the CTs on my 4Runner since day one. Had one blow out at 25K so I bought a new one and installed the unused spare as well. After 55K miles, I replace the two older front ones with newer ones.

I agree that the CTs are very smooth and quiet and seem to have the excellent tread life that Michelins are noted for. I live in the snowbelt of NE Ohio (one of the few true lake effect snow areas in the country) and I must admit I am and have been somewhat disappointed by the CTs on snow and slick roads. I think the Michelin Hydroedge tires on (now my daughter's) 1992 Camry are much better on the wet stuff.

I think next time around I may go for the Nittos or Revos.