NEW TIRE: Michelin LTX M/S-2

[claydoctor]

Like I said earlier, the 96 4 Runner came with 265/70/16 and that is the size I put on the 4 Runner when I replaced them. They were not 265/65/17 as stated by someone else above.

Don't know where you came in but all of my posts on the subject clearly state, that I am talking about tires on my 2006 4-runner Sport not a '96 4-Runner. The OEM size for my vehicle is 265/65/17. Several years ago, I was not able to buy the original LTX/M&S for my 2006 Sport because it was not made in that size. Are we now on the same page?

 

[peter78]

The ride of the M/S² is similar, if not better than the CTs. The M/S² is a little stiff due the threadwear rating, the ride is smooth but a little stiff, a little bouncy at times, like a truck which the T4R is. The ride is good and better than I expected.

The CTs were the best wearing tire I have driven on. They did not bald on me and after 62000 miles with rotation every 5000 Miles, there was enough tread for another 5-10K miles.

The M/S² is about $40 cheaper per tire than the CTs which was another consideration. If properly rotated, I should get 80K miles from the M/S² easy.

I am in a unique position in that I have had Cross Terrians on both the 2001 & the 2004 4Runner. I replaced the Cross Terrians on the 2001 4 years ago with the LTX MS. I recently replaced the Cross Terrians on the 2004 with the newer LTX. I was impressed on how well the LTX's have held up on the 2001. I agree that the ride on the new LTX on the 2004 the ride is just as well as with the Cross Terrians. On my 2001 I notice a little more noise with the LTX going 80, I do no feel that sensation on the 2004. I am very happy with the new LTX's. They were about $20 more per tire for the Cross Terrians, so to me price was not the over riding factor.

I thought of getting the new Latitude, but the dealer said they have gotten a lot of complaints on them and he tried to steer me away from them. They were about $10 more than the LTX's. The Cross Terrians had to be special ordered and I like the old LTX, I decided to stick with the LTX.

One thing I did notice with the older LTX's on the 2001, is that the mileage has gone down a bit, not much, about a 1/3 to 1/2 a mile a gallon. The new LTX's, I have not experineced a drop, it has only been a few months, but the mileage is about the same to maybe a very small drop in mileage over the Cross Terrians. (I check my mileage in a book everytime I fill up, so I tend to notice small patterns of change.)


http://www.michelinman.com/tire-sel...ta/4Runner/SR5+4x2|4x4/P265|65R17+110S1/tires

 

[ninefinger]

what kind of gas mileage are you getting since like you i do mostly all city driving. So you say the cross terrains were also just as good?

I just started to load all my info for gas usage into this web page.
4Runner (Toyota 4Runner) | Fuelly
I think that all the mileage info on there is on the cross terrains - I haven't updated since I got the LTX M/S2, lots of city but some highway and towing in the summer months too. I don't do a lot of miles, as my wife takes the bus so our combined annual mileage is split between 2 vehicles, and my commute is short (ie worst case for mileage - lots of cold starts...only ~5 miles to work, plus I let it warm up in the winter...for my comfort, not the trucks benefit).

Take it for what its worth but it makes me cry sometimes to see how bad it is. Then I cheer up when I realize I fill up only 2 times a month.

As far as the cross terrains go - I bought my truck 1 year ago from a dealer and didn't get a history on it but it was one owner. The cross terrains were the OEM tires on it and were just down to the wear bar at 110000km (68000 miles). I was impressed at how they handled the winter last year for being so worn, but I was getting nervous about the crazing of the sidewalls and feel better having new tires on for the winter. Looking forward to having some real fun in the snow.

Mike

 

[Jason B]

I've put a bunch of tires on this thing. The MS 2's are the smoothest riding tire I've ever felt on this truck. 265/70/16 and you will notice that this tire has a larger sidewall than other brand tires of the same size. This is what helps sock up the bumps. I swear it was like I put brand new soft shocks on the truck. I really like the updated sidewall. The MS1's were very generic looking and the MS2 looks the part. 10 times smoother than the Duellar HL's I had on there.

 

[Jason B]

Figured I'd get some better pics of mine.

 

[peter78]

My 2001 got new LTX after 82,000. I put some on the 2004 and I have 84,000 with 3/16" tread and the tire company from Georgia said I need to replace them.

I found out that the LTX M/S2 now have a new rubber compound. They have some old tires, but they recommended the new tires, just in case I have to replace a tire. I really don't like the change, but is was bound to happen. The tread life has gone up to 800 from 600, so we will see how they do.

My 2004 has 165,000 miles on it and I asked about the tires that they have on sale, the Nitto Crosstek SUV. After thinking about it, having two sets go over 80,000 without a lick of trouble, I should stick with the LTX. And it looks like I will never get rid of the 2001 or the 2004, I see no reason to, so I am going back with the LTX.

The tire dealer, I am now using Tire Kingdom in Florida said my tires still look good, he said wait and see if they go on sale. The price is about $100 cheaper then I paid for at Discount Tires for the last set 5 years ago. The dealer also said the tires are considered like a tank and last forever. I go say that is true.

 

[Jason B]

How about an update [MENTION=36]peter78[/MENTION]

 

[GRNT4R00]

I currently have the same tire on my truck with about 5,000 miles on them. they are smooth and quiet when riding on stock 16's. Im in the process of upgrading wheels to the Tacoma Split stars in a 17". I will be putting Michelin Defenders which replaced the LTX M/S 2 tires in a 265/70/17 at the end of the month once I sell my current tires and wheels. Cant go wrong with Michelin. Price is high but they last

 

[peter78]

How about an update [MENTION=36]peter78[/MENTION]

Boy, I do like these tires. On the 2001, my son has it now and he got new LTX after the first LTX's went 82,000 miles. The car has a lot more miles on it then and now. He now has around 222,000 miles on it and about 45,000 on the newer LTX's. The tires are dong fine.

As far as the 2004, I had to ask how long should I keep it. I was kind of thinking of getting a 6th generation 4Runner when they came out. I still need a 4Runner type vehicle, I recently towed my boat 700 miles one way and then back. Well, the 6th generation never appeared, so I looked into new tires. I got a $70 coupon from Costco for the LTX's. I asked the local tire store,Tires Plus if they would take the coupon and they said "Yes". I have around 10,000 miles on the new LTX's with the new compound, of course they are doing fine.

So, I plan on keeping my 2004 for awhile, at least a few more years and my son I think will never give up the 2001. My best guess is it will die in 20 more years and he will have a "Wake" when it dies.

 

[Rack]

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Just purchased a set of four new Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires for my 2011 4R. dumped the OEM Dunflops. Too soon to tell you about the ride.
I just want to give you guys a heads up. If and when you buy tires always check the manufacture date on the side wall Its near the DOT circle on the inside wall of the tire. I went to a reputable tire dealer in the San Fernando Valley in So Cal. Looked at one tire prior to mounting and it was not quite a year old. After the tires were installed I noticed one tire was two years old. I told them that was unacceptable and they ordered a newer tire the same day. I was told they rotate there stock but it looked like somebody got caught.
My 2 cent

OK so here is my UPDATE on my Defender LTX M/S Michelin tires. What a Difference, Rather than wattle down the road the 4R rides and handles soo much better than the OEM Dunlop, I went with the light truck tire rather than the P rated.
I was going to get new shocks at the same time but thought I would see how the tires do first. Decided to hold off on the shocks for now because it rides so nice and handles much better.
Three years ago I bought a full set of michelin LTX-2 for my Suburban 2500 4X4 replacing the older LTX. I noticed a difference immediately, the truck kind of wandered. So I increased the air pressure and that helped but they still grab the grooves in the highway. The previous LTX did not. So I was convinced that it was the compound in the LTX-2 that was too soft. ( the nice thing is they work good in snow). So I was happy to see that Michelin came out with the Defender in an LTX M/S.
I'm comparing two totally different trucks Apple to Oranges but they are both Fruit. IMHO the Defender LTX M/S might be a better fit than the LTX-2, for the 4Runner. Don't get confused between these two different types of tires.

 

[leftylouie]

Just purchased a set of four new Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires for my 2011 4R. dumped the OEM Dunflops. Too soon to tell you about the ride.
I just want to give you guys a heads up. If and when you buy tires always check the manufacture date on the side wall Its near the DOT circle on the inside wall of the tire. I went to a reputable tire dealer in the San Fernando Valley in So Cal. Looked at one tire prior to mounting and it was not quite a year old. After the tires were installed I noticed one tire was two years old. I told them that was unacceptable and they ordered a newer tire the same day. I was told they rotate there stock but it looked like somebody got caught.
My 2 cent

So I have a 2011 Limited. I HATE the 3 tire choices out there for 245/60R20. I want the Michelin Defender LTX M/S in the 255/55R20 size. Is this a good choice? What difference will I see by choosing this size? Will the speedometer be off? etc...
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!

 

[tpetsch]

Just purchased a set of four new Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires for my 2011 4R. dumped the OEM Dunflops. Too soon to tell you about the ride.
I just want to give you guys a heads up. If and when you buy tires always check the manufacture date on the side wall Its near the DOT circle on the inside wall of the tire. I went to a reputable tire dealer in the San Fernando Valley in So Cal. Looked at one tire prior to mounting and it was not quite a year old. After the tires were installed I noticed one tire was two years old. I told them that was unacceptable and they ordered a newer tire the same day. I was told they rotate there stock but it looked like somebody got caught.
My 2 cent

Nice, been thinking about these too. Yes, please keep us posted.

 

[Rack]

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Nice, been thinking about these too. Yes, please keep us posted.

I posted what I thought about these new tires in my earlier post Above.

 

[Jason B]

This LTX M/S 2 tire has transformed my truck. It rides twice as good as it did with the OEM's.

 

[Keros]

I've had 2x sets of Michelin LTX M+S 2's. Both sets dry rotted terribly within months of purchase.

Michelin told me f*ck off when I asked them to warranty them.

So I had to drive around for 4 years on cracked, ugly tires that appeared to be around 30 years old. Thankfully the inspectors didn't fail me when I had to do an out of province inspection when I moved to BC from AB. And thankfully the tread blocks never came off, though they certainly looked like the tire could disintegrate at any moment.

Michelin is supposed to be one of the best tire manufacturers out there... and they couldn't fix this simple problem.

The first set I bought straight up thinking the M+S2 was "THE" tire for a road going 4Runner (my old 3rd gen). Anyway, they cracked pretty badly, but the truck got written off anyway so it was a moot point.

I bought a 4th Gen that coincidentally had M+S2 tires already mounted, installed a couple months prior. They appeared to be in nominal condition.

Anyway, fast forward 6 months and they looked like their manufacture date could have been 1992.

Now, from a driving perspective they were pretty good until they got low on tread. Great in the snow, dead silent on the highway.

You couldn't pay me to put Michelin tires on my truck. If you said "hey Don, here's a free set of Michelins!" I'd tell you to get lost. Do yourself a favour and buy any other tire other than one made by Michelin.

 

[Jason B]

My truck rode like a bucket of bolts until the LTX MS'2's. Just those tires made a HUGE difference. The sidewall and it's being a one piece tire, - it just soaks up the bumps.

 

[T4RGrocerygetter]

I can attest that the Michelins do not perform well in Upstate NY winters. Light snow was okay, but they did not like the deep stuff. Aside from that, they ride great and wear well from what I have seen so far.

 

[waypoint]

I've had 2x sets of Michelin LTX M+S 2's. Both sets dry rotted terribly within months of purchase.

I've had the same accelerated dry rot with two other Michelin tire models on our Subaru, the rubber in the tread area cracked long before the tread was half-worn. Sidewalls held up fine, but the tread looked awful.

A guy w/ a Honda Ridgeline parks next to me at work and has LTX tires, same thing. Gives me a moment of pause about their safety.

 

[Jason B]

I've had the same accelerated dry rot with two other Michelin tire models on our Subaru, the rubber in the tread area cracked long before the tread was half-worn. Sidewalls held up fine, but the tread looked awful.

A guy w/ a Honda Ridgeline parks next to me at work and has LTX tires, same thing. Gives me a moment of pause about their safety.

Hmm, I've never had an issues and I've had them on here for 6 years. But, it's garage kept.

 

[Muzzle of Bees]

I've had the same accelerated dry rot with two other Michelin tire models on our Subaru, the rubber in the tread area cracked long before the tread was half-worn. Sidewalls held up fine, but the tread looked awful.

A guy w/ a Honda Ridgeline parks next to me at work and has LTX tires, same thing. Gives me a moment of pause about their safety.

When you purchase tires you should check the manufacture date. The date you put the tires on vehicle is not important.
I had a set on my 2006 Xterra that performed fabulously on road and in wet weather. Decent in snow. I never tested them rigorously off road since they were not that kind of tire.