Tire Damage

[m85476585]

I've been running these P265/60R18 Michelin LTX MS2 for the last 6 years. They are awesome tires, but maybe not the most durable off road. I've been doing more off road driving now that the 4runner isn't my daily driver, and here are some pictures of the damage. I think it's time to replace these.

I have about 50,000 miles on the tires. They were great until last winter. They are worn to about 4-5 32nds, so they don't do well on snow and ice anymore. Despite the highway style tread pattern, I never found off road traction to be lacking. And until last winter, they did as well in snow as any winter tire I've used.

I have a set of Blizzak W965 LT265/70R17 on 5th gen 17" wheels, so I'll put those on for this winter and leave them on (including summers) until they are dead, then I'll get some new All Terrain tires for the 17" wheels.

 

[ElectroBoy]

I've been running these P265/60R18 Michelin LTX MS2 for the last 6 years. They are awesome tires, but maybe not the most durable off road. I've been doing more off road driving now that the 4runner isn't my daily driver, and here are some pictures of the damage. I think it's time to replace these.

I have about 50,000 miles on the tires. They were great until last winter. They are worn to about 4-5 32nds, so they don't do well on snow and ice anymore. Despite the highway style tread pattern, I never found off road traction to be lacking. And until last winter, they did as well in snow as any winter tire I've used.

I have a set of Blizzak W965 LT265/70R17 on 5th gen 17" wheels, so I'll put those on for this winter and leave them on (including summers) until they are dead, then I'll get some new All Terrain tires for the 17" wheels.

I’ve run a lot of these Michelin tires. The tread lasts a long time. But you sure stretched out the usage on these with all that damage. Plus the sun and ozone have taken a toll after six years of aging. I replace mine way before that happens.

 

[m85476585]

There has been a lot more aging than I would expect in six years. They looked almost as bad (with less damage) two years ago. They should last longer than that based on what I've read, and I couldn't bring myself to replace tires that were only half worn just because of some light cracking. Maybe it's because I don't park in a garage? The date code isn't much earlier than when I bought them, so it's not that.

 

[rdruss]

You're a mile closer to the sun in Colorado so I guess it accelerates the problem!

 

[RonJR]

That looks like a combination of age, sun exposure, and misalignment (since the worst damage is on the outside edge, I'd suspect excessive toe-in and possibly camber problems.) Definitely time to replace them. 4 to 5/32 doesn't meet the traction laws for Colorado - you need 7/32 to be legal in the mountains in winter.

I have 65,000 on my BFG KO2's, and they are still at 7 to 8/32, but I'm replacing them before another winter. They're starting to get noisy, and with the rubber aging and getting harder the winter performance is deteriorating. If you're planning to drive the vehicle offroad, I'd definitely recommend the BFG's. They are tough as nails, and they've been absolutely trouble-free and are very quiet for the first 50,000 miles or so.

 

[m85476585]

That looks like a combination of age, sun exposure, and misalignment (since the worst damage is on the outside edge, I'd suspect excessive toe-in and possibly camber problems.) Definitely time to replace them. 4 to 5/32 doesn't meet the traction laws for Colorado - you need 7/32 to be legal in the mountains in winter.

I have 65,000 on my BFG KO2's, and they are still at 7 to 8/32, but I'm replacing them before another winter. They're starting to get noisy, and with the rubber aging and getting harder the winter performance is deteriorating. If you're planning to drive the vehicle offroad, I'd definitely recommend the BFG's. They are tough as nails, and they've been absolutely trouble-free and are very quiet for the first 50,000 miles or so.

I don't think the alignment is off, but I guess I could have it checked. I think a lot of this damage happened while these two were on the rear, but I can't remember. Some of it is definitely from recent off road trips, and they are in the front now.

I'm well aware of the traction law. Two winters ago I almost learned the hard way that these are no good in snow anymore. Early one morning a Subaru Crosstrek was perpendicular to traffic on I-70 just outside the Eisenhower tunnel, blocking the right two lanes. I tried to slow down (from about 40 mph) but the brakes did nothing. Somehow I made it into the left lane without spinning out and without getting hit by the faster traffic in that lane. That is why I have snow tires now.

I'm leaning towards KO2s. They are probably best overall for what I want to do, and for the first few seasons they will probably be decent in the winter too.

 

[Keros]

There has been a lot more aging than I would expect in six years. They looked almost as bad (with less damage) two years ago. They should last longer than that based on what I've read, and I couldn't bring myself to replace tires that were only half worn just because of some light cracking. Maybe it's because I don't park in a garage? The date code isn't much earlier than when I bought them, so it's not that.

I had LTX M+S 2's that looked much worse than that 2 years after they were installed. Splits and cracks through the treads, discoloration.

Michelin told me to f*ck off on their warranty. So I drove around another 3 years on tires that looked like they were 25 years old.

OP's tires look more serviceable than mine appeared to be when they went to Kal Tire for the first warranty inspection.

0/10 would not buy again.

Glad they worked out well for others.