TIRES- Kicking a Dead Horse
- Thread starter GNB
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johnbt
Member
According to the Tirerack spec charts, and both using an 8" rim...
Defender has a section width of 10.7" and a tread width of 8.3".
LTX A/T2 has a section width of 10.7" and a tread width of 8.1".
Beats me, but the Defenders look wide and I don't need anything any knobbier. And I'm loving the Defenders both on the Interstate and on muddy riverbanks pulling my boat out. I imagine I'll be just as pleased in the deep sugar sand on the Outer Banks.
Defender has a section width of 10.7" and a tread width of 8.3".
LTX A/T2 has a section width of 10.7" and a tread width of 8.1".
Beats me, but the Defenders look wide and I don't need anything any knobbier. And I'm loving the Defenders both on the Interstate and on muddy riverbanks pulling my boat out. I imagine I'll be just as pleased in the deep sugar sand on the Outer Banks.
Update to my original post-
I decided on the Continental TerrainContact A/T 's for my 2015 4Runner TRD.
I had narrowed my choices down to the following in 265/70/17 OEM size :
1) Michelin Defender LTX M/S
2) Michelin LTX A/T2
3) Continental TerrainContact
My driving is predominantly city and freeway , with very infrequent off road ventures. So my priorities were excellent wet and dry handling /braking; smooth ride; quiet ride ; and A/T capabilities . Based on TireRack's ratings and their test, the Continentals are first rate. It's a good compromise for my stile driving. If you are a serious off road person , these are most likely not the tires for you.
Very satisfied with the Continentals , they look right on the TRD and the ride is excellent. The Michelin Defenders were a close second, but I just could not visualize a pure street tire on my rugged looking TRD. The Michelin LTX A/T2's really look nice, but with so-so reviews and ratings and $70 more per tire I could not justify. That said, I am a Michelin fan for the most part.
I decided on the Continental TerrainContact A/T 's for my 2015 4Runner TRD.
I had narrowed my choices down to the following in 265/70/17 OEM size :
1) Michelin Defender LTX M/S
2) Michelin LTX A/T2
3) Continental TerrainContact
My driving is predominantly city and freeway , with very infrequent off road ventures. So my priorities were excellent wet and dry handling /braking; smooth ride; quiet ride ; and A/T capabilities . Based on TireRack's ratings and their test, the Continentals are first rate. It's a good compromise for my stile driving. If you are a serious off road person , these are most likely not the tires for you.
Very satisfied with the Continentals , they look right on the TRD and the ride is excellent. The Michelin Defenders were a close second, but I just could not visualize a pure street tire on my rugged looking TRD. The Michelin LTX A/T2's really look nice, but with so-so reviews and ratings and $70 more per tire I could not justify. That said, I am a Michelin fan for the most part.
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Thanks, I hadn't looked at the tread depths. The Michelin Defender tires seem like awesome tires , especially for a non TRD 4Runner driven mainly on the streets. I nearly pulled the trigger on them, but very pleased so far with the Conti's.
cb1111
Member
Conti tires are severely under rated in the US. Continental tires generally score towards the top in tests and the company is a leader in tire research, autonomous vehicle technology and car2car communications.
In addition (at least in the US), contis are generally on the cheaper side.
In addition (at least in the US), contis are generally on the cheaper side.
cb1111
Member
I am NOT hijacking this thread as it seems to be a consolidated tire thread and I have a couple of tire questions.
I am most likely going to buy a 4R for a couple of reasons (most likely a limited). The tech reason is that I need to be mobile regardless of weather conditions. I don't expect to do be doing a lot of off-roading except for a couple of times a year when I go to Santa Fe/Colo Springs.
I currently run two sets of tires and I don't mind adding a third. In order not to run into warranty issues, I'll be running the stock tire size. For anything but the "highway" set, I'll be running 17 inch wheels.
Accordingly, here are the questions. What is the best:
Daily driving/paved road tire with emphasis on comfort/fuel economy/noise
Not extreme off-roading with emphasis on grip and reliability.
Snow/ice tires with emphasis on grip
If there is a tire that combines the off-roading capabilities with the snow grip then I'd be happy.
I am most likely going to buy a 4R for a couple of reasons (most likely a limited). The tech reason is that I need to be mobile regardless of weather conditions. I don't expect to do be doing a lot of off-roading except for a couple of times a year when I go to Santa Fe/Colo Springs.
I currently run two sets of tires and I don't mind adding a third. In order not to run into warranty issues, I'll be running the stock tire size. For anything but the "highway" set, I'll be running 17 inch wheels.
Accordingly, here are the questions. What is the best:
Daily driving/paved road tire with emphasis on comfort/fuel economy/noise
Not extreme off-roading with emphasis on grip and reliability.
Snow/ice tires with emphasis on grip
If there is a tire that combines the off-roading capabilities with the snow grip then I'd be happy.
Look at the reviews of the Conti Terrain Contacts on Tirerack , as you pointed out the tires are about $74 less per tire than the Michelins. Price isn’t the only factor , these tires were rated very highly by Tirerack and they did a video comparison too. In fact, I’m a big Michelin fan , but this time I could not justify the extra cost equal or less performance. For me , a 70k mile warranty is meaningless as I won’t keep a tire over four years no matter how much theoretical tread life is left.
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