Michelin Tires

I am looking for new tires for my 09 Taco. I have stock suspension. I currently have 245/75/16 tires. I would like to go a little bit bigger for my next set. I saw that Michelin LTX MS/2s are on sale on Tirerack for only $112 each. I do most of my driving on the roads so comfort is the main thing that I am looking for. Can I run this size on my Tacoma? I am also going to get new wheels, so I would get 17" ones. Thanks!

 

If you keep the 16" stock wheels you can go with 265/75/16 tires, or 265/70/17 tires on a stock 17" wheel

 

I have been running the Michelins for years and they are great tires. If you go with a 265/75, I believe it will be a load range E tire (LT) which is pretty heavy duty. I had a set of these on my old T-100 and really regretted it. They wore like iron but rode significantly rougher than the p-metric.
I'm currently running the same tire in a P245/75-16 and they ride and handle great.
I've been running Michelin Defenders for years and have been very happy with them.
As a side note, with the 245s, my truck 'feels' peppier.

 

265/70/16's will be about 1" wider, same height. You'll notice no difference in performance and probably a bit better ride. 265/75/16s will be about 1" wider and 1" taller and probably cost less. This is as big as you can go without modifying the truck. Any loss of power is minimal.

Don't waste money on new wheels. Maybe if you have cheap steel wheels. If you go to 17" wheels a 265/70/17 is almost identical in overall height and width compared to 265/75/16.

 

One word: Defenders

 

Great tires.

 

I would recommend defenders as well.. they replaced the ms2 a few years ago.. probably why they’re so cheap.

 

I've asked every independent tire store owner and manager what's the best brand tire you can buy. Every single one said Michelin. Their car tires are simply the best you can get. My only wish is the truck tires were a little more aggressive. But they make on road truck tires and light off road. The LTX will make it well over 60k, some owners run them longer.

 

Had 2 sets of the A/T2s 265/70r16 and rode great but got too pricey. In low 50k range they do still have life left and will go for 10-20k more but they get more tire slip/spin and on wet surfaces much less traction due to less tread and the compound. Just my opinion.

As Marshall above said the 265/70r16 is about 1" wider than the 245/75r16 look at the Tirerack spec tab for the tires you want. Height was 0.1" higher.
P tires are SL rated to 44 psi and the LT are E rated to 80 psi and E will ride like a rock so unless heavy rock crawling don't get them. Rim width may get involved if you go any wider. Higher/bigger size in height will alter your speedometer readings.

Remember most local shops will match Tirerack prices and no shipping so if you want them rotated on a regular basis go local and road hazard also covers balance so look at the whole package. You can find deals on Walmart.com too and shops match them also so search around and use local shop if you can.

 

I have stock 17” wheels and tires with my 18’ Tacoma. Stupid question, but you can fit 265/70/17 or 265/75/17 on the stock rims right?

 

Check out tirerack as mentioned by muddog.
For street, I'd recommend the tire with the highest traction rating and mileage warranty, then you can check reviews by pros and customers. it will most likely be a michelin, but believe it or not, tire/tread design can significantly impact how a car handles so there is actually good reason as to why there's so many options in the same category.
I'll post up what I got when I drag myself out of bed.

In terms of choosing a tire, I cut my list of options immediately to those with AA traction ratings. Then consider the weather where I live (right now it's Georgia, so wet traction is just as important as dry) and see what pros and customers have to say. The list is already short. Then I go through options and look at mileage warranties, attempting to pick the highest that meets the above criteria because.. I dont have funds for 20k mile tires, and I don't like tire shop guys touching my sh*t. (the bay time allotted to each car was 6 minutes when I was doing it. stuff gets scratched, crossthreaded, and if the balance is wrong/odd, they may just put that wheel on the rear and see if you come back to fix it)

Mileage warranties are cool.. I also worked as a regional warranty inspector for a large chain.
I liked michelin, yokohama, and.. well, thats who I liked. They stood behind their products.
Anyways, if you burn through the tires prematurely (without alignment/suspension wear/under or over inflation wear), the manufacturers will prorate them based on said warranty. The warranties do fluctuate though throughout the year! Remember BFG's All Terrains? yeah, they used to have big ol warranties, that got nixed. But those who bought em before the change are still entitled to the warranty, they just might look at a different model for their next set.

Sorry for the rambles.

Edit/add-on: Yeah, taller tires will fit so long as they dont rub, but they'll add weight to your driveline and throw off yer speedometer.

 

BFG (now owned by Michelin) Advantage T/A Sport. Mine are 215/70r15. And yeah, sidewall wear. My mother drives this truck, I swear!

It's been a reliable street tire, and does well in the rain. I don't have to pull over when the weather does.. what it does here. You'll be looking at the UTQG rating for life expectancy. These ratings are manufacturer specific, so the value you take from is that a higher number = longer lifespan, realizing that traction is actually (though companies are working on shrinking this gap) a trade-off with longevity. Balance the two to suit your needs, but I'd ask yuh to prioritize traction as much as can. Saves lives or whatever.

Specifications
BFGOODRICH
ADVANTAGE T/A SPORT (T-SPEED RATED)

• Size:215/70R15
• Service Description:98T
• Load Range:SL
• UTQG:600 A A
• Max Load:1,709 lbs
• Max Inflation Pressure:44 psi
• Tread Depth:9.5/32"
• Tire Weight:25 lbs
• Rim Width Range:5.5-7"
• Measured Rim Width:6.5"
• Section Width:8.7"
• Tread Width:6.5"
• Overall Diameter:26.8"
• Revolutions Per Mile:774
• Country of Origin:UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

 

I have a set of those on my Tacoma PreRunner 2WD - 245/75R16 111T - highway truck. Nice tires for a good price.

 

I've run the LTX's on my Tacoma's for lots of years. Got a wild hair this time and went with the Faulken Wildpeaks, and I like them, but I'll be going back to the Michelins after this set. They are a great tire. 265/75-16.

 

The one thing I first noticed after I had my Defenders mounted and balanced was how little weight each wheel needed. They must have there manufacturing process dialed in.

 

I run 265/70/16 defenders.

They are the tire that everyone actually needs but is too proud and self conscious to admit.

Decorative side wall rubber is important, I guess.

 

I also went to Falken Wildpeak A/T3W 265/70R16 tires (plus new spare) with replacement certs and 4 new TPMS sensors as my Tacoma is an 09 and batteries dying in the sensors and spare getting sidewall rot. They run as good as my Michelin A/T2s did and no more noise really and at $115 each vs $215 for the Michelins I was willing to test them out. 5000 miles now and great but will see if they really last to 50k. These are more aggressive than the Defenders which are more for highway/work truck - had the previous model on my 89 4x4 Suburban and ran the crap out of them so depends on driving use. Yes I have to admit the Falkens do look better ha ha and I'm old.

 

Yes you can, but check load range, you probably don't want E

 

We ran the Michelin LTX MS/2s on my wife's Mercedes GLK 350 and they were really fine. When it was time to change, the LTX Defenders came out around then, and we put those on.
They were perhaps marginally better than the LTX MS/2s. I would be hard pressed to point out any practical difference. At the $112 price, they are a fantastic deal.

 

Just a note: any MS2 labeled tire is going to be old stock. I wouldn’t want to be buying them even at a discount. Get new production Defenders instead.