Are Michelin Tires Worth It?

My 16’ tacoma still has the original factory michelins and they really took a nose dive over the last year. Only 36k and coming up on 5 years. Visible cracking on the edges.

 

I had an old 1800 GL. The weight ratio between the drive train:rest of vehicle was such you could literally go anywhere with absolutely no issues. Only limitation of course was general clearance. No amount of snow could stop that vehicle. We had a 4x4 K5 Blazer at the same time and no way could it keep up.

 

A little more than a week ago I got
ltx at/2 265/65 r17 for 178.00. Up to 194.00 this week.

I don't expect these for a month or two.inventory is not there. I am sure covid is playing a role.

 

Are you referring to the Defender T+H? Just asking because my wife just got a crosstrek and i was recommending ditching her stocks for them. It looks similar to the defenders for the tacoma, slightly different.

 

The Defender looks more aggressive with some snow in its treads. Great snow tire.

 

Yes! T+H. I be as bold to say they are nearly as good as snow tires.

 

I just want to chime in here. I work for Michelin North America and I would like to thank each and every one of you who have run, are running, will later run Michelin tires, whether it be Defenders, LTX...... I assure you, you're supporting our North American market and fellow TW members. I want to tell you a story we were told by one of our higher ups from Central (NC) at an AGM.
So the Customer Service hotline gets thousands of calls, many are unbelievable and cannot fathom how anyone with dignity would actually call and demand refunds. However, an older gentleman, nearing his retirement age, called with a complaint about a set of tires that were actually made within our province. He wouldn't discuss the nature of his complaint with the initial worker who answered the phone, but wanted to speak to a supervisor, immediately. Once the supervisor was put on the phone, the gentleman sounded borderline disgruntled, and wanted to speak to their supervisor. It took some time, but that supervisor brought their supervisor into the call. Here's where this story turned strange.... The gentleman proceeded to explain that he had a set of LTX tires on his 200X Chev truck, he drove it for 40k miles, he traded that truck in and used those very same tires on his next truck, a 2010 (ish) Chev, which he drove for 40k miles. That truck was traded in for a newer 2015 (ish) Chev which he had for roughly 30k miles. The supervisor asked what his complaint was as his story was lacking an actual issue. He finally explained that he traded that truck in for a different manufacturer's truck, and his tires didn't fit, so he had to get rid of his tires. Not many tires live 100k+ miles, there are some, but not many. Yes, there are stories of leaky beads, horrible wear, but every manufacturer has them. I assure you, Michelin throws a LOT of attention into quality. Thats what you're paying for, are tires hard to come by at times, absolutely, would you believe that Michelin will put a hold on tens of thousands of tires if they even suspect an issue? There may not even be a case of a tire failure, if any part of our process is suspect, the most minuscule thing that the general public would probably laugh at, tires will be held until they confirm and guarantee that tires are perfect and ready to be released to a retailer. You're paying for a Premium tire, and that tire will be perfect when you buy it and will last exactly as long, if not longer, than what you're told. From the bicycle tires to the earth mover tires, each tire is made to be exact, and the same amount of quality is put into each tire.

 

@Fahrenheit good to know. Running the LTX A/T2 on my Tacoma, Pilot Activs (2nd set) on my motorcycle, and as I shared somewhere on another thread, Michelin windshield wipers on my truck, sons car, and Girlfriends SUV. I guess I’m sold. Nova Scotia? My Gram was born in Canning.

 

Really!? Small world! I live 20 minutes from there.
The wipers that are branded as Michelin are, so-so I guess. Our tires are second to none. Looking at our process, very similar to any other manufacturer, however the science that goes into those tires, from bicycle to earth movers, are far far ahead of anyone elses.

 

This (cool) post got me thinking, I don't believe I've had a flat tire since I started putting Michelins on my cars. I had 2 early on with my Oddysey, but I'm thinking those were the original rubber.

Perhaps I should knock on wood.

 

I’ve had nothing but good experiences with Michelin. Sidewalls are kinda weak with curbs but they are quiet, last long, good grip dry/wet/snow. I had the LTX AT2 on a older 2wd truck. It could get out of anything. I can’t speak for the defender LTX traction. If they made the AT2 in 245/75/16 I would have them on my Tacoma.

 

@Fahrenheit

My first experience with Michelin tires was on an '89 Toyota Celica GT. Traction and wear were fantastic. When traded, the dealer asked if the tires were new, they were 4 years old with about 70,000 miles.

The Celica was traded for Jeep Cherokee that had Wranglers on it. Those Wranglers were not good. Put on a set of Michelins, significant improvement in all aspecs.

My next set were Michelin Commander II on my classic motorcycle. When I got the bike it had Continentals on it. OMG, I didn't realize how horrible the Conts were until the Commanders were on.

My bike needs rubber (>5 years old), so I'm hunting for the next set of Commanders. My bike is an '81 Honda, tires to fit this bike are becoming difficult to find. But, I'll keep at it until I get a set of Commanders. I'm really phobic about the tires on the bike. The rubber to road contact patch isn't very big, about the size of 2 credit cards. I want the best performance possible for traction on the bike.

Now, one of our current rides has its 2nd set of Michelins on it. Defenders LTX M/S on a '02 Trailblazer. We got this ride new with OEM GY rubber, those were on the wear strips in 20 kmiles, 1st set Michelins went on. The Michelins were on until about 80,000 miles. The car has been passed to my daughter with 110,000 miles. Tires are great in snow, snow pack, ice, wet, dry.....and barely look worn.

Anyhow, Keep up the great product. I know only Michelins will be on my family's rides.