michelin LTX M/S2

after a couple more hours on the snow with my new michelins, i'm realizing even more how much better the mich's are than the stock dunlaps. no more "plowing" on corners. i bet i can turn a corner 5-10mph faster with the mich's on snowpacked streets (maybe not 10, but 5 for sure). with the dunlaps i noticed spinning tires even at 30mph while getting on the interstate ramp if i hit the gas too hard to get up to highway speed. the mich's just bite and go like on dry pavement. it's a great feeling and feels much more safe. i was really nervous on snow with the dunlaps. had a constant feeling that if i didn't pay attention i might rear end someone because the anti lock brakes were kicking in even when i was driving very conservatively- extreme enough that i think toyota shouldn't even be selling the tacoma with the dunlaps in SD. i think i needs to be brought to their attention. at first, i thought it wsa because this 2012 taco was so much heavier than my '98 taco. then i honestly thought maybe my antilock brakes were set too sensitive or something. now that i have the michelins, i can totally tell that everything is working correctly and that the problem was the tires. thanks, again. and to anyone driving with the dunlaps on snow, get rid of them while you still have a front end. i suppose i could have gotten used to it, but it never fails, when you haven't had snow for awhile, it always catches you off guard- even having lived in SD my entire life. i see these new tires as insurance... better $$ spent than the $10k i've spent on regular vehicle insurance in the last 13 years.

initial reactions after driving 20 miles... slightly quieter than the stock dunlaps at highway speed. better bite on pavement, slightly more resistance felt in the steering wheel on pavement when cornering. driving is great on snowpacked city streets. can really feel the tires bite when accelerating. breaking is greatly improved with the mich's over the stock dunlaps. anti lock breaks do not kick in and i just come to a quick stop instead of hearing the brake chatter and coasting to a longer, slower stop. acceleration from a stop on snow pack- hit it too hard and the rear will spin (2wd). but they bite really quickly and you're good to go. haven't tried it in 4wd, but i'm guessing that i can hit it pretty hard and the taco will just roar and go. i was worried that i just wasn't going to like this 2012 as much as my 98. these new mich's just totally changed the experience of driving this truck. night and day... thanks to the other posts for recomending the mich's.

 

Just 30 minutes ago driving to work I got to thinking about these tires when it is time for a change. Thanks for the input.

 

I have the LTX A/T2 and really like them.

 

I too got the M/S 2's and found the same thing as the OP. The only thing is that you have to bring your mortgage and first born to pay for them but after the pain wears off, the results are great.

I haven't had the chance to try them in the snow (and that is good ) but in the rain, they far surpass the Dunlops.

They may have a bit more rolling resistance. My gas mileage dropped a mile or two. I used to get 20 or better in my TRD Sport double cab and now it hovers around 19 to 19.5 but that is a small price to pay.

 

LTX M/S are fantastic tires, I can only assume LTX M/S2 are just as good. They last forever as well...

 

I put the m/s2 on my 99 taco @ 55k miles. Thought I had a new truck!! Had 60k on them with little wear showing when the rusty frame bit me. I now have a 2012 v6dcsb with the dunlops and am seriously thinking about dumping them for the m/s2.

 

Best tires ever made!

 

tacobillmag- i'm guessing your winters are much like they are here in SD. crazy, we just got our first snow last week... but yeah, the dunlaps were junk. after driving some more today, a few additional "first impressions"... the steering with the mich's is a little more soft, for lack of a better word. the tires track extremely well- i went down a straight city streeet for about 10 blocks without touching the steering wheel. but when you do turn or make slight adjustments, i think i end up turning the steering wheel slightly farther with the mich's. like 10 degrees rotation instead of 4, if that makes sense. it's not enough to make it annoying, but there is definitely a slight difference. the dunlaps were more responsive in this regard. i'm guessing this is due to the slightly wider tread on the mich's- more road contact/grip so you gotta turn the wheel a little bit harder/further. hope that's a decent description.
i can't say for certain, but i'd be surprised if the mich's show an improvement over the dunlaps in gas milage. i'm guessing it's going to be slightly worse due to the added surface contact/grip. it might be my imagination, but driving around town today it just seemed like my gas guage was moving a little bit faster- time will tell. i keep a detailed milage record, so i'll report back on that aspect.

 

I've got maybe 1000 miles on my M/S2's, and I have to say that these are the best tires I have ever owned. Super quiet and smooth, and they did great in the only light snow/ice we had a week or so ago. They are expensive, but considering the warranty (and the fact that most people say that they really do last that long), they are actually reasonable for a good set of tires.

I actually had to readjust my stereo settings once I switched to the Michelins -- it was so much quieter inside that it totally changed the sound.

The original Dunlops are by far the worst tires I have ever owned. I wish they still used Goodyear on their new trucks.

 

I switched out my stock Dunlops at 1300 miles, because quite frankly, they scared the shit out of me. They were breaking traction in a curve in 90 degree heat. I had severe sway and wander as well.

I purchased Michelin LTX M/S2s. In 50', I knew I had made the right choice. The Michelins made it a totally different truck. I can hold a line in a curve and not worry about breaking loose. I cannot reccommend them high enough.

 

Interesting. I've been looking at replacing my BFG AT's with something new, as I'm nearing the end of their life. I replaced my stock Dunflops with about 5k on them, as they sucked the first bit of snow we got. This thread has me looking at the Michelins' now, I don't need an off-road tire, as the closest I've gotten to off-road is a farmer's field once. Thanks OP, I'll take a closer look at these.

 

You won't be disappointed. I almost went with the Firestone Destination A/T since they are highly rated and about 50 bucks less per tire. But, doing the comparison on TireRack and doing the math on the warranty, the cost per mile is about the same for a slightly better tire in the Michelins. It's painful to spend a grand on tires, but not much less painful to spend $800.

 

I had both the m/s and m/s2 on my 06. They are great tires. I would never try to save a couple hundred bucks for some crummy bfg's. And I could never put tires with the names like cumhoe and handcock on my truck.

 

I will add that I ran a set of the older Michelin LTX MS tires for 110,000 miles on my 98 Tacoma and still had decent tread. I ended up trading them to my barber for a haircut and he ran them another year.

 

It makes no sense to me when some people will try to save $20-30 dollars a tire and pass on the chance to have a tire like this that lasts twice as long. The cost per mile on your tires is I bet almost a 1/3rd of most other tires of this type.

 

You will never go wrong with Michelin tires. I went through 3 sets on my F150.
Sold that truck with 250,000 miles on it. I worked for NTW and Firestone for 10 years and can firmly say Michelin tire is the best on the road.

 

utard,

I certainly agree with you about cost per mile. The second choice tires were not much cheaper, maybe $10-15 at most. I was tempted, but I knew I would regret settling for less than the best. Within driving 50 feet, I knew I had made a wise choice in tires. Confidence is the word that comes to mind about Michelins.

 

I put 90,000 miles on LTXs on my first generation '96 Tacoma. They were very nice tires in snow.

 

Ditto, ditto, ditto. I also have the MS2's on my 06 and have had them on for about 30k now. I love them. Silky smooth, quiet, grips like no other and at 30K, shows no wear. I think they will probably last 90K or more. Only downside in my opinion is that they don't look very "tough".

 

i realize this is a michelin "feel good thread," but just to let you know why i don't run michelins anymore...

they are a great tire BUT there are equal or better tires out there for less money. it's that simple.

i have no issue with anyone spending money to buy more expensive, quality tires. michelins work well and i've ran them on prior cars and trucks. i've had alot more experience running them on sports cars - corvettes, porsches and bmw's, back when i was a single man and no mortgages or kids to pay for. but they have been run on a 4runner and a tahoe as well. they work very well. end of story.

but sometimes the realities of life (kids, mortgages, tuition, etc.) actually do come into play and, in my case, where i am at in life now, if i can save over $200 on a set of tires for my truck, and they work equally well, guess what? i'm going to go do it. but only after i've done my homework, read all i can, and talked to as many people with real world experience as i can. i'm not going to save $200 just for the sake of saving $200. i don't want to give up performance, safety or mileage just to be a cheapskate. i hope this makes sense.

my family put over 100K on a set of bfg at's on one of our trucks. not bad right? well i think those tires are overpriced and based upon my experiences with them, there are also better tires with newer technology that work better. i won't buy another set of those. do i knock people who swear by them? nope, even though i think they would learn something by doing a little research. but to each their own.

to the op, i am glad you are enjoying the fruits of replacing the shitty factory dunflops with your michelins. i think we can all agree those oem tires suck! i had those off my 2011 after only 200 miles, before winter arrived. oh and just for the record, i am currently running hankook dynapro atms ($163 per tire installed). very highly rated tire, and nothing but thumbs up from members here who have them. but since i only have had them on for 2K miles, and limited snow use thus far, i am in a wait and see mode. that is why they call it experience.

peace and good luck. don't mean to piss anyone off, just saw alot of people commenting in this thread as to why would someone want to save money on tires, and thought i would respond. thanks.