Michelin Defender LTX M/S

From what I can see, I agree with you. What I don't get is why some say on-road only, others say the are surprisingly great off-road. I'm not going mud bogging on purpose in deep sticky mud. But I do need a tire that can handle some light mud conditions occasionally throughout the year. These Michelin's would be perfect for me otherwise.

 

They will do ok in mud as long as it isn’t deep sticky mud. 4wd will help but they can get packed with mud and become slicks. The same can be said of many all terrains. I honestly can’t say the stock wranglers on my OR would be any better or worse than LTX’s in mud.

 

Well I know they can't compare to the Duratracs in mud. The 3 sets of Duratracs I've been through have been amazing in the mud and snow. I just don't like the the drop in mpg, noise and short tire life (yes I rotate them!). I'm trying to find that 'unicorn', you know an excellent road tire with acceptable handling off road. I don't have any real sidewall puncture concerns (other than black locust thorns) and nearly any road tire will work fine on gravel roads. It's just the several times a year when the farm lanes get a bit sloppy that is likely to cause me problems with a true road only tire.

 

I've been running Nitto Ridge Graps for about 9K miles now, had Michelins before. These Ridge Grapplers are amazingly quite for what they look like, easily as quite as the Michelins. I found the Michelins to ok off road, nothing hard, just sand and dirt getting the 4 wheeler to the mud holes trails. I love Michelin tires, long lasting quite and nice riding, I put these Ridge Graps in the same category.

 

Anyone use these to replace the TRD sport toyo? Curious on how the road noise compares

 

It’s not confusing. Off road conditions vary wildly based on the time of year and location. Sandy granitic soils and rocks in the Sierra Nevada are different than Georgia clay.

Typically - ANY tire will work in dry conditions while off-road. More off-roading is done by guys in half and 3/4 ton work trucks with highway tires than everyone else combined.

Most people are very surprised at how capable modern 4x4 vehicles are, regardless of tire choice.

I’m a firm believer in choosing the tire that’s appropriate for the vast majority of your driving. In most cases that’s 90-95% paved highway or dry un-paved conditions.

Mud tires will get just as clogged as a set of Michelin’s in some wet soils, what’s the difference at that point?

Most people are simply afraid to admit that we sometimes come up on terrain and conditions that don’t support vehicle operation.

I’ve had both Michelin’s and AT tires on my Tacoma. I’ve never been in a situation out west where one made the difference over another. When I got stuck with my Michelin’s, so did the Jeep rubicon behind me with 35” MT’s.

 

With a bit over 20k on my Toyo ATII's, they are shot for light snow / ice. Finally tired of my hearing my ABS kick in with just light easy driving; sliding past the turn into my street was the final straw. I wanted a 245/75-17 (same diameter as previous 265/70), but I was hesitant as it's only available in an LT. They do have a deeper tread than P rated, so I bit the bullet and got them. At 35 PSI they don't ride any firmer than my Toyo's did, maybe smoother, and the size works our perfectly with the TRD Sema wheels. They seem to track a little truer, but I'll need a few more miles on them to know for sure.