Advice on summer tires.

I removed my Michelin defenders with around 30k to go bigger and they had half the tread left. So I can’t agree with that. Defenders were rated at 70k miles.

In the end just keep in mind when it comes to tires you truly get what you pay for. Michelins will ride the best but also the most expensive. When I was working at a tire store (for around 6 years) most people who ran anything Michelin were never satisfied when they tried to go to a cheaper tire.

Oh and make sure to rotate them (whatever brand you choose) every 5-6k miles or so. They can only wear as good as you take care of them.

 

I’m pretty sure those are the tires that were on my 2019 from the factory. They were good although I never rode them in the snow. That said, I like the Michelins that I’m now running a lot better.

Good luck with whatever you choose...

 

It’s been covered, thoroughly, but it’s worth saying again:

Michelin Defender LTX M/S are the best all-season tires you can buy. With care you should see 70k+ miles.

On-road performance is unrivaled (even the hardcore off-road guys are still 95+% on-road) and I've never had a problem with them off-road out west.

I purchased mine (265/70/16) for around $750 installed with warranty. America’s Tire price matched Costco and took a little off the top.

A set of Hankook Dynapro or cooper discoverers is going to be similar (price wise). So many options to get great deals on tires, I don’t understand the “Michelin is so expensive crowd.)

 

Pilot cup 2, for that unrivaled on road performance.

 

This is EXACTLY what happened with me. I ran michelin ms2's (now called the Defender LTX M/S) on my old chevy before the tacoma. Got the tacoma, instantly got rid of the shitty rugged fails, and went hmm.... i want something "more agressive looking" than the defenders cus bro tacoma bro....

so i went with Hankook RF10's in a P265/75R16... they looked good, and were ok for first 10-15k miles then traction fell off sharply and they became loud. Then i had a blow out at 40k miles, entire sidewall shredded, didnt hit anything!!!!

Went ok.... maybe ill go back to defenders... naw, i still wanna be bro... i want a cooper lt3 LT265/75R16 load range C (not even an E).... instantly regretted that decision, could feel the extra weight, again good for first 10-15k miles then traction fell off like a rock and became INSANELY loud.

Got rid of those POS's as SOON as the Defenders came back in stock in a SL 265/75R16 (Michelin wasnt producing this size for a year n a half).... I was 880 OTD with tax and tire road hazard warranty (and sold off the coopers for 180 bucks afterwards). Within the first 50 feet of driving on the new michelins I was so happy and pissed at myself because why the hell did i EVER stray from them.

 

One other thing to add to the Defender's plus column, they keep the same exact tread pattern as they wear all the way down to the wear bars. Other types of tires as they wear start getting large bald sections, basically the tread pattern and grip changes as they wear down. The defenders will keep their same characteristics their entire life. I'm on my 2nd set of them and my wife has them on her subaru.

 

I guess I’m in my bro faze lol when I got my taco used it had Cooper at3s in a sl265/75r16. Within a month of ownership I Got defenders in a 265/70. After the 30k on those I decided I wanted something cooler looking and got Nitto Terra grapplers in a 265/70. 25k on those and I swapped out for Bfg K02s in a 265/75r16E(current tires with 30k on them and around 11/32nds of tread left) But I’ve missed michelins ever since. Atleast I was able to get a couple hundred dollars a set out of the used tires lol

 

I’m well passed my AT tire phase. Heck I even went back to the stock size 265/70/16. The wheel swap to 3rd-gen off-road wheels did more to update the look than Any AT tire.

I do a lot of off-road travel in the Sierras and desert - I’ve never had a situation where I thought “I wish I Had more tire.” Most Times if you are stuck it isn’t “more tire,” it’s “more winch” or “more tractor.”

 

My truck came with "summer" tires, but I switched to "all season" tires once they were worn out.

Currently running Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+

 

I had Michelin LTX AT2 tires on my Tacoma for 70K miles and they still had at least .25" tread when I changed them- they were 7 years old and were dry-rotting. If I drove 15K miles a year they would've lasted 90-100k with ease. They were fine in 6" snow in 4WD. I replaced them with the same thing. Yes, expensive. But they last and last.
If you want MPG, then go with the crappy Dunlop? tires that they came with from the factory as just about anything else will be heavier (and better).

 

'True summer' tires are NOT what you want. That is a low treadwear sticky performance car tire.

A touring tire is what you speak of. A/S tires don't really exist either. There are snows like you have and there are 3 season tires. Yes, there are snowflaked 'all season', but they'll never outperform a true snow. OTOH, they'll never perform like a true summer either. If you are not specialized something has been compromise.

I know this thread is a couple months old. But if you've not bought yet, Costco has the Mich's on sale right now with a 1 cent per tire install package. That includes dismount, mount, balance, nitrogen (not that that is great), treadwear warranty, a good road hazard warranty and lifetime rotation/balancing. That's a pretty good deal for a penny.

 

Bought BFG KO2 tires when I got my Tacoma. Hated the extra weight, zero wet traction, and felt highway swaying. Just got Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires installed last week and it's such a difference. Smooth and handle extremely well. May not look as cool but I'm so glad I switched.

 

I need to get my snows off of my Prerunner, will be replacing all 4. You want to buy a second set of wheels for me?

 

Make sure you have the summer air put in when inflating.

 

I’ve got an extra set of TRD OR wheels with bubbling paint that I’d sell cheap, but you gotta come out to Oregon to get them. LOL

 

Thanks. I'd enjoy the trip, but it sounds uneconomical.

 

Don’t worry about other tires. Just let the cold air out and put ghe warm air in. You’ll be all set.

 

This is a profound statement. I've been rocking Defenders for about 15 year now, on my old T-100 and now on my Tacoma. They are great in everything but mud, and they aren't completely horrible there if you air down a little. The siping is full depth which gives them good tread flexibility and they have silica in the tread rubber to give them good wear and wet traction. They are great in the rain. I'm seriously considering the Falken Wildpeak AT3W's the next time I buy tires because I want something a little more aggressive looking but my wife warns me that I will regret it.
I still have a couple of years left before I'll need them, so I have time to decide.