Michelin Defender LTX M/S Reviews ?

I’d have to disagree with this statement. I’ll use only the Lexus GX470 for my case, this particular vehicle if you mount any tire including Michelin with over 15lbs of road force you will have a vibration. That being said almost all issues with road force is due to the installation of the tire. Most people do not seat the bead completely. This results in high road force numbers. Very very rarely have I had a tire not pass road force. I also think using the machine to match mount is a waste of time. I’ve had better luck spinning the tire 180° on the wheel, and seating beads with 100 psi when you excessive road force.

 

I have those for my summer tires. I don't have much milage on them, maybe 5K, but noticed middle wearing faster than sides even with much lower pressure than what is on the door sticker.

 

My mistake. I actually stated “AT3”, but, realized you guys are talking about the AT3 XLT, which looks to be a different tire.

If/when I ever return to health, return to work, and remember this thread, I’ll have take some pics of the various tires.

 

I don't know how much of a carcass construction difference there is but the XLT and LT have a lot deeper tread than say the 4S, the tread block looks to be the same though, and of course the XLT and LT are truck tires. We sell all the sub models and i haven't seen that type of wear yet.

 

Using the machine to match mount is what Road Force balancing is.
95% of the time if the numbers are off it is due to the tire not beading out evenly from being dry mounted.

Tires that have high road force numbers typically shake at 40-50MPH. If you have a vibration at that speed it is worth having the road force checked, if not...

 

I do not disagree with you on most high road force numbers come from the installation process. Checking road force does not mean match mounting. All new installation tires should have the road force numbers checked to confirm the beads are seated correctly. My experience with road force vibrations is the same as an out balance tire. They are generally felt around 70-75mphs.

With all that said. I still think the sumitomo tires are the better choice over the Michelin.

 

Hmm, I might try these Agilis Crossclimates.

 

Cool stuff, looks interesting for sure. I am looking for all seasons on a sprinter van that are good in snow and these look promising.

 

I wish Mich would make a more aggressive AT.

 

I found a thread on the Sprinter forum, and there seems to be varying opinions. Some guy has 'em on his moto van carrier (not sure if he's on here) that found them to be vague and harsh (posted in July), and a few people corroborated his reivew, but then every review since then in the past month said they were just as quiet as the Defender M/S, and promised more snow traction. There also seems to be rampant confusion between the Agilis LTX and Agilis Crossclimates, so take everything there with a grain of salt.

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77254&page=3

 

That feedback exactly matches the Michelin description. They’re a loaded, work tire; not a passenger tire. It’s like installing an E-rated commercial tire on a Sprinter; they’re going to ride rougher.

 

Yeah good point, perhaps he test drove it without a load in the back. It seems like the guys with RVs that can't remove an appreciable amount of weight, had better things to say.

 

An RVer had something positive to say about a tire? Holy cow! Haha.

 

I've got the 10-ply Duratracs now and am just tired of the tread droning along everywhere. And the snow traction is okay, but not stellar. I was about to swap out the tires with only 25k on the Duratracs so I’ll have to figure out which way to go, but it’s definitely one of the Michelin’s.