Michelin LTX A/T2 FWIW (1 Viewer)

[Bromo88]

Just went to get new tires for the rig after hourse of online surfing and comparisons; while at the shop, I noticed the LTX A/T2 from Michelin. A new entry (at least to me). Looked interesting, always been a fan of Michelin Pilots for street use so asked the owner about them:

"Garbage" was the immediate response--he mounted them on his Expedition for his own use to give qualified feedback to customers. After less than 10k he had them off and had gone back to Bridgestone's Revos. The ride is much mushier than would be expected, especially considering Michelin's ownership of Bridgestone and overall performance was noticeably inferior. The dealer has a great relationship with Michelin (been to the S. Carolina plant, plenty of good sales in the rest of of the lineup etc.) so I take it as an honest, qualified opinion of a poor product.

In any case, not my own personal experience (I'm going with Nitto Terra Grapplers) but thought it might help anyone looking at these for purchase.

 

[cary]

"Garbage" was the immediate response--he mounted them on his Expedition for his own use to give qualified feedback to customers. After less than 10k he had them off and had gone back to Bridgestone's Revos. The ride is much mushier than would be expected, especially considering Michelin's ownership of Bridgestone and overall performance was noticeably inferior. The dealer has a great relationship with Michelin (been to the S. Carolina plant, plenty of good sales in the rest of of the lineup etc.) so I take it as an honest, qualified opinion of a poor product.

Early reviews of the A/T2 on Tire rack have been equally mediocre, they appear to be a tire that should be passed on. Note, you might want to let Michelin know they bought Bridgestone, because neither they or Bridgestone are aware of that. Michelin owns BF Goodrich, Bridgestone is it's own company and owns Firestone and some other companies.

 

[Atticus]

How do these compare to the old LTX M/S that came stock on cruisers for a while? I used to like them, but after driving on BFG AT/KO's for four years and switching back, I hate them.

 

[cary]

How do these compare to the old LTX M/S that came stock on cruisers for a while? I used to like them, but after driving on BFG AT/KO's for four years and switching back, I hate them.

All season P-metric tire (LTX M/S) vs. a LT A/T tire. Two different purposes, they are comparing apples to oranges.

 

[Atticus]

All season P-metric tire (LTX M/S) vs. a LT A/T tire. Two different purposes, they are comparing apples to oranges.

I meant with respect to ride quality. No need to overthink this one.

 

[cary]

A P-metric tire will normally ride smoother.

 

[Atticus]

A P-metric tire will normally ride smoother.

What about stiffness when cornering? My LTX's feel "splashy."

 

[Bromo88]

bridgestone/bf goodrich...they both start with 'b'...same thing right? (yeah, thanks for correcting my typo cary. it's bf goodrich and uniroyal that michelin bought...)

to answer atticus, ride quality was mediocre according to the tire shop owner. his daily commute involves highway miles, city potholes, secondary roads and a steep gravel track. the michelin's outperfomed the revo's on exactly none of these surfaces, not to mention the 'squishy' cornering already mentioned.

he didn't examine tire life since he junked them so fast.

 

[cary]

What about stiffness when cornering? My LTX's feel "splashy."

The LTX's will feel soft and exhibit more tire roll than the BFG A/T.

 

[locrwln1]

I have the Michelin LTX AT2's on my F350 SRW. I had less than 500 miles on them, loaded up my 10' Lance Cabover Camper (3500lbs loaded) and did a 5k mile road trip. I have since driven them empty in the snow, rain and dry. They have been very good to me, so far. The only complaint I have is that they really pick up little rocks and proceed to throw them as soon as you get back on pavement. There is no noticable wear and they track nice and strait. Right now I have about 7k on them.

I had Toyo Open Country AT on the truck previously. Nice tire but they only lasted 25k miles. No flats or other problems with several trips loaded to Baja and back, just wore out too damn fast. This included time loaded with cabover and pulling a trailer also. Stock PSD, no racing.

Jack

 

[IdahoDoug]

Interesting input. I looked at them a few months ago when they came out just out of curiousity. I was thinking how much things have changed in the market since last time Michelin designed that ancient tire. So much excellent competition now. That, combined with the previous generation's mediocre rating made me expect that Michelin would have really put some serious time and effort into it so I was surprised when I saw them on the shelf. I first saw the tread and figured someone had put the wrong sign under them. Then I looked at the sidewall closely and couldn't believe it. The tread design looks like a General A/T from the 80s to me that was stock on cars like the Chevrolet Corsica and other bottom feeders.

I was surprised on several fronts but particularly from a marketing perspective. Michelin should know that AT tires are purchased by people who want some offroad capability, but a much higher percent of these buyers are also looking for an aggressive appearance. These are incredibly bland tires to try and sell in that market. I really don't care too much about appearance, but these give no indication that they incorporate modern thinking in tread design whatsoever. Like I said, they remind me of a bottom of the market passenger car tire from 20 years ago.

There, I said it. I love Michelin so it's tough for me to slam them like that. The Revos pulled me away from the Michelin LTX and Cross Terrains. Now this. I guess my Michelin days are about over except for their Latitude X-Ice tires....

DougM

 

[Riley]

This is interesting. I have 2 sets of tyres. Currently the stock LTX for on-road and a set of Goodyear MTR for offroading.

So what should I replace the LTX tyres with? I don't need AT tyres, just a good street tyre.

edit - Ok I guess I should add that my on-road tyres get used in summer and winter. Need to be good in snow but not a dedicated snow tire (ok getting tired of the english crap). The LTX have been good except for the mushy feel.

 

[IdahoDoug]

The Bridgestone Revo really impresses me. I've got a set on each truck with the second set the result of how impressive they were. They are more stable than the LTX, better in the snow than the LTX and seem to be wearing well. They handle the rigors of towing 6000lbs during the summer with aplomb. One pair was run all last winter when they were near new and the other pair comes off for winter so I have a direct comparison of 80s - one with winter specific and the other with Revos. This year the Revos aren't as impressive as last year but it's barely noticeable. In fact, the difference is so small it could simply be my impression as the result of more ice than usual around town. Either way, they're definitely better in all ways than the LTX.

You should come to the US to buy them, also. Excellent currency exchange at the moment, which enhances the already lower US pricing.


DougM

 

[cary]

Interesting input. I looked at them a few months ago when they came out just out of curiousity. I was thinking how much things have changed in the market since last time Michelin designed that ancient tire. So much excellent competition now. That, combined with the previous generation's mediocre rating made me expect that Michelin would have really put some serious time and effort into it so I was surprised when I saw them on the shelf. I first saw the tread and figured someone had put the wrong sign under them. Then I looked at the sidewall closely and couldn't believe it. The tread design looks like a General A/T from the 80s to me that was stock on cars like the Chevrolet Corsica and other bottom feeders.

DougM

I was surprised also when looking at them. It appears that in the A/T and M/T market, Michelin has all but abandon being a major participant in the market. I am guessing they are allowing BF Goodrich, which they own now, to take over that section of the market.

I think the tire market has also become much more compressed. There appears to be less and less difference in the quality between the premium brands and more moderate priced options as time goes on. When you look at brands like Khumo, they have been producing very reliable tires with performance close to the premium brands at far lower prices. In fact in some sectors, their tires are at or near the top of their class. I know when I picked tires for my sister-in-laws RX 300, the Khumo KH16 kept coming up near the top of the list and was 1/2 the price of the top rated Goodyear (Tirerack).