So I think the Michelin Defender is the perfect all-terrain tire... (For most of us) (14 Viewers)

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I think this will be my next tire. Unless they decide to make a M/S2 in 275/70R18 or possibly 285/70R18.

275/70r18 is a super common size, I'd be surprised if they didn't eventually produce that.

As for the 285, I would guess it'd be a 295/70r18.
 
Had my 285/65/R18 XL mounted today by Discount Tire. Have to say, I’m very pleased with the ride. They were certainly not inexpensive, but to me this is a high quality tire; worth it.

(sorry bad pic; gloomy day here)

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That's awesome to see. I agree the XL will be a better tire for most users and there's sizes that will drop in great for the LC and LX.

Nothing will likely be more well rounded than those sizes, but there are a few other tasty and more aggressive nuggets in their lineup for the right rig. That 295/70R18 speaks to me and would be such an awesome balance of freeway efficiency and off-road capability.


SizeSection WidthDiameterTread DepthWeight
LT285/70R1711.532.8"14/32523738@80psi
285/65R18 XL11.532.6"12.5/3238.42756@50psi
LT285/65R1811.532.6"14/32533638@80psi
LT295/70R1811.534.3"14/32594080@80psi
275/55R20 XL11.231.9"12.5/32402833@50psi
275/60R20 XL1133.0"11/32392756@50psi
I just got these 275/55/20 XL delivered from Discount Tire after the Costco debacle. 39 pounds.
I've run KO2 on previous trucks and great for a purpose, but I'm solving for onroad ride/handling with 2% offroad handling on forest service and farm roads.
They look great in person, will report back on handling once I get mounted.
 
Soon to be joining the Defender club... If you followed my posts about wheels/tires recently, I swapped my LX to LC 18" wheels and Geolandar G015 LT 285/65R18. After a 2,000 mile road trip to Big Bend, we've decided to return them for the newly released 285/65R18 XL Defenders. DT is ordering from Michellin so hopefully have them soon. I feel a bit guilty returning the tires but DT was on-board before my trip if I didn't like them. And at that time (several weeks ago) I swear the XLs were not available. The Geolandars were also much cheaper with an Amazon price match.

Basically... The Geolandars were noticeably rougher, bouncier, and loud vs. stock P-metric (Geolandar H/Ts). Not bad per se, just rethinking our approach and deciding to keep things as simple and comfortable as possible until if/when we find it's not "enough". For example, if we have a trip with two flats on a trail, then perhaps we need to go LT, or if we have two trips in a row with a flat each trip... We have a spare, tire plugs, and even tire sidewall glue, so the odds that we would get in trouble w/o an LT are extremely low. And if we're on that bad of a trail, odds are we are with other people... Not worth the trade-off in comfort in our opinion, although I'll say the Geolandars were not "bad" and I could easily live with them.

One of the reasons we went to a LX from a Tacoma was b/c "no one wanted to drive to Moab in the Tacoma". Well, same principle continues to apply... The more comfortable we are on-road, the longer the drives we are willing to take to get places. And given that we live in Houston, we are pretty much driving a TON of highway regardless of where we want to get to...
 
It's only been less than a week, but these tires are incredible. We've done a few short road trips this weekend around Texas Hill Country and I've been really impressed. They are very quiet, it seems they soak up a lot of the road, and they feel confident when cornering. I also like how fat they are and how they fill up the wheel well. I've got a very mild lift in the front (OEM coil spacer) and the back (airbags...at 7psi when not towing).

Really happy with the 285/65/R18 XL purchase. Thank goodness for this thread otherwise I would have missed these!

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It's only been less than a week, but these tires are incredible. We've done a few short road trips this weekend around Texas Hill Country and I've been really impressed. They are very quiet, it seems they soak up a lot of the road, and they feel confident when cornering. I also like how fat they are and how they fill up the wheel well. I've got a very mild lift in the front (OEM coil spacer) and the back (airbags...at 7psi when not towing).

Really happy with the 285/65/R18 XL purchase. Thank goodness for this thread otherwise I would have missed these!

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Yeah, I'm mildly annoyed I have five months on a set of 285/60s and probably years and years of use before I can justify replacing them with the same tire.

Yay timing..
 
Yeah, I'm mildly annoyed I have five months on a set of 285/60s and probably years and years of use before I can justify replacing them with the same tire.

Yay timing..

Maybe not right away, but there's a healthy market for used tires in the secondary market. I'll admit I like to try new tires and often find myself selling half worn sets and getting about 50% of the purchase price back. Not a bad deal to use the best half of the tire.

Then again, those Michelins wear like iron. I would find myself impatient.
 
I just got these 275/55/20 XL delivered from Discount Tire after the Costco debacle. 39 pounds.
I've run KO2 on previous trucks and great for a purpose, but I'm solving for onroad ride/handling with 2% offroad handling on forest service and farm roads.
They look great in person, will report back on handling once I get mounted.
Got Defender MS2s in 275/55/20 installed on stock '13 LX rims. They look really good - not an AT obviously but more aggression on the sidewall and noticeably fill the wheel wells better than stock. Nearly silent on the highway and steering/handling is tight. I drive old potholed roads daily and feedback feels pretty similar to the stock Michelins Latitudes...that is, very composed. I'm sold!
 
Lords of Mud, hear my prayer:

I tried looking in the wheel and tires database, but can't find anything regarding the biggest tire I can fit on stock suspension for a 2021 LC. Any KDSS friendly advise would be appreciated.

hominey dominey, amen.
 
Lords of Mud, hear my prayer:

I tried looking in the wheel and tires database, but can't find anything regarding the biggest tire I can fit on stock suspension for a 2021 LC. Any KDSS friendly advise would be appreciated.

hominey dominey, amen.
Assuming stock suspension and wheels, then 275/70r18 or 286/65r18 will fit without modification. Some brands will rub slightly against plastics at full lock but these sizes generally aren’t a problem. Larger sizes will fit with modifications and/or suspension changes.
 
I posted this in the 300/600 section as well but I figured to post here too.

LX600, Getting rid of the OE Yokohama and going to get defenders ltx ms2. Original size is 265/55/20. What would be a better choice?

275/55/20 or 275/60/20.

Any fitment issues with either?

I’m leaning towards the 275/55/20 because it’s very close to stock?

Thoughts?

TIA

EDIT: ordered the 275/55/20, will report back
 
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