So I think the Michelin Defender is the perfect all-terrain tire... (For most of us) (12 Viewers)

[eatSleepWoof]

Even if the vehicle can't come close to the rated speed, generally tire shops will squirm about installing a tire rated for less weight or speed than the stock tire.

Fair enough.

When searching by vehicle, Costco's site shows summer options with the V and W speed ratings (both of which match or exceed the OEM V), but also two winter options which have the T speed rating, which is below the V (and below the H that I bought).

Do regulations allow a lower speed limit rating for winter tires?

Either way, will soon find out whether Costco throws a fit about installing the H rated tires on my LX.

 

[LC Lurker]

The LTXs on my ‘03 LX have been great, I can’t even justify replacing them right now with 9/32nds left. I’ll give them a run in the next winter and decide from there. If no good, then I’ll go Mickey Thompson Baja Boss ATs or Goodyear Duratrac RTs (whichever is cheaper for me at the time).

 

[bloc]

Do regulations allow a lower speed limit rating for winter tires?

I'm not sure if it's regulation as much as lawyers telling costco to avoid all liability.

But yeah, afaik they figure if you're going with snows, you will be in conditions that justify making some sacrifices in other areas of tire performance. I don't think they even make high speed rated tires in winter compound anyway?

 

[knuckle47]

Here it is a few years later and I am only reading this tonight….i actually drive to work on a miserable ride 66 miles each way….95% of that is highway speeds at 70+mph. Here in NJ you damn well better keep up or else. My Silverado pickup came with Goodyear Wranglers and they were eaten up after 70,000 miles.

They whirrr and whine at those speeds so I did a fair amount of reading to find a tire that actually had noise ratings and the Michelin Defender LTX was the ones I bought. As advertised, they were quiet, great on wet rain soaked roadways and winter snow was fine. Looks like one of the few times I actually looked for something that really did perform …so thanks @chriscosta416 36 pages ago !

 

[ikarus]

Trusting the Mud collective opinion on this one. Been running nothing but Toyo for the last 6 years but after an underwhelming experience with Toyo RTs on the 200, I'm making the switch to Michelin. (Hard to beat Toyo MTs on my other vehicles though, favorite tire of all time..)

Gonna wait for the last snowstorm of the season this week, then I'll swap out the snow tires for these. 285/65r18 E-rated.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

OEM-sized LTX MS2 Defenders are installed. No photos, as it's the least exciting tire/setup I've ever installed on anything I have owned, and I'm that much closer to being a dull, old man.

Costco had no issues installing the H-speed-rating tires on the LX; they didn't even bring it up.

They did throw a fit about installing aftermarket TPMS sensors, until I explained to them that I don't want them to program anything, and to stay away from my OBD II port like their lives depended on it (... cause they did).

Initial impressions from the highway drive home are... bland. I drove in with a fairly heavily worn set of Falken AT3Ws in 275/55/20. The Defenders are equivalently quiet, which is actually a nod towards the Falkens, as worn tires are always louder than new ones. There does seem to be a new, audible hum in the 90-120kph speed range, which is surprising. Hopefully that doesn't grow to annoy me, as this speed range is 99% of highway driving around here.

At 38psi cold and suspension in sport, the tires are more comfortable than what I'm used to, but still very compliant at highway speeds. Entered a few highway sweepers at 160kph and under full acceleration - uneventful. No noise, no jitters, stable and planted, holds the line as expected. This is in very dry, sunny weather.

Will see how they do in the longer term.

 

[willstroo]

Entered a few highway sweepers at 160kph and under full acceleration - uneventful.

That is psycho..

 

[eatSleepWoof]

That is psycho..

The LX can take those same corners considerably faster, as I learned in a medical emergency some time back. Empty road, clear, sunny conditions, all good for a trial run in my book. Frankly, it corners much flatter than a vehicle of this size and weight "should."

 

[willstroo]

The LX can take those same corners considerably faster, as I learned in a medical emergency some time back. Empty road, clear, sunny conditions, all good for a trial run in my book. Frankly, it corners much flatter than a vehicle of this size and weight "should."

I am not saying you’re fibbing, I’m saying you’re a psycho for actually doing it

There is only one way to find out, and god bless you for trying hahaha!

 

[LC Lurker]

The LX can take those same corners considerably faster, as I learned in a medical emergency some time back. Empty road, clear, sunny conditions, all good for a trial run in my book. Frankly, it corners much flatter than a vehicle of this size and weight "should."

It does handle pretty well for a vehicle of its size. The first thing I did when I got mine was drive it like I stole it - tires screeching and all when going through turns/curves.

Funny thing though, I forgot to test the “evasive maneuverability” of the truck when I first got it. Thanks to an oblivious trucker, I was able to see how well it swerves at 70 mph in a realtime evasive maneuver. Cruise control on 70 and I never touched the brake during that maneuver. It was super planted during the sudden lane change I did.

All in all, great drivability. I’m loving this thing a bunch

 

[ClassyJalopy]

It does handle pretty well for a vehicle of its size. The first thing I did when I got mine was drive it like I stole it - tires screeching and all when going through turns/curves.

Funny thing though, I forgot to test the “evasive maneuverability” of the truck when I first got it. Thanks to an oblivious trucker, I was able to see how well it swerves at 70 mph in a realtime evasive maneuver. Cruise control on 70 and I never touched the brake during that maneuver. It was super planted during the sudden lane change I did.

All in all, great drivability. I’m loving this thing a bunch

Agreed - with AHC set at full "sport" my 7400 lb truck is very planted. Still a word of caution: these are tall and heavy trucks and when they start to to tip over, there ain't much you can do to stop that!

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Will see how they do in the longer term.

Had a chance to tow (about 3hrs total) this past weekend, as well as do much more driving. Tires are great all around. The humming noise I previously heard at 90-120kph is gone (drove the same road, same speed, same direction), so that's a good thing. Tires are still a bit louder than I'd prefer, but I suppose that harder rubber is what should result in the longer lifespan, so you win some, lose some. All in all, a good buy.

 

[Batameez]

Funny that this thread popped up. I recently decided that having all-terrains is a massive waste and considerable downgrade in NVH on my 4Runners and FZJ80. I recently switched over from some heavy aftermarket wheels with 285/75 Wildpeak A/Ts to the factory 80 alloys with 285/75 Wildpeak H/Ts, which are Falkens response to the LTX M/S for use in light trucks.

 

[wbates]

Need some help, picking up a 2007 Land Cruiser with AHC. Getting new tires on it and planning to do the Michelin Defender LTX M/S 2 as my 80 has KO2’s and I want the 100 to be smooth and benefit the AHC as much as possible. Debating between 275/65/18 XL load LT 275/65/18 E load or 285/65/18 SL load. Is there a sidewall difference between XL and SL in terms of durability and scraping against rocks?

Planning to use the 100 off road wise for camping fire roads very mild trails with rocks but no crawling or anything. How much would the LT E load change the ride? I’m thinking for my use the XL would probably be best but looking for some advice here. Thanks!

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Need some help, picking up a 2007 Land Cruiser with AHC. Getting new tires on it and planning to do the Michelin Defender LTX M/S 2 as my 80 has KO2’s and I want the 100 to be smooth and benefit the AHC as much as possible. Debating between 275/65/18 XL load LT 275/65/18 E load or 285/65/18 SL load. Is there a sidewall difference between XL and SL in terms of durability and scraping against rocks?

Planning to use the 100 off road wise for camping fire roads very mild trails with rocks but no crawling or anything. How much would the LT E load change the ride? I’m thinking for my use the XL would probably be best but looking for some advice here. Thanks!

Can't speak to sidewall differences between the XL and SL, but there will be a significant difference in ride comfort (and feel) between an XL/SL tire, and LT-E.

 

[bloc]

Need some help, picking up a 2007 Land Cruiser with AHC. Getting new tires on it and planning to do the Michelin Defender LTX M/S 2 as my 80 has KO2’s and I want the 100 to be smooth and benefit the AHC as much as possible. Debating between 275/65/18 XL load LT 275/65/18 E load or 285/65/18 SL load. Is there a sidewall difference between XL and SL in terms of durability and scraping against rocks?

Planning to use the 100 off road wise for camping fire roads very mild trails with rocks but no crawling or anything. How much would the LT E load change the ride? I’m thinking for my use the XL would probably be best but looking for some advice here. Thanks!

Fill your tires to the upper range of the max inflation pressure and you’ll have an idea of the ride quality with LT-E between the stiffer sidewalls and increased required pressure.

 

[chaileyk5]

Need some help, picking up a 2007 Land Cruiser with AHC. Getting new tires on it and planning to do the Michelin Defender LTX M/S 2 as my 80 has KO2’s and I want the 100 to be smooth and benefit the AHC as much as possible. Debating between 275/65/18 XL load LT 275/65/18 E load or 285/65/18 SL load. Is there a sidewall difference between XL and SL in terms of durability and scraping against rocks?

Planning to use the 100 off road wise for camping fire roads very mild trails with rocks but no crawling or anything. How much would the LT E load change the ride? I’m thinking for my use the XL would probably be best but looking for some advice here. Thanks!

I think the 285/65/18 in the Defender LTX M/S2 is an XL rated like the 275/65s, not a SL.

A few months ago I made the switch from the Defender LTX M/S2 275/70/18 LT down to the Defender LTX M/S2 275/65/18 XL on my 2013 LC. The 275/70s looked great and filled out the wheel well nicely, but they were definitely stiff and somewhat rough at 41 PSI (but not as rough as the LT 285/65 coopers I previously had on it). I drive around 40k miles per year, mostly highway, construction jobsites and some fire roads so I wanted something that rode a bit better.

I got a great deal on a set of 275/65/18 XLs with 500 miles on them and have been running them for about 6k miles now - super happy with them around 37psi. I don't know about sidewall strength compared with the LTs, they still corner/handle well like the LTs did, but ride MUCH better on the interstate and around town. Haven't had any issues in the mild offroading I have done either. Unless you tow heavy, I highly recommend the XLs.

I think the 285/65s would look better on both the 100 and 200 - they cost more than the 275/65s, but I'd be shocked if you didn't get at least 80k miles out of them so the price difference wouldn't matter as much over time. If/when mine are ready for replacement, I'm going back with the 285s.

 

[FrazzledHunter]

Yikes I think I may have been running under inflated the whole time. I have Michelin Defender 285/60R18 120H EXTRA LOAD LTX M/S on my 2018 LC that I've been running at 35 +/- psi.

LC suspension is stock except for firestone airbags in the rear coils.

Towing:
Trailer is 5500 lbs loaded, tongue weight 600 lbs+
LC 7500 lbs fully loaded for camping, we estimate we're roughly 1 ton under the combined Toyota max of 14,400.

So far no apparent problems and the tire guy didn't say anything about uneven tire wear after a 5 way rotation.

What psi should I be running as daily driver and towing?

 

[eatSleepWoof]

What psi should I be running as daily driver and towing?

Paging @gaijin of House Tire, first of his name, master of cold inflation pressure, keeper of secrets.

 

[gaijin]

Yikes I think I may have been running under inflated the whole time. I have Michelin Defender 285/60R18 120H EXTRA LOAD LTX M/S on my 2018 LC that I've been running at 35 +/- psi.

LC suspension is stock except for firestone airbags in the rear coils.

Towing:
Trailer is 5500 lbs loaded, tongue weight 600 lbs+
LC 7500 lbs fully loaded for camping, we estimate we're roughly 1 ton under the combined Toyota max of 14,400.

So far no apparent problems and the tire guy didn't say anything about uneven tire wear after a 5 way rotation.

What psi should I be running as daily driver and towing?

Paging @gaijin of House Tire, first of his name, master of cold inflation pressure, keeper of secrets.

The RCTIP (Recommended Cold* Tire Inflation Pressure) for those ISO-Metric 285/60R18 120H XL tires on a 2018 LC200 is 33psi F/R.

No secret - it's printed on the Driver's Side door jamb... (Not actually meant for the tire in question, but it calcs out the same, and it will be easy to remember.)

*According to Toyota:

Tire Pressure vs. Tire Temperature

Tire temperature is dependent on “cold” tire pressure, driving distance and speed, ambient temperature and road surface temperature. As the temperature of the tire changes, air in the tire expands and contracts, changing the tire’s air pressure. The cold tire pressure for all Toyota models will vary and will need to be adjusted accordingly.

“Cold” tire pressure, as shown on the tire pressure label on our vehicles, is generally considered to be the pressure in a tire that has not been driven in the past 4 hours and has been parked outdoors.

HTH