Sinister
SILVER Star
I was asking about the 285/60/18 not the 275.
So I think the Michelin Defender is the perfect all-terrain tire... (For most of us) (5 Viewers)
- Thread starter chriscosta416
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285/60R18 which is ~31.5” tall is the Toyota specified tire size for the 2008-2021 Land Cruiser. Only way to make the factory size rub is to have aftermarket wheels with different offset. That or running extreme wheel spacers.
Mac62
SILVER Star
Just an fyi regarding tire pattern of LTX M/S vs LTX M//S2. There is a noticeable difference in tread pattern particularly on sidewall so as the previous post stated if you buy the M/S and have a non repairable incident and have to buy the newest model M/S2, it will not match the other 3 tires. I just purchased the newest M/S2 and am very pleased so far in wet/dry conditions /loose sand/gravel forest road usage.
285/60/18 is stock size. So no rubbing.
CactusHopper
aka PapaCruiser
Side question - At what tread depth do you typically need to replace all four tires if you can not repair one? Is there a good rule of thumb?
Zjohnsonua
SILVER Star
Google "tire wear bars". These are industry standard and present on DOT-rated tires.
A lot of tire shops will recommend replacement at about 5-6/32 or so. I usually look to replace my own tires at about 7-8/32
Sinister
SILVER Star
Geez I’m an imbecile, brain farted that one. I forgot what the stock size was….
CactusHopper
aka PapaCruiser
What I mean is if you are at 8/32 on all four for example, is it a problem to replace one and run one with 11/32 while others are at 8/32? And then you are forever not matching… I’ll read up online, just wondering what people on here think given the full time 4WD and if it matters or not.
There is some tolerance in differences of tread depth but you really want to stay pretty close, like 1-2/32 maybe up to 3/32 but not more than that. The 4WD doesn’t like the rotational difference.
Also if you replace one tire and the rest are at 8/32 you will have a bad time as most new tires are 14-15/32 or more depending how aggressive of tire you run
CactusHopper
aka PapaCruiser
Thanks… Guess I’ve been lucky on the one irrepairable flat I had my other tires were close to needing replacement. That would be rough to loose a tire with others at half their life remaining. Guess you could try to sell them online or to a used shop to recoup some cost.
Good to know about greater tread depth on beefier tires, I didn’t realize that but is obvious once it is pointed out. Need to do some basic reading and learning on tire fundamentals, particularly for off-road and trailering. Lots to learn…
Pskhaat
Tourer
Send it. Differentials are wonderful inventions.
bloc
SILVER Star
The manual only says to avoid "remarkably different treadwear"
Personally I'd run 6/32 difference without issue. That's less than 1/5 of an inch on a 32" tire.
Alternately, if you do 5-tire rotations and get an unrepairable flat, just stick the new tire in the spare location and continue on doing 4-tire rotations with the remaining ones. When you replace those, the spare can go back into the rotation.. assuming you buy the same model again.
Personally I'd run 6/32 difference without issue. That's less than 1/5 of an inch on a 32" tire.
Alternately, if you do 5-tire rotations and get an unrepairable flat, just stick the new tire in the spare location and continue on doing 4-tire rotations with the remaining ones. When you replace those, the spare can go back into the rotation.. assuming you buy the same model again.
Did you get the LT's or the SL's?
I guess I'm late to the party, but the only version of the Defender LTX M/S I can find is the SL version. I know everyone here likes the LT, but 99% of my miles are on pavement. I don't tow. I don't rock crawl. I just want to hit the easier parts of West Coast trails like Anza Borrego, Santiago Peak, Joshua Tree, Moab, Death Valley, etc.
Am I screwing the pooch by getting the SL's?
Am I screwing the pooch by getting the SL's?
I know the original Defender LTX M/S are getting discontinued in favor of the Defender LTX M/S2 right now so maybe try and look at those.
From what I understand, the M/S2 is the older tire.
Nope, you're right. The LTX M/S2 is the older tire. The Defender LTX M/S2 is the newer tire.
Same question remains...do I really need the LT/XL version, or will I be ok with the SL.
The 275/65R18 Defender LTX M/S2 is available in XL. I’d choose XL over SL any day if you can get the size you need. Especially since the 200 series weigh 3-tons stock. XL still nice and light compared to LT by about 10lbs per tire and effectively weigh about the same as an SL.
