Pirelli Scorpion STR vs. Michelin Latitude Tour HP

[Falcon_LS]

I'm looking to get new tires for the Pajero/Montero (265/70R16 112H) and I've narrowed it down to these two. I've had 3 sets of Pirellis so far, and they're pretty good tires. The only issue I have with them is dry rot, but that doesn't bother me too much, because I replace them every 3 years due to local weather conditions and UV. I'm tied between going for the Pirellis again or trying something new this time round.

Both tires are 265/70R16 112H. Here's the 411 on the Pirelli:

UTQG Data: 520 A A
Max Load: 2469 lbs.
Max Inflation Pressure: 44 psi
Tread Depth: 11/32"
Tire Weight: 40 lbs.
Rim Width Range: 7-9"
Meas. Rim Width: 8"
Section Width: 10.9"
Tread Width: 8.9"
Overall Diameter: 30.7"
Revs Per Mile: 678
Country of Origin: Brazil/Romania/UK
Low Rolling Resistance: N/A

And the Michelin:

UTQG Data: 440 A A
Max Load: 2245 lbs.
Max Inflation Pressure: 51 psi
Tread Depth: 10.5/32"
Tire Weight: 37 lbs.
Rim Width Range: 7-9"
Meas. Rim Width: 8"
Section Width: 10.7"
Tread Width: 8.7"
Overall Diameter: 30.6"
Revs Per Mile: 679
Country of Origin: Poland/France
Low Rolling Resistance: Green X

So they're pretty much on par, price wise as well. I'm just wondering if there's anything that makes one better than the other. Thanks.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Falcon_LS
So they're pretty much on par, price wise as well. I'm just wondering if there's anything that makes one better than the other. Thanks.


All else being equal, I prefer a lighter weight tire. Less rotating mass, less unsprung mass, etc. Given local conditions, you may prefer a heavier tire; I'm not sure what your roads are like. The Michelin is about 10% lighter than the Pirelli, but the Pirelli starts with slightly more tread depth. It's probably a toss-up. Given that you like Pirellis, I'd recommend the Pirelli. I like Michelins, so that's probably what I'd buy. I don't see any real advantage that one has over the other in this case.

 

[Corvette Owner]

Michelin Tour is a great tire, my daughter has them on her 2011 Equinox and I have them on my 2013 Enclave, they ride and wear great!

 

[OneEyeJack]

I just got rid of 4 Michelin Latitude tires, 265 70 16R's. I had Michelin Cross Terrains that were great tires but because they were discontinued I tried the Latitudes. Worst mistake I've ever made. The Cross Terrains made it to 90K miles and the Latitudes would not have made it to 40K. They wore in an uneven pattern not side to side but from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock. One has a tread separation and was replaced under warranty and one had a nail hole that split the tread and was also replaced under warranty. I replaced them all with Firestone Destination LE2's because of their performance in a local fleet. If you must have a Michelin tire I'd consider the MXV4 instead.

 

[440Magnum]

Wife's JGC came with Latitude Tour HPs, and they are a great tire. Snow/ice is the only condition I rarely ever see here- they do fine in rain and dry, cold and hot. Its got right at 30k miles on it, and the tread wear is perfectly even and on track to easily hit 60k (although I'll probably replace well before that- I like to avoid getting down to minimum tread depth).

Beyond that, I've never had a Michelin/BFGoodrich tire do me wrong. Its been a LOOOONG time since I ran Pirellis (1980s) so my experience there is pretty much irrelevant. If you're replacing Pirellis due to dry rot, maybe its time to try the Michelins. I've never had that problem with them.

Did you look at the old reliable Michelin LTX M/S 2?

 

[Falcon_LS]

Thanks very much for the insight - some pretty good points brought up here.

Michelin has two tires available in this size, the Latitude Tour HP and the European Latitude Cross. Given the aggressive thread on the latter, I thought the Latitude Tour HP would be the better choice.

That being said, our roads are relatively decent and this vehicle doesn't see much, if any, offroad use. So I'm more or less looking at an all-season highway tire. If the LTX M/S 2 was available, I honestly would have been all over it because that tire has proven itself over and over again without fail.

Now weight wise, does that 3 lbs per tire really make that much of a difference? Any advantages to having a lighter weight tire in a hot climate? I'm not really worried about less weight for fuel economy.

 

[gizzsdad]

Tire rack tested the Pirelli awhile back, and it rated lower than the General Grabber HTS. I replaced my Latitude Tours with the Generals recently, and the Michelins are quieter and ride better than the Generals.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=114

 

[kkreit01]

Neither would be desirable to me. What other choices do you have? Can you get Firestone, Toyo, Bridgestone? The regular Latitudes (non-HP) left a real bad taste in my mouth, and I would never entertain that model group again. I have not heard much positive about those Pirellis.

 

[Falcon_LS]

Oh I've looked at a bunch of brands - Bridgestone, Yokohama, Nitto, Toyo, Cooper, General, Hankook, Kumho - you name it. The handbook/door sticker calls for a 112 load rating and an H speed rating, which nobody offers in this market other than Pirelli and Michelin.

If I opt to go with a lower speed rating (say S or T) but maintain the 112 load rating, my alternatives would be:

- Yokohama Geolandar H/T-S G051
- Bridgestone Dueler H/L 850
- Cooper Discoverer H/T (wish they had A/T3 in this size here)

If you were to include all-terrain, the Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S would have to be on there. However, that brings me to my other question about UTQG ratings - given the tire will run under pretty warm conditions, would a B temperature rating (which all of these have) be of concern?

 

[Hokiefyd]

For your application, I wouldn't use a tire without the A temperature rating and/or the H speed rating. Usually, those two go hand-in-hand, but sometimes not. For example, the Michelin LTX M/S2 usually has an A temperature rating despite a T speed rating. The Michelin Primacys on our MDX have an A temperature rating despite a T speed rating.

With the heat that you deal with, I see little benefit to going to a lower speed rating and/or temperature rating, especially to get the other choices you have listed. Either the Pirelli or the Michelin should be an excellent tire for you. Neither will be a long-wearing tire, but both should perform well.