Michelin M/S2 vs A/T2---SNOW!

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Tire Rack ratings show M/S2 better in snow. Looking at the tread, I'm surprised. I've narrowed down my choice to these two tires. 95% of my driving will be on established roads. Even when I'm off road hunting, I avoid anything that the 4wd will not easily get through...so mud is not in the decision equation.
However, while I want an all season tire, snow performance is a must. We live 4 miles from the closest "main" road that is reliably cleared of snow. My truck must be able to make it to that road in most snows.
If you've had either of these tires, please share your snow experiences. I would normally go off the rankings, but am just shocked that M/S are ranking better by the looks of their "highway" tread.
 
The M/S2 is excellent in snow.

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And that's just some light stuff. I drove for probably a good hour in Northern New Brunswick this past December in a solid 8-12" of the stuff no problem on some unplowed rural roads. Oh, and then successfully traversed the entire province in an ice storm
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They are fantastic tires.
 
M&S = Mud and snow, so they are designed with that in mind.

The differentiator may be snow on roads versus snow on unimproved roads and elsewhere.

Not sure you want them as they are a bit more aggressive, but my BFG A/T tires are actually "snow tire" rated with the frost symbol. Ive taken them to task up some pretty steep gravel and dirt inclines in some decently deep snow without even using 4lo.
 
OVERKILL, if someone in Ontario is telling me that down here in IL, that's a pretty good recommendation. Thanks-

JHZR2, looking at BFG...is that the T/A KO?
 
No problem. Their ice traction is what got me, I couldn't get over it, significantly better than their predecessor, a tire I was already impressed with.
 
I should have taken my LTX M/S off sooner. By 6/32", all traction was long gone. Never again.
 
I found even the original M/S to be excellent in snow. Its tread pattern is deceiving, isn't it? I had them on a '95 Nissan 4x4 truck when I lived in the mountains of southwest Virginia. 8-10" snows were simply no problem. It drove through everything. And they well well through half-worn when I bought the truck. I budgeted for their replacement, but they simply wore like iron. I had that truck for 30,000 miles (and my brother drove it another 20,000 miles after me) and I swear the tires didn't wear any.

I have to say, those LTX M/S were probably the single best set of tires I've had, regardless of tire market niche.
 
Sounds unanimous. For my needs, the LTX M/S2 it will be.
 
lukejo,

Boy did you pick an appropriate topic!

We had a 2011 Tundra 4WD with M/S2s on it. My son has a 2006 Tundra. My son's Tundra has 3 M/S2s on it, and one A/T2 on the rear.

This past season, we had a fair amount of snow late in the season (February/March). In early February, we had a set of brand new M/S2s put on the 2011 Tundra. It did GREAT in the snow - of course, these were brand new tires.

My son CLAIMS on his 2006 Tundra, the M/S2s were losing traction, whereas the A/T2 still had some traction on the rear. We've been arguing about this, as on the rear of his Tundra, one has an M/S2, and the other is a newer A/T2. He also has a Limited Slip differential. I told him that if the A/T2 had better traction like he claimed, then the differential should not have been allowing the M/S2 to spin, transfering most of the power to the wheel with traction, which according to him, was the A/T2.

I told him about the tire rack ratings - that the M/S2 shows better ratings in snow. Plus, the M/S2 is rated better for how long it lasts, and is a bit better noise wise. He insists he still likes the A/T2 better.

My son and I will have to agree to disagree on this one. I think the M/S2 is a better tire, but he wants the A/T2s when it comes time to replace them. The A/T2 was slightly better in terms of resistance to sidewall damage - which makes sense because the A/T2 is an all-terrain tire, the M/S2 is not. Since he is young (20) and is more likely to drive his truck in some off-road situations, I think I will let him go for the A/T2s. But for me, I like the M/S2.
 
Originally Posted By: lukejo
Sounds unanimous. For my needs, the LTX M/S2 it will be.

I also found them great in snow, although I give the edge to the Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor, which performed better in the nasty slush that can accumulate on the back roads around here when they get too crazy with the salt. Snow and ice traction were similar. These were mounted on my F-150 and Tahoe work trucks.
 
That's interesting! I'm sure the A/T2's are more visually appealing to a 20 year old too...they are to me!
After OVERKILL's testimony, I feel good about the M/S2's. The ice-handling is another bonus. I much prefer our cars in ice, but like I said, that first 4 miles of un-cleared snow sometimes make it impossible to get the cars out. After that 4 miles, I still have a 30 mile commute to work, so handling cleared, icy spots would be great.
 
I didn't like my MS2's in the snow. Maybe it's just me? I've been driving FWD for a couple decades, so RWD is new to me... And this truck simply won't go in greasy stuff if it's out of 4hi. Maybe it needs a few hundred pounds of ballast.

Bad enough that I'm trying to justify snows for this, despite how few miles I likely will drive it.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
I didn't like my MS2's in the snow. Maybe it's just me? I've been driving FWD for a couple decades, so RWD is new to me... And this truck simply won't go in greasy stuff if it's out of 4hi. Maybe it needs a few hundred pounds of ballast.

Bad enough that I'm trying to justify snows for this, despite how few miles I likely will drive it.

I had a Tacoma and found that some sandbags made a big difference. Build a frame out of pressure treated 2x6 boards and put some of the tubesand bags in there right above the rear axle. I used four 60lb bags in the Tacoma, so maybe six in your Tundra? An automatic locker would make a big difference, but without that option, the weight was a big help.
 
Last fall I was trying to decide the same thing for my F-150. I went to Discount Tire and talked to a salesman. He said the M/S2 was a great snow tire. He thought the A/T2 was slightly better at getting going in deep snow, But the M/S2 has far better traction on ice. He also said the M/S2 was much better at stopping on ice and snow as well. I took his advice and put them on my truck. I am very happy with them. I had no trouble getting going in an 18in snowfall last winter, and they were amazing on icy slushy roads as well. They were also great on wet roads during rain storms this summer. Keep in mind though, I have 300 pounds of sand in the back of my truck all winter. The roads are never plowed on my way to or from work.

Weight in the back over the axle makes a big difference.
 
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Originally Posted By: jmb3675
Last fall I was trying to decide the same thing for my F-150. I went to Discount Tire and talked to a salesman. He said the M/S2 was a great snow tire. He thought the A/T2 was slightly better at getting going in deep snow, But the M/S2 has far better traction on ice. He also said the M/S2 was much better at stopping on ice and snow as well. I took his advice and put them on my truck. I am very happy with them. I had no trouble getting going in an 18in snowfall last winter, and they were amazing on icy slushy roads as well. They were also great on wet roads during rain storms this summer. Keep in mind though, I have 300 pounds of sand in the back of my truck all winter. The roads are never plowed on my way to or from work.

Weight in the back over the axle makes a big difference.


Great---I'll go for the M/S2's and plan on keeping weight in the back. No more miles than I drive this truck, the old tires I have on it would last another year, but they would be a no-go in snow. I hate to spend the money, but don't want to burn several more days of vacation time this winter when the main highways are clear and we're stuck just a few miles from them. I see Michelin is running their $70 rebate now too.
 
Originally Posted By: lukejo


JHZR2, looking at BFG...is that the T/A KO?


Yes. Probably a little more "hummy" of a tire (never has bothered me in my s-10), but I've had great luck with them.
 
Looks like I will need to go with the previous version...LTX M/S and not the M/S2 due to limited size offerings in 15" (see my other thread/post in this section earlier today).
Hopefully, the predecessor will still be pretty close in snow handling.
Thanks for all the feedback.
 
Pulled the trigger on the M/S today. $70 MIR and the young man installing the tires gave me $100 for the set of my old Wranglers. He said he has an old truck that he only puts used on and that this 31X10.5R15LT size is getting tougher to find used.
 
BTW: you cant compare ratings between tire types on tirerack

ie standard touring and high performance

or AT vs HT
 
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