Michelin LTX AT/2 - Less Than Impressed...

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Though I had outstanding performance and value for the MS/2 tires on my 2010 FX4, I am not impressed with these AT/2's in 275/65-20 load range E. Thus far with less than 8K on my truck, six tires will have been replaced. The factory front two had to be replaced due to an defective tie-rod/alignment issue from the factory and that is not the fault of the tires. However, the other four replacements (including the need to replace two of them twice) is clearly a quality issue (these two "sets" were on the rear of the truck).

The tires will not hold balance and it seems to be a slipped belt or other such defect that happens within the body of the tire. One tire took more than 18 ounces to bring it into balance and within 600 miles, the truck shook horribly between 70-80MPH. I have another new one scheduled to be installed this coming Saturday and I hope this replacement is the last one. While I fully understand that defects happen, the fact that I have had 3 in a row is very disappointing. I hope this is not the start of the "cheapening" of Michelin whereas QA/QC is out the window.
 
I'd have to wonder how much an obnoxiously sized tire has to do with it. Wide, big wheel, decent aspect ratio.

For what's probably a $200 tire, good reason to be upset. But I wonder if the sizing has something to do with it.

How did the tie rod issue not manifest itself as a problem on the LTX MS tired if it was a latent defect?
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I'd have to wonder how much an obnoxiously sized tire has to do with it. Wide, big wheel, decent aspect ratio. For what's probably a $200 tire, good reason to be upset. But I wonder if the sizing has something to do with it.
Well, it is the factory size and there are trucks across all three OEM lines (GM, Dodge, Ford) that use this size so one would hope the tire manufacturers could build one that works. For all practical purposes, they are $300 each.

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
How did the tie rod issue not manifest itself as a problem on the LTX MS tired if it was a latent defect?
I did not count the front replacements as Michelin's fault. The tie-rod problem caused them to wear out and had to be replaced. It is the two rear tires that have had to be replaced twice (well 1.5 times until Saturday) and for that I totally fault Michelin. I have never had a situation where two tires were defective and their replacements suffered from the same problem--twice!
 
My dad's 2004 Silverado Duramax had 285/75-16 load range E tires on aftermarket wheels, he had 3 sets. 1st set were awful Goodyear Wranglers that would not balance, always had vibrations. 2nd set were Super Swamper mud terrains, were smooth as butter but had a hum. He wore those out and tried BFG All Terrains. Those were the best tires on that truck, extremely smooth and quiet. No complaints whatsoever.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
My dad's 2004 Silverado Duramax had 285/75-16 load range E tires on aftermarket wheels, he had 3 sets. 1st set were awful Goodyear Wranglers that would not balance, always had vibrations. 2nd set were Super Swamper mud terrains, were smooth as butter but had a hum. He wore those out and tried BFG All Terrains. Those were the best tires on that truck, extremely smooth and quiet. No complaints whatsoever.
Depending on how these "eventually" perform, I will likely not replace them with the same, but will go shopping for another brand.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
My dad's 2004 Silverado Duramax had 285/75-16 load range E tires on aftermarket wheels, he had 3 sets. 1st set were awful Goodyear Wranglers that would not balance, always had vibrations. 2nd set were Super Swamper mud terrains, were smooth as butter but had a hum. He wore those out and tried BFG All Terrains. Those were the best tires on that truck, extremely smooth and quiet. No complaints whatsoever.
Mud tires always hum, the older they get, the worse the noise gets. The ones I've had the best luck with have been Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revos, I had a set of the first generation that ran 80K & were still quiet & not worn completely out, finally started cracking in the tread. Other bad/noisy/rough ones were the Kumho Road Ventures, could not keep them balanced. Is there a reason for the 20 inch 10 ply tires? Are the brakes really getting that big?
 
Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Is there a reason for the 20 inch 10 ply tires? Are the brakes really getting that big?
While I cannot speak to the 20" size (though I suspect it has to do with performance/economy/wear), the number of plies has to do with load rating (E) and the expected load/towing the vehicle will do. I had 2500 series trucks in late 80s and early 90s that also used load range E tires. The brakes on this F250 are indeed massive, but I do not think that is the reason for the tire selection.
 
Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
My dad's 2004 Silverado Duramax had 285/75-16 load range E tires on aftermarket wheels, he had 3 sets. 1st set were awful Goodyear Wranglers that would not balance, always had vibrations. 2nd set were Super Swamper mud terrains, were smooth as butter but had a hum. He wore those out and tried BFG All Terrains. Those were the best tires on that truck, extremely smooth and quiet. No complaints whatsoever.
Mud tires always hum, the older they get, the worse the noise gets. The ones I've had the best luck with have been Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revos, I had a set of the first generation that ran 80K & were still quiet & not worn completely out, finally started cracking in the tread. Other bad/noisy/rough ones were the Kumho Road Ventures, could not keep them balanced. Is there a reason for the 20 inch 10 ply tires? Are the brakes really getting that big?
Yeah the mud tires of course hum, we didn't mind them. They surprisingly were smooth though.

I do recommend the BFG ATs though. He towed a 10-11k pound gooseneck trailer 250 miles almost weekly at times and it did great. He a few times hauled a 16k pound gooseneck trailer 250 miles at a time. No tire troubles. Probably about 1,000 of those miles were towing on a rough dirt road.
 
OEM tires are never great. They might not resemble aftermarket sizes in anything but name and tread design.
 
Originally Posted By: Rand
OEM tires are never great. They might not resemble aftermarket sizes in anything but name and tread design.


Agreed. If these are the OEM tires, they're generally the cheapest thing for Ford to buy to sell the truck. There are some decent OEM tires out there, but it's rare to find them.
 
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Originally Posted By: Rand
OEM tires are never great. They might not resemble aftermarket sizes in anything but name and tread design.
Agreed. If these are the OEM tires, they're generally the cheapest thing for Ford to buy to sell the truck. There are some decent OEM tires out there, but it's rare to find them.
I would normally agree with this as I saw it on my Azera with a set of OEM Michelins. But in this case, they are the same as the retail AT/2's and Discount Tire has been replacing them with reta tires because I bought the warranty certificates for them just after I bought the truck.
 
I've heard of too many Michelin issues in the lower ranges. Including family members.

Replaced a set of truck Michelins (265/70-17) with Yokohama AT/S in the same size. Customer loves them: better in all regards. They also grip like glue in the wet. Silica is the magic ingredient. Not the first choice for HD loads, but great for all-round use.

With that said, their sport tires are great. Specifically the PSS=Pilot Super Sport, and the AS/3 All-Season. I own both. All $2600 worth.

And with that said, both are getting replaced with Vredestein tires. I could drone on about the pro's and con's of Michelin (including for semi trucks), but for my application(s) these tires made in Netherlands have won me over. I've sold enough sets and with the great comments know they are also a top brand (the Goodyear of Europe for 100+ years). I already have 2 sets of 19" (275/30 and 275/35) ready to try out. The 2nd car uses 17" and after 2K miles couldn't be more impressed (same tire I used 9 yrs ago on a Dinan M3). Summer tires in the winter-- no problem. Great handling and no noticeable wear, despite my driving antics. True winter tires/wheels are waiting if needed....

The French may make the best race tires, and some of the best sport tires. But much as i love euro-trash brands and croissants, choose very carefully. Like a lot of products nowadays we must look at each item to stand on it's own, and not just by brand recognition.
 
This is great. Bad Michelin tires but because they are a really big tire, or OEM that must be the cause.

The loyalty for Michelin is beyond ridiculous proportions.
 
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I have A/T2's on my 2009 F150. About 20k miles on them so far in a 275/65R18 (load range 110/113). I had them road force balanced when they were installed and they've been perfect up to 80mph. Tread looks new.
 
Originally Posted By: CKN
This is great. Bad Michelin tires but because they are a really big tire, or OEM that must be the cause.

The loyalty for Michelin is beyond ridiculous proportions.


Rather than making comments with no basis for your comments, why not clearly define why neither of those options could be relevant? I'll bet you are unable.

I've owned far more non-Michelin tires than tires made by Michelin... And only one set of tires that are marked Michelin were aftermarket tires, the rest are oem and are just fine. Not sure if I'll replace with the same or another brand. I have zero specific loyalty to Michelin.

So why exactly is the fact that it's a large tire, with proportionally longer and more belt and rubber content, not pertinent here? Why is OEM figment, where price point is very much a consideration, not pertinent here?
 
Originally Posted By: HangFire
The A/T2 was never one of Michelin's better tires.


Exactly. Michelin does not make perfect tires across all the types they mfgr. Like anyone else they have some dogs, too.

OP should have bought LTX MS2's...
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
OP should have bought LTX MS2's...
Not an option since the AT/2's came on the truck from the factory. I have been fighting this issue since the truck was purchased though as I stated the front tires were not the fault of Michelin, but the back tires are.
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
OP should have bought LTX MS2's...


Buy LTX M/S like I did, and to pull them off at 32,000 miles because they were so bad? OK, whatever.
 
Ironically my wife replaced her always rapidly wearing BFG Rugged Terrain tires with the Michelin LTX AT/2 and has had great service from these tires. They have been real good even in the snow and ice. They stay balanced, she regularly drives 75+ mph. The size for her Explorer is 245/65/17. Perhaps that makes them different than your experience with your much larger E rated load version of these tires.

Whimsey
 
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