Michelin LTX M/S for 2WD Tahoe??

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I will be needing a new set of tires for my Tahoe in the next 3-4 weeks. I plan to purchase a set of Michelin LTX M/S tires (265/70/16). I want a smooth ride and good traction on dry and wet pavement. Does anyone think another set of tires would be a better performer? The cost of the tires really isn't an issue, but I expect to get 70+K out of this set.

Any thoughts or comments?
 
I have these on my F150, Acvtually the Goodyears I had before were more quiet. The schlens seem noisey for an expensive tire. Wearing like steel though..
 
I checked the comments on Tirerack for replacement tires for my Explorer.The Michelin were only rated average - and they were pricey. The Firestone Destination tires were highly thought of and were cheaper. I bought the Firestone - have yet to install them.
 
I went with the Cross Terrain SUV tires for my QX4 and have been very happy with them for the past 45,000 miles. They're on their last legs, though; tread depth is down to about 6/32", so I bought a set of Blizzaks for winter duty. I'll swap the Cross Terrains back in come summer and they'll probably last until next winter.

They're supposed to perform a little better than the LTX M/S according to Michelin's web site. The Cross Terrains are rated 9/10/8 on Wet Traction/Quiet Ride/Handling, while the LTX M/S are only 8/9/7.

I'm probably going to replace the Cross Terrains with the 4X4 Diamaris (10/8/10) since I don't need the winter traction anymore.
 
Thanks for all of the advice on tires. I am definitely going to check out these alternatives. A friend of mine recently replaced Michelins with Goodyear Fortera tires. I am not a fan of Goodyear, but he swears that they are the best tires that he has ever owned. Does anyone have experience with Forteras?
 
My stepfather has 'em on his Silverado [the Michelins]. Replaced the OEM firestone wilderness tires with them which still had ample treadlife left. He loves them overall.
 
I can't comment on the LTX, but I did put a set of Firestone Destination LE's (255 70R 16) on my 2WD Silverado regular cab shortbox. I might be wary of putting these tires on something as heavy as a Tahoe.

They are very quiet and traction has been good dry, wet, and in minor snow. However, the handling is very soft--it actually felt sloppy on the highway until I got used to it. The Destinations are also narrower than the stock Generals they replaced, and are about a half-inch shorter than published specs.
 
I like them, put them on a 2wd Club cab Dakota. The initial plan was to put snows on for this winter and then el cheapo all seasons after winter, but I went with these tires after a $50 rebate from discount tire. They are a smidge loud, but I have found them more than adequete in the wet and snow with some weight in the *** end. If you look at their design you can't expect too quiet of a tire, they carry some pretty large voids.
 
LTX M/S. They are smooth, good when dry, and you will get the mileage. They are not the best tire on wet roads but they are not bad either. They have been around for quite some time unlike the new goodyears. The Michelin Cross Terrain is better for all ON road duties. The wife and I have worn out some of both of them and currently have some new ones (both) on two different vehicles. You can compare them side by side on michelins web site.
 
I had a set of LTX M/S's on my 97 4WD Blazer, and am currently running a set of Firestone Destinations. The Destinations crush the LTX in every category - they are quieter, ride better, handle better, better in dry/wet/snow/loose dirt, and they're cheaper. I got about 40k out of the LTX's, but for what I paid for them I was disappointed overall. I liked the Firestones so much that I recommended a set to my mom, who now has them on her 02 TrailBlazer. What a difference it made over the stock BFGs!
 
I just replaced the stock Firestone tires on my Excursion with a set of new Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor tires. Nothing wrong with the Firestones, but not the best on snow and ice.

I don't have many miles on the new Goodyears yet, but as I drove away from the tire shop I could tell immediately that they lived up to their name - silent! A very quiet tire. According to the shop, they have traction equal to Goodyear's MTR off road tire. I have a patch of ice in my driveway that I had to get up a little speed with the old tires to bounce over, that wasn't necessary with the new tires - they just walked right over it.

Another interesting comment from the tire shop was that Goodyear is moving their entire tire line upscale. They want to be viewed as the premium replacement tire. Dunlop will be their mid-price line, with Kelly Tires their entry level tire.
 
Update: I went to Tire Kingdom to look at Michelins and the Goodyear Fortera. The guy who runs the place suggested that I buy the Michelin Cross Terrains or the Goodyear Forteras. He sells a lot of LTX tires, but he has the Cross Terrains on his own Tahoe.

He told me that Tire Kingdom just began handling the Forteras in late '05, but he has not had a bad comment about them. He said they were very quiet tires with a high mileage warranty. The price on the Goodyear Fortera is within a few dollars of the Michelins.

I need to check out those Firestone Destinations. They sound interesting as well.

walt501 - I have a few months before I have to replace these OEM tires, so would you mind commenting on the Forteras after you drive them for a few months?

Thanks for all of the advice!!
 
A buddy of mine had Cross Terrain's on his 4WD Tahoe and loved em. He replaced them with about 45K on them with Yokohama's which were quite a bit less expensive. But so far the Yoko's have been a notch below the Michelin's in overall performance.

I've heard nothing but good things about the Goodyear Fortera, which is a direct competitor to the Michelin Cross Terrain. Both are designed to give a car-like ride and handling for luxo SUV's. Mileage will be decent but not stellar.

Don't forget the LTX M/S is closer to a commercial tire than a car tire. Yes, it wears like iron and does a good all around job, but its not made to be smooth and quiet like the other tires are. We have a set of LTX's on a service van and they've been a great tire for that application.
 
I believe that I am leaning toward the Goodyear Fortera tire at Tire Kingdom. They have a 30 day trial period for their tires, so if I don't like them I can take them back. Goodyear CrossTerrains would be #2.

It is interesting that Tire Kingdom sell the Goodyear Fortera SilentArmor at a significantly lower price than the Goodyear service center. Tire Kingdom was $100 lower (installed) than the Goodyear Service center sale price.

I am still 4-8 weeks away from a new set, but I will let you guys know what I think. I appreciate all of the suggestions.
cheers.gif
 
Tire Rack ranked these tires accordingly:

Goodyear Fortera SilentArmor #1 - $144
Bridgestone Dueler Alenza #2 - $135
Firestone Destination LE #4- $96
Kumho Venture HT #5 - $88
Michelin Cross Terrain #6 - $145
Michelin LTX #8 - $145

I am beginning to lean toward the Bridgestone or Goodyear, but the high ranking of the Firestone and Kumho surprises me. That Firestone Destination LE has a similar tread pattern to the Bridgestone Dueler Alenza at 2/3 the price. That is hard to ignore.
 
My favorite tire dealer has the Michelin Cross Terrains on sale for $612 (mounted, balanced and lifetime rotation). This is
a small Mom & Pop operation, but they have great deals on tires and terrific service. Tire Kingdom and Sears had these sames
tires for +/- $725 (on sale).

I am going to choose the Michelins this time around and I hope to get 70-80K miles out of them. I really won't need them for
another 6-8 weeks, but I am going to buy them and he will keep them at the shop for me.

Thanks for all of the advice. I might put the Bridgestones or Goodyears on my wife's SUV when her tires need replacing.

[ January 26, 2006, 02:39 PM: Message edited by: wwillson ]
 
I had a set of LTX M/S on my '97 F-150 2wd. I thought it was an excellent tire. I also thought the ride was quiet & smooth. I went with a wider tire vs stock, but they rode a lot better, were a lot quieter, and were great in traction. Granted, this was about 7 years ago. There may be better tires now. I've read a lot of good things on the new GoodYear Tripletreads.
 
I have a set of LTX M/S's on my '02 Explorer. With 30K on them now they still look absolutely brand new. They're quiet, safe handling, and great in the snow. Overall, they are light years away from the OEM Goodyear Wrangler R/T's that came with the truck.

I hesitated on the price but a sale ($60 off a set of 4) at Costco sealed the deal.
 
The LTX M&S seems to be a decently balanced tire that often provides long tire life. I've been looking for a heavier load range 17in tire for awhile now, and although they're not available in the size that I need I've found the Firestone Destination A/T interesting, and especially one of the Goodyear 'tripletread' tires. The one that I saw had about a 600 treadlife rating and still had a severe snow rating.
 
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