When will the Michelin Defender be replaced?

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I'm curious when Michelin will replace the Defender? It came out in 2013 and had a little refresh in 2017. Anyone know how long the Harmony series ran for?
 
the update MIGHT be a reformulation of the "rubber" compound to stop the dry rot cracking. they have changed a couple of their tires already to stop that issue
 
Originally Posted by tomcat27
the update MIGHT be a reformulation of the "rubber" compound to stop the dry rot cracking. they have changed a couple of their tires already to stop that issue


Will not any tire crack when dry rotted
 
Originally Posted by talest
Originally Posted by tomcat27
the update MIGHT be a reformulation of the "rubber" compound to stop the dry rot cracking. they have changed a couple of their tires already to stop that issue


Will not any tire crack when dry rotted



It's a little more complicated than that.

Some types of rubber aren't prone to cracking. As a general rule, those aren't suitable for general use in a tire

- BUT -

There are locations in a tire where those types of rubber can work and the sidewall is one of them. That means that using sidewall cracking as an indicator of the state of the rubber is somewhat unreliable.

So the general rule is that if a tire DOES have excessive cracking in the sidewall, then it should be replaced. And if a tire does NOT have cracking in the sidewall, go by the manufacture date (or date of purchase. if you know it.)

Put another way, no cracking is NOT an indicator that things are OK!
 
The Defender Touring is the official replacement. Just try to find them in the market place. It's on their web site.
 
Originally Posted by tomcat27
the update MIGHT be a reformulation of the "rubber" compound to stop the dry rot cracking. they have changed a couple of their tires already to stop that issue


Is there a source for this, that there is a compound change for properties directly related to the issue of dry rot?

I want to know for the Michelin apologists on this board.
 
The Defender t+h That came out in 2017 Had a improved compound for longer tread life . I haven't heard of a replacement for that tire yet. Michelin did launch a new tire for commercial vans and trucks in the cross climate And they will be launching a new Uniroyal passenger all season in June.
 
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Replacing Defender LTX in some LT sizes
 
This was my first time buying Michelin - put 70k mile warranty LTXs on my truck. They now have over 80k with over legal tread left. I will probably buy Michelins before winter. I hope if/when replaced they are just as good.
 
Originally Posted by 2010Civic
It's an updated version but not really a new model. Idk, I was just curious.


I think the T+H is different than the Defender...or maybe the size for my wife's Liberty made the transition earlier? :dunno: I do know the Defenders are still available for the 4Runner, and T+H is not.


Originally Posted by ABursell
This was my first time buying Michelin - put 70k mile warranty LTXs on my truck. They now have over 80k with over legal tread left. I will probably buy Michelins before winter. I hope if/when replaced they are just as good.


My experience also that Michelins last a long time. Had one set that went 105,000 miles - still had legal tread but would no longer stay balanced.
 
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