[bertmartin]

Michelin Defenders not good

I have the Michelin Defenders 265-70-17. This overrated tire is the worst tire I have ever owned!. I tow a small trailer(RV) and get all kinds of sway that I never got before with the last set of Michelin LT tires. Also the tread design picks up all kind of gravels and slings them everywhere. I talked to others who have had the same problems with this very bad design. If you want your truck to handle more like a car, never go on gravel roads, and never ever tow even small loads it might be good enough. Otherwise avoid this tire like the plague. I'm hoping for a recall!

 

[ArcticDriver]

My Michelin Defenders throw gravel also.

I never had that problem with the earlier LTX M/S-2 but the channels between treads are wider now and grab stones. I always run Michelins but am disappointed in the price vs quality of this Defender.

EDIT:
I should not have said never. I have enough rock chips on my quarter panels to show even the old LTX would grab a stone...but nowhere near as often as these Defenders.

Maybe its that the wider channels grab bigger stones! I sure hear em more.

 

[ArcticDriver]

Just read your post Haul’n Horses.

The Michelin Defenders spin on wet pasture.

 

[Sjay09]

hey all,

im fairly new here and im looking for good durable tires for towing as well. ive read over some of the tires suggested here. anyone else have any recommendations?

 

[meteor56]

I posted earlier about the Crugen HT51s I put on my truck. Although still not a real fan of these, I now have 20,000 miles on them. The outside rears are showing about 1/2 worn and the insides still look quite good. A lot of the problem I was having has been cured by replacing the worn out shocks (they were baaaaad). This August I replaced worn out TransForce HTs on the front with Cooper Discoverer A/Ts. I went up a size to 265 width. We'll see how they work out.

August 2018 I left on a 3 month trip pulling the 5th wheel RV. It had new tires May 2015 which were build-dated November 2014. The right front blew out at about 130 miles; the spare I put on went in the next 30. Next was the right rear. These three blowouts cost Progressive about $4000 in trailer repairs. Fourth day out, the left front blew out. After mounting the spare I got to Mitchell SD WalMart and had both left sides replaced. These tires now have about 15000 miles on them and are 2 yrs old. The blown tires were a brand called Titan; the replacements are Goodyear Endurance, with the spare being a Marathon. At no time did a tire failure cause a control problem. Point here is to keep proven parts on the equipment. Pressures are kept at spec, and when the trailer is parked it is jacked and blocked to keep the tires off the ground.

 

[Sjay09]

dang $4000 really sticking out to me! but good to know, thanks for getting back

 

[markarmstrong9069]

I use Goodyear Wrangler Radial Tire – 235/75R15 105S for towing. It's working for my auto. If you want you can also check on amazon or ebay or discountire.

 

[Blake Garcia]

It seems like Michelin Defender is not as impressive as what was mentioned in the reviews that I have read on the internet. Most of my friends tell me that Goodyear Wrangler and Cooper Discoverer are better for towing compared with the said tire.

 

[ArcticDriver]

I have now had the Defenders long enough to say I am not impressed. The price of the Michelin M&S keeps increasing but the tread compound wears out about 25% quicker than the previous M&S-2.

But they are still quiet and tow decent on pavement.

 

[Bezzos]

Dick Cepek tires are perfect for towing and off roads. It has a great traction on sand and mud as well.

 

[Bh42]

I tow a 33 ft 5th wheel thats about 14,000lbs. I tow both on road and on beaches . I've had Bridgestone Dueler AT Revos, I liked them but they only lasted 35K miles. Switched over to the Nitto Terra Grappler also 35K miles. (liked them but not as much as the Bridgestones) They both wore evenly but not happy on the tread life. Always kept tire pressure up to snuff and rotated properly.

Any suggestions on a good AT towing tire that will get good tread life?

Michelin's maybe?

thanks

I just had Michelin LTX AT/2 installed