Help deciding new tires please/ Michelin LTX M/S 2?

[mikepier]

Looking around for new tires for my 99 XLT. I looked at the Michelin LTX M/S 2, but I'm a liitle weary they only have XL rated tires for my size P235/75R15.

I had a set of XL tires on my truck at one time and thought they ran hard, but those were General Grabber's ( was part of Firestone Recall in 2000).

Anyone have the Michelins on their truck? How do they ride?

 

[my98nnj]

I had the michelins, great tire, smooth ride maybe a bit on the hard side. They seemed like they would last 100K miles too.

 

[biff9703]

I have those tires on my 97 Ex. They last, and may ride a little hard, but it's a sport utility, so I'm not unhappy with the ride. I will get them again when I need them, but it'll be awhile, they really last. Also, they do very well in the wet, and on snow. I'll never buy another brand again.

 

[delexploder]

I have yet to find a tire better than a bfg a/t

 

[koda2000]

i have the Michelin's on all my trucks. decent ride for a truck tire. they last forever, definitely worth the money. when they finally wear out i'll be buying more of them.

 

[masospaghetti]

Cooper Discoverer LSX tires on my 96, ride OK, quiet on the highway. Were cheap too - $300 installed for the set. Made in the USA.

Also have Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenzas on my 2000, no complaints there either.

 

[Dave98XLT]

Many years ago somebody told me the Explorer (95-01) needed a closed shoulder tire due to the torsion bars and the limited suspension travel. The tires sidewall will flex alot due to the suspension design and cause cupping on some tire designs and very much shorten tire life.

The Michelin Cross Terrain SUV tire had a closed shoulder design. However they are not made in the Explorer size any more. I got 80k out of a set these, and had many miles to go but replaced them with a set of MS/2's for safety reasons. The MS/2 does not have the closed shoulder design. Will see if they wear as well. The MS/2 are certainly the best tire on the market currently for the Expl. There may be a pep boys or cooper out there with a closed shoulder, but would I trust it more than a Michelin?

 

[mikepier]

Many years ago somebody told me the Explorer (95-01) needed a closed shoulder tire due to the torsion bars and the limited suspension travel. The tires sidewall will flex alot due to the suspension design and cause cupping on some tire designs and very much shorten tire life.

The Michelin Cross Terrain SUV tire had a closed shoulder design. However they are not made in the Explorer size any more. I got 80k out of a set these, and had many miles to go but replaced them with a set of MS/2's for safety reasons. The MS/2 does not have the closed shoulder design. Will see if they wear as well. The MS/2 are certainly the best tire on the market currently for the Expl. There may be a pep boys or cooper out there with a closed shoulder, but would I trust it more than a Michelin?

I had the Cross Terrains 10 years ago, best tire I ever had on my truck I was disappointed to find out Michelin does not make them anymore.

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

I recently installed the Michelin LTX which replaced
a set of BFG T/As. They are both excellent tires and
I can echo what other posters have said about the
LTX. About the only thing I can add is the LTX
seems to be slightly quieter, with less road noise
than the BFG.

 

[AP9]

I've had them for a little under a month. So far, so good.

 

[mikepier]

Well, I pulled the trigger tonight and got the Michelin LTX M/S2, and so far they're great.
The XL rating seems to be a non-factor as I don't really notice any adverse riding issues. In fact these tires run quieter and take bumps better than my previous Genaral Grabber HTS tires that were standard load 105S.
The shop actually put in 36 PSI in the Michelins, and I did not realize it until I got home. I bumped it down to 33 PSI.
My question is this. I used to run 30 PSI in my General Grabbers 105S with no issues. Can I run the same 30 PSI in these Michelins? Or because its an XL tire I have to treat it differently?

 

[scdix50]

I would not run anything less than 35 psi in a michelin LTX. or any other tire on an Explorer.

 

[SoNic67]

I would not run anything less than 35 psi in a michelin LTX. or any other tire on an Explorer.

Because you know better than the factory engineers that put that 30psi sticker on our cars?
Higher pressure just reduces the lateral grip, might accelerate wear on center of the tire, and puts more stress on the suspension components (ball joints, etc) at every bump in the road, just makes the ride harsher than needed.

 

[delexploder]

Well then I guess I'm insane for running 45 psi,

 

[masospaghetti]

Because you know better than the factory engineers that put that 30psi sticker on our cars?
Higher pressure just reduces the lateral grip, might accelerate wear on center of the tire, and puts more stress on the suspension components (ball joints, etc) at every bump in the road, just makes the ride harsher than needed.

The factory engineers put 26 psi on the sticker, which was so low it caused excessive stress on the tires, leading to the whole Firestone tire debacle. Granted, the tires were poorly made, but the low pressure contributed to it.

Ford probably specified 30 psi to improve ride quality, at the time these explorers were being sold, fuel economy was not a priority.

I would monitor your treadwear. If the tires are wearing evenly, it should be fine. I've been running about 35 psi since I've owned my 2-door Sport and the tires are even.

 

[SoNic67]

My door sticker says 30psi, I inflate to 30-31psi. Also I have a functional 5th shock in rear.
I love my family, don't like to gamble with their safety.
Running 45psi? WHY? What good does? Lets you slide more in curves? Enjoy the increased number of suspension components failures?

PS:
http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,128198,00.html
26psi was chosen to improve the grip on the road. With the Explorer's 1990 production date approaching, Ford engineers listed four options for improving the stability of the SUV: widening the chassis by 2 in.; lowering the engine; or lowering the tire pressure and stiffening the springs. Ford chose the latter two fixes and recommended a tire pressure of 26 p.s.i.—rather than the 30-to-35 p.s.i. that Firestone normally used in its tires—to produce a more road-gripping ride.
http://www.nber.org/digest/aug03/w9524.html
Workers at a Firestone plant in Illinois were on strike during the time many of the 6.5 million tires now being recalled were made, according to an analysis by Ford Motor Co.
"When we looked at this data, we said, `There's something wrong here,'" Jason Vines, Ford's vice president for communications, said during a teleconference Sunday with reporters and tire company officials.
Most of the tires recalled last week -- radial ATX, radial ATX II and some Wilderness AT brands -- are on Ford sport utility "vehicles and light trucks. And most of those tires were built at the Decatur, Ill., plant from 1994 to 1996".
The Decatur plant, by May 1995, employed 1048 replacement workers and 371 permanent workers who crossed the picket line. The union unconditionally agreed to return to work that month, and by 1996 a majority of the workforce in the Decatur plant was made up of strikers who had returned to work. A month-by-month analysis reveals that the excess number of defect claims for tires from the Decatur plant reached a peak for tires made in the beginning of 1996.
Four years after they were produced, P235 tires made in Decatur during the labor dispute were some 15 times more likely to have resulted in a financial claim against the company than were tires manufactured in other plants. Before the recall, these tires had a fatal accident rate of 10 to 30 per million tires produced. A settlement was ratified in December 1996, and the number of defects began to abate at the Decatur plant.

 

[delexploder]

I run 45 psi because my tires max running psi is 50, I get better handling and control and they don't feel rough at all, I got well over 80,000 miles with the last set and my brother put them on his ranger and ran them for another year

 

[masospaghetti]

My door sticker says 30psi, I inflate to 30-31psi. Also I have a functional 5th shock in rear.
I love my family, don't like to gamble with their safety.
Running 45psi? WHY? What good does? Lets you slide more in curves? Enjoy the increased number of suspension components failures?

I think most people do it for the fuel economy, not power sliding. But thanks for sharing that link, it's a very good read.

It does raise some questions though.

Does the independent front suspension have better or worse stability than the TTB setup?

Would lowering the front ride height (torsion twist) improve stability?

Would poly sway bar bushings help stability?


PS:
http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,128198,00.html
26psi was chosen to improve the grip on the road. With the Explorer's 1990 production date approaching, Ford engineers listed four options for improving the stability of the SUV: widening the chassis by 2 in.; lowering the engine; or lowering the tire pressure and stiffening the springs. Ford chose the latter two fixes and recommended a tire pressure of 26 p.s.i.—rather than the 30-to-35 p.s.i. that Firestone normally used in its tires—to produce a more road-gripping ride.
http://www.nber.org/digest/aug03/w9524.html
Workers at a Firestone plant in Illinois were on strike during the time many of the 6.5 million tires now being recalled were made, according to an analysis by Ford Motor Co.
"When we looked at this data, we said, `There's something wrong here,'" Jason Vines, Ford's vice president for communications, said during a teleconference Sunday with reporters and tire company officials.
Most of the tires recalled last week -- radial ATX, radial ATX II and some Wilderness AT brands -- are on Ford sport utility "vehicles and light trucks. And most of those tires were built at the Decatur, Ill., plant from 1994 to 1996".
The Decatur plant, by May 1995, employed 1048 replacement workers and 371 permanent workers who crossed the picket line. The union unconditionally agreed to return to work that month, and by 1996 a majority of the workforce in the Decatur plant was made up of strikers who had returned to work. A month-by-month analysis reveals that the excess number of defect claims for tires from the Decatur plant reached a peak for tires made in the beginning of 1996.
Four years after they were produced, P235 tires made in Decatur during the labor dispute were some 15 times more likely to have resulted in a financial claim against the company than were tires manufactured in other plants. Before the recall, these tires had a fatal accident rate of 10 to 30 per million tires produced. A settlement was ratified in December 1996, and the number of defects began to abate at the Decatur plant.[/QUOTE]

 

[SoNic67]

There is no real fuel economy to be done by rising the pressure over 30-35psi. Friction in the rest of engine components is already higher than tire rolling resistance.
If anybody has any doubts about that, it's easy to test:

On a straight plane road, speed up to 35 mph.
At a given marker in the road, put the transmission in "N" and let it slow down till you get to 25mph.
Measure the distance (phone GPS has best accuracy). Repeat 3 times and average.
Do this for tires inflated to 30 and 45 psi - and see if is worth the risk of not being able to brake short enough (over-inflation diminishes the braking capability too).
At higher speeds, with air resistance starting to play a higher and higher role, the tire rolling resistance contribution is utterly negligible.

Or some can read this test (done with a vehicle that has a way better air drag coefficient than our bricks):
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/4199963
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/gas-pains-mileage-myths-and-misconceptions