Michelin LTX M/S vs. Michelin LTX M/S SL. Any difference? | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Michelin LTX M/S vs. Michelin LTX M/S SL. Any difference?

Does the "SL" designation mean anything? I have found these online for $90.00ea with free shipping. That seems like a good price but don't understand the SL designation. No one else seems to offer such a designation to the LTX M/S tire.

thanks
 



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I believe that SL stands for standard load, meaning it is for passenger vehicles. The tire without SL may have different load rating like XL (extra Load) or C rating etc.. The higher load ratings usually have stiffer construction and use higher air pressures to handle the loads. They can be harsher, but better if you haul a lot. They are probably better suited for trucks.

The M/S stands for mud & snow (all weather) rated.

I have not seen tires with SL on them except in real small letters. They are not big white letters are they? If so, it may be different than I described above.
Rob
 






I wish I could just send you to the website showing how it is listed but I have the bookmark at home.

Its a retail tire outlet site that lets you search for tires by vehicle. After filling in my X information it gives me a list of applicable tires (OEM size of course, which is what I want anyway). It lists the standard Goodyear, BFG, Toyo, etc. The Michelin category lists the typical SUV tires and one is the LTX M/S "SL" for $90.00 (225 70/15) with free shipping for all 4. Every other site I go to lists same tire without the SL designation and for a lot more money. In fact, if you want the 235 75/15 from these guys they are $119. Why would that size be so much more money? So, I am suspisious of the "SL" in the listing. Could that be why it is cheaper? Michelins website makes no mention of a LTX M/S "SL" tire. I need to call the tire site I guess.

Thanks Rob, Did you get your shock problem fixed?

Ed
 






YES to both
My shocks are fixed; I ground the studs a little to make the ends flat and then drilled 9/32 hole through. I bought 1/4 inch bolts and washers etc. and bolted right through the studs instead of cutting them off like I originally planned.
Thank you for asking:)

2nd yes: Since the higher load rated tires are more expensive, I would be very certain that the higher priced dealer is selling the XL rated and the lower $ dealer is standard load. Do not fear getting standard load tires, some people think that the higher load rating means they are "tougher", but they are really too harsh for most unloaded vehicles. XL rated are not too bad, but load range C are real stiff.

Call them to be sure, but I would bet my new grinder and drill on it.

What is the site you are looking at? Cut and paste the address to me. I am "into" tires since the late 80's when I put Pirelli P6's on my toyota and noticed a very nice difference in response. I co
 






YES to both
My shocks are fixed; I ground the studs a little to make the ends flat and then drilled 9/32 hole through. I bought 1/4 inch bolts and washers etc. and bolted right through the studs instead of cutting them off like I originally planned.
Thank you for asking:)

2nd yes: Since the higher load rated tires are more expensive, I would be very certain that the higher priced dealer is selling the XL rated and the lower $ dealer is standard load. Do not fear getting standard load tires, some people think that the higher load rating means they are "tougher", but they are really too harsh for most unloaded vehicles. XL rated are not too bad, but load range C are real stiff.

Call them to be sure, but I would bet my new grinder and drill on it.

What is the site you are looking at? Cut and paste the address to me. I have been "into" tires since the late 80's when I put Pirelli P6's on my toyota (corolla) and noticed a very nice difference in response. I frequently visit Tirerack and contacted TireNet for info before (they seem pretty good).

Rob
 






Found it. Its a Flash site so there is no direct url to the tire. Do this:

Dead Link Removed

Find 1993 Ford Explorer 4WD. Then 225/70R-15

Michelin LTX M/S SL will be near bottom. I have seen this SL designation in other tires but not this hi-end Michelin and never as part of the title. Seem ok to you?

$90.00 PLUS Free Fed-X GROUND. That seems very cheap.

Ed
 






ok, I'm learning.

The LTX M/S SL advertised at this site has a load rating of 100 (1764 lbs per tire). The same tire I have seen at other sites have load ratings of 105-108 (2039-2205 per tire) w/higher cost and shipping charges.

Is this load rating ok? I mostly use the truck for city commuting and bad weather. Would like to do some light trail riding and maybe some sand in the summer. Don't haul around anything heavy or tow.

Thanks
 






Ed

I was a little hesitant about the 100 load rating, since the 4door explorer is 5280 lbs, so I did a search by tire size instead of by vehicle, on that same site. (Thank you for the site by the way, I had not seen it!)

225/75/15 pulls up yet another Michelin LTX M/S SL with a 102 load rating for $94 shipping incl.!
the 100 would probably work, but the 102 will give a little more strength without going the $115 dollar route.

I think I am sold on the Pirelli Scorpion A/T's. They are a little less and might be worth a look for you. I read raving reviews on Tirerack feedback, with some noting tire wear as (the only) drawback. I am very partial to Pirelli.

A contractor I worked with (I inspect bridge construction projects for my job) insisted that the Michelin LTX M/S was the best, and when they bought new vehicles they would immediately invest the $600 to put them on! They did thousands of miles per week, plus offroad all day in all conditions! You can't go wrong there either!
Rob
 






Originally posted by InspectoRob
. . .I was a little hesitant about the 100 load rating, since the 4door explorer is 5280 lbs, . . .

The 5280 lbs is GVWR, not curb weight. A 4-door Explorer weighs in at 4200-4600 depending on AWD, 4WD or V8. The 5280 is the maximum weight your Explorer should ever weigh including cargo. At 1764 lbs per tire (x4 = 7056 lbs) way more than your Explorer is capable of weighing. The 100 rating would make them about the same rating as your original tires. I do have 'C' rated tires on mine though and they aren't any rougher riding than my original Wilderness ATs were which were a 'P' (passenger car) rated tire.
 






You are right
I ran out and glanced at the weight posted on the door quick then ran in. After posting I thought "that does seem a little too high".

What tires do you have, Robert?

Why did you decide on C rated?

Did you like the Wilderness?

Why am I asking so many questions?
:D

Rob
 






Thanks for all your help. I ordered the LTX M/S with the 100 load rate. I took a closer look at my current tires and they are rated at 100 also. I called around town today and the cheapest I could find this tire installed was $135/tire or $540.00

Discounttiredirect.com is $90.00/tire plus $15.00/tire to mount and balance at my shop (alloys). They are shipping them direct to my shop for free. Total cost $420.00. Thats a substantial savings. They guy I spoke to at Discounttiredirect.com was very pleasant and helpful. The website is very informative for youngins' like me. I would recommend them.

They offered a lifetime replacement warrenty at checkout for $10.00/tire. They claim it covers road hazards-call'em up and they send new tire. In some cases they ask for old tire back to inspect but was not clear as to why or how often they request this. I have 30 days to decide if I want it. Seems to good to be true??

Thanks
 






Not sure if they are related to Discount Tire's or not but if they are, the warranty will only apply to the tire you purchase. If the tire has to be replaced, then they will charge you a renewal fee to get a warranty on the replacement tire. Just found this out yesterday when my Wife called to say that Discount Tire wants $26.99 to renew the warranty on her two month old Michelin that somehow picked up a nail in the sidewall.
 






Originally posted by InspectoRob
You are right
I ran out and glanced at the weight posted on the door quick then ran in. After posting I thought "that does seem a little too high".

What tires do you have, Robert?

Why did you decide on C rated?

Did you like the Wilderness?

Why am I asking so many questions?
:D

Rob

I have Michelin LTX ATs. Michelin offers both a 'P' & an 'LT' series tire in the same size for several of their tires. The 'P' rated tire is the manufacturer recommended type. Some places will refuse to mount an 'LT' rated tire on an Explorer. I chose the 'C' rated tire since it was the only option for my 265 75R16s. I also wanted a stronger tire than a passenger car rated tire. I didn't really form an oppinion of my Wilderness ATs. They served their purpose. They also had a decent amount of tread left when I got rid of them at 50K miles. They never let me down. They worked fine for the street but didn't have an aggresive enough tread for the Arizona deserts that I frequently drive in. My Michelins seem to do a bit better in the sand and rocks.
 






I just ordered a set of Pirelli Scorpion A/T from Discounttiredirect.com. We had 8+inches of snow and my cheap-o (Gen. Grabber ST copy) tires were Terrible! I was hoping to get more mileage from them, but the early snow changed that.

The only choices for stock 235/75/15 size are XL and C rated. I chose the XL because the sidewalls should be slightly more flexible.

I will update after I use them for a while.

Rob
 






Discounttiredirect is awesome. After doing a little more research I decided I wanted the larger, higher load rated tire (235/75 R15 105S). My current size tires were looking a little small in the wheel wells after looking at other Explorers. Discounttiredirect had already shipped my 225/70 R15's. Not only did they not charge me to ship them to me, they are paying for the return shipping as well!

I ordered the larger tire, shipped free, for $112/ea. Anyone have experience between the two sizes? Will I notice a difference from my stock 225/70's?

Rob, we will have to compare notes on our new tires to see how they compete. We got the same snow you did but it didn't stick.

Ed
 






Ed
You will probably notice a difference due to the profile increase from 70 to 75. The profile of the 235/75/15 is a little taller, so you may have a slightly softer ride. The circumference is a little larger, so your speedometer may be slightly off - reading slower than your actual speed. Nothing drastic, but to be aware of.

You will probably notice more from the tires being new, than from the width increase.

The appearance of the larger tire will probably be a nice change too.

I think that it was a good choice. I was considering going up a size or two in width, but the prices jumped more than my desire for the change.

More snow is on the way!

Rob
 






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