Product Review: Michelin LTX-MS2
SWEET TREADS
3,000 miles on Michelin’s LTX M/S2 reveals you can have long-tread life without sacrificing a pickup’s or SUV’s ride and handling
When the odometer on a pickup, SUV, or crossover rolls past 50,000 miles, and the tires have never been replaced, it’s a safe bet there’s not much tire life remaining.
Chances are good the top of ol’ Abe Lincoln’s head is going to be showing when placed into the tread, which is a sure sign it’s time to move on, tossing the old tires and stepping up to new ones.
That’s the situation I found myself in just before Thanksgiving. My ’02 TrailBlazer’s tires were getting down to the point where they were in need of replacement.
At the same time Michelin announced the introduction of the second generation LTX M/S tire, which has been around for years and a tire often seen on high-end pickups and SUVs.
The original LTX was the tire of choice for the luxury-level light duty trucks because it delivered a fine ride and excellent handling. The LTX M/S2, according to Michelin, carried on those same attributes with an increase in both tread life and all-season traction. An added bonus with the M/S2 comes in the form of improved fuel efficiency.
“The Michelin LTX M/S2 tire is by far the leading tire in its category and a long-time consumer favorite,” says Rob Cunningham, light truck category manager, Michelin North America.
“With the Michelin LTX M/S2 tire, consumers don’t have to sacrifice one benefit for another, offering a long tread life and true all-season security and utility for greater confidence. The Michelin LTX M/S tire is proven in the market and we have worked hard to ensure that the next generation of this product is even better.”
Like many of today’s pickup and SUV owners, my present vehicle is paid for and is going to be around for many more years. So upgrading from cheaper tires to a premium offering makes sense. My thought process is simple: Doing so adds an extra margin of safety and, if they perform as advertised, should easily see my truck through another four or five years while saving a few dollars ($52, according to the Michelin Green Meter) in fuel costs.
So off came the old Bridgestone Dueler H/Ts and in their place a set of LTX M/S2 in a P25570R16, a very common OEM replacement size for mid-size SUVs.
The immediate difference felt between old tires and new is the Michelins responded quicker to every steering input. It also rode noticeably smoother, absorbing small potholes and broken sections of the road surface better than the old tires.
Road noise from the new tires is non-existent—and they seems to help drop a few decibels from road-induced noise as well.
The biggest difference, however, came when the winter rains and snow flurries showed up. Where the stock tires had a tendency to slip and slide, the Michelins are sure-footed. This was apparent in city traffic as well as out on the Alabama interstates.
Michelin, of course, focused the second generation’s improvement in all those areas where I noticed improvements, and made changes in the tire’s tread design and compounds accordingly.
Interlocking siping allows the tread blocks to lock together for better wet/snow traction.
The M/S2 tire gets it improved performance from interlocking siping (those tiny grooves and splits in the tread) that allows the tread blocks to lock together and preserve rigidity in the blocks. Michelin says the greater number of full depth “3D Active Sipes” allow 8% more biting edges than the prior generation LTX M/S, which, in turn, improves snow traction.
And less bending of the tread blocks as you drive means less energy used. As a result, the LT sizes of the LTX M/S2 tire are labeled Green X – their way of signifying the tire has tested to provide superior levels of fuel economy when compared to tires of equal size.
As for wet traction improvement, a lot of that comes from the addition of silica added to the M/S2 rubber formulation. Combine more silica in the rubber with the tread design and Michelin’s tests show the new tire stops up to seven feet shorter (1/3 truck length) than competitive tires.
I wasn’t able to do a tire-to-tire comparison. But I can attest, after putting on more than 3,000 city and highway miles, my TrailBlazer does stop quicker and handle more precisely than it did with the old tires.
As for the long-lasting aspect of the M/S2 tires, it’s far to early to tell. However, Michelin says the new LTX M/S2 tire is “the longest lasting tire in its class and gives consumers up to 20,000 more miles than competitive tires.” They back their claim up with a 6 year/70,000 mile limited warranty.
On top of everything else there’s no need to worry about towing capability with the new Michelins, either. And added steel belt gives the M/S2 a 13,500-pound load capacity, which is about 7,500-pounds more than my little TrailBlazer can tow.
“The Michelin LTX M/S2 tire will provide truck and SUV owners years of worry free driving because it is the segment’s longest lasting, safest and most reliable tire available. It offers consumers the very best value for their money and will wow them with its incredible performance.” Says Cunningham.
I tend to agree at this point in my long-term tire test. – Bruce W. Smith
