Hi Folks, been a while since I posted. Picked up a new to me boat this spring and been busy with it.
Finally, now tow 10K with the Excursion, previously my tow load with former boat was about 4K. Good to now finallly use the X for what I got her for!

Have to say, she handles the load very well and extremely pleased!

Now, it is time for tires. I know, this has likely been beaten to death, but posting something here a little different this time.

I have used in past on the X and still have on my GMC K1500, the BFG All Terrain TA K/O's. Love them and always had great traction in Ice/Snow and Rain. Downside is only get approx. 40K miles on them.

Went to Michelin LTX M&S tires on the X a few years ago. Been excellent in every way. No issues in Ice/Snow and Rain. Tread is low now and still they do pretty well for what little is left. These are D rated tires.

Now, I need to go to the E rated tires.

Michelin went and changed the LTX M&S to the LTX MS2 series.

This is where I am concerned. Seems with the reviews on several sites, I am seeing some consistency in folks that get these for their HD trucks/SUV's and are not happy at all. Especially when loading up for towing.

They are claiming they are noisier, less traction, and get squirrley when towing a load. Also some claim a much rougher ride and vibration on others.

So, has anyone with the X or F250 trucks had any actual experience with these new series Michelin's? I do not want to make a mistake in this purchase! If there is any question here, I will go back to the BFG's for sure.

Experience...good or bad with this specific series tire will be much appreciated!

 

I have Michelin AT/2 load range E and I'm pleased with them. Good ride and made for towing. If you decide to change them, this is what I would recommend.

 

I also have the AT2 on my F250. I went with them due to the fact that sometimes when we go camping I pull a trailer into some less than desirable conditions. 20k on them so far and they still look new.


Cheers

 

(sorry for the huge pictures)
I have (stock size/load range E) BFG Rugged Trail T/A tires now and I am very happy with them. I tow a 35ft travel trailer (11k lbs. max)with no problems.



I think these are being replaced by the Rugged Terrain T/A.(in size 265/75R16E at least)



Next time I need tires I think I will try these Yokohama Geolander AT-S because they are $141 at Tirerack.com vs. $182 for the Rugged Terrain T/A. I have read people only get 40k miles out of them but if I'm saving $41 per tire I won't complain!

 

If I was buying new tires today, I would go with the Firestone Destination LE.

The customer reviews on this tire are better than outstanding, and better than the Michelin.

Check them out on tirerack.com

 

Michelin LTX M/S2's rock, IMHO. I've never ridden on a more reliable or finer tire.

 

I had the BFG Rugged Trail's on my F250 when new, they were ok. The PO of my Excursion put them on before my purchase. They have been ok so far but I noticed last weekend that with 20k on them now that the sidewalls are developing splits. Curious what that is from.

 

I agree with littleradio my Michelin LTX M/S'2s are a great tire & helped me through vail pass last year, when it was snowing like mad!

 

I'm running the LTX M/S. They now have 85,000 miles on them and were rotated once at 50,000 miles. Looks like they have 15,000 left on them. I've done ball joints and springs with no alignment with each. Best millage tire I've ever run. I'm subscribing to see if the M/S 2 holds up like the M/S and if they are as quiet. Not sure about how they handle the snow.

 

Thanks for the info so far. Good stuff.

One thing I did not mention is that on the BFG All Terrain TA K/O tire, I have never had a tire with better traction in rain and snow. I drove through our freak snowstorm years back that was 24". I was out before the plows and had to go round trip 30 miles. Never one time had any slippage so they sold me on traction. Just as good on ice and we have some really bad stuff here in NC on occasion.
Only reason I left this tire for the Michelin LTX MS tire was due to results from others that had them on their F250's. Great mileage, usually 70K plus and they wore even....even without rotation them! They also told me the traction and ride was great. So, I have been very happy with them, then Michelin had to go make a change to something near perfect!

The harder compound and sipes now running all the way around the outside tread block has me somewhat concerned on causing more wandering that we all know is sensitive on the X. The BFG was non issue with wandering due to the triguard sidewall which makes them very stable tires on the road. That is why they look more square on the edges than other tires and gives them that extra edge support.

I usually got approx. 30 to 40K miles on the BFG's. I have so far on the LTX MS tire just over 45K and think I can get another 3 or 4K before winter is here and I have to make the change in regards to snow or ice.

I also went from 265's to 285's and found that going to 285's helped make my speedometer more accurate and they look better, but they are a little more on the wandering than the 265's but not that bad. Improved of course when some miles were gained.

Those Rugged Trails look good, but don't see any advantage over the TA KO's. I like the tread pattern on the Firestones, but am afraid I am one of those folks that has had bad experience with the Firestones over the years in regards to failed tires. Yes, some were in the recall program, but way too late to get any support as firestone was not supporting the recalls until after I had tire failure, so could not get any support from them on known bad tires.

Traction is very critical as well as water dispersion with tread pattern. I really had hydroplaning! Also, when I pull a boat off the ramp, neither the Michelin or BFG's have required me to engage 4X4 to pull off the ramp. Other tires in the past did, so it just shows how much difference there is in tread pattern and grip.

Keep the info coming folks....any one else with the newer Michelin MS/2's? Especially with towing?

 

A friend of mine put the M/S 2's on his F 250 and says he can't keep it on the highway. He has his pressure down to 60 all the way around and is going to 55 psi this weekend. I think he has 5000 miles on them.

 

I have the m/s2 on the Excursion and they have been great for the 35,000 miles they have been on the Ex. I don't tow so I cannot give any feedback about how the tires perform in that capacity. I can say that they are quiet, smooth riding tires that stick to the road well in dry and wet road conditions. Just yesterday, I got caught in a strong storm that reduced visibility to at the most 150 yards; we all know how roads are so much slicker when rain hasn't fallen in awhile but despite this the tires never gave me any trouble or hairy moments.

Overall I have been impressed with the m/s2

 

Ok, thanks hhcobra, that is what I was in fear of. What I don't get here is why some have no issue, and then others have what seems to be a major issue.
It just does not make sense to me. Can you find out what your friends previous tires were and what size he is running?

 

I have a little over 20k miles on a new set of 4. About 1/2 that mileage is towing trailers between 1.5 tons and 3 tons and includes one 5k mile road trip over 1.5 weeks. One 700 mile trip towing 4 tons.

I have used the tires on dry and flooded roads, hard dirt off road and fairly hard turf. My importance in judging tires are: 1) Traction, 2) Highway noise and 3) Ride comfort.

In the end I am happy with these tires. I've had 3 people notice them and ask for my experience as they were also worried about the change. This includes the manager of the shop that sold them.

Traction is fantastic, they are quiet on the highway, ride comfort is acceptable (suspension is set up for towing, not cruising and so it is hard to tell how good the tires are in this factor) and at 20k+ miles there is no noticeable wear. If I get 40k miles out of my tires I am very pleased due to my driving conditions. I expect to at least get this amount of use.

The one negative is that they appear to be sensitive to inflation. A few PSI is noticeable in my vehicle. Perhaps this could be the reason for the handling issue mentioned above?

 

I have michelins on my ex, I think they are great. I believe that the 10 ply michelins are the only l/t tires that have a steel belt package which helps with the heavy rig and air pressure is important.