I posted this in the 2015 Expedition section and thought I would post here as well..




LOL, well I certainly did not start out for this to be a 3-way tire test, but it ended up that way and I thought I would share my experience.


I'm a big Michelin tire fan and have had dozens of sets. Currently have them on my '66 Shelby GT350, supercharged Viper, my wife's car, etc. The only reason my other toy cars don't wear Michelins is because they sit on original (reproduction) Goodyear Polyglas tires from the 60's. I also had Michelins on both my 2005 Expedition as well as my 2013. I've always considered them the best tire available (especially for the Expedition)..


My 2015 Platinum Expedition came with Pirelli Scorpion Verde tires designated Crossover/SUV/Touring All-Season. While I never really had an issue, they aren't very highly rated and visually I wasn't a fan of the tread design. So, with 20k miles on the car I upgraded last week to the new Michelin Defender LTX M/S, a Highway All-Season tire just now available in my 285-45R-22 size. I IMMEDIATELY noticed a negative change in steering response, wander, slightly more noise and much rougher ride. Wow, how could that be? Looking at the TireRack site I really couldn't compare the new Michelins to other tires because they are not yet rated so I took the leap of faith.


After stewing about my poor (and expensive at about $280 per tire shipped) decision and after further comparison, I ordered a set of the brand new Pirelli Scorpion Verde PLUS tires. Below is the TireRack comparison between the OEM Pirellis and the new PLUS version, and although I realize the ratings are subjective, the new PLUS tires are rated significantly higher than the OEMs. So today, exactly 7 days after mounting the Michelins, I had the new Pirelli PLUS tires mounted. Leaving the dealer, a significant and positive difference. Steering response had returned, harshness gone, a bit quieter, etc. the Expedition just felt lighter on its feet if there is such a thing.


In all fairness to Michelin, they too have another new tire in my size the Premier LTX which like the Pirelli is a Crossover/SUV/Touring All-Season and though I suspect they are a great tire rivaling the Pirelli Plus, because they are not yet rated I wasn't going to take a chance.


Moral of the story, I believe the "performance category" absolutely made a difference in my application. Large SUVs work best with the new Crossover/SUV tires.


I hope this helps, below is the TireRack comparison between the OEM Pirellis and the PLUS version.