Looking for some assistance on the Michelin LTX A/T2.

I'm looking at two of them:

LT265-70-17 121 / 118E

DT, Different Tread.

P265-70-17 113S

Comparing the two tires and specs, the only tread difference that I can find is the tread depth. The LT tire is 16.5/32 and the P tire is 14.5/32. Otherwise, i can see no difference at all. Oddly enough, even with the extra 2/32 on the LT, it's still rated for 60,000 miles like the P tire. I'm having a conundrum here, anyone care to rescue me?

 

I wonder how much the LT tire weighs? Is fuel economy important? And do you tow? (I still have stock Goodyear's on my truck, but my truck is a max tow w/the 6.2)

 

The LT tire is 49 LBs and the P tire is 44 LBs.

I was looking at the LT tire because of the deeper tread and the opinion that it would last longer. But, apparently not and I really don't need a heavy duty tire. The price difference is negligible.

 

did you catch that the LT's are an E load range. you might get considerably less miles out of them if you don't lower air pressure to make them wear even!

 

Assuming you maintain good alignment and pressure, expect both tires to get about the same tread life even though the LT has slightly more tread depth

The LT tires will have a stronger, stiffer, and somewhat thicker carcass for load stability and to keep heat down when hauling/towing heavy, but this will cost you some ride quality and even some fuel economy.

The LT tread will be blocked more, meaning the tire will look more "square". It's great for traction but comes with a cost of reduced treadlife. That's why they are deeper tread but get the same mileage warranty.

Now there is something to pay attention to when it comes to P-metric vs LT tires. The P-metric is rated for 2305 lbs carrying capacity at 44 psi (it's actually less by a factor of 1.1 when mounted to a truck). The same sized LT is rated at 3195 lbs at 80 psi. That's almost double the air pressure, but also a significantly higher load capacity.

Many people air down their LT's on 1/2 ton trucks to make it more comfortable to drive down the highway, or just follow the original door sticker air pressure ratings with the original P-tires. That's fine as long as you aren't towing or hauling anything. If you aired down LT tires to say 44 psi (same pressure as the P-metric), then the P-metric tires would actually have a higher load capacity at that pressure than the LT tires by a couple hundred pounds per tire. LT tires significantly drop load capacity as air pressure is reduced. Why? Well even though the LT tire has a thicker carcass, what carries the load is air... not the tire. When you compare the volume inside (amount of space inside of the tire) with LT vs P-metric, there's actually more volume inside the P-tire because the LT tire has a thicker carcass and that reduces volume. So when you reduce air pressure on an LT tire, the load capacity drops because you actually have less air inside for the same pressure.

So choose your tire wisely.

 

I'm going to stick with the P tires but I was just wondering. The P tires will carry as much weight as the truck is designed to haul or tow and I never tow heavy and rarely tow at all.

I appreciate the comments and I consider myself better for having asked.

 

If you never tow heavy, and if your towing is rare.... best to stick with P tires. You'll maximize ride comfort and fuel economy that way and not really sacrifice what the truck was designed to carry.

Only other thing to consider is if you're offroad often, LT tires have a stronger sidewall and usually stand up better to punctures.

But from the sounds of it you've made the correct selection for your usage.

 

I have toiled over this subject for weeks doing research, reading reviews, etc and I think the LTX A/T2 is a great tire. I like a fairly aggressive tread and I feel that these do a great job of bridging the gap of road manners and handling some mud and snow. SE Virginia is blessed with some of the mildest weather on the East coast. We get a few inches of snow per year and the ice to match. Then it's over.

 

Personally I'm a fan of the Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015 for something that's an all-terrain without being too aggressive. It has great traction and lasts a long time, and it's pretty quiet. They have a P-metric in your size, it's probably cheaper than the Michelin.

I've run the Michelin's but wasn't impressed with light snow traction. Heavier snow I had to use 4x4. Michelin has a really hard compound and in cold weather they get slick. The Yoko's I can get away with 2x4 most of the time except for the really deep stuff.

What I like to use is Tire Rack's customer reviews. It's probably the greatest database of real-world customer input. For light-truck tires in all-terrain, here's the top tires:




And here's the link: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surve....jsp?type=ORAT

Surprisingly the Continental TerrainContact is ranked highest. It's still a newer tire so that might change.

Pirelli also has a new A/T tire (not shown on the list and it's not the Scorpion), but it's more aggressive and they are going after BFG A/T KO2's with that tire.

Not all of those will have a tire in your size, but some more info for you to chew on before you pull the trigger. Enjoy!

 

I also use tirerack and based on my experience with Michelin / BFG, I'm good with their 93% rating.

I've had a set of Yoko Geo's on my Expy, after 35K miles, they were worn to the wear bars. Another set on "99 Taurus wagon and after 25K miles, I noticed that all four were cracked on the side walls. I did use the pro-rated warranty and replaced them with another set and then I gifted the car to a family member.

So, Yoko's are out.

My experience with Continental is no better so I'm not spending money on them either.

TBH, The BFG Rugged terrains that are on my truck have really impressed me. If BFG could figure out how to extend the tread life then I'm get another set. They are rated for 50K miles and I'm at 40K miles and they still have 6/32. So, I'll get the 50K miles as advertised but as they've worn they've gotten noisy as all get out.

BTW, I adhere to a strict 7500 tire rotation / balance and I never ever ever use any of the tire shine crap on them ever since my issues with Yoko's on the Taurus.

Curtis, I really appreciate your suggestions and your infinite knowledge.

 

My weather here is similar to yours and based on my experiences, also very similar to what your needs seem to be, I have no doubt you will be very happy with the P-rated LTX tires. They are the best tires I have ever used.

 

I just got the Pirelli Scorpion ATR; I used Tire Rack for research too.I think the new Pirelli tire is a Scorpion; however its the Scorpion All Terrain Plus. The Michelin is a stellar choice.