2013 Sienna FWD - 3 season - Michelin Defender 2?

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Apr 6, 2006
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Toronto-ish, Canada
Shopping for new tires for a 3rd gen 2013 Sienna LE FWD 235/60R17 "summer use" only - already have dedicated set of winter wheels & tires so winter traction is not a factor in the decision. Currently riding on RT43s from the previous owner.

We've had a few different tires on 2nd and 3rd gen Siennas. Most liked were Michelin Defender T+H on a 2nd gen. I see the T+H has been discontinued in favour of the Defender 2, but the Defender 2 has a "B B" rating, seems frequently offered in only T speed rating not H in the size required and few other things that might be a "downgrade" compared to the previous T+H experience.

There's also the MXV4, supposedly superior, but Tirerack surveys put the Defender 2 ahead in every section.

Personally, I do favour Michelin. My particular life experience has resulted in superior results from Michelin in almost all cases but I realize that doesn't apply to every model and every size or vehicle out there. (The bulk of my personal experience is with PS2, PSS, PS4S - tires in a class where Michelin is a clear winner and not something that's going on a minivan)

Any collective thoughts? Anyone bought Defender 2s and hated them?
 
On my 2012 Sienna I currently have Goodyear Assurance Weatherready tires in 235/60R18.
Great tires with about 9000 miles on them. So far they are wearing nicely. Not run flat so I carry a spare (AWD).
 
Michelin does make an H-rated Defender 2 in your size 235/60-17. It is listed on Blackcircles and 1010 :)

Too bad the Pilot Sport 4 SUV isn't available in your size :D
The Latitude Sport 3 it replaced was available in your size, and you might be able to find some on eBay. This seller only has 2, not all 4

There's also the Primacy 4 (a grand touring summer tire) or Conti's equivalent PremiumContact 6.
 
Take a look at Continental TrueContact Tour. I put a set on my 2013 Sienna XLE about 20 months ago. I have been very pleased with this tire. Quiet, good grip (dry, wet and snow) and the van rides smoothly. It's a popular tire with Sienna owners and gets great reviews.

Good luck.
 
Looks like at some retailers I can also get Premier LTX, which I assume to be an SUV/truck rated tire as opposed to a primarily a car tire. I'm having difficulty finding any good comparisons that aren't just AI-generated drivel online.
 
Looks like at some retailers I can also get Premier LTX, which I assume to be an SUV/truck rated tire as opposed to a primarily a car tire. I'm having difficulty finding any good comparisons that aren't just AI-generated drivel online.
The Premier LTX is basically the SUV-sized version of the outgoing Premier. Michelin wants to replace those with the CC2s. The Defender 2s don’t rank so great in the rain per TireRack.
 
The Premier LTX is basically the SUV-sized version of the outgoing Premier. Michelin wants to replace those with the CC2s. The Defender 2s don’t rank so great in the rain per TireRack.
Tirerack rates Defender2 #1 out of 17 in the segment, with a 9.0 "Excellent" in wet grip. Did you mean something else, or am I looking in the wrong place? Defender LTX?

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Looks like at some retailers I can also get Premier LTX, which I assume to be an SUV/truck rated tire as opposed to a primarily a car tire. I'm having difficulty finding any good comparisons that aren't just AI-generated drivel online.
I had Premier LTX on X5. It is very good tire. It does start shallow, but it is exceptional in every aspect. Now, I use snow tires, so can’t tell you anything about snow performance.
 
I think it was in the video's when they compared it to other tires. Watch that when you get a chance.
Found it - looks like the little video is in complete disagreement with user reviews/ranking. Neat!

Just taking another look through the playing field again... Wondering on the group's thoughts about the Sienna and making an intentional decision to get a truck/SUV tire instead of passenger car rated - such as getting the Conti LX25 over the Michelin CC2. The winter tires (Hakkas) have been the SUV version and those have had some nice properties compared to the non-SUV version I have been running on my vehicle. Wondering if the same might carry over to all-season/summer.
 
Found it - looks like the little video is in complete disagreement with user reviews/ranking. Neat!

Just taking another look through the playing field again... Wondering on the group's thoughts about the Sienna and making an intentional decision to get a truck/SUV tire instead of passenger car rated - such as getting the Conti LX25 over the Michelin CC2. The winter tires (Hakkas) have been the SUV version and those have had some nice properties compared to the non-SUV version I have been running on my vehicle. Wondering if the same might carry over to all-season/summer.
Minivans are generally hard on their tires. An LT/C-Metric tire(Conti VancoFourSeasons, Michelin Agilis CrossClimate, Hankook Vantra) will buy you more load carrying and durability at the expense of ride quality. A truck tire will ride rougher, I put a set of Defender LTXs on a Lexus RX450h, it made it ride very firm, the current Pirelli Scorpion AS3 Plus(a “truck” sized version of the Cinturato P7 AS3 Plus) rides smooth. Oddly enough, Michelin does make a Defender LTX in a 235/65R16, which is used on the 2005-2009 Honda Odyssey and maybe newer, there also more “truck” tires in that size.

The Sienna is proving to be a popular “overlanding” van despite FWD chops - many are installing AT tires like the Falken Wildpeak AT3s or Yokohama Geolandar ATs on them.
 
i would get the ltx defenders. my vw jetta has ran normal (passenger car) defenders before, and the ltx (truck tires) defenders lasted way longer.
 
Found it - looks like the little video is in complete disagreement with user reviews/ranking. Neat!

Just taking another look through the playing field again... Wondering on the group's thoughts about the Sienna and making an intentional decision to get a truck/SUV tire instead of passenger car rated - such as getting the Conti LX25 over the Michelin CC2. The winter tires (Hakkas) have been the SUV version and those have had some nice properties compared to the non-SUV version I have been running on my vehicle. Wondering if the same might carry over to all-season/summer.
Keep in mind that wet traction test results are very dependent on the road type that the test was performed on.
 
Tirerack rates Defender2 #1 out of 17 in the segment, with a 9.0 "Excellent" in wet grip. Did you mean something else, or am I looking in the wrong place? Defender LTX?

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That #1 out of 17 rating is equivalent to a Consumer Reports rating, as it is an aggregate of results from the customer review surveys, not TireRack's own testing. See below for results and comments from TireRack's testing.


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