Michelin Defender LTX M/S winter performance

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They really impressed me few days ago when I was driving into Canada and got caught in the winter storm. Highway 401 was closed due to a huge pile up and I had to use back roads.

There was a moment when a jeep in front of me got stuck and I tried to turn around and got stuck too. However I got it to rock back and forth and once the tires got some loose snow they gripped impressively and I got out.

In general, they also felt really good on loose and packed snow, definitely very good for all seasons.

You had to drive around 400km (300 miles) in these conditions. Lost of vehicles were in a ditch, sideways, stuck in snow banks etc. Canada welcomed me with all its glory 😆

3E5509D4-AFB9-474A-B662-355564541111.jpeg
 
Very glad to hear this. I just put a set on my Ram.

I figure with these tires, 4wd and 300lbs of salt on the rear axle, I should be in pretty good shape for most Maryland weather.
 
I have them on my F250; the "LT" heavy-duty version. I'm not nearly as happy with mine as you seem to be. That does not in any way discount your experiences or invalidate your opinion. I just think these tires are not great; I've had bad experiences in snow with them, and they are about as bad in mud. For an "all terrain" tire, there are better choices out there and I'm looking forward to replacing my soon. I do admit I like the LTX tires in the summer; low noise and very good road manners. They just leave me wanting when the tread fills with snow or mud.

They are so dismal in winter (again - my opinon is based on different experiences than others) that I actually bought a set of dedicated winter-only snow tires for my SuperDuty. Now those do much better in snow/ice. As it said, there's always a right tool for the job.
 
I have them on my F250; the "LT" heavy-duty version. I'm not nearly as happy with mine as you seem to be. That does not in any way discount your experiences or invalidate your opinion. I just think these tires are not great; I've had bad experiences in snow with them, and they are about as bad in mud. For an "all terrain" tire, there are better choices out there and I'm looking forward to replacing my soon. I do admit I like the LTX tires in the summer; low noise and very good road manners. They just leave me wanting when the tread fills with snow or mud.
The Defender LTX is a highway tire, not an all-terrain tire?
 
The Defender LTX is a highway tire, not an all-terrain tire?
I know many that use them on their plow trucks and run them year round. I have them for 3 season but work well for all the highway trips and my use on the beach, light gravel/light mud trails to hunting cabin. I only tried the old original LTX M/S way back in a couple snows. They were just OK to me BUT I was comparing them to dedicated original Nokian Hak 1 SUV.
 
REAL snow tyres have softer rubber to work in the cold + of course better thread patterns. beside tyres the driver is key as well as the vehicle itself!!! drive slower to be safe + remember STOPPING is not aided by what makes your ride go thru the snow + narrower tyres that put more weight per sq inch are BETTER!! i gotta say my 2001 VW jetta FWD was GREAT in the snow with 4 REAL snow tyres!!!
 
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I have them on my F250; the "LT" heavy-duty version. I'm not nearly as happy with mine as you seem to be. That does not in any way discount your experiences or invalidate your opinion. I just think these tires are not great; I've had bad experiences in snow with them, and they are about as bad in mud. For an "all terrain" tire, there are better choices out there and I'm looking forward to replacing my soon. I do admit I like the LTX tires in the summer; low noise and very good road manners. They just leave me wanting when the tread fills with snow or mud.

They are so dismal in winter (again - my opinon is based on different experiences than others) that I actually bought a set of dedicated winter-only snow tires for my SuperDuty. Now those do much better in snow/ice. As it said, there's always a right tool for the job.

Application also matters. Mine is a minivan, FWD, all weight is at the front. In a truck, I can see you had a very different experience.

To be clear though, I’m in no way saying they performed as well as dedicated winter tires, but they did exceed my expectations for all season tires.
 
the 401 is in the part of Canada that doesn't require 3PMSF tires for its residents. As soon as it becomes the A20, its residents should be on 3PMSF tires for the winter season.
 
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I’m with dnewton on this one; I bought a set for my Tundra (not a 3/4T so these were passenger car tires, not LT’s) and I was not happy. At least not thrilled, going by the reports given here, I had higher expectations in snow. Set of cheap snow tires later and I was much happier. Shocking? probably not, and KrisZ states, application matters. An a/s just isn’t a snow tire, so perhaps all my fault for not keeping expectations realistic.

Was happy with them as an a/s for driving on wet and dry roads. Good wear, low noise, good mpg. Good life, right up until they weather checked going into year 3 and thus… wound up being the last set of Michelin’s I plan to buy.
 
I have to say I agree. Had these tires on my 2008 Titan. I was really impressed with how it performed in snow even in just two-wheel drive 👍
 
I have them on my F250; the "LT" heavy-duty version. I'm not nearly as happy with mine as you seem to be. That does not in any way discount your experiences or invalidate your opinion. I just think these tires are not great; I've had bad experiences in snow with them, and they are about as bad in mud. For an "all terrain" tire, there are better choices out there and I'm looking forward to replacing my soon. I do admit I like the LTX tires in the summer; low noise and very good road manners. They just leave me wanting when the tread fills with snow or mud.

They are so dismal in winter (again - my opinon is based on different experiences than others) that I actually bought a set of dedicated winter-only snow tires for my SuperDuty. Now those do much better in snow/ice. As it said, there's always a right tool for the job.
The LTX M/S (M/S2 and Defender LTX) are definitely not an all terrain tire, they are an H/T tire, maybe you have the LTX A/T?
 
Have the Defender LTX on the wife’s AWD Durango year round, and for three seasons on the Ram 2500. They offer better winter traction on the Durango then the OE Bridgestone tires did. I run dedicated snow tires on the Ram 2500 during the winter months. I’ve ran the Defender LTX on the Ram 2500 in a few early snow storms and they are okay, better then a few all seasons I’ve run previously but nothing beats a snow tire in the snow.
 
I'm on my second set of Defenders. I put 90,000 miles on my first set. Great tires. I have a Suburban, my dad and brother both have Tahoes. They run em too. My son just got a Ram 1500 that had some crap tires on it and we switched it to Defenders. Same size too. We could buy them by the pallet.
 
I'm on my 5th set of Michelin Defender LTX/MS tires. I think they're Outstanding Tires, and very Quiet
I run them on the Highway in Rain and Snow from Seattle to Key West on my 2011 Ford Expedition EL King Ranch 4x4 with 346,000 miles.
That's impressive but I will say possibly even more impressive does your 2011 have the 5.4 3V and is it original?
 
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