305/45/22 Michelin Defender LTX 2 - some photos and my review

[Tomek77]

Here's some photos of my new tires: Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 in 305/45/22 on stock wheels. No lift or spacers. There was very slight rubbing on each front side which i fixed with a zip ties. Easy fix. So far only about 800miles on these tires (only dry - we didn't have any rain here in NY for almost 2 months). Tires ride a bit softer than stock setup. I keep them at 35-36PSI (I find anything above 36PSI makes the ride too harsh), acceleration is tiny bit slower and breaking requires a little more pedal press but only very "sensitive" people will notice it. I installed "pedal monster" which fixed the delay or hesitation when accelerating from stop and this in turn feels like the truck is even faster then with the OEM tires. Handling at highway speeds is also noticeable better.
I did not adjust my speedo yet. MPG loss is about 1mile. I used to average about 17.5 mpg, now about 16.5 mpg but once I adjust the speedo this will get slightly better. Driving noise is the same as stock, no difference.
Not very visible on the photos but these tires stick outside the rim about 1" (OEM is less then 0.5") which is great if you are concern about curb rash. So far so good - I didn't have to be so careful around tight spaces.
Besides being a bit wider (12" vs 11.2"OEM) these tires are also a little taller 32.8" vs 32.1"OEM). Overall I am happy with my choice but I want to see how they handle in rain and snow.
(My truck: 2022 Ram 1500 Limited with air suspension, HEMI 5.7 with e-torque, 3.92 gearing)

 

[vdrsnk04]

We have the same tires we recently put on our Grand Wagoneer in 285/45r22. I am not impressed compared to the previous generation Defender LTX on our 4Runner right now too. These new tires are much louder on the Wagoneer. I expect quiet with Michelin’s.

 

[Paco]

Defenders used to be great.
One of the best for mileage and very quiet.
Also lasted a long time, but it seems reviews are not as impressed as they used to be.

I used to swear by Michelin until I bought some for my wifes Audi.
They were so noisy I actually went back to the tire shop and complained.
The guy said you got a nice stereo just turn it up .(No I am not kidding).

I decided after I sold my Goodyear ****thole tires I would buy a different Highway tire.

I bought Continental Terrain Contact HT .
A fantastic tire for highway and no noise. My re

But this is about the Michelins, and I do look forward to your Long Term review.
So please keep us informed, sorry if I got a bit sidetracked.

 

[river rat]

You can still find new defender ltx ms, at least I did a few months ago.

 

[Biga]

Defenders used to be great.
One of the best for mileage and very quiet.
Also lasted a long time, but it seems reviews are not as impressed as they used to be.

I used to swear by Michelin until I bought some for my wifes Audi.
They were so noisy I actually went back to the tire shop and complained.
The guy said you got a nice stereo just turn it up .(No I am not kidding).

I decided after I sold my Goodyear ****thole tires I would buy a different Highway tire.

I bought Continental Terrain Contact HT .
A fantastic tire for highway and no noise. My re

But this is about the Michelins, and I do look forward to your Long Term review.
So please keep us informed, sorry if I got a bit sidetracked.

I had the continentals on my last truck and they were fantastic, I've also had the Michelin and they are good tires. I would say the biggest drawback to the Michelin's is the lack a rim protector if you have low profile 22's.

 

[Scram1500]

Got a picture of the gap between the upper control arm and the tire?

 

[Mr.Grid]

At 30k miles purchased new Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 in XL rating 275/55-20 and have over 12k miles on them now. I had two sets of the original Defenders on my 2011 Ram 1500 prior. I agree the newer LTX M/S2 are not as quiet (when dead quiet no radio playing) as the prior version, and they aren’t as good in the rain either. I tow 7k# 60% of the time and are very good towing.

At time of purchase I was seriously considering the Continental TerrainContact H/T, but Discount tires had a $100 rebate on the new Defender so I went that way.

For me not a big deal, and knowing first hand what the new Defender tires are now, when replacing I’m probably going to try the Continental.

When I rotated tires at 10k miles, I noticed the rear tire center tread worn slightly more than the edges. The front tires were worn even. This was with 35# in both front and rear. I dropped the rear tires down to 33# now to see if it improves this, and it still tows properly with rears reduced slightly.

 

[Tomek77]

Defenders used to be great.
One of the best for mileage and very quiet.
Also lasted a long time, but it seems reviews are not as impressed as they used to be.

I used to swear by Michelin until I bought some for my wifes Audi.
They were so noisy I actually went back to the tire shop and complained.
The guy said you got a nice stereo just turn it up .(No I am not kidding).

I decided after I sold my Goodyear ****thole tires I would buy a different Highway tire.

I bought Continental Terrain Contact HT .
A fantastic tire for highway and no noise. My re

But this is about the Michelins, and I do look forward to your Long Term review.
So please keep us informed, sorry if I got a bit sidetracked.

Most michelin tires are great but not all, some are just ok. I've had probably 7 or 8 different michelin tires and only 1 (can't remember the full name) was just ok and this was some 15 years ago. I'll post another review after driving in rain and snow. So i guess in 2 or 3 months.

 

[Tomek77]

Got a picture of the gap between the upper control arm and the tire?

I'll take one and post it here tomorrow.

 

[uncc_99xj]

I have the M/S2 on my 22 in the stock size and after about 10-15k on them, I agree they're not as quiet as the original M/S version, but still very quiet overall. I haven't noticed any poor weather performance out of them either compared to the previous version. For what it's worth, I have the original M/S on my wife's JGC, had them on my previous F150, and have run them for years on my parent's Tundra, so lots of experience with them and they've been my go to for years.

 

[70runner]

After sliding around on the roads during last years pretty wet winter for San Diego, I dumped the Wranglers for the stock size LTX MS2s. Ran the MS2s on my previous Tundra and was very happy with them. Had 45K on the MS2s when I sold the Tundra and they had a lot of tread remaining. For the Rebel, road noise was cut substantially, mpg remained about the same. Haven't had much wet weather yet, but I'm sure they'll do better than the Wrangler hydroplaning series. They aren't as visually aggressive as off road style tires, but I'll happily sacrifice that for weather and noise performance.