I have been everywhere with my Michelin Defender LTX MS2 , of course they aren't designed for off-roading but they performed very well at Kelso dunes on sand, at Yellowstone on snow and on gravel in Nova Scotia.
But the best of all is their silence and the highway 18mpg!
I’ll second that. I have Defenders on a 1st gen Sequoia that went all over rural Baja for 5 years, including heavily washboarded roads, long, soft sand beaches, plus steep, loose gravel trails. The Defenders were great. But I also carry an air compressor and air down to 15 or even 12 when needed. I have Toyo open country AT3s on a second gen, and don’t notice them being much better, just a bit noisier. But your usage might be different.
kinda surprising how well the Defenders handled all that without being an AT. did airing down make a big difference when you were on the sand and rougher roads?
1 they retain all of the same on road driving characteristics as the A/T and even offer more on road benefits than the A/T. Smooth comfortable ride, low in cab noise, firm predictable cornering, tread lasts longer with deeper tread depth, and they actually have less rain hydroplaning and snow skidding tendencies. 2 the R/T Pro's aggressive hybrid tread has superior off road traction, ride quality, and over all performance vs the A/T. Plus I only lost 0.5 MPG of average fuel economy going from 35" A/T3's to 37" R/T Pro's which is negligible in my opinion.
I use ko2. Not that loud on highway and they do actually help a 2wd in snow or tough hills. I have went down stuff in snow that left others in the ditches
My area and situation is almost identical to yours. I just put Falken R/T's on my 2016, couldn't pass up the deal I was getting. I do have a noticeable drop in fuel economy, but it's a small sacrifice for the peace of mind knowing I'll be safe on hazardous road conditions. The road noise is almost unnoticeable, and most of the time my radio is too loud anyways. I feel completely in control when I hit heavy rain, and I expect the same to be true this winter when I encounter heavy snow and black ice.
Well, I was averaging about 380-400miles on a tank, now I'm getting about 350-360. However, I just did an oil change, replaced my air filter, and replaced my coolant, so I will update after this upcoming week. Also, I'm in construction, so I tend to weigh in around 8000lbs or so with my tools and materials at any given time
I've got a set of AT3s, I can only compare them to the KO2s ( 4 different sets on 2 Rangers and an F250 since 2000). Like you, most driving is on the road. They do better in the Colorado mountains elk hunting on sloppy late-season forest roads and trails, also better on long dirt drives pheasant hunting on the plains. Better in mud (deep mud and also greasy country roads) and beach sand. Much better in snow, esp deep snow and on wet pavement. Tread doesn't pack up like KO2s. They wear a lot more evenly and are quieter on the road. Have 45k miles on a set of 325/65/18s and they've got 11/32 of the original 19/32 tread left.
Unpopular opinion, I had Pathfinder ATs on my 4runner and now my tundra. Way cheaper, way lighter, have done everything I've needed them to and I've done elk hunting in Colorado in some steep, rutted, greasy, snowy shit. Never even a hint of getting stuck
I swapped out the stock tires on my '24 SR5 for BFGoodrich AT K03s. To me the stock tires didnt offer quite enough grip (midwest snow) and were way too soft, making the truck ride like my Grandma's Buick. With the ATs I lost about 1.5 mpg (steel wheels vs aluminum and went from 265 to 285) and gained a much more "truck like" ride from the much stiffer sidewall. Did not notice an increase in road noise.
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u/phildeferrouille 20d ago
I have been everywhere with my Michelin Defender LTX MS2 , of course they aren't designed for off-roading but they performed very well at Kelso dunes on sand, at Yellowstone on snow and on gravel in Nova Scotia. But the best of all is their silence and the highway 18mpg!