Michelin Defender LTX Reviews Jan 2025

Tires, especially for the light trucks and SUVs come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

And if all my years of running an auto-repair garage have taught me anything, it’s that picking the right tire set for your vehicle is one of the hardest tasks to accomplish.

Where one model promises great dry performance, another considers itself to be the king of the wetter tracks.

However, the LTX M/S2 Michelin is one such tire series that successfully puts its fingers in a lot of pies. From providing excellent wet and dry road treading to fantastic noise cancellation features, this tire range is as versatile as it gets.

I have been using this set on my cars for some time now, and I’m not lying if I said that their performance blows me away every time I hit the road.

Last updated on 2021-02-25 at 23:32 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Michelin Defender Reviews Jan 2025: Why should you go for the LTX M/S2 Radial Tire?

In all my years with the auto-repair shop, I have seen a lot of highway tires come and go; and out of all of them, the LTX M/S2 from Michelin is going to be my pick for light trucks, SUVs and vans.

For an all-season tire set, it has incredible noise cancellation features, and in many respects it is a much-improved version of the previous LTX M/S as well.

So, let us take a closer look as to why this tire range is one of the most popular series in the current market.

Improved stability on dry roads

Now, to start with, let’s look into the tire’s dry performance.

As the M/S2 is a highway tire, it goes without saying that when it comes to treading over tracks with dry or even wet conditions, it’s simply going to excel. The handling in my experience is quite smooth, and the ride is as comfortable as one can ask for.

The sidewalls are made stiffer than the previous model, thereby improving on the overall responsiveness during cornering and changing lanes at higher speeds. The car is kept firm and stable irrespective of your driving style and road conditions.

Wet performance

As I had mentioned before, the M/S2 is an all-season tire series and is specifically designed to take you from point A to point B seamlessly even on wet surfaces.

And there are several unique design features that the M/S2 possesses that make it support amazing wet performance capabilities. The tread of the tire is lined with silica which allows for better water evacuation and thereby improve on the stopping distance on a wet road.

The 3D sipes along the edges are not designed to be straight like those of the more standard tire models, but are given a zig-zag pattern instead to increase the surface area and help the tires provide better traction.

Snow and Ice Performance

When it comes to going over snow and frosty patches, the M/S2 shows some great performance in that regard as well.

However, as these tires are not made specifically for winter, I would not suggest you try them out on thick snow blankets.

It’s much more ideal to use them on smaller snow patches where the bed depth is not too much, and chances of getting stuck are at a minimum.

Because of the bigger biting edge (almost 8% bigger than the previous model), these tires can be perfect during the winter months (well as long as your area doesn’t face really harsh winters).

Last updated on 2021-02-25 at 23:32 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Much reduced road noise levels

All-season tires are not known for low road noises. As they are provided with a more aggressive tread design, they compromise on the noise levels by investing heavily on the performance.

And this is precisely where this tire series from Michelin sets itself apart from the rest of the competition. The M/S2 is incredibly silent, and not only do these tires roll noiselessly but very comfortable as well.

The rolling action is incredibly smooth, to say the least, and as the design soaks up much of the vibration from the bumps and road movements, you will hardly have much trouble maneuvering your vehicle around the roughest of street conditions.

The Treadwear

Another aspect of the M/S2 series which I really love is the durability. It has one of the highest lifespans of any of the light truck tire series that I know of.

Where most tires of its class give out at approximately 40,000 miles, the M/S2, on the other hand, goes as far as providing 50,000 to 70,000 miles even under the toughest of conditions.

What about the Michelin LTX M/S2 could have been better?

When it comes to some of the disadvantages of this tire series, the first thing which really lets me down is the price. The M/S2 is quite expensive for a light truck and SUV tire range and may be out of reach for a lot of average car owners.

Additionally, during off-road performance, the M/S2 disappoints again, especially when treading over larger boulders and thick muddy soil.

I know these are specifically highway and all-season tires, but I really would have liked a bit better off-road capabilities.

Final Thoughts

When it finally comes down to picking a tire set for your SUV, the M/S2 is simply going to be a much more impressive choice than all the other models that are available in the market today.

From providing fantastic noise reduction capabilities to excellent balance, stability, and vehicle handling on rough corners and wet surfaces, the M/S2 is one of the best all-season tires.

Though a bit more expensive than most of its competitors, with the features that you get from it, one can hardly complain.

Last updated on 2021-02-25 at 23:32 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

You should also check out our reviews of other Michelin tires:

• Michelin Premier A/S Review Jan 2025
• Michelin Premier LTX Tire Review Jan 2025