LEAST aggressive "off road" tires used ? Full size E rated Michelin M/S 2 ?

Jwestpro

Explorer
LEAST aggressive "off road" tires used ? Full size E rated Michelin M/S 2 ?

So we are all familiar with the common quest for the most aggressive tire for off road use that will hold up, etc. I'd like to hear from those who are not caught up in having the most aggressive tire possible but instead one that lasts a long time and does just fine most of the time.

I started thinking about this because my first 4x4, a 1996 Land Rover Discovery 1, came stock with a factory spec "Michelin XPC 4x4 " in 235/70x16. Not knowing any better, I used this tire in goopy NC mud with the Rover club outings and on other trips until it wore out. Still not knowing much but assuming "more is better", I then put on the BFG AT KO as seen on many D90's and LC 80's around that time.

Yes, the BFG AT KO just plain works, 98% of the time, and lasts so long you can just not have to think about tires for a long time. Next Land Rover got the same tires, and so on.

Those years were when fuel cost so little I didn't really care about "rolling resistance" or fuel cost to go across the US and back for fun. In the recent years, especially when premium was over $5/g, mpg got my attention.

Has anyone had good luck with a more efficient rolling tire, like a modern XPC, possibly the Michelin LT MS2 ? I have these now and they run so efficiently it's amazing, but I am wondering how these would fair on Colorado trails with rocks, where mud is not really an issue too often but durability could be questioned. Obviously any tire can be cut on the sidewall if you aren't careful.

I always "air down" for off road and base the amount on the terrain so that would presumably help a less durable tire like the MS2 compared to the BFG AT KO2 but on most surfaces, they should both work almost as well. Moab comes to mind where low psi should be more important than the actual tread aggressiveness.

I use the same size in either tire, 32" 275/65x18 but will be using a 33" next time around. Due to my LR3 7500lb weight, I run no less than 30 psi, maybe 25.

What I've been doing is running the MS2 most of the time and then swapping to the wheelset to the BFG for special trips. Some trips though are cross country with 6000 miles of highways and only 200 miles of actual trail (not just forest roads, actual Colorado rough trail). These trips are also solo so nobody to help, which means less likely to try anything too crazy either.
 

IdaSHO

IDACAMPER
I considered the MS2.

But had a few first hand experiences with them in other pickups in a bit of snow and I was off that thought fast.

They are an absolute joke in anything slick.



My last purchase a few months ago was for a set of load E Toyo Open country At2

So far so good.


Extremely quiet and well mannered on the highway, does fantastic off the pavement, and is supposed to do just fine in the white stuff. We shall see this winter.



Another one I considered similar to the MS2 is the Toyo Open Country HT.
Only thing that kept me from those is the tread warranty on the AT is the SAME as the HT. So I went AT And so far, could not be happier.
 

Jwestpro

Explorer
I considered the MS2.

But had a few first hand experiences with them in other pickups in a bit of snow and I was off that thought fast.

They are an absolute joke in anything slick.


.

Yes, I think the M/S 2 are probably "ok" in snow but nothing like a real snow tire, or even an AT with more open blocks.

Separately, for serious winter use, I plan to try the Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT2 studded in 275/65x18: http://www.nokiantires.com/winter-tires/nokian-hakkapeliitta-lt2/
 

IdaSHO

IDACAMPER
No, they are not even "okay"

They are dangerous



I once thought Id love to have a winter and summer set of rubber for our rig, but anymore that is not the case.
For full time or extended trips, having to worry about season specific tires is a problem.


Best bet IMO is the best "compromise" tire you can find.

For me that was one that had good life, handled the weight, and was winter capable. hence the AT2


I REALLY wanted to go for a highway tread for dry season use, but I knew the ONE time I needed something more on a trip, Id regret it, or worse.

Any more we find ourselves further and further from the beaten path. And the all terrains are cheap insurance, even if I do loose a little bit of life/mileage
 

EricM

Standard American Mutt
I use the BF Goodrich Commercial tire. It is load range "E"




image_zps89fd7d63.jpg
 

p nut

butter
I liked Revo's I had on my old 4Runner. Performed well enough off-road, and rode nice on pavement.
 

RoyJ

Adventurer
No, they are not even "okay"

They are dangerous



I once thought Id love to have a winter and summer set of rubber for our rig, but anymore that is not the case.
For full time or extended trips, having to worry about season specific tires is a problem.


Best bet IMO is the best "compromise" tire you can find.

For me that was one that had good life, handled the weight, and was winter capable. hence the AT2


I REALLY wanted to go for a highway tread for dry season use, but I knew the ONE time I needed something more on a trip, Id regret it, or worse.

Any more we find ourselves further and further from the beaten path. And the all terrains are cheap insurance, even if I do loose a little bit of life/mileage

Curious what the vehicle was?

My own experience is almost the entire opposite, on my Explorer, this is almost the best all purpose street tire ever. Very good wet traction, dry traction, tracking (doesn't follow the road), and as good as any non snowflake rated tire on light snow.

For mild off road, it's probably better than any stock tire on late LR3/4 and RR/RRS. Stock Rover tires must be high speed rated to keep up with the modern Rover's outrageous speeds (by truck standard). Hence they're all V+ rated sports truck tires.

Of course, in deep snow and mud it's useless, but that's never the intended application. Likewise, on road it won't hold a candle to performance tarmac tires, but again, not the intended purpose.
 

mhiscox

Expedition Leader
:iagree:

What Roy J said.

I've had six--count 'em six--sets of LTX M/S and MS2 tires on my trucks. Superlative on road behavior and more than good enough for dry dirt and gravel roads and reasonable snow.

No reason to trust us, though . . . check the Tire Rack ratings:

LTX ratings.jpg

I agree that it's the mainstream, non-exotic choice and that you might get more warm fuzzies choosing something else, but "dangerous" doesn't seem likely, neither based on my positive experiences nor given these ratings.
 

ExplorerTom

Explorer
I spend a fair amount of time on those mentioned Colorado trails. I've never personally seen the M/S2 on the trail- but I have seen a picture of one rig running them. I don't even think I've seen the A/T2 tires used.

Lots of BFG K/O, M/T and even the Rugged Trails. Lots of Duratracs. Don't think I've ever seen the Firestone Destination A/T- I've seen one set of the M/Ts. Haven't seen the Hanook Dynapro ATM either.

And tires are one thing I'll notice about a rig as I come up on it.
 

Jwestpro

Explorer
My own experience is almost the entire opposite, on my Explorer, this is almost the best all purpose street tire ever. Very good wet traction, dry traction, tracking (doesn't follow the road), and as good as any non snowflake rated tire on light snow.

For mild off road, it's probably better than any stock tire on late LR3/4 and RR/RRS. .

A. So far that's my experience too with the M/S2. They even make it feel a bit "sporty" and that's saying a lot for a 7500 lb suv on air struts.

B. You really understated that about factory/stock LR3/4 RR/RRS tires. I mean very much so. None of the stock tires are E, they're all S rated P tires so not even any LT D load. Topping that off they are all tiny on large wheels such that the sidewall is ridiculously short and a simple bad parking job against a curb or jagged big city pot hole can take one out, and the rim lip too.

I just shouldn't get started any further on that topic because it would take up the whole page here.
 

Jwestpro

Explorer
I spend a fair amount of time on those mentioned Colorado trails. I've never personally seen the M/S2 on the trail- but I have seen a picture of one rig running them. I don't even think I've seen the A/T2 tires used.

Lots of BFG K/O, M/T and even the Rugged Trails. Lots of Duratracs. .

Hence my pondering the idea but I think I'm going to give it a try. Obviously I'll need to remind myself to stop for beauty shots in the worst possible locations to update this thread later on ;)
 

rayra

Expedition Leader
Given that 99% of my mileage will be on asphalt/ concrete, with occasional trips into the dry desert southwest, I chose a Yokohama Geolander. Bit of a hum, but otherwise totally happy with their performance.

matiasma2_zps55dbb1e8.jpg
 

Jwestpro

Explorer
I've had six--count 'em six--sets of LTX M/S and MS2 tires on my trucks. Superlative on road behavior and more than good enough for dry dirt and gravel roads and reasonable snow.
.

Which vehicles have you used them on, predominantly? I'm sure you've used them a lot on the Sprinter but while that's a perfect application, it wouldn't be able to even try going where I'm having concerns about taking the Rover on these.

All this tire talk makes me want to change up from the 32" to the 33" after having verified last week that it will now fit in all movements. For reference, the stock size would be a 30" 255/60x18 vs my current 32" 275/65 and desired 33" 275/70. The added diameter, taking it easy like I do in the rover anyway, will improve highway fuel economy as well as grab another 1/2" ground clearance. This would yield a lowest point of 14.5 under the front diff, 14" under the rear, and 17-18" under my frame sliders. These numbers are when it's fully lifted only off road. Highway cruising height is maybe 5-6" lower, which of course helps with the handling.
 

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