20" Michelin Defender LTX Platinum Tires review -- For all of you thinking about a 20" tire! Your wait is over!

[Meltdwn]

I recently bought a set of EV Sportline 20" wheels. I started looking for a tire that would look good and ride good. I opted for a cheap set of 285/60/20 tires from China, no doubt. Cost me all of about $800, and they looked great!

Come to find they were noisy. I realized that a big knobbly tire might be noisy, and they were. Much more than the factory 21" Pirelli's.

I started some research, and found that Michelin was about to launch a whole new tire for trucks and large SUV's, called the Michelin Defender LTX Platinum.

These were just released in November 2023! Michelin is actively producing this tire and many sizes aren't available yet! Like a 275/60R20, the Rivian recommended size.

Seeing that I already had a 285/60/20 tire on my truck with no rubbing or any issues whatsoever, I went for them again, and they were available.

Costco's website still shows these tires as "unavailable, temporarily out of stock".

I only had them for a day now. Driving out of the Costco parking lot I could tell, even at these low speeds, that this was a great tire.

They're as quiet as my factory 21's.

On the freeway at speed these were just awsome! By the way the speed rating is "S", 112 mph.

I must say, they don't look as good as some All terrain tires out there, but they have a 70,000 mile warranty!

I never intend to take my truck off road, and these weren't made for rock crawling.

If you're looking for a comfortable great tire that's gonna last a while, these are the one's.

The first picture is of my original "knobbly" tires. The last three are the Michelin's.

I bought the OEM size of this tire, LT275 /65 R20 126S E1 BSW on 11/11/23 at Discount Tire online site, so they are available. I was having a wheel repaired due to curb rash before putting the tires on so won't get the new shoes until Friday. Thanks for the review. I can't wait to see how they perform. Got nearly 30k miles on the OEM 20" tires. Interestingly, about the same miles as my wife's 2002 Passat 4-motion got on each set of tires.

Sponsored

 

[Whataboykie!]

Thanks for sharing. Just curious whether you have asked Rivian to reprogram the car so the speedometer shows the correct speed?

No callibration needed, as the overall diameter is virtually the same as my OEM Pirelli's, 33.4".
I have a dashcam that is also connected to the GPS satellites up there.
When I do 70 mph on my speedo, my GPS shows I'm doing 69 mph. There is about a 1 mph discrepancy at all speeds over 40 mph, no big deal.

 

[Whataboykie!]

Defender is a product line, but there are several models within it. You linked to the Defender 2, but OP bought the new Defender LTX Platinum. There's also Defender LTX M/S and the new Defender LTX M/S2.

Yes the Defender line has several tires from Michelin, that have been on the market for a while. Check with any Tire supplier and you'll see most of them won't have the "Platinum" in stock.
As I mentioned, this tire has just been released in November 2023, and are not widely available in many sizes yet.

 

[Whataboykie!]

That’s not surprising since you bought the LT version of the tire. If you went with 275/60/20 it’s the 115 load rating and about 16 pounds lighter which would make a massive difference.

There is a huge difference between the Defender LTX M/S and the new Defender Platinums. Check it out.

 

[mkhuffman]

There definitely is a measure of rolling resistance, but it's not something that's published for consumer knowledge. That test you speak of is definitely a thing and is a hard requirement when designing a tire for an OE

Very interesting. Then it is time for tire manufacturers to start publishing those test results. Maybe the big retailers can demand it, because their customers need it.

Tire Rack will do MPG testing when comparing tires, but it is usually only comparing 4 tires or so. There is no way to compare one of those tires with one that was tested at a different time, or not tested at all.

 

[Schmurt]

So, just adding a rumor to the mill. I was at the service center today, and one of the employees was saying that Rivian is working with pirelli to update/ replace the current offerings, specifically the 20s. He said the compound would be different, and would be less noisy at later life stages compared to the current 20s. Maybe they will also have improved snow performance. One can hope.

 

[31ectr0nicB0b]

But the LTX Platinums ARE available in 275/65/20

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...ewall=Blackwall&partnum=765SR0DLTXP&tab=Sizes

 

[hansgieskes]

I recently bought a set of EV Sportline 20" wheels. I started looking for a tire that would look good and ride good. I opted for a cheap set of 285/60/20 tires from China, no doubt. Cost me all of about $800, and they looked great!

Come to find they were noisy. I realized that a big knobbly tire might be noisy, and they were. Much more than the factory 21" Pirelli's.

I started some research, and found that Michelin was about to launch a whole new tire for trucks and large SUV's, called the Michelin Defender LTX Platinum.

These were just released in November 2023! Michelin is actively producing this tire and many sizes aren't available yet! Like a 275/60R20, the Rivian recommended size.

Seeing that I already had a 285/60/20 tire on my truck with no rubbing or any issues whatsoever, I went for them again, and they were available.

Costco's website still shows these tires as "unavailable, temporarily out of stock".

I only had them for a day now. Driving out of the Costco parking lot I could tell, even at these low speeds, that this was a great tire.

They're as quiet as my factory 21's.

On the freeway at speed these were just awsome! By the way the speed rating is "S", 112 mph.

I must say, they don't look as good as some All terrain tires out there, but they have a 70,000 mile warranty!

I never intend to take my truck off road, and these weren't made for rock crawling.

If you're looking for a comfortable great tire that's gonna last a while, these are the one's.

The first picture is of my original "knobbly" tires. The last three are the Michelin's.

Your Michelins look great, and it's a great quality tire brand

 

[Switters73]

But the LTX Platinums ARE available in 275/65/20

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...ewall=Blackwall&partnum=765SR0DLTXP&tab=Sizes

I am putting a set of Platinum's at 275/65/20 tomorrow. I will let folks know how it goes

 

[White Shadow]

L
I totally disagree. 16 lbs will have almost no impact. Yes, it will take more energy to accelerate, but at steady state speed there is no impact, and when slowing down you recapture the energy with regeneration. Weight is a minor factor. Rolling resistance and aerodynamics are the main factors when it comes to wheels/tires. Surprisingly, the Defenders have a higher rolling resistance than the stock ATs. Maybe not surprising after you consider Rivian picked the AT tires and was picking tires that have low rolling resistance.

That's not my experience. I saw a big drop in efficiency when I inadvertently purchased an LT version of my tires instead of the P version. The only difference between the two tires is the weight of the heavier duty LT version. Not only did efficiency drop noticeably, but the ride was also noticably more harsh. The LT tires were 12 lbs heavier than the P version.

 

[mkhuffman]

That's not my experience. I saw a big drop in efficiency when I inadvertently purchased an LT version of my tires instead of the P version. The only difference between the two tires is the weight of the heavier duty LT version. Not only did efficiency drop noticeably, but the ride was also noticably more harsh. The LT tires were 12 lbs heavier than the P version.

I am sure rolling resistance was also impacted by the change. The problem is that you have no way to know the difference in rolling resistance between the two tires. This is a problem the tire industry needs to solve since efficiency is a much bigger deal with BEVs. We need to know.

 

[White Shadow]

I am sure rolling resistance was also impacted by the change. The problem is that you have no way to know the difference in rolling resistance between the two tires. This is a problem the tire industry needs to solve since efficiency is a much bigger deal with BEVs. We need to know.

I doubt it. Tread design is identical. So were all the other things like treadwear, temp, traction ratings, etc. The big difference was weight due to the heavier sidewalls and additional plies. Tires are unsprung weight, which means it has a lot of rotational inertia to get moving from a dead stop. This has a big impact on efficiency and I really noticed it on my ICE vehicle. I eventually went back to the P version of the tire and immediately gained back the lost efficiency of the LT tires.

 

[mkhuffman]

I doubt it. Tread design is identical. So were all the other things like treadwear, temp, traction ratings, etc. The big difference was weight due to the heavier sidewalls and additional plies. Tires are unsprung weight, which means it has a lot of rotational inertia to get moving from a dead stop. This has a big impact on efficiency and I really noticed it on my ICE vehicle. I eventually went back to the P version of the tire and immediately gained back the lost efficiency of the LT tires.

But regen captures a large percentage of what it takes to accelerate, and at steady speed weight is irrelevant.

How do you know the rolling resistance is the same?

 

[brancky3]

But regen captures a large percentage of what it takes to accelerate, and at steady speed weight is irrelevant.

How do you know the rolling resistance is the same?

A heavier tire is not going to yield any power energy from regen, but it surely is going to decrease your efficiency. Lighter = faster = more efficient. Imagine you put 75 pound wheels on a Porsche 911, keeping the same tires. What do you think will happen to acceleration and also to efficiency?

 

[mkhuffman]

A heavier tire is not going to yield any power energy from regen, but it surely is going to decrease your efficiency. Lighter = faster = more efficient. Imagine you put 75 pound wheels on a Porsche 911, keeping the same tires. What do you think will happen to acceleration and also to efficiency?

So if the vehicle regen power is constant, and doesn't increase when there is more load (such as when towing or when there are passengers inside), then I agree. In my experience, "stopping time" seems to stay the same even when the car is loaded, but I don't have a Rivian. Surely there is a limit to the amount of regen power the vehicle will allow, so at some point it gets wasted in the brakes rather than recapured with regen. Is that your point? In that case, a lighter rim will have a bigger impact than I thought.

But it is still true that weight does not have any impact at steady state speed, or when slowing down, so still it is only the acceleration that is more efficient with lighter wheels.

And at highway speed, which is the only efficiency I really care about, the vehicle is generally at a steady state speed. Which means aerodynamics and rolling resistance are the primary factors related to wheel efficiency.

Sponsored