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

[moonjeong]

Installed over the weekend. First 80 miles more efficient than stick AT tires. There is a back story here. I originally installed defender ltx ms2 because I wanted a more plush ride. My efficiency went up from 1.85 to 2.5 then normalized down to 2.02 over 400 miles. I used the 30 day replacement guarantee from DT to change to the platinums. Here are the reasons:

1. I could get over how the MS2 made the car look bland.
2. Ms2 were extremely quiet and plush. But plush became a problem. Tire response was horrible. Straight line crushing was awesome though.

I love these Platinums. Responsiveness, quietness, and so far fuel Econ. My recommendation is to get there. By the way, pictures don’t do it justice on how awesome they look.
The 2.1 efficiency is on these platinum so far

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[krockett]

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?

If a heavier wheel/tire combo requires more energy to get spinning, it’s also going to require more energy to reduce revolutions. This will impact regen in the same, but albeit much smaller amount, as going downhill. I agree it will be less efficient but it will be somewhat offset. That said, it’s mainly going to be about rolling resistance as already been mentioned. Which would be great if this was one of the advertised tire specs.

 

[Supratachophobia]

I think this is a huge problem and I was hoping the tire industry would have solved it by now. There needs to be a test that measures rolling resistance at the recommend tire pressure and a rating applied to each tire. As of today, the only thing you can go by is whether or not the tire is designed for EV use, which should mean it has lower rolling resistance. But there is no way to compare two different tires that are both designed for EV use. It is very frustrating.

One common trait with low rolling resistance tires is poorer snow performance. Poor performance in the snow is an indicator, but is not a guarantee the rolling resistance is lower. But if the tire performs well, like the Defender, it likely means it has high rolling resistance.

And this was always the wacky thing with the Michelin Ice3 on the Tesla. Best efficiency tries I ever used. And I think it was because they were a half inch narrower on the contact patch.

 

[White Shadow]

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?

That's a good question, but I can't see how it would be any different considering it was an otherwise identical tire. Same size, tread pattern, treadwear, traction ratings, etc. The only real difference is a much heavier weight since it's a LT tire rather than P tire

 

[White Shadow]

That's a good question, but I can't see how it would be any different considering it was an otherwise identical tire. Same size, tread pattern, treadwear, traction ratings, etc. The only real difference is a much heavier weight since it's a LT tire rather than P tire

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?

I'm curious about regen and how much it really "captures" when it comes to the extra energy required to accelerate. It's certainly not 1:1, right?

Let's assume you get half back through regen. Does it make up for the loss in efficiency required to get a vehicle with heavier wheels and tires moving? The answer to that question probably depends upon the amount of stop & go driving versus highway cruising.

 

[Zorg]

Looking forward to long term review. My AT tires have another 9-12 months in them

 

[TollKeeper]

Related..

This is on my GMC Envoy XUV, that weighs in at 6020lbs (actual), with a bias of 3100 front, to 2920 rear.

I have been running the Michelin Defender LTX M/S on my Envoy for the past 15 years. I am now on my 3rd set of them, pushing close to 200k miles in those 3 sets. I have been getting around 70-75k per set, with 5-6/32 left over.

Love these tires.
Quiet on all road types
Great traction in all weather conditions. Snow traction is excellent.
Off road traction is good too.
Great siping for minimal hydroplaning.
My only complaint is the sidewall. During the initial 3-5k miles, the truck is more floaty than I would like. But after on-road vulcanization has occurred, it improves greatly. I also feel the side wall is a little to thin for rocky off-road.

 

[mkhuffman]

That's a good question, but I can't see how it would be any different considering it was an otherwise identical tire. Same size, tread pattern, treadwear, traction ratings, etc. The only real difference is a much heavier weight since it's a LT tire rather than P tire

" The cords in a LT tire are a larger gauge than P-metric tires so the tire can carry heavier loads. Very often LT tires will have an extra steel belt, a deeper tread and thicker rubber in the sidewall for more protection vs a p-metric tire. LT tires are usually 8-ply (Load Range D) or 10-ply (Load Range E). "​

So even if the tire looks the same, there are significant differences. These differences do impact rolling resistance.

I found an interesting article on the subject:

"Rolling resistance is a result of energy loss in the tyre, which can be traced back to the deformation of the area of tyre contact and the damping properties of the rubber. These lead to the transformation of mechanical into thermal energy, contributing to warming of the tyre.​

​

Sixty to 70% of the rolling resistance is generated in the running tread (Fig. 2.5) and its level is mainly dependent on the rubber mixture. Low damping running tread mixtures improve the rolling resistance, but at the same time reduce the coefficient of friction on a wet road surface. It can be said that the ratio is approximately 1:1, which means a 10% reduction in the rolling resistance leads to a 10% longer braking distance on a wet road surface. The use of new combinations of materials in the running tread (use of silica) has led to partial reduction of the conflict between these aims. "​

So as you can see, it is the rubber mixture that has the biggest impact. The tire might look identical, and even have the same traction ratings, but that does not mean the rubber is the same. In fact, I would be surprised if the LT and P tires used the exact same rubber compound. Even if they do, there are other differences in the construction of the tire that will impact rolling resistance.

Here is a really important chart that emphasizes weight is not a factor at all when the car is driven at a steady state speed. Yes, higher weight will increase acceleration resistance, but those losses can be offset when deaccelerating with regen. The amount of regen is limited by the car, but I know my car is not at max regen when using 1PD. So it has room to capture more if there is additional weight in the car.

 

[mkhuffman]

I'm curious about regen and how much it really "captures" when it comes to the extra energy required to accelerate. It's certainly not 1:1, right?

There is a real answer out there, but I would guess at least 50%. Certainly not 100%. So in a lot of stop and go traffic, you might see an improvement in range due to lighter wheels. As long as you didn't change the rubber and offset that benefit with higher rolling resistance.

 

[bbonkk]

Just missed these. 4 for the price of one tire

 

[TollKeeper]

I am beginning to regret my decision to get the 22" wheels... Finding a replacement non-Pirelli with the right load range is difficult!

 

[ROADHOG]

I have purchased Michelin Defender LTX Platinum's for my 2021 2500HD Diesel My vehicle weighs approx 8K empty size LT 295/65R20 Load range E. They will be installed 12/26/23. I live in N.H. and will review these in the snow when that arrives. I look forward to reviewing these in all conditions. I live on a dirt road as well.
I'm interested in these for a couple of reasons, the tread life is almost double that that of the former design and the amount of snow siping. It should be interesting.

 

[jeeden]

I have purchased Michelin Defender LTX Platinum's for my 2021 2500HD Diesel My vehicle weighs approx 8K empty size LT 295/65R20 Load range E. They will be installed 12/26/23. I live in N.H. and will review these in the snow when that arrives. I look forward to reviewing these in all conditions. I live on a dirt road as well.
I'm interested in these for a couple of reasons, the tread life is almost double that that of the former design and the amount of snow siping. It should be interesting.

Looking forward to it. I'm pretty sold on getting these as long as the performance (wet, snow, noise, efficiency, wear) are all equal or better than the Defender MS. If any of those things aren't as good I feel like I'm going to need to go home to what I know and love when they come out with the 20 inches OEM matches in April.

 

[23R1TFGFE]

I have purchased Michelin Defender LTX Platinum's for my 2021 2500HD Diesel My vehicle weighs approx 8K empty size LT 295/65R20 Load range E. They will be installed 12/26/23. I live in N.H. and will review these in the snow when that arrives. I look forward to reviewing these in all conditions. I live on a dirt road as well.
I'm interested in these for a couple of reasons, the tread life is almost double that that of the former design and the amount of snow siping. It should be interesting.

Any pics? Hope the install went smoothly….

 

[ROADHOG]

I will add pics soon, these tires are on whole other level! 1st thing I noticed is that they are extremely quiet I mean like insanely quiet! I found noises inside my cab that I have never heard before. secondly, something stood out was the faster you are driving the more the tires want to stay straight ahead you can actually feel the resistance if you were to slightly move the wheel. This obviously must have to do with the stange tread. and third cornering, my truck weighs over 8k in traffic circles, tight turns I have much less body roll. These tires are insanely cool! I have not had inclement weather to test them however i did test them in wet locations from a stop aggressively throttled and noticed no spin. Very smooth on our dirt road with aggressive turning no skidding. I have already noticed very low rolling resistance I will document my MPG savings as well as bad weather driving as have the chance.
I have a feeling these tires are going to become the next best thing especially for EV's.
My Tires are 295/65/R20 Load range E.

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