New 21" tire option - Michelin Defender LTX M/S 2 275/55-21 @ $380

[DetroitRed]

I've had the Michelins for a couple weeks now. I honestly liked the OEM Pirellis; I thought traction was great and I never had issues with noise or anything. I got 29,400 miles on the OEM tires and replaced them at 3/32 tread depth due to the start of MI winter. If it were summertime, I would have run them for a couple thousand more miles. I decided to try the Michelins for the lower cost and better tread life, and the expectation of better snow performance was a bonus.

Snow traction is great! It snowed the day after I had the Michelins installed and they were a dramatic improvement. The Michelins also feel just slightly more comfortable over rough roads.

They definitely have less dry and wet traction than the Pirellis. If you drive your truck spiritedly, you will absolutely notice the loss of grip. I knew this would be the case, but I'm still bummed by it, as I do drive my truck like it's a sport sedan sometimes. The lower grip level also affects launches resulting in more wheelspin.

I find the Michelins less stable at highway speeds over 80 mph and they are more prone to tramlining. It takes noticeably more minor steering input to drive straight down the interstate. It doesn't feel unsafe, just annoying, like wind buffeting. Despite that, hydroplaning resistance in the rain seems to be better. I've been up to 90 mph in steady rain without noticing any hydroplaning.

Since I had the Michelins installed just as the weather was turning cold, my efficiency has been terrible. I have mostly seen below 2.0, but it's been cold, and I have been commuting on the freeway a lot for a temporary work assignment.

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[CrazyOne]

I've had the Michelins for a couple weeks now. I honestly liked the OEM Pirellis; I thought traction was great and I never had issues with noise or anything. I got 29,400 miles on the OEM tires and replaced them at 3/32 tread depth due to the start of MI winter. If it were summertime, I would have run them for a couple thousand more miles. I decided to try the Michelins for the lower cost and better tread life, and the expectation of better snow performance was a bonus.

Snow traction is great! It snowed the day after I had the Michelins installed and they were a dramatic improvement. The Michelins also feel just slightly more comfortable over rough roads.

They definitely have less dry and wet traction than the Pirellis. If you drive your truck spiritedly, you will absolutely notice the loss of grip. I knew this would be the case, but I'm still bummed by it, as I do drive my truck like it's a sport sedan sometimes. The lower grip level also affects launches resulting in more wheelspin.

I find the Michelins less stable at highway speeds over 80 mph and they are more prone to tramlining. It takes noticeably more minor steering input to drive straight down the interstate. It doesn't feel unsafe, just annoying, like wind buffeting. Despite that, hydroplaning resistance in the rain seems to be better. I've been up to 90 mph in steady rain without noticing any hydroplaning.

Since I had the Michelins installed just as the weather was turning cold, my efficiency has been terrible. I have mostly seen below 2.0, but it's been cold, and I have been commuting on the freeway a lot for a temporary work assignment.

Thanks, your experience seems to confirm what I was expecting. I am strongly considering sticking to Pirellis or buying 20 inch rims.

 

[ksurfier]

I've had the Michelins for a couple weeks now. I honestly liked the OEM Pirellis; I thought traction was great and I never had issues with noise or anything. I got 29,400 miles on the OEM tires and replaced them at 3/32 tread depth due to the start of MI winter. If it were summertime, I would have run them for a couple thousand more miles. I decided to try the Michelins for the lower cost and better tread life, and the expectation of better snow performance was a bonus.

Snow traction is great! It snowed the day after I had the Michelins installed and they were a dramatic improvement. The Michelins also feel just slightly more comfortable over rough roads.

They definitely have less dry and wet traction than the Pirellis. If you drive your truck spiritedly, you will absolutely notice the loss of grip. I knew this would be the case, but I'm still bummed by it, as I do drive my truck like it's a sport sedan sometimes. The lower grip level also affects launches resulting in more wheelspin.

I find the Michelins less stable at highway speeds over 80 mph and they are more prone to tramlining. It takes noticeably more minor steering input to drive straight down the interstate. It doesn't feel unsafe, just annoying, like wind buffeting. Despite that, hydroplaning resistance in the rain seems to be better. I've been up to 90 mph in steady rain without noticing any hydroplaning.

Since I had the Michelins installed just as the weather was turning cold, my efficiency has been terrible. I have mostly seen below 2.0, but it's been cold, and I have been commuting on the freeway a lot for a temporary work assignment.

average temps of 30 f?
That would translate to about 2.4-2.5 MPK at 70 f…so that actually sounds very good…

 

[Nighthawkblack]

After driving several thousand miles on the Michelin, I could say the Perelli grip 15% or 10% better in aggressive turns. There is no significant noise that bothers me although I suspect the Perelli were quieter due to the pattern. All in all in I’m happy with my purchase. I may switch back to the Perelli when I have a different vehicle to drive from time to time but as long as I have to drive all the time I need better treadlife and I think the Michelin tires will accommodate that.

 

[Jonger1150]

After driving several thousand miles on the Michelin, I could say the Perelli grip 15% or 10% better in aggressive turns. There is no significant noise that bothers me although I suspect the Perelli were quieter due to the pattern. All in all in I’m happy with my purchase. I may switch back to the Perelli when I have a different vehicle to drive from time to time but as long as I have to drive all the time I need better treadlife and I think the Michelin tires will accommodate that.

Wait.... so your opinion is that the Pirellis are quieter? Damn, I don't know what the think now.

 

[bd5400]

For me, I haven’t really noticed a difference in tire noise, but I haven’t specifically been looking for it. Wine noise is the bigger concern with my truck so I’ve never been bothered by the tires.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Wait.... so your opinion is that the Pirellis are quieter? Damn, I don't know what the think now.

I have had both on my R1S--the Michelins are certainly quieter and better in the winter.

 

[Nighthawkblack]

Wait.... so your opinion is that the Pirellis are quieter? Damn, I don't know what the think now.

It’s difficult because these end up being new but when I had my Perelli’s, they were practically bald the last time I remember noticing their noise I honestly hear the wind and the whine of the electric motors more than I do hear the road with these Michelin’s.

if I were choosing between the two, I would ask myself do I want better traction in every situation if so, choose the Perelli’s if you want better tread wear and are OK with a little less traction then get the Michelin

 

[postcromag]

I'm about 1,000 miles in on the Michelins. I switched when I got a side puncture on one of my original Pirellis just past 25,000 miles. I wasn't quite at 3/32" yet and thought I could have gotten 30,000 miles out of them, but the timing was right, my local DT could get the Michelins and the deal was done. I was planning on getting 20s wheels and going that route since the 21s are going to be scarce, but if I get 50,000 more miles without having to make an extra investment I figured I can always do that down the road. We'll see then. So far, I don't notice much difference between the two tires. I'm a moderately conservative driver so I haven't "spun" the Michelins yet and I seem to be able to out accelerate anything any time I want still. And I get a tread life warranty. That was kind of the deal clincher for me switching from the Pirellis, which I wasn't unhappy with. My efficiency is down slightly with the Michelins, but that could be caused by colder weather and tread break in. I was fine with the Pirellis and, so far, I am fine with the Michelins (and I saved a little dough).

 

[Bullwinkle]

I am not sure this thread has a significant sample size. Here are 100s of reviews from tire rack across many performance parameters. The Defenders are better rated in all categories. Just click on the blue rating stars for each tire.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/Tire...peedRating=H&minLoadRating=XL&performance=ALL

 

[snowboarder777]

I'm about 1,000 miles in on the Michelins. I switched when I got a side puncture on one of my original Pirellis just past 25,000 miles. I wasn't quite at 3/32" yet and thought I could have gotten 30,000 miles out of them, but the timing was right, my local DT could get the Michelins and the deal was done. I was planning on getting 20s wheels and going that route since the 21s are going to be scarce, but if I get 50,000 more miles without having to make an extra investment I figured I can always do that down the road. We'll see then. So far, I don't notice much difference between the two tires. I'm a moderately conservative driver so I haven't "spun" the Michelins yet and I seem to be able to out accelerate anything any time I want still. And I get a tread life warranty. That was kind of the deal clincher for me switching from the Pirellis, which I wasn't unhappy with. My efficiency is down slightly with the Michelins, but that could be caused by colder weather and tread break in. I was fine with the Pirellis and, so far, I am fine with the Michelins (and I saved a little dough).

Michelins are definitely a step up. Smoother, quieter and much better traction in rain and snow. I noticed it immediately after dumping the Pirellis. I do notice that steering response has slightly gone down over the Pirellis when I first got it but its not as good and heavy weighted feeling over the Pirellis after putting few thousand miles on the tires.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Michelins are definitely a step up. Smoother, quieter and much better traction in rain and snow. I noticed it immediately after dumping the Pirellis. I do notice that steering response has slightly gone down over the Pirellis when I first got it but its not as good and heavy weighted feeling over the Pirellis after putting few thousand miles on the tires.

I drive in snow and ice quite often, and the Pirellis are definitely inferior in the winter. My experience is that the Michelins are quieter and just better. I still have 10k left on my Pirellis and will use them up this summer and save the fresh tread on my Michelins for next winter.

 

[DetroitRed]

I am not sure this thread has a significant sample size. Here are 100s of reviews from tire rack across many performance parameters. The Defenders are better rated in all categories. Just click on the blue rating stars for each tire.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?tireIndex=0&autoMake=Rivian&autoYear=2023&autoModel=R1S&autoModClar=275/55-21&width=275/&ratio=55&diameter=21&sortCode=61062&skipOver=true&minSpeedRating=H&minLoadRating=XL&performance=ALL

The Michelin is absolutely a step down in dry and wet traction, hence the B traction rating compared to A for the Pirelli. This isn't an opinion, this is measured by the tire manufacturers. You can also feel the loss of grip after making the switch if you take corners aggressively or accelerate quickly.

The Tire Rack customer ratings for the Michelins are not all coming from Rivian owners, and so the "9.5 excellent" traction rating is only in the opinion of typical truck owners. That is a subjective rating from owners compared to their other truck tires and isn't a one-to-one comparison to the Pirelli or any other tire.

 

[capitolm94]

I have had the Michelins about 1500 miles now. Overall happy with them, they are quiet and no issues. I expect much longer life than the pirellis, which I got about 40k miles from 6 of them (replaced fronts only at like 15k).

however, my efficiency is down- seeing 1.99 avg now vs lifetime of 2.2 with pirelli.

 

[Riviam]

Wait.... so your opinion is that the Pirellis are quieter? Damn, I don't know what the think now.

I've got a week or so on the 21" Michelins, and they are unbelievably quiet. Noticeably so. Couldn't be happier. They also look better in person than in most images. Especially in the 275/55/21 which means less sidewall.

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