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  1. #21
    Big Traveler
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    Michelin Defenders on TV and Goodyear Endurance on the TT. I'm totally satisfied with the quiet smooth ride of both.

    Your OEM TV tires will be a different compound from the same tire in the aftermarket. The OEM tires will be harder and will wear extremely well. Only issue is that they will continue to harden. This will be noticed at around half the tread life but snow and wet performance will diminish. Many change these out due to this issue.
    MidwestCamper

    Jim & Dawn
    Near Milford, Michigan
    2017 Imagine 2600RB
    2015 GMC Sierra 1500 Double Cab 4x4

  2. #22
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    I also went to the Nitto EXO grapplers. My stock Michelins were shot at 33K. The EXO's are marketed as a "heavy duty" tire as opposed to a "light truck" tire the rest of the brand has, whatever that means. I was told there specifically made for hauling heavy. They carry the same E rating.

    They run fine but are not as quiet as the stock tire, they have a fairly aggressive tread. I'm anxious to see how they wear, I read a lot of good reviews with high mileage claims so we'll see.

    I did up the size to get a higher load capacity. I think they are 3860# vs 3525# from the stock tires.
    2021 Solitude 375 RES-R
    2024 GMC Denali ultimate DRW

  3. #23
    Big Traveler
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nuffsaid View Post
    This is a more complicated question than you might think. I have been selling tires for over 30 years and I run what I sell. I very rarely wear out a set of tires so that I can try something new. Now, for my observations. The Michelin A/T2 that comes stock from GM is a different tread pattern than Ford uses. The tires Ford uses have lugs that are cut to full depth and they have decent traction. The tires GM sells have tread blocks on the outer lugs that totally inhibit traction once the tire is worn just a little. The Michelin that GM sells also wear out very quickly on a diesel with most not making it to 25k if used to tow. With that being said, I was a big fan of the Michelin LTX which has been replaced with the Defender. This is a very quiet tire and performs well with towing duties and if I wanted a highway tire this would be the tire I would use. Not my first choice for winter driving though. Michelin's rubber is too hard to provide good snow/ice traction and usually they loose their grip pretty easy in rain also. Trade offs.
    BFG KO2 is a great tire, but usually wear out prematurely on a diesel tow rig, pass. I have had excellent results with Hankook Dyna Pro ATM, Toyo AT II, Goodyear Duratracs if an all terrain tire is what you like. I also sell a lot of Cooper tires and the STMAXX is a very long lasting tire with heavy construction. I also sell a lot of AT3's. Cooper also makes Mickey Thompson and Dick Cepek tires and if something more aggressive is to your liking, Cepek has a brand new tire available called the TRAIL EXP, it is very similar to the Cooper STMAXX, but is being offered at very good introductory pricing. Check them out at Tirebuyer.com as one source. They have a 45k warranty and I have sold several sets of these to good friends and also have a set ready for my personal truck.
    I've not had my defenders in the snow yet but I did notice the sipes are all the way down to the wear bars. Not sure why this would not enhance traction since my Goodyear SRA tires had sipes that were barely 1/4 inch deep. And the wet traction on those tires were poor. I've played with the cornering on my half ton with the defenders which I have increased pressure to 45 psi and its like the truck is on a rail.
    Last edited by MidwestCamper; 01-21-2019 at 06:21 PM.
    MidwestCamper

    Jim & Dawn
    Near Milford, Michigan
    2017 Imagine 2600RB
    2015 GMC Sierra 1500 Double Cab 4x4

  4. #24
    Full Timer warsw1's Avatar
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    I have had the Michelin Defenders in all kinds of conditions. My experience differs a little from Nuffsaid. What I have found is that they do really well in the rain, on hard pack snow and on ice. They even do pretty well off road if the conditions are dry. Where they don't do well is in deep snow or any kind of mud. The siping seems to help a lot in some conditions but because of the lack of a more open tread they just don't do well when things get deep.
    Last edited by warsw1; 01-17-2019 at 07:46 AM.
    Randy & Sharon (Went full time April 14th 2017)

    2016 Ram CC SB Outdoorsman 4x4 CTD
    Michelin 295/70R18
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    2018 Solitude 375res
    8K lb axles, springs & hubs with Nev-R-Lube bearings
    MORryde HD shackle kit with brass bushings & wet bolts
    Reece Sidewinder 19K lb pin box.

  5. #25
    Seasoned Camper
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    Quote Originally Posted by JKellerJr View Post
    I did up the size to get a higher load capacity. I think they are 3860# vs 3525# from the stock tires.
    Do you have any problems with the larger tires rubbing? I was thinking of doing this and even though the Discount guy tells me they won't rub I'm still a little hesitant.

  6. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by Leon T View Post
    Do you have any problems with the larger tires rubbing? I was thinking of doing this and even though the Discount guy tells me they won't rub I'm still a little hesitant.
    I'm running 285/70/18's. They are 33.98" tall x 11.5" wide. I don't have any rubbing issues even with a 700# plow hanging off the front.
    2021 Solitude 375 RES-R
    2024 GMC Denali ultimate DRW

  7. #27
    Seasoned Camper
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    Quote Originally Posted by JKellerJr View Post
    I'm running 285/70/18's. They are 33.98" tall x 11.5" wide. I don't have any rubbing issues even with a 700# plow hanging off the front.
    Excellent. Thank you. Just have to decide whether to swap out the spare, which I'll probably do.

  8. #28
    Seasoned Camper
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    So much for that idea. I only see 4 tires in 285/70/18. A couple of Nitto off road tires, a BFG mud tire and a Toyo off road tire. I was hoping Michelin made a Defender in that size. I have nothing against Nitto or the others, just don't need an off road tread. I only use 4WD on rare occasions.

  9. #29
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    While I cant say for sure, I'm pretty sure 295/70/18 would fit also. It was the original size I was looking at but the Heavy duty designation for the EXO intrigued me and it was slightly smaller. I wasn't looking for size just higher capacity and the only way to get that is to go bigger. That opens a bunch more selections, its a more popular size.

    275/70/18 would for sure fit and its slightly larger than stock.
    2021 Solitude 375 RES-R
    2024 GMC Denali ultimate DRW

  10. #30
    Rolling Along
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    295's wouldn't fit on my aftermarket vision wheels. The extra offset is probably what made my tires hit. I ended up ordering 285/65R18's instead. They are almost the same height as my current 275/70R18 and carry the same load capacity at 3640 each.
    2023 GMC 3500HD CCLB DRW Duramax L5P, Banks Derringer/Idash/CAI 60 gallon fuel transfer tank
    2018 Solitude 310GK with Kodiak disc brakes 4000 lb Dexter springs, frame stiffeners
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