Thank you for the additional information. I would like to dig a little deeper into this issue. I will follow up with you via DM

 

I called Michelin and told them I was a little miffed that they discontinued a tire that I had just bought a set of. They gave me a case number and told me to give it to Discount Tire so they would inspect the tires and call them. I did that and Discount Tire said they would call back but they never did.

 

I just tried to replace one of my Defender LTX M/s due to a screw in my tire just yesterday. They told me they were discontinued and wanted to replace it with a Defender 2. I did not want mismatched tires so I bought 3 Defender 2 and they replaced the damaged tire. That was not good because the LTX M/s only had 3 thousand miles on them. Just over a year old. Now You are saying they are available and in stock.

I apologize for the misstep as far as stating that stock is available in the Michelin tire. That reply was part a conversation had several months ago. It looks like stock has been depleted since that time. Hope you don't mind me sending a DM your way.

 

I called Michelin and told them I was a little miffed that they discontinued a tire that I had just bought a set of. They gave me a case number and told me to give it to Discount Tire so they would inspect the tires and call them. I did that and Discount Tire said they would call back but they never did.

 

Any time you go to a wider footprint tire, you will see a better lever of handling and stability, so that's a good thing. Going taller will most likely have an effect of your fuel economy. The Defender LTX M/s is available and in stock.

I just tried to replace one of my Defender LTX M/s due to a screw in my tire just yesterday. They told me they were discontinued and wanted to replace it with a Defender 2. I did not want mismatched tires so I bought 3 Defender 2 and they replaced the damaged tire. That was not good because the LTX M/s only had 3 thousand miles on them. Just over a year old. Now You are saying they are available and in stock.

 

I'm a 56K now...I don't think I will see 76K.

 

Oh, I put a set of continental tires on my wife’s edge. Very good in rain. Very good in the snow and I live in north western Ohio. I put a set of Yokohama‘s on my GEN one Honda Ridgeline, very good in the rain, very good in the snow, but I thought they were noisy especially on wet pavement. I did get a very good life of the Yokohama tires.

 

Switching to a bigger/wider tire results in less MPG. I put on Michelin Defender LTXs 245-60-18s M/S at Costco. Great tire and rated to last a jillion + miles. They were around $900 out the door after incentives.

Sounds good but now the internet buzz is that a Michelin Cross Climate is better. I doubt it...

 

The CC is a good all-weather tire, if you need that, but I think you might lose 1MPG compared to Defender.

 

After burning through a lot of tires over the years I have had the best luck with Michelin. I realize this isn't very scientific but I tell the Costco tire guys that I want the biggest Michelins that will fit. I always get 75K miles or better and have always been happy with the performance. I have also had good luck with Perelli tires too, I just can't always find them, Sears used to sell them. Other brands? Hit and miss.

 

Your comparisons are spot on. There are subtle differences in height and width from brand to brand. They may have the same size molded on the sidewall, but they can be different. Tire width is measured from sidewall to side wall. Tread widths will definitely vary from one tire brand to another.

 

I haven't shopped recently, but over the years I've found Continental and General to have excellent tires, about as good as and sometimes better than Michelin or other higher status names, for a much better price.

And since you mention looks, I'd try to compare the tires in person and measure the tread width, unless you can find that info online. The width of the tire, e.g., 245, vs. 265, I believe is measured at the widest part of the tire. Some have a wider bulge and come in relatively narrower at the tread. Before the internet I remember shopping in person and measuring some 265's that were barely any wider than 245's when measured by tread width on the ground.

 

So Michelin did discontinue the Defender LTX M/S in the 245/60-R18 but I called them to see if they had any stock still. Well they do have limited stock so I had Costco call and order a set for me.
If you're looking for this tire you better act quickly before stock is out and they're no longer available.

 

So Michelin did discontinue the Defender LTX M/S in the 245/60-R18 but I called them to see if they had any stock still. Well they do have limited stock so I had Costco call and order a set for me.
If you're looking for this tire you better act quickly before stock is out and they're no longer available.

I can confirm. Checked for another forum member earlier today. They are available for ordering. Stock is limited.

 

I currently have 56K miles on the original Firestones with between 5 - 6 mm of tread left. The plan is to buy new tires around the end of October. That will put my mileage about 65K. I have been looking at tires for awhile and haven't made up my mind completely. At the top of my list are the Falken Wildpeak AT Trail, the BF Goodrich Trail-Terrain T/A and the Continental Terrain Contact A/T. All of them are a mild all-terrain tire with good mileage warranty. I'm leaning towards the Falkens, but we shall see.

 

I have those Falkens on my 2020 BE and love them. Put them on last Fall even though Original tires had some life left as I was not thrilled with the original tires in the snow up here in NH. The Falkens were great in the snow this past winter, ride great and I havn't even noticed much loss in MPG.

 

So, I just called Costco and they said that they would mount the Michelin Defender LTX's in 265 for me (some say Costco wont put a bigger tire on but as long as it's 3% or less different they will).
I'm leaning towards this option so looking for someone that has this tire in this size to tell me what they think of it on the Ridgeline.
I prefer to stay away from A/T tires because road manners and tire noise is a priority. I also want a tire that does well in every area (a Unicorn I know) that lasts long and with my experience with the Defender LTX on other trucks I was happy.

 

available in Canada, no issues getting them here, still made

 

I would look at Continental terraincontact AT and Yokohama Geolander G015 AT. I have the Yokos. Very happy with them. I was surprised that I was able to plow snow in normal drive mode.

 

I agree with the Yokohama's...

In October 2007 I bought a set of Yokohama Geolander A/T tires for my 2000 GMC Sierra, which my daughter currently owns. We just replaced them with new Yokohama Geolander A/T G015's, 82k miles and over 15 years later.
Those were 50,000 mile tires.
I'll be getting these for my '21 RTL when the time comes.
Go, Yokohama!!!

 

The Defender 2 is more of a car tire, it's not a replacement for the Defender LTX. I'm not looking for an A/T tire but I don't want a wimpy car looking tire.
I live in Wisconsin so an all season with good snow traction is important. I pull my boat, and trailer with 4-wheeler and ice fishing gear.

 

The Defender 2 is more of a car tire, it's not a replacement for the Defender LTX. I'm not looking for an A/T tire but I don't want a wimpy car looking tire.
I live in Wisconsin so an all season with good snow traction is important. I pull my boat, and trailer with 4-wheeler and ice fishing gear.

All Season Cross Climate2 tires? I don't know if you like their directional tread pattern. I like the look, and LOVE the road handling performance, especially after I upgraded the sway bar.

 

According to the Costco website, the Michelin Defender 2 is available in 245/60 R18 at 239.99 and buying the 4 with a 150.00 dlls discount, that is, the 4 for 809.96 plus installation and taxes

 

I bought a set of Continental TerrainContact H/T back in 2020. I have over 50k on them and easily 20k left. They have been great if you are on the highway the majority of the time. The wet traction was and still is phenomenal. The snow traction is really good for a all season tire (I live in northern Ohio). I would definitely recommend them. I found my initial review that I posted.

Here it is:

Just put a set of Terrain Contact H/T's on my 17 Ridge (factory size). They are great so far.
Things I noticed:
They feel a tiny bit heavier on acceleration (which they are I think 1LB) but feel lighter when turning.

They dampen the bumps and potholes much better.

My mileage is down by .4 mpg but this could be winter gas?

We just had about 7inches of snow and there isn't even a comparison between the factory firestones and the contacts. The contacts are 100x better accelerating and braking. keep in mind my firestones had over 40k on them.

The contacts feel more planted to the road but when on certain road surfaces the tracking of the tire is different, not bad or good just different than the firestones.

I really cant tell a difference in ride comfort or noise level. They seem to be about the same. I would give a slight edge to the contacts but its probably because they are new. Both are/were good in these areas.

If you are looking for a highway tire, I would definitely recommend the Terrain Contact H/T. I would rate them a 9.5 out of 10. This is with only 350 miles on them so please take that into consideration.

 

Michelin do make them in other variety's though.

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Any time you go to a wider footprint tire, you will see a better lever of handling and stability, so that's a good thing. Going taller will most likely have an effect of your fuel economy. The Defender LTX M/s is available and in stock.

 

Double tap.