Has anyone changed to Michelin Cross Terrain SUV tires?

[Ultra-Hog]

I am at the point that I need to change the tires on my Ridgeline soon. On my previous vehicle, a 2002 Chevy S2000 Blazer, when I upgraded the tires to the Michelin Cross Terrain SUV tires, the improvement was dramatic over the cheap stock tires. I don't remember what they were, possibly Bridgestone somethings. I think that the Stock Michelin LTX M/S tires on the Ridgeline are excellent tires but I would like to hear from someone that has changed to the Michelin Cross Terrain SUV tires so that I could hear what their opinion is based on experience with both tires.

I did post in the for sale forum that I am interested in buying a set of take-off LTX tires from someone that has upgraded or up-sized their wheels and tires. If I have to buy new tires and if there is no reason to change to the Cross Terrain SUV tires I will stay with the LTX model and order them through the Tire Rack.

[killerv]

I have, I had a set on a Nissan Frontier. Worse tires I ever bought. They were about 700 dollars at the time, this may have been about 5 years ago to replace the factory tires. Land and Range Rovers were coming from the factory with them at that time also. They seemed to be too soft. I maybe got 30,000 miles out of them and that was with me stretching it. After about 25,000, I started getting slow leaks in them and was regularly having to put air in them until one day and just went and bought some new tires. I have always put Bridgestone Dueler A/Ts except for that one time on my trucks and have been well pleased with them. I will see how these Michelins on my Ridgeline hold up and if they do good I will price them against the Duelers A/Ts when it comes time to replace them. But anyway, in my experience, I wouldn't buy another set of Cross Terrains.

[Ultra-Hog]

That's interesting. My experience with them was just the opposite. Of course I was comparing them to the cheap tires that the Blazer came with so I would expect that tires costing twice as much should be better. The Blazer went from a fairly comfortable ride with average handling to a much quieter and much more competent ride in every way when I switched to the Cross Terrain SUV tires. The difference was night and day. It was like a completely different vehicle, almost like going from a , well, Chevy, to something kind of like a BMW (but not as good as the Ridgeline!). Considering my frame of reference with the factory installed tires on the Blazer, my perspective is limited.

On the other hand, I am very happy with the LTX performance and durability. The only reason that I am even considering the other tires is based on my limited experience with them. I did sell the Blazer long before they wore out so perhaps I managed to avoid the troubles ahead. Unless someone reports that they have had excellent results with the SUV tires on their Ridgeline, based on your comments, it looks like I will be staying with the LTX tires.

Not to further muddy the waters but my daughter has an Element. I replaced her stock tires with Yokahama Geolanders and they made a night and day difference for that vehicle as well. They didn't last as long as I would have liked them to, about 40,000 miles, so I am in the process of ordering a replacement set right now. They are a lot cheaper than either of the Michelin tires and they are very highly rated. I don't want to take a chance on the replacements for the Ridgeline without someones first hand experience.

[Ridgelude]

I am on my second set of Cross Terrains on our 2003 Pilot. I think they are about the same as the LTX. We have loved the Cross Terrains on the Pilot.

[Hawk 51]

How many miles did you get out of the tires on the Ridge Ultr-Hog?

[Ultra-Hog]

45,000 with about 5 ~ 10,000 left.

[Waterbug]

For most people, comparing tires is tricky business. You get a new vehicle and everything is new, balanced and properly inflated and the whole world is GREAT. You beat the crap out of a pair of tires for 40 or 50 thousand miles and they have uneven tread wear, improper inflation and are out of balance. You replace them with XX and the tire dealer tells you that your 50,000 mile shocks need replaced too. The new tires (and maybe shocks) give you that new car feel that had slowly deteriorated with the old tires. It's been 3 or 4 years since the old buggy has driven this good, so you don't remember how it was the first day.
Comparing old and new tires is tricky business. When you start throwing in comparisons from another model vehicle, the water really gets muddy. I had a pair of Michilans on my 2 wheel drive 3/4 ton Chevy PU and I couldn't drive it off of a wet lawn. They had great hiway milage but the weight distribution of the truck made them terrible in the off road traction category.

EDIT: I put a pair of agressive MS rated (Mud & Snow) tires on the rear of the PU and left the Michilans on the front. The Michilans lasted over 80,000 on the front, at which point I replaced them with other pair off of the rear. At 150,000 miles, I'm still using factory supplied tires on the front end. Needless to say, the rear tires have been replaced numerous times.

[bigdave269]

My stock tires have 55K on them, and I am about to replace them within the next couple of weeks. I still have a bit of tread life left, but I know I would have to do it by 60K anyway, and I want to have new tires before hitting our rainy season this year. I am going to put Michelins on again, and I wouldn't mind the LTX's again, they are a very nice tire. But I am open, and I will go down and see what Costco is carrying these days. I'll report back to you when I do.

[lamric]

Tire Rack Comparison

Michelin LTX M/S


The Michelin LTX M/S compared slightly better in surveys at www.tirerack.com

(Note to Lamric: I took the liberty of fixing this post so it corrects the page size. Hope you don't mind. Big Dave)

[bigdave269]

Just wanted to drop a note here. About 3 weeks ago, I bought a set of Michelin Cross Terrain tires from Costco for $820, including installation. I am happy to report that this tire has even less road noise than the LTX M/S stock tires. The Cross Terrains also appear to have the same road-holding capabilities as the LTX. I have had the opportunity to drive them in the rain and still had the fantastic grip and handling. The difference in cost was about $15 more per tire for the Cross Terrains, but it comes with a 65,000 mile warranty that the LTX did not have. Also, Costco stocks the Cross Terrain in the 245/65R17 size, and would have had to order the LTX, at least in California. By the way, I did some shopping when I was looking, and Costco had the best price with Sears a close second when on sale. If you are looking to replace your tires with a stock size, this is certainly the way to go.