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Light- and heavy-duty truck tire options have seen massive growth over the past couple of years. Where all-season passenger tires used to reign supreme, truck-centric fare have joined in, which not only promise a lengthy warranty and very versatile grip but also solid all-weather performance. And to that end, Michelin’s just announced the expansion of its Defender line, meant to offer assured all-weather grip for light truck and SUV chassis with the LTX Platinum and LTX M/S2.
So what’s what we these two new tires?
From the get-go, the specs are impressive, starting with the brand’s lifespan. Michelin’s giving ’em as much as a 70,000-mile warranty, which certainly helps amortize one’s investment in maintenance and upkeep. Then, there are as many as 53 sizes—up from 32 when the Defender debuted in 2017— available for pickups and conventional trucks made in the last 10 years. And that’s because Michelin has seen the industry explode with larger and larger wheels.
“Meeting the needs of the growing heavy-duty and luxury pickup truck market, the new Defender LTX Platinum tire will offer six 20” rim sizes,” says Michelin in its press release, adding, “With cutting-edge aesthetics and dramatically better treadlife than its competitive set.”
That’s a testament to how popular trucks and SUVs have become in the past five years.
The Bibendum brand developed the Defender LTX Platinum from its experience in the heavy truck industry, which it claims is why it delivers outstanding “grip in the wet and snow, and throughout its entire life.” The Defender LTX M/S2 tire sports the latest Evertread 2.0 compound for maximum grip throughout the life of the tire. It’s integrated this into now-former Defender compounds for some time now.
Additionally, Michelin USA says both compounds will possess a comfortable and quiet ride quality. Pricing will depend on size, so you’ll need to check your local tire shop or through places like Tire Rack or Tire Buyer to see how much a new set of these Michelin’s will cost you.
But there are a lot of very appealing claims being made by the South Carolina-based operation about these brand-new Defenders; we at The Drive hope we get the chance to give them a go and find out for ourselves.
