Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives New Michelins

I'd asked about the Revo 3 at Costco. Then I found out that they have all their Michelins on sale for $150 off/set of 4. I ended up with these Michelin Agilas. This store doesn't carry them so I had to order them online from Costco. I just got them on this morning.

They had this in the decription and it's about all I had to go on. We'll see how they do.

Our Most Durable Heavy Duty Light Commercial Truck Tire
Improved Tread Life Under Heavy Loads
Excellent Wet and Snow Traction

Looks like possibly an improvement to the a/t-2, from which I've had good service. Nice, quiet tire.

what ply rating ?

Ed

The tire pictured is an LT which should put it at an E load rating; no?

I'm unable to read how many plys are in the tread and sidewall from the picture.

As a brand, Michelins are the best tires made.


They last longer, have fewer blowouts and failures.
They cost more to buy, but after you wear them out and look at the miles you got, they cost less per mile.
IF
You like the tread pattern.
Michelin does not make a serious “off road” tire.

I recently purchased a new truck that came with Goodyears.
When it is time for new tires, I will probably get the same Michelin Agilas.

As far as my statement about Michelins being the best, this come from professional fleet managers who over see thousands of pick ups and commercial 18 wheel trucks putting on many millions of miles per year.

E. The stock tire size on my Dodge is 265-70-17. I got 245-75-17. They're the same height and load rating but an inch narrower. They're better on snow and allow more room for chains in the front.

I have all of 30 miles on them. So far, they do seem quieter than the Coopers I had before.

Rock Chuck did you have any trouble getting Costco to install the tires? My experience with them they would not install any tires on a vehicle that were not the same size as stock or at least very close and same or better speed rating, though they would sell them but you had to get them installed somewhere else.

No questions asked. It doesn't have the TPM in the tires, either, and they didn't question that. Some shops say the feds won't let them install tires without the TPM if they originally had them. The tires I got have all the same ratings as the stock size, just an inch narrower.
The biggest problem was that you have to make an appointment 2 weeks out to get them installed. They're way backed up. I ordered them and they arrived a week before I got them on.

Apparently Michelin has discontinued the Defender which has been a go-to for years. This is the replacement. I only have 50 miles on them so far but they seem to be a bit squirrely. We're taking a 600 mile trip next week. Our camp trailer weighs 5k and we'll have a 1000lb UTV in the bed. We'll see how they do.

In this case yes, but not necessarily.

I was just looking for something and found this on Costco's web site. These tires must be sized close enough to the stock size to qualify.

Just got back from a 30 mile drive towing a 4 to 5k trailer. I'm not impressed. These tires are way too squirrely. It's going to be a long 60k miles.

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Disclaimers
Tire Installation Requirements
Costco will not perform services on tires purchased by non-members. Costco will only install tires authorized for a specific vehicle. If you are unsure if your purchase is an authorized fitment, contact your local Costco tire center for assistance.

General Notice
The final decision to install a tire on a vehicle will be made by the Costco tire center manager or supervisor. The tire must meet all vehicle manufacturers’ safety standards and specifications.

Non-Installed Tires
If the Costco tire center does not install your tires, you will be refunded $18.99 per tire (plus disposal fee), and any applicable sales tax for your city and state. If you choose not to accept your tires you will receive a full refund for your order, including the $18.99 per tire (plus disposal fee), and any applicable sales tax for your city and state.

Installation of Less Than a Full Set of Tires
It is always recommended to replace tires in complete sets. When purchasing less than four tires, the new tires will be installed on the rear of your vehicle regardless of the drive axle. This does not apply to Dual Wheel vehicles or vehicles with different size tires on the front and rear of the vehicle.

Standard Tire Installation
If you are purchasing a tire using an option other than the "search by vehicle option" you must make sure the tire you purchase is an authorized fitment for your vehicle. Costco will only install tires authorized for a specific vehicle. If you are unsure if your purchase is an authorized fitment, contact your local Costco tire center for assistance.Installation available for tires purchased at Costco Wholesale only.

Snow Tire Installation - Rear Wheel Drive Vehicles
Two snow tires can be installed on the rear of a rear wheel drive vehicle.

Front Wheel Drive, Four Wheel Drive, and All Wheel Drive Vehicles
Snow tires will only be installed in sets of four on front wheel drive, four wheel drive, and all wheel drive vehicles.

Snow Tire Installation - Dual Wheel Drive Vehicles
Snow tires will only be installed in sets of four on the rear of a dual wheel vehicle or a complete set of six tires.

Speed Rating
Tires will only be installed if the speed rating is the same or higher than the speed rating that the vehicle manufacturer equipped the vehicle with from the factory.

Load Carrying Capacity
Tires will only be installed if the load carrying capacity is the same or higher than the load carrying capacity that the vehicle manufacturer equipped the vehicle with from the factory.

Four Wheel Drive and All Wheel Drive Vehicles
It is always recommended to replace tires on Four Wheel Drive and All Wheel Drive vehicles in complete sets. When purchasing less than four tires, the tire size and tread design must be identical, and the overall circumference between the old tires and the new tires must have a difference of less than 1 1/2 inches. If less than a complete set of tires is purchased, the new tires will be installed on the rear of the vehicle.

For clarification on any of the following conditions, please call 1-800-955-2292

Went tire shopping with Daughter today for her 2007 Tahoe 4wd.

Went with the Revo3 in LT. Unfortunately Costco had none in any of their Kommirfornia or Nevada Warehouses.

Took Costco price down the road to Americas Tire and they matched it and tossed in a few extra % for my discounts.

Tried to go with the 1 inch narrower tire as well but damn it it wasn't 400 bucks more all around at both Costco and America's tire. Fuggin conspiracy to support those stupid standard tire sizes.

My stock tire size is 265-70-17. I went with 245-75-17. In the Revos at Costco, the 245's were $25 cheaper than the wider ones. The Michelins were $17 cheaper. When I ordered them a few weeks ago, the Michelins were about $10 less than the Revos plus they had $150/set discount on the Michelins so they were quite a bit cheaper. I just looked them up for this comparison and now they're the same price and they've ended the Michelin discount. If I was buying them today, I'd go with the Revos.

I bought my pickup used in '12. The dealer had put on new tires and had gone with the cheaper 245s. I liked them and have stuck with that size. Since they have the same load and speed ratings and are the same diameter, it was a winner. I have a set of extra heavy chains that look like something for a Bobcat loader. I think the cross links are about 1/4" steel. I've only used them once for about 200 yds but they fit fine on the front with the narrower tires.

I got 110,000 miles out of my first set of Michelin LTX M/S2's on my 8000 pound truck. They were load range E. Replaced with the exact same tire, which like the originals were plus one size from 265 to 285's. They look very similar to the OP's photo above. Second set is only a 42,000 miles, so just getting broke in. They have never been squirrely, Not on snow, rain or gravel. Just a guess, but I'm wondering if the tires are amplifying other worn or loose suspension components. I'd start with the shocks, and I would look no further than a new set of Bilsteins. They'll ride too firm for the first 1000 miles. After that everything will be smooth sailing. Most people can't believe how well my Ford Excursion handles the corners. Then check your ball joints and tie rod ends and you should be good to go.

Not in this case. I just spend a wad getting new ball joints, tie rods, etc. The hubs only have a couple thousand on them. Nothing's loose under there.

Why doesn't Ford put rear stabilizer bars on their F150's ? If you drive the twisty's, there is nothing better to improve drivability.

Shocks been replaced?

What kind of air pressure are you running?

The shocks aren't that old. I don't know exactly how much N Costco put in the tires. They'd match whatever the TPM requires even though I don't have them in the tires.
Reading reviews after I bought them, I see that quite a few others have complained about them being squirrely, too.

So these replaced the Defender LTX M/S?

That's what I read but they're still on web sites.

May do some searching and get me a set ordered before they are gone for good.

300 miles today with a 1000 Lb Razor in the bed and a 5k trailer behind, some freeway, some winding paved road. These Agilas are TERRIBLE. I've hauled this load many times easily and safely but not with these tires. They're all over the road. The sway bar didn't help. Now I'll have to get an equalizer hitch. The Coopers I had before would go straight down he road without a twitch.

Nitto Exo Grappler. Excellent in snow/packed snow/ice and the 3rd sidewall belt means they don't get squishy with a load.

RC, you went narrower with a taller side wall (percentage wise) buth I think you essentially retained almost all of the sidewall height...like 98%+..of what you had on the 265s..
have you played with air pressure to firm them up?
could be they have a lest robust sidewall too.

you could save them for snow tires, they are a better profile than the 265s for that purpose...

I've run this pickup for 80k on this tire size with no problems. When I bought it in '12, it had new Goodrichs and then I ran a set of Cooper AT3's. The height, load and speed ratings are identical to the 265's. Even empty, these things wander around. With a load, the wandering is more like a drunk going where he wants to.

Replace them and resell.

I'm thinking hard about that.

Bridgestone has a 30 day no questions asked satisfaction guarantee. They will take them back of you aren't happy. May be worth talking to your tire store to see if Michelin offers similar.

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I went back and reread your second post. I thought you had 265-70s before, but you said that was the stock size...not what you ran before as I was thinking...

I am going to stick with them having a lest robust side wall though.. the same load rating does not mean the same handling characteristics....as you know.

go back and see if they will accept "unsatisfactory" and get the ones you wanted in the first place....They can probably resell them as "take offs"

Costco has pretty good customer service. I'll be paying them a visit when we get home. I have to drive another 300 miles to get there. 60 mph on an 80 mph freeway.

Depending on size, it seems Discount Tire still has the Michelin Defender. I may try those if they remain stock for another 6-9 months. Got about another 10,000 miles of rubber to burn on current set of Coopers.

I'm returning the Michelins. Costco has a 30 day return. They ordered me a set of Bridgestone Duravis M700's. I asked about Revo 3's and the manager, who I know, said I wouldn't like the noise. These are a commercial tire that he said they've had very good luck with. They aren't heavy duty off road tires but 99% of my driving is on the road. I have a Razor for the rough stuff.

We came back from Boise yesterday towing our 5000lb camp trailer and with 1000lb in the back of our 3/4 ton, well under the load capacity. I've been hauling this same load for years with no issues. There's about 50 miles of concrete freeway half way home that's grooved. I had to slow down to about 55 just to keep the trailer in line. The pickup tires would grab the grooves and follow them. That would get the trailer trying to sway.

Good that Costco took care of you.

Dad had those R700s in stock-size 265/75/16 on a F350. Good results.

Those Duravis came stock on a new Chevy 2500. At 25,000 miles they still have some tread but look awful. None of the siping goes more than halfway through the tread blocks, so they wind up with no siping pretty quick. Even the deep looking horizontal cuts that define the center two tread blocks only goes 1/2 way, so they end up being one strip of solid rubber all the way around the tire. Strangest looking tire when half worn out you will ever see. They have been stable and quiet, but I will not buy them by choice.

@Rock Chuck, Sounds like your tires were possibly under-inflated for the load you had. IMO tires should have been inflated to at least 65 psi and possibly more. On a 2010 F 250 4WD I would run 60 psi in front and 55 in back when empty. Handled well.

With 4000 lbs of crushed stone in the box I would run 65 in the front and 80 in the back...

They had plenty of air. They're squirrely even when the pickup is empty.

I had a set of Michelin LTX (I think) that was loosey goosey. They were ok at 80psi, but never good. The worst was Goodyear duratracks.

That sucks about the Michelin’s. They’re usually a great product.

Was thinking about these for my 250-

https://www.tirepros.com/tires/michelin/xps-traction/p/style/36216

glad to hear they made good on you.

Not Michelin’s but I put a set of Toyo CTs on my F250 yesterday. Cheapest name brand tire I could find in my size. They’re more aggressive than they looked online but Toyo calls them a hybrid AT/MT tire and I think I’m going to like them. I’ve only got about 100 miles on them but they aren’t noisy so far and we’re far better than the old Goodyear ATs on the slick red clay mud getting down to the fishing hole last night.

The CT has been out for awhile. I've never used them, but they seem like an updated M55 which I have had really good luck with.

Sounds like excessive sidewall flex, that can affect handling. And different tread patterns can sometimes follow rain grooves really bad.

They might have good traction in nasty stuff but I'm betting they aren't that good on slick hard roads. They have almost no siping and that's what grabs the snow. They also say they're a 50k tire so they'll have hard rubber. Soft rubber is more sticky on snow. They advertise them as an offroad tire but you drive a lot more onroad than off.

I've never seen an AT or MT tire with soft compound when it is actually cold out. If so, they'd wear extremely fast the rest of the year especially in hot regions of the country.

Dedicated snow tires in comparison, have soft compounds. Like the eraser on a pencil, even when it is frigid outside. That along with additives in the rubber and siping help with traction. You aren't going to have that level of traction with any all-season tire.

XPS looks like a knockoff of the M55.

A dedicated snow tire usually won't last much longer than maybe 30k but if you drive much on slick roads, they're worth the money. I read an article a while back about all seasons. Someone did some extensive research on them and found that they don't work any better than regular highway tires. The rubber's too hard for good traction. The fancy tread designs don't do much other than sell tires.
Last winter we went to Albuquerque for Christmas and then to Portland and Seattle in Feb. We have a Toyota Highlander AWD. It has the original tires and we were looking at some nasty roads so I got some real studded snow tires. The Alb. trip wasn't bad but when we went to OR and WA, we got caught in that nasty storm that closed all the highways for days. Our intended route, I-84, was closed and hundreds of trucks lined the highway for miles. To get over the mountains, we had to take a long detour over White Pass, near Mt St. Helens. It was the only road open anywhere. The snow tires worked beautifully. In many places, we were the only thing moving. I-5 north of Portland was unplowed and a real mess but we just zipped along, having the whole freeway almost to ourselves..

It does. A little more conservative maybe. With Michelins rubber, I bet it'd be a good tire.

I should add to my OP about the Michelin Agilas. I talked about how unstable they are with a load but they're just as bad empty. Going down the road at 60 with an empty pickup, you'd better keep a grip on the wheel. They'll follow any grove or bump. They're very tiring on longer trips as you have to correct them constantly.

Like Armstrong Steering in the days of yore.

Yep, duratracs on a diesel are ugly.

I tried Duratracs on my 1 ton RAM diesel. Only tire that got a flat on the RAM and not much better than the Firestone HTs that came on it in the snow. Took them off and put them on my plow truck just to wear them out. Does ok until they get in deep snow or icy conditions. Chains are a prerequisite to help them out.

I stopped atCostco three days ago.Wanted to put P rated tires on my 2004Tacoma for an easier ride.Guy said it was no problem and quoted me $888 plus Installation fee of $20/tire for Michelins. Think I will wait.

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These, I know something about. I ran them on my 1991 Dodge diesel, that I bought new. I sold it with just over 500,000 miles on it.....these were on it for over 480,000 miles. Dad ran these on his 93 Dodge for over 300,000 miles, also. The only flat, between us, in 20 years, was a railroad spike that went through one of dad's new tires. (That Michelin replaced for free). I ran XTR's in the winter, and the XPS highway tread in the summer. The XTRs would last about 60-65,000 miles and the highway tread about 10,000 miles more. I'd get them recapped, and put about another 35,000 miles on them. So.....about 100,000/casing. BTW, these are steel cased tires, meaning the sidewalls are steel belted. They stay round, wear VERY even, and only need rebalanced if you throw a weight. BY FAR, my favorite tire of all time....but, to my disappointment, they are only available in 16" tires. My 2006 Dodge is 17". Otherwise, there is no other tire I would buy (providing they haven't changed anything about the tire).

And yes, they are a very hard compound, and not good on ice or packed snow. Everything else, they were stellar!

Andy3