As I discussed in a recent thread, I was sold an LX 570 and found out the tires are nine years old. As such, I’m replacing them immediately. I’m curious about these two tires. Rde quality and interior noise are very high on my list, but they are number 2 and 3. The highest on my priority list is breaking, as I think the Lx does not have stellar braking as it stands (very good though)

I understand the Pilot Sport is 20k warranty and the ltx is 70k, but this is not a car that will be driven a ton and I don’t think the 20k is going to be an issue. I live in the Bay Area. Very moderate weather. Hit Tahoe a few times a year, but not a big priority for me. Have other cars I can take there if needed. I do want the quietest ride possible, but not at the sake of braking capability. I don’t drive aggressive at all, so the “sportiness” of the tires is meaningless to me outside of its translation to better braking.
Does anyone have a working knowledge of these two tires that they could possibly compare and contrast? If not, does anyone have either of these tires that they could compare and contrast with the stock Dunlops?

Thank you very much for your time and help.

 

I replaced the Dunlops with Yokohamas Geolander 21, that was 4 years ago, at the time Michelins were not availabe in 21 size otherwise I would have chosen them. I have 17k miles on the current set and they are good tires and much better than the Dunlops that came with the truck.

 

Thank you for the information. I will take a look at those. Which Michelin do you think you would have gone with if you had the choice? I feel like I am leaning towards the ltx, but I have read that the dry handling is not as good as the pilot sport and that leads me to believe the braking may suffer as well. Outside of emergency handling, handling for the LX is not something that ranks high for me as when driving the Lx I am always at a fairly leisurely pace.

 

I have not researched Michelin as it was not available in size 21 back then, but through out the years I always used Michelin for noise and longevity reason. I have a second car Lexus LC 500 with 21 Michelin pilot sport tires and they are fine, but different car and different ride characteristics .

 

I replaced the factory Dunlops on our 2020 LX570 with Michelin Defender LTX. I got them at Costco. Have had them on our last 4 LXs. They are the best in my opinion. I have Michelins on my other 3 cars as well.

 

I have Michelin Pilot Sports 275/50R21/XL 113V on my 2016 LX570 now, and love them. They have 31K miles on them, and I will likely get another 10-15K miles on them. I inflate them to 45 PSI to get extended wear, without any negative issues.

That said, when I replace them, I will go with the Defender LTXs, which were unavailable when I purchased the Pilots. I previously had the LTXs on another vehicle, and loved them too. In fact, probably the best tires I ever owned.

Either way, you can't go wrong with Michelins. But I give the LTXs the nod.

 

We have always used Yokohama HTS or ATS tires on our Highlander and 4 Runner and will use them when we replace the Michelins on our LX. They wear well, are quiet and have great grip. The HTS are more geared towards highway ride with a bit more tread wear and less road noise. For the price, these cannot be beat- I know folks like Michelin, but after buying these, I’m not convinced the price difference is worth it to go Michelin!

 

I switched out my 20" LX wheels for 18" LC wheels. To that end, I also put Michelin Defender LTX AT/2 (not MS/2).
They seem like good tires.
275/70r18

 

I would choose the Michelin LTX as it may be a better overall tire for your purposes.

 

I put on the LTX MS2s on my 2013 570 within the last 5k miles. 1st purchased them for my 2022 Ram 1500 truck approx. 10k miles ago. The overall ride quality with my truck on those tires are what convinced me to put them on my 570: for an SUV / Truck, they are-- hands down-- the best HT I've ever run. Period. End of story. Not even close.

I've run the Pilot Sport on higher-end sedans (2 Alpinas, 1 Audi S8) and they are more engineered / designed for that use case. The rubber compound in the Pilot Sport is softer & more grippy to enable higher-end performance sedans to grip / corner better & this is why the warranty is so low... awesome tire for its primary focus & use case (i.e., high end performance sedans mainly). Sure they can-- and some folks do-- run them in light crossover or mid-size truck applications. Maybe even full size trucks and something as heavy and tank-like as a 570. But that's not really the focus or 'sweet spot' for the Pilot Sport.

As you specifically asked for a compare & contrast between the two for a 570, can't directly comment as I've never considered them as a good fit for the 570 platform & so have never run a Pilot Sport on any truck or SUV I've ever owned. Others on this thread with personal experience can more meaningfully comment.

Given how you're describing your use case, sounds like you're looking for an HT. Once you start asking about tires (brands, models, etc.) you'll get as many answers / opinions as when you post about which oil to run.

I'm sure there are plenty of great options out there, so can only relay my personal experience. And that is: the LTX MS2 is the single best HT I've ever run on any full-size SUV or truck. Period. Hard stop. I'm running a 275/60r20 on the OEM 20" wheels-- about as tall as you can run (33" diameter) before needing to trim / do a sensor lift.

If braking is your #1 priority above all else, you might consider running a 285/55r/20. While shorter at 32.3" and the ride will be a tad more stiff / rigid with the aspect ratio giving you 6.2" of sidewall vs. 6.5" on the size I'm running, the marginal extra 10mm in width on the 285 = correspondingly marginal larger contact patch with the road = marginally better braking / stopping distance.

Either way, the new LTX MS2 is the best HT I've ever run... and it isn't close.

 

I really appreciate the feedback here. I ordered the LTX and they will be installed Tuesday. I have a 1,000 mile road trip Wednesday and I will report back here with my thoughts on the LTX. Thank you again for the information and thoughts everyone!

 

Great synopsis of the two tires.
I put the Pilot Sports on my SC430 and will eventually on my IS500.
Considering the Michelin LTX for my GX460 when needed.
They are the best option for the 19 inch wheels on mine.

 

Hey Charlie, The Michelin Defender LTX are discontinued a while ago at Costco (online or warehouse). How long ago did you puchased from Costco?

 

Thats a interesting story. We have 2 Costco stores in our area. The first store i went to said they couldn't get the Michelins. Gave the other store a call and they were able to get the Michelins. I was glad to get them. They(LTX) are still made and other some other places I called had them. I just wanted to deal with Costco.

 

I don't think that Michelin Defender LTX are being discontinued at Costco, I think they are relatively new. When I purchased my Pilot's in Jan 2022, there were no LTXs on the Michelin site. Not sure when they were introduced, but thinking only recently.