I put Michelin Crossclimate SUV's on mine last year and drove across France and Germany in rain and snow, on highways and up and down mountains, and they performed flawlessly. Smoother ride and quieter than the Dunlops it came with.

 

Odo just past 49k miles on my 2013 RX, FWD & I "re-shoed" with some 245/60R-18 Pirelli Scorpions [about 0.8" larger diameter than stock]. Fit perfectly & rides/tracks like a roller skate. No interference when turning or over dips/potholes/etc. Hope they last as long as the OEM Bridgestones.... And, $820.80 out-the-door [or thru the mail!] from TireRack.com....

 

Keep us posted on the treadlife you get with those Pirellis. Happy motoring....

 

Have had my Defender LTX M/S on for a few days. The tire is quiet and drives slightly more planted than the previous Premier LTX. Hoping the mpg will go up a couple after a few hundred miles. The car seems to get better mpg at 70mph than 50mph, sort of odd.

One thing I did not realize, the Defender does not come with "bead protection". I recall the previous tires were flush with the edge of the rim. The defenders do not have thicker sidewall at the bead thus almost 1/4" of the rim edge is exposed. This kind of stinks, but I much prefer the performance and tread life of the defenders. Can any Crossclimate SUV or Primacy AS owners comment if they have "bead protection"?

 

New Michelin Defender LTX M/S causing vibration at 65+ mph. I have broken-in the tires for 1000 miles. I contacted Tirerack because this is odd for a Michelin highway all-season tire. Been to 3 Firestone's for diagnosis and had rebalanced. Problem still exists. Tirerack said I need to have a shop with a Hunter Road Force balance machine check the balance of the tires. They say a regular Road Force balance machine is likely not precise enough for this tire/wheel. Tirerack scheduled me an appointment with a shop in the area they contacted on my behalf. Any similar experience? I have never heard of Hunter Road Force balance.

I never experienced this vibration with my Michelin Premier LTX that just came off the car. I also have never experienced this with a Michelin all-season tire.

 

Any tires I have installed on my wife's 2006 Jaguar XK8 have needed to be Hunter Road Force balanced. We have owned that car for more than ten years. Our local Discount Tire has the Hunter Road Force Balance system. You should indeed try that to see if it solves your issue.

 

It is possible one of the tires has a flaw of some kind. I'm not sure how to figure out which one? I've heard of this happening before with a name brand tire just not with a Michelin Tire.

I not familiar with it but I would try the Force Balance System next. Sounds like it will show something if the tire is flawed.

 

Discount Tire has a $70 rebate on the Continental CrossContact LX25 101H-rated tire through August 31st. After doing my research, I will replace the Kumho Solus KL21 tires that came new on my wife's 2015 RX350 when we purchased it in late October 2018 with a set of these Contis next week. I was planning to go with a set of General Altimax RT43 tires, but the Contis come with a better treadwear warranty (70,000 miles vs. 65,000 miles). I have a copy of the Kumho tires receipt from the local indie car dealership we purchased the vehicle from - these Kumhos also came from Discount Tire so I will be getting a pro-rated credit towards the new Contis. The Kumhos came with a 60,000-mile treadwear warranty. They are just about done at 48,500 miles so that 11,500 miles of pro-rated credit will help. The $70 rebate makes the Contis a better deal right now than the Generals, as does the longer treadwear warranty.


Update:

I ordered a set of these Continental tires this morning (8/19/22) at my local Discount Tire store, size 235/55/19 in the 101H load rating with a 70,000-mile treadwear warranty. With the pro-rated credit applied from the vehicle's existing set of Kumho tires and the $70 Visa rebate card deal from Continental, my out-the-door cost will be $830. Considering how much tire prices have escalated during the pandemic, I can live with that. The new tires should arrive early next week.


Second Update:

I just discovered that these tires come with a free 3-year 24/7 roadside assistance program once you register your new tires on the Continental Tire website. This RX350 is my wife's daily driver and this extra coverage could prove to be valuable during her monthly solo trips from North Carolina to Georgia and back to visit family.

 

My local Discount Tire store installed my new set of Continental CrossContact LX25 tires this afternoon. Very quiet, great ride, great stops on dry pavement. Looking forward to testing them during the next rainstorm. Time will tell how they hold up but I think my wife will really like them (the RX is her daily driver). Running them at 34 to 35 psi now but will probably wind up backing them down to 32 to 33 psi to give her a bit more road comfort.

 

2015 with 19s. Ended up replacing our Yokohama YK with Michelin Defenders Monday due to their high tread wear warranty. Had Michelin Premier before which didn’t last as long as I hoped then switched to Yokohamas. Only got 25k miles and close to being worn so got credit and applied to new Defenders at Discount Tire. Had considered Conti, Pirelli and other Michelins.

 

I have Michelin Defenders LXT and find them too stiff. However, they last for ever. 20k miles and TONS of thread left. Will easy do 45k miles or even 50. Whenever they are done, I would like something more comfy. Which are your thoughts on the Yokohamas? I had tehm in my TSX before switching to Contis and didn't last too long but were comfortable. I liked them. How are they on the RX?

 

Thought I’d share my experience with tires. I’ve always had Michelin tires on the three RX’s that have been in the family. About a year ago I hit a road hazard which caused sidewall failure. I took the car to my Indy for tire diagnosis and decided to replace all four.
The Indy suggested Hercules Terre Trac Cross V. I was hesitant as Michelin had always been the go to and what I was familiar with.

The tech did not hard sell me but did provide an interesting offer. Drive on the Hercules for 45 days and if I don’t like them, we’ll come up with other options. If I like them, I get 2 years road hazard protection with free tire replacement, tread life of 60-80K. I figured what the hell. Give them a try. Well, about a year later I’m very pleased with these tires. Quiet, handles very well, good on dry and wet surfaces.

When driving my 2010 with the Hercules and my better half’s 2013 with the Michelin, there is absolutely no significant difference in performance. The Hercules were about $850 out the door. At my oil change appointment a few months later, the tech asked how I was enjoying the Hercules tires. I was happy to report that I found them to be as good as what I experienced with Michelins except they don’t have “Michelin” printed on the sidewall.

So, for what it’s worth, that has been my experience with tires on my RX. Take it for what it’s worth. I found the brand to be worth it so far.

 

Do you get high speed 65+ mph vibration with your Defender LTX? I am still struggling with mine after a couple thousand miles. My seat and steering wheel vibrate after 65mph which was not occurring with the Michelin Premier LTX I just took off. I even just replaced my brake rotors, pads, and caliper hardware with Napa Ultra Premium to rule that out. Tirerack is offering to help me with swapping out these tires for new set but I really don't feel its fair for me to incur the installation expense.

 

Just an update for my 2010 RX with 116k miles. New Michelin Cross Climate 2’s added yesterday. Initial opinion is very favorable. Hoping they do well in our wet fall and snowy Minnesota winters, although my winter driving is age-reduced.

 

I always thought of the Defenders as "Truck" tires as they are a popular option on heavy duty trucks. I was a little surprised to se them on the RX when I bought it. I saw Michelins and though cool then I realized they are the exact same as on my 3/4 ton truck (except for the load rating) It wouldn't surprise me if they were a little more stiff.