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TL;DR
- The LTX A/T2 is Michelin's light-truck all-terrain: 14 listings (11 distinct sizes) on 16-20in wheels, M+S rather than 3PMSF, and a 60,000-mile warranty.
- The Defender LTX M/S2 is an on-road all-season truck tire, not an off-road tire: 54 sizes, 75,000 warranted miles on its H- and T-rated sizes and 50,000 on its S-rated LT sizes.
- Neither tire carries the three-peak mountain snowflake, so neither is certified for severe snow.
- Michelin's free-replacement window is the first 2/32in or 25% of tread (whichever helps the owner) within 12 months; after that, replacement is prorated for up to six years.
- Skipping rotation every 6,000-8,000 miles voids Michelin's treadwear warranty, and staggered fitments get half the mileage on the rear tires.
Brothers André and Édouard Michelin founded the company in Clermont-Ferrand, France, in 1889. Michelin filed its radial-tire patent on June 4, 1946, and sold the design as the Michelin X. It began building US plants in 1975 in Greenville, Anderson and Spartanburg, South Carolina, and in Dothan, Alabama; the Greenville factory was the first radial tire plant in the United States. Michelin North America is based in Greenville, and at the Defender launch in 2023 it reported 36 production facilities in the US and Canada and about 22,000 employees. Michelin has also owned BFGoodrich since 1990.
At a Glance
| Tire | Made for | Sizes and load | Snow marking | Mileage warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LTX A/T2 | Pickups, vans and SUVs that see gravel and dirt | 14 listings on 16-20in: 11 LT Load Range E, 3 passenger SL | M+S only | 60,000 mi |
| Defender LTX M/S2 | Pickups and SUVs that stay on pavement | 54 sizes on 16-24in: 40 Euro-metric XL, 14 LT (E and F) | M+S only | 75,000 mi H/T-rated; 50,000 mi S-rated LT |
LTX A/T2
Michelin sells the LTX A/T2 as "durability when the pavement ends": an all-season, Mud and Snow marked tire for pickups, vans and SUVs. Michelin credits MaxTouch Construction with optimizing road contact for long tread life in rough driving conditions. Its gravel-endurance claim rests on a 2010 internal Michelin study on a 2005 GMC Sierra 2500HD in LT265/70R17. The comparison tires were the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 2 and Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor, and Michelin publishes no figure for the margin.
The current catalog is small. Its 14 listings cover 11 distinct sizes, and some sizes appear more than once with different tread depths. LT265/70R17 is listed at both 16/32in and 12.5/32in, and LT275/70R18 at 14.5/32in (R-rated) and 12/32in (S-rated). Match the full listing, not just the size. Eleven listings are Load Range E light-truck sizes, mostly R speed-rated (106 mph). The three passenger sizes (275/65R18, 275/60R20 and 275/55R20) are standard load, with T or S ratings. Tread runs 12-16/32in.
The same size can carry very different loads. The passenger 275/65R18 is rated 114 T with 13/32in of tread. The light-truck LT275/65R18 is rated 123/120 R with 16/32in. Goodyear's load-index charts convert those to 2,601 lb and 3,417 lb per tire. Michelin's own size table warns that passenger sizes used on light trucks and SUVs have reduced load capacity. The rule behind that is FMVSS 120, which divides a passenger tire's rating by 1.10 on a truck or multipurpose passenger vehicle. On that basis the 275/65R18 counts as about 2,365 lb, 1,052 lb less per tire than the LT version.
Defender LTX M/S2
Michelin launched the Defender LTX M/S2 on October 2, 2023, as an update built on its Evertread 2.0 compound. It describes the tire as all-season, with traction in dry, wet and light snow. At launch it listed 53 sizes and a 70,000-mile warranty on Euro-metric sizes. The product page now lists 54 sizes and shows 75,000 miles.
The warranty splits by speed rating. The 40 Euro-metric XL sizes are H- or T-rated, with 11/32in of tread on H sizes and 12.5/32in on T sizes, and carry 75,000 miles. The 12 LT-metric sizes (Load Range E) and two flotation sizes (35x12.50R20LT and 35x12.50R22LT, Load Range F) are all S-rated, with 14/32in of tread, and carry 50,000 miles.
Michelin's tread-life claim is specific. In a treadwear test on 2020 Ford F-150s in 275/55R20, Michelin projected the Defender LTX M/S2's life at 95,200 miles, from the most-worn groove of a rotated set. It projected 45,300 miles for the Bridgestone Alenza AS Ultra, 65,900 for the Continental TerrainContact H/T and 61,100 for the Pirelli Scorpion All Season Plus 3. Michelin turns that into "2 extra years" of tread life using the US DOT average of 13,500 miles a year. These are the maker's projections from its own test, not an independent result.
Choosing Between Them
The choice comes down to surface. The LTX A/T2 has the deeper tread (up to 16/32in on LT sizes) and the gravel-durability focus. The Defender LTX M/S2 has the longer warranty on passenger-construction sizes and sizes up to 24in wheels, against the A/T2's 20in maximum. Neither is marked 3PMSF. Under USTMA's definition, a tire earns that symbol only by reaching a snow traction index of at least 1.10 or 1.12, depending on which standard reference tire is used, in the ASTM F1805 medium-packed-snow test. A buyer who needs certified severe-snow traction should look at a 3PMSF all-terrain. Within the Michelin group, that includes the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3, which is marked on every listed size.
Michelin Warranty and Promise Plan
Michelin's replacement-tire warranty covers workmanship and materials for the life of the original usable tread or six years from purchase, whichever comes first. If there is no invoice, the date is taken from the manufacture date on the sidewall.
- Free replacement: if 2/32in or less of tread is worn (or 25% or less, whichever is more beneficial) and the claim is within 12 months of purchase, Michelin replaces, mounts and balances the tire at no charge.
- Prorated replacement: after that window, the owner pays the percentage of usable tread worn times the current selling price, plus mounting and balancing.
- Treadwear: the owner pays the percentage of warranted miles received, times the lower of the retailer's price or Michelin's base list price. An LTX A/T2 that wears out evenly at 45,000 miles against its 60,000-mile warranty is billed at 75%.
To keep the treadwear warranty, tires must be rotated and inspected every 6,000-8,000 miles, or sooner if the vehicle maker says so, with a signed service record. Tires on staggered front and rear sizes can't be rotated, so each rear tire gets half the mileage. Tires delivered as original equipment on a new vehicle, and tires used commercially, have no treadwear warranty. The warranty also excludes road hazards, racing and uneven wear.
The Michelin Promise Plan adds two extras to replacement tires. The first is a 60-day satisfaction guarantee: return the tires with the receipt within 60 days and exchange them for tires of equal or lesser value, up to six tires per customer. The second is three years of 24-hour roadside assistance in the US and Canada, covering a flat change, lockout, fluid delivery and a jump start. If no inflated spare is available, the tow is free for up to 150 miles to a Michelin retailer. The roadside plan excludes vehicles used for off-road, farm, ranch, racing or commercial service. Michelin's owner's manual recommends yearly specialist inspection once tires reach five years in use, and replacing any tire 10 or more years past its manufacture date.
Michelin’s Lineup in This Library
2 Michelin models (All-Terrain, Highway / All-Season Truck). Specs come from Michelin’s own spec pages; we don’t buy or test tires — see how we rank.
BFGoodrich, Goodyear, Michelin, Bridgestone, Falken, Toyo, Cooper, Nitto, Mickey Thompson, Yokohama, Hankook, General Tire and all other tire brand names referenced on this site are trademarks of their respective owners. 4x4 & Overlanding is an independent publication and is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by any tire manufacturer.
Sources
- Michelin — Heritage (group history) — The 1889 Clermont-Ferrand founding, the June 4, 1946 radial patent (Michelin X), and the US plants built from 1975, with Greenville the first US radial plant.
- The Washington Post — Justice Approves Michelin's Purchase of Uniroyal Goodrich (April 25, 1990) — Michelin's 1990 purchase of Uniroyal Goodrich, which brought BFGoodrich under Michelin.
- Michelin — LTX A/T2 product page — LTX A/T2 positioning, M+S marking, MaxTouch Construction, the 2010 gravel-endurance study footnote, the 60,000-mile warranty, its size listings (load index, speed rating, tread depth) and the passenger-size load-reduction note.
- Michelin — Defender LTX M/S 2 product page — Defender LTX M/S2 all-season positioning, 54 sizes, the 75,000/50,000-mile warranty and the 275/55R20 F-150 treadwear test footnote.
- Michelin North America media — launch of Defender LTX M/S2 and Defender LTX Platinum (October 2, 2023) — The launch date, Evertread 2.0 compound, 53 launch sizes and 70,000-mile launch warranty, and Michelin North America's Greenville base, 36 facilities and about 22,000 employees.
- Michelin — Replacement Tires Owner's Manual and Warranty (PDF) — The six-year limited warranty, free and prorated replacement terms, the treadwear formula, the 6,000-8,000-mile rotation rule, staggered-fitment halving, the Promise Plan (60-day guarantee, 3-year roadside assistance and its exclusions) and the 5- and 10-year age guidance.
- Goodyear — Load Index and Speed Rating — Load-index conversions to pounds up to index 120, and the speed-symbol chart (Q 99 mph through V 149 mph).
- Goodyear Canada — Tire Load Index chart — Load-index conversions above 120 (121 = 3,197 lb through 129 = 4,079 lb) used in the worked examples.
- 49 CFR 571.120 (FMVSS 120), S5.1.2 — Tire selection for vehicles other than passenger cars (LII / Cornell) — Axle tire load ratings must cover the GAWR, and a passenger-car tire's rating is divided by 1.10 on trucks and multipurpose passenger vehicles.
- USTMA — TISB 37: Definition for Passenger and Light Truck Tires for Use in Severe Snow Conditions (PDF) — The 3PMSF definition: a snow traction index of at least 1.10 (or 1.12, by reference tire) in the ASTM F1805 medium-packed-snow test.