Pirelli AS plus 3 vs Michelin Defenders LTX M/S

[kerlyb]

After 3500 miles of mostly highway driving and towing, I have no complaints on the OEM Bridgestones. After these wear out, I'm gonna try the Continental TerrainContact H/T. They have good reviews on Tire Rack....plus they're cheaper than Michelin/Pirelli.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

After 3500 miles of mostly highway driving and towing, I have no complaints on the OEM Bridgestones. After these wear out, I'm gonna try the Continental TerrainContact H/T. They have good reviews on Tire Rack....plus they're cheaper than Michelin/Pirelli.

Get yourself into a little bit of a rain storm, or some ice...then let us know how you feel about those Alenza AS/02 OEM tires...I agree, dry they are not bad...throw any water at them...oof...

 

[KMeloney]

After 3500 miles of mostly highway driving and towing, I have no complaints on the OEM Bridgestones. After these wear out, I'm gonna try the Continental TerrainContact H/T. They have good reviews on Tire Rack....plus they're cheaper than Michelin/Pirelli.

Get yourself into a little bit of a rain storm, or some ice...then let us know how you feel about those Alenza AS/02 OEM tires...I agree, dry they are not bad...throw any water at them...oof...

Yeah, that's where I am with the stock Bridgestones. And I've been in the rain with them, and some ice/light snow here in Philadelphia. I'm not suggesting that I will replace them with the same thing when they wear out, but I'm definitely have no reason to hate them right now.

And as for the looks of them, I actually like the mostly smooth and uncluttered sidewalls. They take tire shine well (and probably due to the lack of grooves, don't sling excess tire shine on the sides of the truck).

 

[kerlyb]

Get yourself into a little bit of a rain storm, or some ice...then let us know how you feel about those Alenza AS/02 OEM tires...I agree, dry they are not bad...throw any water at them...oof...

We had a snow storm here in SE Wisconsin on Jan 12 I got stuck driving in....many places recording 12" snow fall. In 4wd mode on the interstate, tires handle as expected driving @50 mph. Sure they slid a little here and there but I didn't find the Bridgestones to handle any different from other name brand M/S rated tires I've driven in the snow...from Goodyear, General, Michelin, and Pirelli.

 

[Polo08816]

After 3500 miles of mostly highway driving and towing, I have no complaints on the OEM Bridgestones. After these wear out, I'm gonna try the Continental TerrainContact H/T. They have good reviews on Tire Rack....plus they're cheaper than Michelin/Pirelli.

The Continental TerrainContact H/T have pretty good initial reviews.

What I like about Michelins (brand in general) is that they maintain consistent performance throughout the life of the tire. That aspect is hard for initial reviews to assess.

 

[JayceeP]

I think I’m going Pirelli AS Plus 3 on the 22” wheels. The reviews are good and for a pretty significant cost difference over the defenders, I’ll give them a shot.

 

[Stbentoak]

I think I’m going Pirelli AS Plus 3 on the 22” wheels. The reviews are good and for a pretty significant cost difference over the defenders, I’ll give them a shot.

If you don't rap on tons of miles, this could be a good choice. But we don't have the huge price difference here. If the defenders have an updated look, I'll give them a 2nd look.
And yes, I do care about sidewall appearance. I don't want my vehicle looking like a 1 ton dually.

 

[14Tahoe]

I have the Pirelli AS Plus 3. They are top of their class for noise and comfort. However, they wear down much quicker and the sidewall tends to look brownish/grey once your tire shine wears off. You will find you need to apply tire shin more often do to the natural color. I will probably go Michelin for the next set.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

We had a snow storm here in SE Wisconsin on Jan 12 I got stuck driving in....many places recording 12" snow fall. In 4wd mode on the interstate, tires handle as expected driving @50 mph. Sure they slid a little here and there but I didn't find the Bridgestones to handle any different from other name brand M/S rated tires I've driven in the snow...from Goodyear, General, Michelin, and Pirelli.

Surprisingly, I think they are ok in snow..ice and wet, the lack of sipes makes them bad. I think the texture at the base of the grooves helps in snow. In moderate to heavy rain, they hydroplane way too much to inspire any confidence.

 

[JayceeP]

If you don't rap on tons of miles, this could be a good choice. But we don't have the huge price difference here. If the defenders have an updated look, I'll give them a 2nd look.
And yes, I do care about sidewall appearance. I don't want my vehicle looking like a 1 ton dually.

lol agreed. Yeah the defenders are $500 CDN a pop and I’m getting the Pirelli’s for $350 with. Discount. Retail seems to be around $425 though.

 

[JayceeP]

I have the Pirelli AS Plus 3. They are top of their class for noise and comfort. However, they wear down much quicker and the sidewall tends to look brownish/grey once your tire shine wears off. You will find you need to apply tire shin more often do to the natural color. I will probably go Michelin for the next set.

I missed this… I saw some pics online of the dirty look on the sidewall of the Pirelli’s. My Hankooks on my F150 do the same thing and it drives me nuts. I believe it’s because of the vertical ridges on the outer portion of the sidewall.

Now I want to go Defenders… dammit!

 

[JayceeP]

I just texted my guy at the dealer and told him to cancel the Pirelli’s. Defneders it is…. FFFFFFF!!!!!

 

[91RS]

Would love to see what they look like on your truck if you get a chance to snap a pic.

Very dirty but you get the idea.

 

[JayceeP]

Very dirty but you get the idea.

Are those the defender 2’s?

 

[91RS]

Yes.

 

[jthoske]

I too considered the Pirelli's but the Michelins had overwhelmingly positive reviews and I can see why. I put 275/55/22 Michelin Defender LTX's on my wife's 2023 Yukon Denali Duramax 4WD @ 500 miles (+ new wheels) and have been very happy with them. Handles great, quiet, and very very comfortable.

Now @ ~12k miles and they are wearing very evenly, still very quiet and drive like they did when new.

Edit: Gorgeous V. Probably about what I'd custom order if I were to buy one.

 

[JayceeP]

Official. Getting the 22” Defender LTX M/S tires instead of the Pirelli’s. Fyi I couldn’t find any 22’s but did find this F150 with 24’s online.

 

[dcyy]

I am on my second set of Defenders. I have the 22” GMC wheels and they are smooth, quiet, and stay in balance. I got 65,000 miles out of the first set. I took the original Bridgestone tires off at 2,000 miles because they couldn’t be balanced. The Defenders solved the balance problem and made the ride much better. I am not a fan of the 22” wheels and would have preferred 20” wheels for ride quality but could not get dealer to swap when new. Happy now as long as I am running the Defenders.

My 22 Denali came with 20" Bridgestones too and when the 22's that were on constraint arrived I put the LTX's on and made a 6hr. round trip to PA. Actually liked the LTX ride and handling better than the 20's.

 

[JayceeP]

No regrets. These 22” Defenders ride awesome.

 

[KMeloney]

I think I prefer the look of the LTXs vs the newer LTX 2s. Are the changes to the 2s anything more than cosmetic? Or are they very different tires? Can you still get the non-2s?