SUVs are huge and powerful vehicles. Hence, they need a tire that can provide durability and reliability at the same time. When I consider these two requirements and link them up with exceedingly comfy driving, the first brand that comes to my mind is Michelin. Today, as a former Bridgestone engineer, I’m going to expose the Best Michelin Tires for SUVs. Let’s begin!
- Michelin Crossclimate 2 – Great 4 Season Traction + Longevity – Best All Weather Tire
- Michelin Defender 2 – Longevity + Responsiveness – Best Affordable All-Season Tire
- Michelin Defender LTX M/S – Durability + Longevity + Mild Off-Road Traction – Best Tire for Hauling & Towing
- Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV – Wet & Dry Performance + Handling – Best Summer Touring Tire
- Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4 – Longevity + Handling + Mild Winter Traction – Best Performance All-Season Tire
- Michelin X-Ice Snow – Ice Traction + Comfort – Best Winter Tire
- Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 – Snow Traction + Handling + Responsiveness – Best Performance Winter Tire
- Michelin LTX A/T2 – Longevity + Comfort – Best All-Terrain Tire
- BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 – All Round tire that is also part of Michelin brand – Best Severe Off-Road Tire
Table of Contents
How to Classify Michelin Tires?
The tire industry has branched out a lot lately. At the beginning of the 2000s, there were five main categories. All-season tires, summer tires, winter tires, all-terrain tires, and performance tires.
Lately, these categories began to divide within themselves. Here are some of them you must need to know before reading this article.
All-Season Tires:
- All-Weather Tires: 4 seasons of performance, traction, longevity, durability, and comfort (less than grand touring tires but more than others)
- Grand Touring All-Season Tires: 3-season performance + light snow traction, durability, longevity, comfort
- Touring All-Season Tires: 3-season performance + light snow traction ( not as much as Grand Touring), durability, comfort (3rd place)
- Passenger All-Season Tires: 3-season performance + light snow traction ( not as much as Touring tires), durability, comfort (3rd place)
- Highway All-Season Tires: Longevity and handling focus tires, relatively lower snow and wet performance, stiff driving
Summer Tires:
- Grand Touring Summer: Dry weather tires can provide unique handling, responsiveness, wet performance
- Highway Rib Summer: Heavy-duty capability, noise reduction, tread life (only recommend for commercial usage)
Performance Tires:
- Max Performance Summer: Performance-focused low-profile tires, I don’t recommend them on SUVs.
- Ultra-High Performance Summer: Performance-focused low-profile tires, last short
- Ultra-High Performance All-Season: The only performance tires that can be used on SUVs. Relatively shorter tread life than premium all-season tires.
Winter Tires:
- Studless Ice/Snow Tires: Your regular winter tires, dedicated winter tires, don’t perform in summer, and last longer than performance winter tires
- Performance Winter/Snow Tires: For performance-tuned SUVs, don’t perform in the summer, last shorter but provide better traction and handling and stopping distance
All-Terrain Tires:
- On/Off Road All-Terrain: Better for off-road lovers, decrease comfort and handling
Note: The remaining all-terrain tire categories aren’t usable for SUVs.
From now on, I’m going to share my favorite Michelin tires for each category.
Best Michelin All-Season Tires for SUV
All-season tires are the most popular tire category. Most of you will leave the article after reading this section.
- Best All-Weather Tire – Michelin Crossclimate 2 – Michelin Crossclimate 2 SUV (If you can’t find your size on Crossclimate 2
- Best Grand-Touring All-Season Tire – Michelin Primacy Tour A/S
- Best Touring All-Season Tire – Michelin Defender 2
- Best Passenger All-Season Tire – Michelin Primacy A/S
- Best Highway All-Season Tire – Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Michelin Crossclimate 2 - Year Round Traction + Long Lasting Rubber
Michelin Crossclimate 2 is the hero tire of the Michelin line-up. The dude rocks the market since it has been released. So, the idea behind the Crossclimate tires is simple. Use winter compound but put as much rubber on the road for a decent dry performance. In order to do that, reducing the sipe intensity is a must because it costs more wear. Hence, you may think that this tire lacks sipes. The grooves and tread do the job instead of sipes and cuts.
As a former Bridgestone engineer, from my standpoint, Michelin Crossclimate 2 provides unique traction on wet and dry surfaces. Furthermore, its 3PMSF-labeled compound provides trustworthy winter performance. Well, it can even handle the icy grounds. Even better, Michelin Crossclimate 2 offers long-lasting rubber with a highly smooth riding experience. However, it’s still one step ahead of perfection. Even though these are its above-average features, due to its aggressive pattern, it makes shadowy noise and a 10% increase in MPG (it’s even 8,5 out of 10 on its weak features).
| Michelin Crossclimate 2 | |
|---|---|
| Best for | The all-round tire that can perform perfectly in all 4 seasons, severe winter traction |
| Pros | Insane wet and snow traction, long-lasting rubber, cool design |
| Cons | Slightly noisy |
| Test Report | vs WeatherPeak & PureContact LS (May 31, 2022) |
| Category | Grand Touring All-Weather |
| Vehicle | Passenger Car/Minivan/SUV |
| Available Sizes (Rim) | 16”, 17”, 18”, 19”, 20” (Ensure these tires fit your vehicle) |
| Weight | 21 – 32 lbs |
| Made In | United States |
| Labels | 3PMSF |
| Warranty (P-metric) | 60,000 Miles |
- Michelin offers 6 years and 60,000 miles mileage warranty for this product
- Detailed research is available:
https://tireterrain.com/michelin-crossclimate-2-review/
Michelin Crossclimate 2 SUV - Sport Utility or Larger SUVs
Michelin Crossclimate 2 is great. Yet, it doesn’t fit some sport utility SUVs that need higher load and speed index at the same time. Hence, Michelin has a reinforced SUV version of this tire for a couple of sizes. The range is broader than Crossclimate 2 ( 17” to 20” diameter).
Michelin Crossclimate 2 SUV is great as its younger brother Michelin Crossclimate 2. No matter how cold or hot, Michelin Crossclimate 2 SUV provides great traction. Moreover, the dude has a long life like a tortoise. As a return, it’s slightly noisier than your regular all-season tire.
- I don’t recommend the SUV version unless you need a higher load or speed index
- Crossclimate tires are developed for severe winter conditions. Hence, I don’t recommend using it if you don’t see snow often
- Michelin offers 6 years and 60,000 miles mileage warranty for this product
- Michelin Crossclimate 2 SUV is a newly released tire. Hence you may face supply issues. If you’ll experience any, I do recommend Michelin Crossclimate SUV instead.
Michelin Primacy Tour A/S - 3 Season Traction + Fuel Efficiency
Michelin Primacy Tour A/S is a grand touring all-season tire. This tire is a good fit for sedans, crossovers, coupes, and SUV owners who are highly obsessed with comfort. Even though it can’t provide year-round traction like its brother Michelin Crossclimate 2, though, its only deficiency is severe snow performance.
As a former Bridgestone engineer, from my standpoint, Michelin Primacy Tour A/S is a trustworthy all-round tire. It has a highly satisfying dry and wet performance. Moreover, it’s a perfect choice for aggressive drivers even on squishy days. Due to its lightweight, it’s a fuel-efficient tire. Most importantly, Michelin Primacy Tour A/S is one of the coziest and quietest tires in its segment. However, its winter performance is limited to light snow. Furthermore, its tread lasts slightly shorter than its competitors.
| Michelin Primacy Tour A/S | |
|---|---|
| Best for | 3 season driving (light-snow included), cozy and quiet highway driving, longevity |
| Test Report | vs Turanza QuietTract & PureContact LS & Quatrac Pro (July 12, 2019) |
| Category | Grand Touring All-Season |
| Vehicle | Crossover, sedans, coupes and SUVs |
| Available Sizes (Rim) | 17”, 18”, 19”, 20”, 21”, 22” (Ensure these tires fit your vehicle) |
| Weight | 25 – 37 lbs |
| Made In | USA |
| Labels | M+S |
| Warranty | 55,000 Miles (H- & V-Speed Rated) 45,000 Miles (W-Speed Rated) |
- If your city provides decent snow plowing or you see snow a couple of days a year, I recommend Primacy Tour A/S instead of Crossclimate 2
- Michelin offers 6 Years / 55,000 Miles (H- & V-Speed Rated) 6 Years / 45,000 Miles (W-Speed Rated) mileage warranty for this product
- Detailed research is available:
https://tireterrain.com/michelin-primacy-tour-a-s-review/
Michelin Defender 2 - Longevity + Responsiveness
Michelin Defender 2 is the latest product of Michelin’s standard touring tire line-up. Unlike its brother Defender T+H, this dude can be used on SUVs also. So, the main goals of standard touring all-season tires are lasting longer and being responsive. However, providing these two features decrease some other features that are related to performance.
Michelin Defender 2 is a reliable and affordable all-season tire that provides massive mileage and quick steering response. However, unlike the above tires, Michelin Defender 2’s winter and wet performances are 1 or 2 points below. This doesn’t mean it can’t be used in wet and snowy conditions. Though, you better take it easy in these conditions. On the other hand, Michelin Defender 2‘s comfort and noise level are far better above than its competitors in the market.
- If you have a space to store tires, you can combine this dude with a dedicated winter tire
- Your stopping distance on wet and snow can slightly decrease
- This is an affordable option that is a great opportunity for those who spend most of their time in a warm weather
- Michelin offers 6 years and 80,000 miles mileage warranty for this product.
Michelin Primacy A/S - Budget Tire
Michelin Primacy A/S is a budget-friendly tire that is specified for SUVs. Well, it’s not lasting as well as other premium segment Michelin tires. However, it provides close-rated traction to its elder brothers. I can define it as a performance-oriented tire that offers limited tread life.
Michelin Primacy A/S is an affordable tire that offers great comfort and handling at the same time. Besides that, it’s an average tire. It offers satisfying tread life for its category. Yet, its winter performance is highly limited with light snow. On the other hand, Michelin Primacy A/S is quiet as a church mouse.
- This tire is a great option if you’re not a daily driver
- I don’t recommend using this tire on icy or above 2-3 inch snow-covered surfaces
- Michelin offers 6 years and 55,000 miles mileage warranty for this product
Michelin Defender LTX M/S - Longevity + Durability + Mild Off Road Traction
Michelin Defender LTX M/S is an all-season tire that has a wide product range. This tire can be used on SUVs, commercial vans, sport utility vehicles, and any light truck. Due to its longevity and durability, it can be ever used on heavy-duty 3/4 ton or above pickups. Even though it’s an all-season tire, due to its high durability, it can even handle some off-road. Yet, knowing its limit is highly vital to get maximum performance from it. I pushed the limits a bit. Let’s dig into it and see what it’s capable of.
As a former Bridgestone engineer, from my standpoint, Michelin Defender LTX M/S has unique traction on wet and dry surfaces. Moreover, its light snow capability is highly acceptable and it can handle icy surfaces as well. The long-lasting tread is its main feature. Furthermore, surprisingly, it can handle mild off-road very well. However, Michelin Defender LTX M/S has a bit stiff ride and makes some noise after half of its tread is worn. Though worth reminding, its loose ground performance is limited to a couple of inches.
| Michelin Defender LTX M/S | |
|---|---|
| Best for | Longevity, cozy and quiet ride, heavy-duty light trucks, mostly highway-oriented commercial usage, mild off-road-like dirt & gravel |
| Category | Highway All-Season |
| Vehicle | SUV/Light Truck |
| Available Sizes (Rim) | 15”, 16”, 17”, 18”, 19”, 20”, 22” (Ensure these tires fit your vehicle) |
| Weight | 24 – 58 lbs |
| Made In | United States |
| Labels | M+S |
| Warranty (P-metric) | 70,000 Miles (50,000 for R-speed rate) |
- Stay away from LT sizes unless you don’t have a full-size SUV
- This isn’t an off-road tire, it can only handle mild conditions
- I don’t recommend this tire for mid-size or compact SUVs
- Michelin offers 6 Years / 70,000 Miles (T- & H-Speed Rated) 6 Years / 50,000 Miles (R-Speed Rated) mileage warranty for this product
- A detailed review here:
https://tireterrain.com/michelin-defender-ltx-m-s-review/
Best Michelin Summer Tires for SUV
Summer tires are a great option if you’re living in warm regions. Unlike most people think, these tires are great in wet conditions. However, they don’t last as long as all-season tires because of their fluffy compounds.
- Best Grand Touring Summer Tire – Michelin Primacy HP
- Best Highway Rib Summer Tire – Michelin XPS Rib
I don’t recommend these tires for SUVs. Instead of a dedicated summer tire, Michelin’s performance tires work better in warm conditions. Let’s jump to the next section if you’re looking for a summer tire.
Best Michelin Performance Tires for SUV
Performance tires have a close performance to summer tires. Since both of them don’t need winter traction, they can easily focus on performance. Hence, in this section, I’ll also share the best grand touring summer tire.
- Best Max Performance Tire = Best Grand Touring Summer Tire – Michelin Pilot Sport 4
- Best Ultra High-Performance Tire – These tires can’t be used on SUVs. Though, Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 is the best of other vehicle types
- Best Performance All-Season Tire – Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV is a performance summer tire that can also be used as a grand touring summer tire. Unlike most tires in this category, Pilot Sport 4 SUV lasts as long as a dedicated summer tire. Yet, this feature brings some cons along with it. This tire can be found in the 17” to 23” diameter wheel range.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV provides great cornering stability and quick steering response. Besides that, its wet and dry traction capability is highly acceptable. Well, its wet traction is relatively lower than some top-notch tires in this category. Yet, it has one extra groove near the shoulder. Hence, Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV can throw the water out with ease and offers exceptional hydroplaning resistance. Besides that, Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV offers the best mileage of its category.
- It’s also a great summer touring tire
- If you’re an aggressive driver ZR tires might be better for you
- Michelin offers 20,000 miles and 6 years mileage warranty for this product
Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4
Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 is a unique performance tire for sporty daily driving. Well, it’s difficult to find SUV tires for this segment. Luckily, due to its wide product range, Pilot Sport All Season 4 can be used on SUVs. Yet, you should be aware that this is a performance tire and it’s not going to last as long as your all-season tire. Yet, this dude is different.
Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 is a great tire for those who like driving aggressively. It has reinforced sidewalls. Hence, it stays stable while cornering at high speeds. These strong sidewalls are supported by reinforced shoulder blocks also. For this reason, it’s slightly louder than regular all-season tires. What I like most about this tire is its responsiveness. It offers a meteoric steering response. Besides that, its starting and stopping capabilities are huge. Even though it can easily handle wet and dry surfaces, Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4 winter performance is limited with light snow traction.
- Michelin offers 45,000 miles mileage warranty for this product
- Please be aware that this is a performance all-season tire, if tread life or comfort are your priorities, I recommend going and checking the All-Season Tires section.
Best Michelin Winter Tires for SUV
Winter tires are a must for some of us. Besides that, driving in winter should be reliable as it can. For this reason, most people prefer premium tire brands like Michelin, Bridgestone, or Nokian.
Michelin’s approach to winter tires is a bit different than other manufacturers. For them, winter tires’ wearing performance in warm weather is the game changer. They’re aware that this is the key to longevity.
So, the below tires I’ll share will be long-lasting and compact treads that offer better traction in icy conditions.
- Best Winter Tire – Michelin X-Ice Snow
- Best Performance Winter Tire – Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4
Note: If you can’t find your sizes, both tires have an SUV version.
Michelin X-Ice Snow - Ice Traction + Comfort
Michelin X-Ice Snow is a studless winter tire. This tire can be used on sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs, and minivans. Everybody in the tire industry knows that Michelin Crossclimate 2 is a king of all-weather tires(best ones). Well, X-Ice Snow is developed from Crossclimate 2 tread. Believe my guys, this tread design promises a lot. Let’s dig into it and see what it can bring to you!
As a former Bridgestone engineer, from my standpoint, Michelin X-Ice Snow is an alpha plus tire no matter how severe your winter conditions are. While offering perfect traction on light snow, it also outperforms most winter tires regarding deep snow and ice. Moreover, while working gorgeously on snow, it also offers long-lasting tread and fuel efficiency. Michelin X-Ice Snow is quiet and cozy. However, even though it prevents most of its performance in warm conditions, I don’t recommend using them above 7 Celcius degrees.
| Michelin X-Ice Snow | |
|---|---|
| Best for | Smooth & quiet winter driving, decent tread life |
| Test Report | vs Blizzak WS90 & VikingContact 7 & WinterCommand Ultra (December 12, 2020) |
| Category | Studless Ice&Snow Tire |
| Vehicle | Passenger Car/Minivan/SUV |
| Available Sizes (Rim) | 15”, 16”, 17”, 18”, 19”, 20” (Ensure these tires fit your vehicle) |
| Made In | USA |
| Labels | 3PMSF |
| Warranty | 40,000 Miles |
- Michelin offers 6 Year / 40,000 Miles mileage warranty for winter usage (September to April)
- This product is relatively less durable to heat, hence, its responsiveness and dry traction are relatively lower than performance winter tires
- If you need an ICE Traction, you should ignore performance winter tires, so, Michelin X-Ice Snow is your tire
- A detailed review here:
https://tireterrain.com/michelin-x-ice-snow-review/
Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4
Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 is a dedicated winter performance tire that offers great traction and responsiveness. Though worth reminding, this is a snow tire. Its ice performance is limited compared to Ice/Snow tires. It’s available in 18” to 21” diameters.
Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 is a responsive and trustworthy winter tire that also offers decent traction on dry surfaces. Even though its ice traction is limited, it rocks in light and deep snow conditions. In return for the dropping on the ice performance, because of its stiffer compound, Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 lasts longer than its competitors. Besides that, it has relatively fewer sipes on the tread. Hence, it makes less noise than most performance winter tires on the market.
- Michelin offers 6 Year / 30,000 Miles mileage warranty for this product.
- I don’t recommend this tire unless you like driving fast in winter conditions, it’s gonna be surely noisier than dedicated winter tires.
Best Michelin All-Terrain Tires for SUV
Michelin generally carries out the production process of off-road tires through its subsidiary brand BF Goodrich. Still, there are a few off-road tires from the Michelin brand. Only one of them is suitable for SUV use.
- Best All-Terrain Tire – Michelin LTX A/T2
- Bonus Pick – BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2
Michelin LTX A/T2 - Trail Traction + Comfort
Michelin LTX A/T2 is an all-terrain tire that is mostly used on light trucks. For this reason, it might be hard to find SUV sizes for your vehicle. If you have a full-size SUV, LT sizes are fine. Yet, mid-size and compact SUVs better use P-metric sizes for better comfort and traction.
Michelin LTX A/T2 is a responsive and cozy all-terrain tire. Even so, it’s noisier than all-season or performance tires, it’s quiet and smooth for all-terrain tires. In return for this comfort, you should sacrifice some of your severe off-road traction which most probably you don’t gonna need if you’re not an adventurer. Even though I appreciate Michelin LTX A/T2‘s wet and dry performance, its winter performance is limited.
- Don’t buy these tires only for appearance
- Michelin offers 6 Year / 60,000 Miles mileage warranty for this product
- It’s available in 16” to 20” diameters
BF Goodrich KO2 - Bonus All-Terrain Tire Pick
BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 is the ancestor of all-terrain tires. First-generation has started in the mid-1970s and the latest one pick its place in 2015. Since then BF Goodrich has been selling 5 million KO2s. Most believe, it is the best all-terrain tire ever. I agree BFG KO2 is a legend. Yet, is it good as it was before? Let’s see!
As a former Bridgestone engineer, I think that BF Goodrich KO2 is a heroic tire for off-road adventure lovers. It has a massive grip and loose-ground traction capability. Moreover, it’s rated with severe snow marking. It’s a great winter tire with a slight defect on icy grounds. It’s not a great wet tire but not under the market necessity. However, BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 is a bit vocal and not that quiet due to its strong and stiff sidewalls.
| BF Goodrich KO2 | |
|---|---|
| Best for | Smooth ride, great handling, mild & severe off-road especially beach and gravel |
| Pros | Reliable off-road tire, responsiveness, winter performance |
| Cons | A stiff ride for LT sizes, can be risky for wet driving after half of its tread life |
| Test Report | vs Destination AT2 & Geolander AT G015 |
| Vehicle | Light Truck, SUV |
| Available Sizes (Rim) | 15’’, 16’’, 17’’, 18’’, 20’’, 22’’ (Ensure these tires fit your vehicle) |
| Weight | 34 – 78 lbs |
| Made In | Opelika, AL, USA |
| Labels | 3PMSF |
| Warranty (P-metric) | 50,000 Miles |
| Warranty (LT Sizes) | 50,000 Miles |
- A detailed review here:
https://tireterrain.com/bf-goodrich-ko2-review/
Conclusion
I tried to detail the best Michelin tires for SUVs as much as I could. I’m sharing some of my favorites below.
- Best All-Season / All-Weather Tire – Michelin Crossclimate 2
- Best Summer Tire – Michelin Pilot Sport 4
- Best Performance Tire – Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4
- Best Winter Tire – Michelin X-Ice Snow
Take-Home Points:
- LT sizes have stronger sidewalls. That feature makes them more durable. Yet, these tires offer a rougher ride. (LT vs P-Metric tires)
- XL sizes tend to carry more load and offer better handling. Hence, if you’ll go with p-metric sizes, they might be a better pick for hauling and towing( XL vs SL tires)
- Please pay attention to the load index & load range and speed index. These metrics are essential if you expect decent tread life
- There isn’t a bad tire in the market right now, you should just know what to expect from tires
I hope the article was helpful. If you need any further advice or support, please leave a comment. Have a safe ride folks!
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