I'm on my second LR4 and 6th set of tires overall. All 255/55R19. 3 sets have been Continental (2 from the factory), 1 Pirelli, 1 Bridgestone and now Michelin. Most of the miles are on dry and wet pavement with a little light snow duty and an occasional trek across well groomed trails. On road performance is key for me. The factory Continentals were adequate but always left me wanting more. The Pirelli and Bridgestone tires were slightly better in harsh conditions and off road but were horribly noisy on the highway. I was not impressed with either. I heard a lot of good things about the new Michelin LTX Premier so I decided to give them a shot. The 60,000 mile treadwear warranty was enough to get me to bite. All of the others averaged 15-18k miles with faithful rotation and alignments 1-2x per year so how could I go wrong?
The tires were installed last week and I hit the road for my normal 350 mile weekend round trip with an equal mix of Interstate (75-85MPH), rural 2 lane state highways (55-70MPH) and mountain roads (35-55MPH). Immediately, my wife and I noticed a huge reduction in cabin noise especially on the freeway. The radio sounded clearer and I now noticed a little air leak on the right rear door that I could not hear before. Conversations with back seat passengers were extremely pleasant, now.
Another big improvement is the handling. The car corners much faster, flatter and with less effort than before. I found that if I was not careful, my corner speeds were higher that my wife's comfort level would allow but not out of control whereas before, I was cornering at the vehicle's limit. Steering response was much more immediate and direct. The big SUV was more sports car like in the way it could be driven deeper into the corner before braking. This was hard to get used to at first because I was always turning in early to compensate for the understear that was always present.
The most confusing thing about this is that given the presumably stiffer sidewall contributing to the much improved handling, I expected the ride to be as harsh as my diesel pickup. To my amazement, it is exactly the opposite. Gone is the wallowy, mushy boat like feeling and in its place is a very tight but more planted and smoother ride. Before, it felt like every bump would result in multiple oscillations through the vehicle especially from side to side, rocking everyone back and forth like rag dolls. Now, the suspension dampens the blows to the vehicle quickly and effectively. I am still trying to wrap my head around how the tires can handle better and ride better at the same time but that is exactly what is happening.
The bottom line is that these are the tires that the LR4 should have come with from the factory. The suspension loves them.
The tires were installed last week and I hit the road for my normal 350 mile weekend round trip with an equal mix of Interstate (75-85MPH), rural 2 lane state highways (55-70MPH) and mountain roads (35-55MPH). Immediately, my wife and I noticed a huge reduction in cabin noise especially on the freeway. The radio sounded clearer and I now noticed a little air leak on the right rear door that I could not hear before. Conversations with back seat passengers were extremely pleasant, now.
Another big improvement is the handling. The car corners much faster, flatter and with less effort than before. I found that if I was not careful, my corner speeds were higher that my wife's comfort level would allow but not out of control whereas before, I was cornering at the vehicle's limit. Steering response was much more immediate and direct. The big SUV was more sports car like in the way it could be driven deeper into the corner before braking. This was hard to get used to at first because I was always turning in early to compensate for the understear that was always present.
The most confusing thing about this is that given the presumably stiffer sidewall contributing to the much improved handling, I expected the ride to be as harsh as my diesel pickup. To my amazement, it is exactly the opposite. Gone is the wallowy, mushy boat like feeling and in its place is a very tight but more planted and smoother ride. Before, it felt like every bump would result in multiple oscillations through the vehicle especially from side to side, rocking everyone back and forth like rag dolls. Now, the suspension dampens the blows to the vehicle quickly and effectively. I am still trying to wrap my head around how the tires can handle better and ride better at the same time but that is exactly what is happening.
The bottom line is that these are the tires that the LR4 should have come with from the factory. The suspension loves them.
Last edited:
