There are a number of high-quality tire brands on the market, but it’s hard to find one more consistently rated for its quality than Michelin. It came out on top in SlashGear’s own ranking of every major tire brand, and Consumer Reports (CR) places it at the top of its list as well. Across Michelin’s entire selection of tires, you see high marks for just about everything you could put a tire through, from braking on dry ground to handling on ice. It’s very rare to see CR rate something about one of these tires as below average.
With Consumer Reports, there are two sides to what data it provides. There are its in-house experts testing these tires, but then there’s also the opinions of actual drivers that CR surveys. These are folks who drive with these Michelin tires day-to-day, and they can sometimes come to a different conclusion than the experts as to which tires are best. Out of the eight Michelin tires rated by CR, the one with the highest owner satisfaction score is the Michelin LTX A/T2. These are all-terrain tires designed for trucks. What makes this high satisfaction score so interesting is that these tires actually have the lowest overall score from CR experts. They found its wet braking and noise generation to be below average, while dry and ice braking, ride comfort, and handling to be no more than average. Regardless of these tests, CR owners gave the Michelin LTX A/T2 tires a near-perfect satisfaction score, so perhaps CR’s tests don’t fully capture the real world experience with these tires.
The experts’ top Michelin tire
Although the Consumer Reports experts do not hold the same high opinion of the Michelin LTX A/T2 tires as the owners surveyed, they’re not too far apart when it comes to owners’ second-highest satisfaction rating. That would be the Michelin Pilot 4s tires. These tires are categorized as ultra high performance summer tires and are made for sports cars that you’d obviously want to drive quite fast. Out of all the tires tested, these are the ones with the highest overall score from the CR experts, and it’s actually a significant first place finish among Michelin tires. Being number one for the experts and number two for the owners shows a level of consensus you just don’t get with the LTX A/T2 model.
The thing about Consumer Reports’ findings on the owner satisfaction of Michelin tires is that they are universally high. The previously mentioned ones are ranked one and two, but the remaining six Michelin tires tested all tie for third place, demonstrating a remarkable level of consistency across the brand’s offerings. For a broader perspective, every single Michelin tire tested has the highest CR owner satisfaction rating for whatever category it is in compared to every other brand. There is one exception with the Michelin X-Ice Snow tires, but it still ranks second among all winter/snow tires. For owners surveyed by CR, there is not a single Michelin tire they’re not incredibly pleased with. If you don’t have a truck suitable for the Michelin LTX A/T2 tires, owners don’t think you’re settling for less with a different Michelin tire better suited to your vehicle.
