RE: New tires for the tow vehicle
That's interesting because I always thought that I would go the other way and get the Michelin LTX M&S. I have a 2004.5 4x4 CTD Dodge that came with the Goodrich Rugged Terrain tires on it (some came with the LTXs on them and I wish mine did too). I have hated them because they are always picking up small 3/8-1/2 inch stones in the tread. Many of them stay there until I pluck them out with a screwdriver and many of them going flying and end up chipping off paint all down my rocker panels, even with the Dodge mudflaps that I put on to stop that. They also load up quickly with any minor off-road activity from my experience.
Just today I discovered that there are many small slits and cracks down around the sidewall of these tires so I need to replace them now because I'm leaving on a cross country trip with a TC and a cargo trailer in tow. I'm not chancing anything with all that weight and running the rockies. This truck only has 34k miles on it and it sits in the garage most of its life so the UV exposure is minimal for it. It only comes out when I need a truck like for (TC)camping or moving our 8,000lb in or out of the water. I'm not happy at all with the performance of these tires, although there is plenty of tread left on them. I have probably had 20 sets of Michelins on various vehicles from cars to vans/pickups to 40ft motorhomes and I always end up removing whatever is on the vehicle and putting Michelin on. I go with what has worked for me and it appears I am about to go that route again.
