Firestone FR740 vs Michelin Agilis CrossClimate — Compared

“Just an update. I emailed Michelin about the Agilis vs. Defender: My email: I am thinking of using LT 275/65/18 for my Land Cruiser. I cannot decide between Michelin Defender vs. Agilis CrossClimate. I do plan on taking my car off-roading over mild terrain (more rocky, less mud). My Land Cruiser is around 6000 lbs. I read that Agilis has double the nylon reinforcement as Defender and has a tougher sidewall. Are these things true? Is Agilis a tougher tire? On-road, is Agilis as quiet as Defender? How is the rolling resistance between the two (same size)? Thank you in advance. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michelin’s response: We would like to thank you for contacting us! We would recommend that Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires for your luxury SUV. The Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires are going to be quieter, due to the tread grooves been closer. Also, the rolling resistance will be a little better. The Michelin Agilis Cross Climate is an excellent tire that serves well for all weather performance and built with a little more strength for more heavier larger vehicles, like 2500 or 3500 trucks.”

“Looking to replace my summer tires for my work van. I carry about 2,000 lbs of cargo and have another set of wheels&tires for snow. These would just be for pavement/highway use. Im looking for quiet ride and longevity. Factory size is LT225/75R16 which id like to stick to. Ive worn out some Michelin Agilis Cross Climate in about 60,000 miles. It looks like Michelin now calls the Agilis Cross Climate which i currently have the Cross Climate2. Looking for something similar. The Michelins are spendy, wondering if ill be happy with something different. Was looking at Firestone Transforce as a possibility. Open to any ideas and the collective experience of those here.”

“Yup. I currently have CrossClimate Load E on the front, and CrossClimate C-type on the rear. The van has never had a better ride. (Note to readers who are less familiar with different Interstate model years - mine is not a dually. I only have two tires to carry the butt-heavy rear, so the load rating consideration takes on an outsized importance). Price is the same, to within about ten bucks. C-type is not more expensive. The published disadvantage is a stiffer ride. But the ride is harsh anyway - we have discussed that ad nauseam on this forum. I don’t find that to be a deal-breaker for a tire with a larger load-carrying capacity. Especially given the still-unexplained blow-out I had with the lower-capacity tire. Back in the Catastrophic blowout thread, I mentioned that the C-type CrossClimate is not advertised. I had to have a Discount Tire CSR point me to their page for it. There’s a screengrab of it on that thread.”