Torn between these 2 tires

I am torn between Michelin LXT m/s2 or Continental Terrain contact h/t. Swapping out my stock limited 245/60R20 to 265/70R17 so I can get over sand vehicle permits. Wheels are TRD Pro. I will need to air down to 15 psi and that is why I'm torn. Michelin has a higher load rating 2756 vs 2679. No sure if that will make a difference. Keep on reading conflicting information about who has higher sidewall strength. My other concern is the thread width. Continental has a wider width of 8.1 vs 7.3. All numbers coming from tirerack. Wider is better for sand but again not sure it will matter in the real world. Driving is 90% road and 10% sand, dirt/gravel roads and fields. Will not be seeking out mud. Thanks for any help.

Edit: Live in CT. Will have to deal with snow on occasion. Work does not shutdown if there is a snowflake.

Norm

 

Ah, a Tale of Two Tires. A classic thread novel that we've all read before. Since 90% of the time you'll be on the street and not off road, I recommend the Michelin's. But, it's YOUR money. Do what works best for your budget and what you like aesthetically.

 

My local tire guy recommended both to me when I bought tires a couple years ago. I went with the Continentals (A/T, actually), and have no regrets. I liked the two wide grooves for rain, figuring I drive more often in heavy rain than heavy snow. I never air down, so can't help you there.

 

Good on you switching to 265/70R17. When choosing mine out of the 2 i narrowed down to i did go for the narrower tire for snow performance (im in CT too). I also would avoid Michelin since they have weak/thin sidewall's generally, but not so sure on truck tires.

Tough choice.

 

Load rating difference there won't make much difference. You'll be airing down anyway on sand so I wouldn't worry about a little variation in width.

Maybe one brand has a promotion going on right now that the other doesn't? I would go Defender LTX all else equal but it doesn't mean the other will suck.

 

From my experience with both brands I expect the michelin will wear out a bit faster, be a touch smoother and be a good bit more expensive..

Overall i tend to look at continentails now of the two brands..

 

Decided on the Continentals. Now trying to decide between the Terraincontact A/T vs H/T.

 

I had the terrain contact ATs on a Honda Passport a couple years ago. They were amazing in the ~1.5 years I had them

 

If you need to air down, I wouldn't recommend a highway(h/t) tire.

Michelin defenders are a excellent choice.

 

Total 180 and went with the Michelins.

 

I thought you were looking for tires with snowflake that you can use on snow? Bought Michelins without winter rated?

If you don't go off pavement and looking for highway tires there are tires like goodyear assurance weatherready2 or bfgoodrich advantage t/a sport for just over 200 bucks right?

 

Wasn't looking for a specific snow tire. I can see how that above statement would indicate a snowflake tire. Never knew about the snowflake symbol until recently. I knew about studded snow tires but not the 3 peaks symbol. Just meant that the shop does not close if it's snowing. Only when the governor shuts down the state does the shop close. Take my sweet time driving in those conditions. Sorry for the confusion.