So I’m a Michelin fan and have been putting nothing but Michelin tires on my vehicles for years after trying other brands and not being satisfied. Michelin’s are expensive, but to me they do everything well enough and no other tire I’ve tried rides like a Michelin.



A year and a half ago I put on the Michelin Premier LTX tires on my 14 ML350 with stock steel springs. I was satisfied with the improved ride quality and comfort over the Continentals they replaced. However, a year and a half and 28,000 miles later, I am disappointed that these tires were almost bald down to the wear bars. The tires were not underinflated while they were on the truck. At least I’m getting some money back on the prorated Michelin Mileage Warranty through Tire Rack (great company by the way).



Some things I’ve noticed:



The ML is a heavy truck and the Premier is a soft compound tire. These aren’t “truck” tires and a lot of the options of crossover SUV tires are more car performance oriented, however are not built tough enough to last on a heavy vehicle like the ML. The ML/GLE IS NOT a Crossover SUV built on a car frame. This is a real deal heavy SUV marketed as a crossover SUV that needs real deal tough rugged SUV truck tires.



I ordered the Michelin Defender LTX tires and had them mounted, balanced and aligned by the Mercedes dealer today. Here are my impressions:



1. These tires look more rugged and durable than the Premiers. It fills out the wheel wheel much better and has a much fuller look. Perhaps it’s because it has much more deeper tread depth new than a new Premier LTX tire.



2. I am floored by the transformation of the ride at 99,000 miles. My ML now feels like a new vehicle. With the worn Premiers, I was even questioning if I needed new shocks. The Defenders have a much more composed, solid ride that keeps the ML planted over bumps. They are just as comfortable if not more comfortable than the Premiers.



3. The Defenders have an 80,000 mile warranty vs the 60,000 mile warranty on the Premiers. I’ve been reading reviews of people with 40,000 miles on the Defenders and they still have a lot of good tread left. This is promising because I don’t want to be replacing tires every year and a half. The Defenders are just better built and tougher than the Premiers.



4. The steering has improved and seems weightier which is a good thing. The steering on the ML is already light and the Premiers seemed to expose it even more. The Defenders added a much needed slight weight for better road feel, yet the steering response is just as good.



5. The Defenders Track Straight As An Arrow!!! I’ve been waiting years to find and drive a vehicle where I can let go of the steering wheel and it tracks straight down the lane without slight pull or tracking in the grooves of the road. Low and behold, the tires are the answer which are Michelin Defenders!



So in a nutshell, I love driving the ML again all due to the new Michelin Defender tires. It has transformed the SUV. Even the wife drove it (because it is her car!) and noticed a huge difference and actually told me for the first time she wants to go out joyriding. The Michelin Defenders is the tire that was finally made for a heavy solid SUV like the ML.



Go ahead and order them now without thinking twice and you won’t put another tire on your ML/GLE for the entire duration you own it!!!!

 

I put Michelin Defender LTX tires in my Volvo XC60 and it has transformed it also, from the base Pirrelli Scorpion tires that came on it. I've put almost 20K miles on my set and they hardly look worn ...unfortunately they do not come in 21" size so I can't replace my GLE tires with them..I agree with your thoughts on SUV vs Crossover.... I have new tires now, so won't need some for a while... Good choice on Defender LTX

 

Thanks for the post, glad you like the new tires. I have never used Michelin, but will consider them 50k miles from now.

Comparing new tires with old ones is an apples vs oranges discussion. We become accustomed to the old tires, and when new tires are installed, it's a revelation.

I seek long tread life, and hard tires lend themselves to this. Tires marketed as sporty or comfortable generally are softer and have less tread depth to achieve the marketing claims. Light truck-type tires prioritize load carrying and tread life, which is what I seek.

The factory tires on my GLE 350 gave the shortest tread life I have ever experienced, and I am a fairly mild driver with a high percentage of long distance highway driving.

 

Have always loved Michelin as well, but for a lot of GLE owners with run-flats, they aren't an option. Unless you know about a model I haven't heard about lately....

 

why do you 'need' run flat tires? for most punctures, a tire plug kit and small compressor is all you need...
I've done this for all my vehicles that came with run flat tires...

in fact, the only time in the past 20 years I've had tire trouble, a run flat tire would not have made a difference...

 

Doesn’t the W166 come standard with a mini spare? My 2017 with factory 20” wheels has a mini spare in the traditional location under the rear load floor.

If a spare is standard, runflats are not required, correct?

 

Yes, except for cars equipped with Bang & Olufsen Sound system. For B&O, tire fit is provided instead of mini spare. RF tires are not available at the factory on US W166s.

EDIT: I believe diesel models do not have room for spare just like gasoline cars with B&O. Due to availability of A/S H-rated RF tires for sizes used on diesel models, they are the only ones fitted with RFs. Gasoline models with B&O are fitted with conventional tires and Tirefit. I've never seen B&O $5K option on anything other than ML/GLE 63AMG.

 

I agree with this. I put the same on my ML after having a tire get punctured on my way back from Alaska. In the middle of no where and the small gas station certainly didn't carry our size. As soon as I got back to the lower 48 I ordered 4 new Michelin's. When I picked that tire for the ML it was because I had it on my expedition previously and liked them a lot. Once they were in and I went to get them installed I dropped my car off and the tire tech that was putting them on walked into the shop and as the door was closing yelled out "Who the f*** is putting these on a Mercedes!" I didn't talk to him at all but chuckled to myself because I knew how nice of a ride they were, how capable they are for minor/light off roading, and how well they last. Cut forward to purchasing my GLE and it had run flats on it. I hate run flats. Every time I've ever had them I always replace with non runflats. The ride is so much better and the cost is usually lower as well. Another thing they don't tell you about run flats is that even if it's rated for 50 miles of distance once flat, that is a rating when the tire is new. As you use the tire, that rating actually decreases. A run flat tire might have less than 10 miles of distance it can travel near the end of it's life if it were to go flat. Anyway, for the GLE I chose to get the Cross Climate. I was up in the air between the two but decided on the cross climate because it has the 3 diamond peak emblem (no chains needed) and was designed specifially for the GLE. It is the tire that MB uses for their European deliveries I believe. That's just what the blurb on the tire said, I can't say I did any research into that claim but it sold me. I've only had these tires on the GLE for 3ish thousand miles and have been happy. No snow or anything yet but no doubt Michelin tested appropriately. For the minimal amount more that a good tire usually is I've never found it a place to skimp on for all that's (literally) riding on them. I do try to buy Michelin tires from Costco during their sales though so that's usually good for another $110 off. In picking the right tire I would say the one down side to the Cross Climates compared to the LTX's is that they are directional. Meaning when it's time to rotate I can only go front to back on the same side without having them pulled off the wheel and re-mounted. I made sure to get an alignment after they were mounted to hopefully avoid that...