michelin xzy on defender

[dromader driver]

Anyone tried michelin xzy 750-16 on a Defender???
Currently using a road tyre but looking at options.

[justinc]

They look the goods and come well recommended. They are Heavy though, and won't bag out much due to their 12ply construction, but punctures? no need to take a repair kit!

I would use them if they came in 255/85/16

I have customers that have HUGE reliable km on their LTX or XPC Michelins. Well worth the $$ in my book

JC

[spudboy]

I spent quite some time deliberating between the XZY and the XZL Michelins for my 130. Went for the XZL's in the end as they are more of a mud tyre, but the XZY's have an awesome reputation from the African expedition guys.

My only real complaint about the XZLs is the noise at 110, but you get that with a mud pattern tyre. The XZYs that you are looking at will be heaps quieter.

They are not all that cheap, but supposed to last forever!

Here are some excerpts from a couple of web pages on expedition travel:

Tyres
There appears to be a divide between the best tyres to use, Michelin XZY all terrain or BFGoodrich All Terrain. From what I’ve read of the Michelin XZY they appear to be fantastic, with little wear and few punctures. The advice from the experts however has been that Goodrich are the defacto standard for expeditions such as mine.

I’ve read unbelievable stories of Michelin XZY’s doing over 100,000 miles, with very little sign of wear and virtually no punctures, I’m a big believer that if something seems too good to be true – it probably is.
Tyres:
African roads are very rough on tyres. After 30,000 km's our BF Goodrich All Terrain tyres were all shredded. Other travellers we met using these tyres all had similar experiences. We met quite a few people using Michelin XZY tyres whose tyres looked new after 30,000 kms and had not had a single puncture. If we were doing the trip again we would definitely choose Michelin XZY tyres. Whilst the Michelin tyres cost almost twice that of other similar tyres they go more than twice the distance. We met one couple who had driven 120,000 kilometres on their Michelin XZY tyres.

Tyres
Long-distance travellers have to cover several different types of terrain, which makes it difficult to choose just one set of tyres for the whole route. Unless you expect to spend most of your time in mud or snow, avoid the aggressive-tread, so-called cross-country or all-terrain tyres. These have large, open-cleated treads that are excellent in mud or snow, but on sand they tear away the firmer surface crust, putting the vehicle into the softer sand underneath. Open treads tear up quickly on mixed ground with sharp stones and rocks.
If you expect to spend a lot of time in soft sand, you will require high-flotation tyres with little tread pattern. These compress the sand, causing the least disturbance to the firmer surface crust. Today's standard for such work is the Michelin XS, which has just enough tread pattern to be usable on dry roads but can slide about on wet roads or ice. The XS is a soft, flexible radial tyre, ideal for low-pressure use but easily cut up on sharp stones.
As most travellers cover mixed ground, they require a general truck-type tyre. These have a closed tread, with enough tyre width and lugs on the outside of the tread to be good mixed-country tyres, although obviously not as good in mud or soft sand. Such tyres, when fitted with snow chains, are better than any all-terrain tyre for snow or mud use and, if of radial construction, can be run soft to improve their flotation on sand. The best tyres in this category are the Michelin XZY series.

[dobbo]

They're $320.00 each