Michelin XZL

[galen216]

That's one of the best parts, the XZL's rubber compound is so far superior to consumer grade rubber. These tires will last decades.

I had to remove the ones on my Series because they dry rotted and cracked so bad steel belts where exposed, but they had lots of tread left. The sidewalls are incredibly tough.

 

[David Harris]

I had to remove the ones on my Series because they dry rotted and cracked so bad steel belts where exposed, but they had lots of tread left. The sidewalls are incredibly tough.

How old were those tires?

 

[ZG]

What was the date code on the tire?

 

[galen216]

No idea, they are long gone. To be fair they probably were very old tires. I bought them used from a friend that bought them as used units from RN (at the same time that he bought brand new ones) and they were MOD take offs. I wouldn't have been surprised if they were 15 years old although I have no idea how long Michelin has made the XZL. Even when I had to get rid of them they still had lots of tread left.

Having owned them I get what Chris is saying and I think he is 100% correct. They won't let you down when you need them most.

 

[Some Dude]

Sweet! The new "XZL Love" page!

Impervious to snakebite. Possibly their most important property.

Photo: JRose609

 

[m3 bavaria]

Yes, they are. They are not the highest performing tire in the mud or snow or ice--that's not why you buy them. You buy them because they are tough as nails. These are the tires you want when you're 100 miles from pavement in Southern Utah on rocky, nasty trails. I have personally never seen an XZL flat, though I've seen KM2s, ATs, and MT/Rs flat in the same conditions. The sidewalls are incredibly strong and heavy.

I have two pallets of brand new XZLs stacked high in my garage. That's how much I like these tires: I wanted to always make sure I had them.

They'll see pavement 85% of the time. How well do they wear on the street?

 

[m3 bavaria]

Impervious to snakebite. Possibly their most important property.

Photo: JRose609

Sold.

 

[454]

That snake was feisty.

 

[meatblanket]

You buy them because they are tough as nails.

Don't know about nails but they sure as hell aren't as tough as 100 year old narrow gauge railroad spikes.








They are nice tires though, and if they were readily available at a price that made sense, I'd pick up another set.

 

[chris snell]

That snake was feisty.

Ben and I drove past it four times and we screamed like little girls every time it struck at my truck. I was bummed that those stupid rednecks on the ATV killed it. That snake had heart.

 

[spikemd]

True, those XZLs look proper on an older rover. I didn't realize they were considered a commercial tire with a different compound. Pizza-cutters are the way to go on a rover, not the wide tires.

 

[Blueboy]

Have 265/75-16 MTRs on the Rangie and feel it is a better width than the 235s I used to run. And certainly better than the 205s that were OEM. Agree too wide is not good, yet, too narrow is also not good.

When we lived in Brasil XZLs were readily available. Hind sight is always 20/20 yet should have brought back a few sets when we moved back.

 

[Weasel with a Diesel]

these are the tire sizes which are available in europe at the moment:
7.50 R16
8.25 R16
255/100 R16
11 R16

prices start at 150€
I hate this tire- a typical military tire which is no fun when the road has a wet surface.
But incredible perfomance off road...

 

[ini88]

these are the tire sizes which are available in europe at the moment:
7.50 R16
8.25 R16
255/100 R16
11 R16

Also 9.00x16 which is basically 255/100r16. They also have them in a very rare 235/85R16 which gives one more center lug.

 

[ZG]

Also 9.00x16 which is basically 255/100r16. They also have them in a very rare 235/85R16 which gives one more center lug.

We've got a set of 5 of those in stock