I think the conti is definitely a good choice. I feel the Michelin is probably more performance balanced but it*s hard to judge without a direct comparison. Unfortunately Tire Rack used different vehicles in their test of each so those results comparatively aren*t meaningful.
I bought a set of LTX's two years ago. Although the tires performed very well, after 30,000 miles I am down to 3/32, despite regular rotation, two alignments, and weekly pressure checks. The wear even across the tread, and is almost identical on all 4 tires.
The 60,000 mile 50% refund on a new set is a joke. Why would anyone by another set of these rubbish tires?