Tire Rack Michelin Defender vs. Continental HT (1 Viewer)

[Madtiger]

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=300&sc_src=email_3143467&sc_lid=311677230&sc_uid=L1v0OfYaZx&sc_llid=123324&sc_eh=3dc7802e99f8f5db1&cid=R6380397&em_id=3143467&em_lid=Main+Test%3A+Button%3A+See+What+we+learned

Continental TerrainContact H/T (Highway All-Season, 265/60R18 110T)

• What We Liked: Its strong wet traction and excellent noise comfort.
• What We'd Improve: Give it a slight bump in steering effort.
• Conclusion: It's an excellent option with little compromise.

Michelin Defender LTX M/S (Highway All-Season, 265/60R18 110T)

• What We Liked: Its ride feels expertly damped and the steering feels precise.
• What We'd Improve: An increase in wet traction would make it more competitive.
• Conclusion: It's a well-regarded choice for a reason.

Surprisingly, wet performance on Defender is somewhat lacking, compared to Conti’s. Conti came across as the superior tire.

 

[urinalcake]

I just saw that article also. The Michelin has been the go to tire in that category for so many years after having launched in 2015. The Continental launched more recently in 2019. The Tire Rack test data makes a compelling case for the Continental, but it's hard to compete against 22 million miles of customer reviews vs. just 1.1 million miles for the Continental. My money would buy the Michelin based on the reviews, but also personal experience on vehicles of friends and family.

 

[Madtiger]

I just saw that article also. The Michelin has been the go to tire in that category for so many years after having launched in 2015. The Continental launched more recently in 2019. The Tire Rack test data makes a compelling case for the Continental, but it's hard to compete against 22 million miles of customer reviews vs. just 1.1 million miles for the Continental. My money would buy the Michelin based on the reviews, but also personal experience on vehicles of friends and family.

View attachment 3199488

Yeah same here…Defender has such a great track record. And also, Conti HT seems to weigh a few more lbs than equivalent Defenders. So, for me, that’s significant negative.

 

[JohnPW]

Interesting results. I think what tires are being compared is worth considering. The Defenders have a surprisingly good reputation for being capable off road as a highway truck tire…so they’re often compared on MUD versus AT tires, where the Defenders shine in an easy comparison in wet performance, quiet ride, etc. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a highway tire ( in this case, the Continentals) that tests better.

I wonder how the Continental HT’s would compare in longevity, winter performance, or off road? The Defenders are the only all season highway tires that I hear of people using off road (I’ve seen them on farm trucks for years). I would be interested to see how the Defenders stack up versus mild AT tires like the Conti TerrainContact AT, Geolandar GO15, etc. But if you are looking for a highway tire, this test certainly makes the case for the Conti HT’s.

 

[Madtiger]

Interesting results. I think what tires are being compared is worth considering. The Defenders have a surprisingly good reputation for being capable off road as a highway truck tire…so they’re often compared on MUD versus AT tires, where the Defenders shine in an easy comparison in wet performance, quiet ride, etc. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a highway tire ( in this case, the Continentals) that tests better.

I wonder how the Continental HT’s would compare in longevity, winter performance, or off road? The Defenders are the only all season highway tires that I hear of people using off road (I’ve seen them on farm trucks for years). I would be interested to see how the Defenders stack up versus mild AT tires like the Conti TerrainContact AT, Geolandar GO15, etc. But if you are looking for a highway tire, this test certainly makes the case for the Conti HT’s.

If you look at the Conti HT tread, then you will see that Conti is almost an exact copycat of the Defender! So the result above does not suprise me.

 

[doru]

Not quite copycat. Conti have more rubber on the road with Defenders having more spaces so that may indicate that Conti are not as good as Defenders off road.
It would be interesting to see a comparison on mild off road between the two.
If the target is highway only use, there are other tires that should be considered.

 

[Moby]

I recently bought the Defenders in LT for a balance of lots of highway, rain&snow (will probably buy dedicated snow tires at some point), and moderate dirt roads (no hard wheeling). Every tire that I looked at had something lacking - the Defenders just seemed like the right balance for me even though I see a ton of wet weather.

 

[Madtiger]

I recently bought the Defenders in LT for a balance of lots of highway, rain&snow (will probably buy dedicated snow tires at some point), and moderate dirt roads (no hard wheeling). Every tire that I looked at had something lacking - the Defenders just seemed like the right balance for me even though I see a ton of wet weather.

How is the ride and noise level? What siZe? Load Range E i assume?

 

[Moby]

How is the ride and noise level? What siZe? Load Range E i assume?

LT285/65R18 I really like them. Running at 40-42 PSI and they don't feel much different than stock comfort-wise or noise at any speed. The truck steers more precisely now (my wife commented on it, and normally she doesn't notice any change). They have been good in the rain and snow so far. I don't expect them to be snow tires but for what they are I've done several PNW snowed over passes and a week of snow/ice at our house.