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BFGoodrich Urban Terrain T/A vs Michelin Defender LTX M/S — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 1 road tests and 20 + 11 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 79–74

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Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Tire BMichelin

Defender LTX M/S

All Season

± 7Provisional

Tests – · 1 test Owners 83 · 11 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 13 in 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires (tested tread life (miles))

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 74

    Dry

    Defender LTX M/S +5
    79
    Why this score
    SourceUrban Terrain T/ADefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 75 (est.)
    Reviews found online7784

    Urban Terrain T/A: 60% × 71.6 (est.) + 40% × 76.9 = 74

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 84.3 = 79

    No road tests of dry for Urban Terrain T/A. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

    No road tests of dry for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 76

    Wet

    Defender LTX M/S +6
    82
    Why this score
    SourceUrban Terrain T/ADefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 75 (est.)≈ 79 (est.)
    Reviews found online7986

    Urban Terrain T/A: 60% × 75 (est.) + 40% × 78.6 = 76

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.8 (est.) + 40% × 85.6 = 82

    No road tests of wet for Urban Terrain T/A. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 70

    Snow

    Defender LTX M/S +4
    74
    Why this score
    SourceUrban Terrain T/ADefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online6977

    Urban Terrain T/A: 60% × 70.2 (est.) + 40% × 69.4 = 70

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.5 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74

    No road tests of snow for Urban Terrain T/A. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

    No road tests of snow for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 73

    Comfort

    Defender LTX M/S +2
    75
    Why this score
    SourceUrban Terrain T/ADefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7578

    Urban Terrain T/A: 40% × 70 (est.) + 60% × 75.3 = 73

    Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.5 (est.) + 60% × 77.7 = 75

    No road tests of comfort for Urban Terrain T/A. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 75

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +5
    80
    Why this score
    SourceUrban Terrain T/ADefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 71 (est.)75
    Reviews found online8086

    Urban Terrain T/A: 60% × 71.5 (est.) + 40% × 80.2 = 75

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 75.4 + 40% × 86.3 = 80

    No road tests of treadwear for Urban Terrain T/A. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  6. 74

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +8
    82
    Why this score
    SourceUrban Terrain T/ADefender LTX M/S
    Reviews found online7482
Scores at a glance
CategoryBFGoodrich Urban Terrain T/AMichelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 74 79
Dry 74 79
Wet 76 82
Snow 70 74
Comfort 73 75
Treadwear 75 80
Handling (owners) 74 82

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
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Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
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Neutral
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Less important
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Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Urban Terrain T/A

± 7

Defender LTX M/S

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Urban Terrain T/A

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and long-term durability
  • Strong grip and confidence in snow, ice, and wet conditions
  • Comfortable ride quality with good impact absorption

Cons

  • Higher road noise compared to standard highway or summer tires
  • Slight negative impact on fuel economy/rolling resistance
  • Average braking and handling performance when pushed to extremes
All owner themes in the Urban Terrain T/A review

Tire B Defender LTX M/S

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and long-term durability, often exceeding 60,000 miles
  • Smooth, quiet, and comfortable highway ride quality
  • Strong traction and secure handling in wet, dry, and moderate snow conditions

Cons

  • High initial purchase price compared to competitors
  • Subpar off-road performance, specifically struggling in mud, sand, and loose gravel
  • Limited ice performance compared to dedicated winter tires
All owner themes in the Defender LTX M/S review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · BFGoodrich Urban Terrain T/A B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
CategoryAll SeasonAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Sizes available18—
Rim diameters15″ – 18″—
UTQG—720 - 800 B A

Which one should you actually buy?

BFGoodrich Urban Terrain T/A

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better handling, wet and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin Defender LTX M/S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 74 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 76 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 74 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 80 vs 75 on treadwear.

Tire A · BFGoodrich Urban Terrain T/A
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Tire B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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Urban Terrain T/A or Defender LTX M/S?

Which is better in the wet, Urban Terrain T/A or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 82 vs 76 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Urban Terrain T/A or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 74 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Urban Terrain T/A or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 70 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Urban Terrain T/A or Defender LTX M/S?

Neither, by our numbers: 73 vs 75 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Urban Terrain T/A or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 vs 75 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology