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Head-to-head Updated

Bridgestone UltraWeather vs Michelin Defender2 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

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Tire BMichelin

Defender2

All Season

Tests 65 · 2 tests Owners 87 · 11,218 reviews

“Michelin Defender2 for handling, comfort, and noise? Vehicle is a 2008 Honda Accord LX Sedan. 215/60/R16. I prefer A/S tires and only drive in a warm dry climate with occasional rain (southern CA) I know that Michelins are generally considered the best tire maker but the main advantage of the Defender2's seems to be their excellent durability and tread life. The thing is I have an older car and although I love it I'll probably be selling it within 4yrs. In addition I only average around 6000 miles per year. So I would rather have tires that are more focused on providing a balance of ride quality, comfort, and handling while I have the car. I can get Turanza Quiettracks for about the same price also from Costco so maybe these or another tire might be better suited for my needs? Thanks for reading. Read more”

Category by category

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

  1. –

    Dry

    No comparison
    80
    Why this score
    SourceUltraWeatherDefender2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–73
    Reviews found online–90
  2. –

    Wet

    No comparison
    74
    Why this score
    SourceUltraWeatherDefender2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–65
    Reviews found online–88
  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    59
    Why this score
    SourceUltraWeatherDefender2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–47
    Reviews found online–77
  4. –

    Comfort

    No comparison
    79
    Why this score
    SourceUltraWeatherDefender2
    Reviews found online–88
  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    78
    Why this score
    SourceUltraWeatherDefender2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–73
    Reviews found online–85
  6. –

    Treadwear

    No comparison
    78
    Why this score
    SourceUltraWeatherDefender2
    Reviews found online–87
  7. –

    Handling

    No comparison
    88
    Why this score
    SourceUltraWeatherDefender2
    Reviews found online–88
Scores at a glance
CategoryBridgestone UltraWeatherMichelin Defender2
Relative Score – 77
Dry – 80
Wet – 74
Snow – 59
Comfort – 79
Noise – 78
Treadwear – 78
Handling – 88

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

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Recomputed
Headline score

UltraWeather

Defender2

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A UltraWeather

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Tire B Defender2

Pros

  • Long-lasting tread life and high mileage capability
  • Confident dry and wet traction with stable handling
  • Quiet and smooth ride quality on specific vehicles and highway surfaces

Cons

  • Stiffer, harder ride compared to original equipment or older models
  • Noticeable road noise and lack of noise absorption on certain pavement types
  • Reduced fuel economy (MPG) reported by multiple users
All owner themes in the Defender2 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Bridgestone UltraWeather

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Michelin Defender2

Positive

The Michelin Defender2 is widely praised by the community as a top-tier all-season tire, frequently compared favorably against alternatives like the CrossClimate2 and Continental LX25. Users highlight its exceptional tread life, excellent Consumer Reports rankings, and balanced performance, though minor concerns exist regarding speed rating requirements and rare individual complaints.

r/crv ·6 upvotes ·2025-04-07

“Michelin CC2 or Defender2 or Continental crosscontact LX25?? For 2019 Honda Crv. I heard a lot of pros for these tires in the following order. CC2 --> Defender2 --> LX25 But Cons which i what i like to know about.. CC2 - lots of reviews on mpg hit. Defender2 - Not sure if also has mpg hit. Lx25 - I have a friend who is already 20k on it and tire looks new and didn't mention about any mpg hit for him Thank you. Update: Thank you for all your valuable reviews, I have ordered these from Costco and should get them rolling soon. MICHELIN DEFENDER2 AS 235/60R18 107H XL BSW ALL SEASON TIRE. Read more”
r/tires ·2024-01-30

“I am sick from New Michelin Defender2 tires. Need recommendation of all season tires with less offgassing of toxic chemicals. Short of breath and nasal congestion from 3 brand new Michelin Defender2 tires offgassing on my SUV. Tires consist of approximately 400 chemicals. What is the half life of their offgassing? I am considering replacing them with Hanhook Kinergy tires. Has anyone smelled them? Read more”
Top themes
#long tread life#consumer reports ranking#all season performance#fuel economy impact#tire comparisons

Based on 5 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone UltraWeather B · Michelin Defender2
Category—All Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available611
Rim diameters16″ – 22″18″
Tread depth10/32″10 - 11/32″
UTQG600 A A840 B B
Treadwear warranty60,000 mi80,000 mi
SidewallBlackwallBlack Side Wall
Max pressure50 psi50 - 51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone UltraWeather

Michelin Defender2

Only Michelin Defender2 has enough test and review data for a Relative Score, so there is no head-to-head winner yet.

Tire A · Bridgestone UltraWeather
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Michelin Defender2
Check price on Amazon

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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.

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