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Head-to-head Updated

Continental ContiCrossContact Winter vs Michelin Defender T+H — Compared

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

Defender T+H is ahead, 73–66

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Tire AContinental

ContiCrossContact Winter

All Season Touring tires

Tests – · none yet Owners 65 · 4 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 8 in 2010 Auto Bild Winter 4x4 Tyre Test (overall ranking)

Tire BMichelin

Defender T+H

Premium Touring All Season tire

Tests – · 1 test Owners 71 · 1 review

Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires (overall ranking)

Category by category

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

  1. 67

    Dry

    Defender T+H +5
    72
    Why this score
    SourceContiCrossContact WinterDefender T+H
    Reviews found online6674
  2. 70

    Wet

    Defender T+H +4
    74
    Why this score
    SourceContiCrossContact WinterDefender T+H
    Reviews found online7075
  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    66
    Why this score
    SourceContiCrossContact WinterDefender T+H
    Reviews found online–64
  4. 66

    Comfort

    Defender T+H +4
    70
    Why this score
    SourceContiCrossContact WinterDefender T+H
    Reviews found online6370
  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    68
    Why this score
    SourceContiCrossContact WinterDefender T+H
    Reviews found online–70
  6. 61

    Treadwear

    Defender T+H +12
    73
    Why this score
    SourceContiCrossContact WinterDefender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score)–75
    Reviews found online5770
  7. 66

    Handling

    Defender T+H +6
    72
    Why this score
    SourceContiCrossContact WinterDefender T+H
    Reviews found online6672
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental ContiCrossContact WinterMichelin Defender T+H
Relative Score 66 73
Dry 67 72
Wet 70 74
Snow – 66
Comfort 66 70
Noise – 68
Treadwear 61 73
Handling 66 72

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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Important
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Neutral
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Less important
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Less important
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

ContiCrossContact Winter

Defender T+H

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

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryContiCrossContact WinterDefender T+HΔBoth?
Overall Ranking Overall 50% #2/8 · 2010 Auto Bild Winter 4x4 Tyre Test 100% #1/8 · 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires −50.0 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A ContiCrossContact Winter

Pros

  • Exceptional traction and braking performance in snow conditions
  • Surprisingly quiet and stable on dry pavement
  • Strong grip during spirited driving on winding roads

Cons

  • Poor resistance to aquaplaning in wet conditions
  • Short tread life compared to premium competitors
  • Negative impact on fuel consumption
All owner themes in the ContiCrossContact Winter review

Tire B Defender T+H

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental ContiCrossContact Winter B · Michelin Defender T+H
CategoryAll Season Touring tiresPremium Touring All Season tire
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental ContiCrossContact Winter

Michelin Defender T+H

Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better treadwear, handling and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 61 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender T+H scores 72 vs 66 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender T+H scores 72 vs 67 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender T+H scores 74 vs 70 on wet.

Tire A · Continental ContiCrossContact Winter
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Tire B · Michelin Defender T+H
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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.

73

Leads

Defender T+H

Amazon