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Head-to-head Updated

Continental ContiSportContact 5 SUV 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 1 + 1 road tests and 39 + 11 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 80–62

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Continental ContiSportContact 5 SUV
Tire AContinental

ContiSportContact 5 SUV

Summer

± 6

Tests 76 · 1 test Owners 48 · 39 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test (dry braking)

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. 69

    Dry

    Defender LTX M/S +10
    79
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5 SUVDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests79≈ 75 (est.)
    Reviews found online5584

    ContiSportContact 5 SUV: 60% × 78.5 + 40% × 54.9 = 69

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

    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 0.42).

  2. 70

    Wet

    Defender LTX M/S +12
    82
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5 SUVDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests76≈ 79 (est.)
    Reviews found online6086

    ContiSportContact 5 SUV: 60% × 75.6 + 40% × 60.4 = 70

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 79 (est.) + 40% × 85.7 = 82

    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. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    74
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5 SUVDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online–77

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.4 (est.) + 40% × 76.5 = 74

    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. 53

    Comfort

    Defender LTX M/S +22
    75
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5 SUVDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online4578

    ContiSportContact 5 SUV: 40% × 63.9 (est.) + 60% × 45.1 = 53

    Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.6 (est.) + 60% × 77.7 = 75

    No road tests of comfort for ContiSportContact 5 SUV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.21).

    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 0.21).

  5. 69

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5 SUVDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests71–
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)–

    ContiSportContact 5 SUV: 60% × 70.8 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 69

    No owner ratings of noise for ContiSportContact 5 SUV. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 43

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +37
    80
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5 SUVDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 53 (est.)75
    Reviews found online2886

    ContiSportContact 5 SUV: 60% × 52.6 (est.) + 40% × 27.6 = 43

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

    No road tests of treadwear for ContiSportContact 5 SUV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 58

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +24
    82
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5 SUVDefender LTX M/S
    Reviews found online5882
  8. 73

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5 SUVDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests73–
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental ContiSportContact 5 SUVMichelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 62 80
Dry 69 79
Wet 70 82
Snow – 74
Comfort 53 75
Noise 69 –
Treadwear 43 80
Handling (owners) 58 82
Efficiency 73 –

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
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 6

ContiSportContact 5 SUV

± 7

Defender LTX M/S

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

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategoryContiSportContact 5 SUVDefender LTX M/SΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #1/8 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test #3/13 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A ContiSportContact 5 SUV

Pros

  • Impressive wet and dry grip with responsive handling
  • Exceptional braking performance in various conditions
  • Quiet operation and smooth, comfortable ride quality

Cons

  • Rapid and premature tread wear, with many users needing replacements under 15,000 miles
  • High price point relative to the mileage longevity received
  • Some complaints regarding road noise as the tires age
All owner themes in the ContiSportContact 5 SUV 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 · Continental ContiSportContact 5 SUV B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
CategorySummerAll Season
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4
UTQG—720 - 800 B A

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental ContiSportContact 5 SUV

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better treadwear, handling and comfort. 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 want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 80 vs 43 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 58 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 75 vs 53 on comfort.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 70 on wet.

Tire A · Continental ContiSportContact 5 SUV
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Tire B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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ContiSportContact 5 SUV or Defender LTX M/S?

Which is better in the wet, ContiSportContact 5 SUV or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 82 vs 70 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, ContiSportContact 5 SUV or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 69 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, ContiSportContact 5 SUV or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 75 vs 53 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, ContiSportContact 5 SUV or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 vs 43 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