tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Continental CrossContact UHP 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 43 + 10 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 78–64

Check price on Amazon · Defender LTX M/S or CrossContact UHP on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Tire BMichelin

Defender LTX M/S

All Season

± 7Provisional

Tests – · 1 test Owners 82 · 10 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 +9
    78
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact UHPDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online6983

    CrossContact UHP: 60% × 68.6 (est.) + 40% × 69.4 = 69

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.5 (est.) + 40% × 83.3 = 78

    No road tests of dry for CrossContact UHP. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

    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 +11
    81
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact UHPDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 78 (est.)
    Reviews found online6984

    CrossContact UHP: 60% × 70 (est.) + 40% × 69.4 = 70

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.2 (est.) + 40% × 84.2 = 81

    No road tests of wet for CrossContact UHP. 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. 56

    Snow

    Defender LTX M/S +18
    74
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact UHPDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 62 (est.)≈ 73 (est.)
    Reviews found online4776

    CrossContact UHP: 60% × 62 (est.) + 40% × 47.4 = 56

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.7 (est.) + 40% × 76 = 74

    No road tests of snow for CrossContact UHP. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

    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 0.37).

  4. 65

    Comfort

    Defender LTX M/S +10
    75
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact UHPDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online6378

    CrossContact UHP: 40% × 68 (est.) + 60% × 63.2 = 65

    Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.7 (est.) + 60% × 77.6 = 75

    No road tests of comfort for CrossContact UHP or Defender LTX M/S. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 68

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact UHPDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online70–

    CrossContact UHP: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 69.8 = 68

    No road tests of noise for CrossContact UHP. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 53

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +26
    79
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact UHPDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 59 (est.)75
    Reviews found online4585

    CrossContact UHP: 60% × 58.7 (est.) + 40% × 44.9 = 53

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 75.5 + 40% × 85.1 = 79

    No road tests of treadwear for CrossContact UHP. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 64

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +16
    80
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact UHPDefender LTX M/S
    Reviews found online6480
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental CrossContact UHPMichelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 64 78
Dry 69 78
Wet 70 81
Snow 56 74
Comfort 65 75
Noise 68 –
Treadwear 53 79
Handling (owners) 64 80

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
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
Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

CrossContact UHP

± 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.

DisciplineCategoryCrossContact UHPDefender LTX M/SΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #1/6 2016 Off Road Summer SUV 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 CrossContact UHP

Pros

  • Excellent dry and wet grip
  • Smooth and comfortable ride on compatible vehicles
  • Inspires confidence in handling and cornering

Cons

  • Rapid and premature tread wear, especially on front axles
  • High road noise
  • Firm or hard ride over bumps
All owner themes in the CrossContact UHP review

Tire B Defender LTX M/S

Pros

  • Exceptional tread longevity and mileage lifespan
  • Quiet and smooth ride quality at highway speeds
  • Strong year-round traction across dry, wet, and light snow conditions

Cons

  • High upfront purchase price
  • Subpar performance in deep mud, sand, and off-road environments
  • Limited ice and severe winter capability compared to dedicated winter tires
All owner themes in the Defender LTX M/S review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental CrossContact UHP B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
CategorySummerAll Season
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4
Sizes available27—
Rim diameters16″ – 23″—
Tread depth9 - 10/32″—
UTQG280 - 420 A - AA A—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure50 - 51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental CrossContact UHP

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better treadwear, snow and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin Defender LTX M/S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 53 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 74 vs 56 on snow.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 80 vs 64 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 81 vs 70 on wet.

Tire A · Continental CrossContact UHP
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

CrossContact UHP or Defender LTX M/S?

Which is better in the wet, CrossContact UHP or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 81 vs 70 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, CrossContact UHP or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 78 vs 69 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, CrossContact UHP or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 56 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, CrossContact UHP or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 75 vs 65 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, CrossContact UHP or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 53 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