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Head-to-head Updated

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 vs Michelin Defender T+H — 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 104 + 1 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: ExtremeContact DWS 06 72, Defender T+H 71.

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Michelin Defender T+H
Tire BMichelin

Defender T+H

Premium Touring All Season tire

± 8Provisional

Tests – · 1 test Owners 69 · 1 review

Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season 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. 76

    Dry

    ExtremeContact DWS 06 +6
    70
    Why this score
    SourceExtremeContact DWS 06Defender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 73 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online8071

    ExtremeContact DWS 06: 60% × 72.9 (est.) + 40% × 79.5 = 76

    Defender T+H: 60% × 69.2 (est.) + 40% × 70.8 = 70

    No road tests of dry for ExtremeContact DWS 06. 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 T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 79

    Wet

    ExtremeContact DWS 06 +6
    73
    Why this score
    SourceExtremeContact DWS 06Defender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 77 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online8273

    ExtremeContact DWS 06: 60% × 77.2 (est.) + 40% × 82.4 = 79

    Defender T+H: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 73.3 = 73

    No road tests of wet for ExtremeContact DWS 06. 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 T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 68

    Snow

    ExtremeContact DWS 06 +3
    65
    Why this score
    SourceExtremeContact DWS 06Defender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6662

    ExtremeContact DWS 06: 60% × 69 (est.) + 40% × 65.9 = 68

    Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 62.1 = 65

    No road tests of snow for ExtremeContact DWS 06. 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 T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 68

    Comfort

    Level
    68
    Why this score
    SourceExtremeContact DWS 06Defender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online6767

    ExtremeContact DWS 06: 40% × 68.7 (est.) + 60% × 67 = 68

    Defender T+H: 40% × 68.7 (est.) + 60% × 66.9 = 68

    No road tests of comfort for ExtremeContact DWS 06 or Defender T+H. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 69

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceExtremeContact DWS 06Defender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online74–

    ExtremeContact DWS 06: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 73.8 = 69

    No road tests of noise for ExtremeContact DWS 06. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 65

    Treadwear

    Defender T+H +8
    73
    Why this score
    SourceExtremeContact DWS 06Defender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests7076
    Reviews found online5868

    ExtremeContact DWS 06: 60% × 69.8 + 40% × 58.3 = 65

    Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 67.9 = 73

  7. 76

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceExtremeContact DWS 06Defender T+H
    Reviews found online76–
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental ExtremeContact DWS 06Michelin Defender T+H
Relative Score 72 71
Dry 76 70
Wet 79 73
Snow 68 65
Comfort 68 68
Noise 69 –
Treadwear 65 73
Handling (owners) 76 –

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.

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.

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.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 9

ExtremeContact DWS 06

± 8

Defender T+H

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.

DisciplineCategoryExtremeContact DWS 06Defender T+HΔHead-to-head
Tested Tread Life (Miles) Treadwear 67% #11/19 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires 100% #1/8 · 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #6/19 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires #1/8 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A ExtremeContact DWS 06

Pros

  • Exceptional wet and dry traction
  • Quiet and comfortable ride quality
  • Strong performance in light snow and cold weather

Cons

  • Softer sidewalls can reduce steering sharpness or cause rollover during heavy track/autocross use
  • Tread wear can be faster than expected with aggressive driving or on lower-profile sizes
  • Occasional reports of increased road noise or vibration as the tire ages
All owner themes in the ExtremeContact DWS 06 review

Tire B Defender T+H

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 B · Michelin Defender T+H
CategoryAll SeasonPremium Touring All Season tire
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Tread depth10/32″—
UTQG560 A - AA A—
Treadwear warranty50,000 mi—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06

Michelin Defender T+H

Too close to call: Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 and Michelin Defender T+H are within 2 points overall. Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 is stronger on dry, wet and snow. Michelin Defender T+H is stronger on treadwear. Michelin Defender T+H rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 1 review), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 65 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 scores 76 vs 70 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 scores 79 vs 73 on wet.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 scores 68 vs 65 on snow.

Tire A · Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06
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Tire B · Michelin Defender T+H
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ExtremeContact DWS 06 or Defender T+H?

Which is better in the wet, ExtremeContact DWS 06 or Defender T+H?

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06, 79 vs 73 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, ExtremeContact DWS 06 or Defender T+H?

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06, 76 vs 70 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, ExtremeContact DWS 06 or Defender T+H?

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06, 68 vs 65 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, ExtremeContact DWS 06 or Defender T+H?

Neither, by our numbers: 68 vs 68 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, ExtremeContact DWS 06 or Defender T+H?

Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 65 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