tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Continental TerrainContact A/T 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 2 + 1 road tests and 33 + 11 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 79–73

Check price on Amazon · Defender LTX M/S or TerrainContact A/T 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.

Continental TerrainContact A/T
Tire AContinental

TerrainContact A/T

All-Terrain tire

± 7

Tests 74 · 2 tests Owners 74 · 33 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 9 in 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain 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. 77

    Dry

    Defender LTX M/S +2
    79
    Why this score
    SourceTerrainContact A/TDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests76≈ 75 (est.)
    Reviews found online7984

    TerrainContact A/T: 60% × 76.5 + 40% × 78.5 = 77

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 84.4 = 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 0.41).

  2. 80

    Wet

    Defender LTX M/S +2
    82
    Why this score
    SourceTerrainContact A/TDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests77≈ 79 (est.)
    Reviews found online8486

    TerrainContact A/T: 60% × 77.2 + 40% × 83.6 = 80

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.9 (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. 65

    Snow

    Defender LTX M/S +9
    74
    Why this score
    SourceTerrainContact A/TDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online6177

    TerrainContact A/T: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 61.1 = 65

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.4 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74

    No road tests of snow for TerrainContact A/T. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

    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. 72

    Comfort

    Defender LTX M/S +3
    75
    Why this score
    SourceTerrainContact A/TDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests72≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7278

    TerrainContact A/T: 40% × 72.1 + 60% × 72.2 = 72

    Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.5 (est.) + 60% × 77.7 = 75

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

  5. 79

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceTerrainContact A/TDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests81–
    Reviews found online74–

    TerrainContact A/T: 60% × 81.5 + 40% × 74.3 = 79

  6. 68

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +12
    80
    Why this score
    SourceTerrainContact A/TDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests6775
    Reviews found online7086

    TerrainContact A/T: 60% × 66.9 + 40% × 69.7 = 68

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

  7. 74

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +8
    82
    Why this score
    SourceTerrainContact A/TDefender LTX M/S
    Reviews found online7482
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental TerrainContact A/TMichelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 73 79
Dry 77 79
Wet 80 82
Snow 65 74
Comfort 72 75
Noise 79 –
Treadwear 68 80
Handling (owners) 74 82

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
Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

TerrainContact A/T

± 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.

DisciplineCategoryTerrainContact A/TDefender LTX M/SΔHead-to-head
Tested Tread Life (Miles) Treadwear 55% #10/18 · 2022 Consumer Reports All Terrain Truck Tires 84% #2/13 · 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #17/30 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow 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 TerrainContact A/T

Pros

  • Exceptionally quiet and smooth ride quality for an all-terrain tire
  • Superior wet-weather traction and hydroplaning resistance
  • Strong on-road handling and stability during highway driving

Cons

  • Inconsistent performance on ice and packed snow
  • Limited capability in deep mud or extreme off-road terrain
  • Reports of premature tread wear in some heavy-duty or high-torque applications
All owner themes in the TerrainContact A/T 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 TerrainContact A/T B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
CategoryAll-Terrain tireAll Season
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4
Sizes available30—
Rim diameters16″ – 22″—
Tread depth10 - 16/32″—
UTQG680 A A - B—
Treadwear warranty60,000 mi—
SidewallBlack Side Wall - Raised Outline White Lettering—
Max pressure44 - 80 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental TerrainContact A/T

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, 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 68 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 74 vs 65 on snow.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 74 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 75 vs 72 on comfort.

Tire A · Continental TerrainContact A/T
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.

TerrainContact A/T or Defender LTX M/S?

Which is better in the wet, TerrainContact A/T or Defender LTX M/S?

Neither, by our numbers: 80 vs 82 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, TerrainContact A/T or Defender LTX M/S?

Neither, by our numbers: 77 vs 79 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, TerrainContact A/T or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 65 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, TerrainContact A/T or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 75 vs 72 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, TerrainContact A/T or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 vs 68 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