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Head-to-head Updated

Continental TrueContact Tour 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 19 + 11 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: TrueContact Tour 78, Defender LTX M/S 79.

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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
    SourceTrueContact TourDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 74 (est.)≈ 75 (est.)
    Reviews found online8284

    TrueContact Tour: 60% × 73.8 (est.) + 40% × 82.2 = 77

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 84.4 = 79

    No road tests of dry for TrueContact Tour. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

    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. 83

    Wet

    TrueContact Tour +1
    82
    Why this score
    SourceTrueContact TourDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 80 (est.)≈ 79 (est.)
    Reviews found online8886

    TrueContact Tour: 60% × 79.9 (est.) + 40% × 87.5 = 83

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.9 (est.) + 40% × 85.7 = 82

    No road tests of wet for TrueContact Tour. 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. 69

    Snow

    Defender LTX M/S +5
    74
    Why this score
    SourceTrueContact TourDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online6877

    TrueContact Tour: 60% × 69.8 (est.) + 40% × 68.3 = 69

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

    No road tests of snow for TrueContact Tour. 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. 76

    Comfort

    TrueContact Tour +1
    75
    Why this score
    SourceTrueContact TourDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7978

    TrueContact Tour: 40% × 70.7 (est.) + 60% × 79 = 76

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

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

  5. 73

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceTrueContact TourDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)–
    Reviews found online82–

    TrueContact Tour: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 82.3 = 73

    No road tests of noise for TrueContact Tour. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 79

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +1
    80
    Why this score
    SourceTrueContact TourDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 74 (est.)75
    Reviews found online8686

    TrueContact Tour: 60% × 73.5 (est.) + 40% × 86.1 = 79

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

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

  7. 80

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +2
    82
    Why this score
    SourceTrueContact TourDefender LTX M/S
    Reviews found online8082
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental TrueContact TourMichelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 78 79
Dry 77 79
Wet 83 82
Snow 69 74
Comfort 76 75
Noise 73 –
Treadwear 79 80
Handling (owners) 80 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 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
± 8

TrueContact Tour

± 7

Defender LTX M/S

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

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A TrueContact Tour

Pros

  • Extremely low road noise and a comfortable ride quality that absorbs bumps well
  • Impressive tread life and overall mileage durability
  • Reliable wet weather grip and cornering confidence

Cons

  • Some users reported a noticeable drop in fuel economy
  • Desire for improved water displacement grooves to better handle heavy rain
  • Limited performance in deep winter or heavy snow conditions
All owner themes in the TrueContact Tour 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 TrueContact Tour B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
CategoryAll Season Premium Touring tiresAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Tread depth11/32″—
UTQG700 - 800 A A - B—
SidewallBlack Side Wall - White Wall—
Max pressure44 - 51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental TrueContact Tour

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Too close to call: Continental TrueContact Tour and Michelin Defender LTX M/S are within 2 points overall. Michelin Defender LTX M/S is stronger on snow. Continental TrueContact Tour rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 19 reviews), so read this result as provisional. 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 drive through snowy winters

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 74 vs 69 on snow.

Tire A · Continental TrueContact Tour
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Tire B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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TrueContact Tour or Defender LTX M/S?

Which is better in the wet, TrueContact Tour or Defender LTX M/S?

Neither, by our numbers: 83 vs 82 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, TrueContact Tour or Defender LTX M/S?

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

Which is better in snow, TrueContact Tour or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 69 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, TrueContact Tour or Defender LTX M/S?

Neither, by our numbers: 76 vs 75 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, TrueContact Tour or Defender LTX M/S?

Neither, by our numbers: 79 vs 80 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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