tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Cooper Cobra Radial G/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 0 + 1 road tests and 637 + 11 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 79–70

Check price on Amazon · Defender LTX M/S or Cobra Radial G/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.

Cooper Cobra Radial G/T
Tire ACooper

Cobra Radial G/T

Touring All Season tire

± 7

Tests – · none yet Owners 71 · 637 reviews

“Here's where the tire started separating on the sidewall. Hard to tell, but it's about 1/8 inch deep.”

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. 73

    Dry

    Defender LTX M/S +6
    79
    Why this score
    SourceCobra Radial G/TDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 75 (est.)
    Reviews found online7584

    Cobra Radial G/T: 60% × 71 (est.) + 40% × 75.4 = 73

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

    No road tests of dry for Cobra Radial G/T. 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. 70

    Wet

    Defender LTX M/S +12
    82
    Why this score
    SourceCobra Radial G/TDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 79 (est.)
    Reviews found online7086

    Cobra Radial G/T: 60% × 70.1 (est.) + 40% × 69.6 = 70

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.8 (est.) + 40% × 85.6 = 82

    No road tests of wet for Cobra Radial G/T. 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. 66

    Snow

    Defender LTX M/S +8
    74
    Why this score
    SourceCobra Radial G/TDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online6477

    Cobra Radial G/T: 60% × 68.3 (est.) + 40% × 63.6 = 66

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.5 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74

    No road tests of snow for Cobra Radial G/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
    SourceCobra Radial G/TDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7478

    Cobra Radial G/T: 40% × 69.7 (est.) + 60% × 74.1 = 72

    Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.4 (est.) + 60% × 77.7 = 75

    No road tests of comfort for Cobra Radial G/T or Defender LTX M/S. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 72

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCobra Radial G/TDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)–
    Reviews found online80–

    Cobra Radial G/T: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 80.4 = 72

    No road tests of noise for Cobra Radial G/T. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 68

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +12
    80
    Why this score
    SourceCobra Radial G/TDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 68 (est.)75
    Reviews found online7086

    Cobra Radial G/T: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 69.5 = 68

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

    No road tests of treadwear for Cobra Radial G/T. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 68

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +14
    82
    Why this score
    SourceCobra Radial G/TDefender LTX M/S
    Reviews found online6882
Scores at a glance
CategoryCooper Cobra Radial G/TMichelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 70 79
Dry 73 79
Wet 70 82
Snow 66 74
Comfort 72 75
Noise 72 –
Treadwear 68 80
Handling (owners) 68 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
± 7

Cobra Radial G/T

± 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 Cobra Radial G/T

Pros

  • Attractive classic styling with raised white letters
  • Great value and budget-friendly pricing compared to competitors
  • Good dry traction and responsive handling

Cons

  • Road noise can be noticeable on certain highway surfaces
  • Balancing difficulties or minor vibrations reported by some users
  • Sub-optimal wet weather traction under aggressive driving or heavy acceleration
All owner themes in the Cobra Radial G/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

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Cooper Cobra Radial G/T

Positive

Community sentiment toward the Cooper Cobra Radial G/T is generally favorable, especially among vintage vehicle and classic truck owners seeking period-correct raised white lettering. Drivers praise the tire for reliable road traction, longevity, and affordability compared to competitors, though isolated reports note sidewall separation or blister concerns.

vintage-mustang.com ·2015-11-30

“Here's where the tire started separating on the sidewall. Hard to tell, but it's about 1/8 inch deep.”
corvetteforum.com

“i have 4 new ones sitting in my garage. back in all black. says cooper cobra radial G/T. and it has 2 cobra snakes on it”
vintage-mustang.com ·2015-11-30

“I spoke too soon!! I have run cooper cobras in the past for years on my small pickups and they were fine. I just had a cooper cobra split on me on my '66. It's split right along the manufacturer's seam. ***UPDATE: I bought the tires from discounttiredirect. They contacted me and are shipping a brand new replacement tire out!”
Top themes
#classic muscle aesthetics#raised white lettering#traction and performance#vintage fitment sizing#durability and wear#sidewall separation issues

Based on 30 community posts

Tire B

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Cooper Cobra Radial G/T B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
CategoryTouring All Season tireAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Sizes available13—
Rim diameters14″ – 15″—
Tread depth11/32″—
UTQG440 A B - C720 - 800 B A
Treadwear warranty40,000 mi—
SidewallRaised White Lettering—
Max pressure36 - 44 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Cooper Cobra Radial G/T

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better handling, wet and treadwear. 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 enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 68 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

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

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 66 on snow.

Tire A · Cooper Cobra Radial G/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.

Cobra Radial G/T or Defender LTX M/S?

Which is better in the wet, Cobra Radial G/T or Defender LTX M/S?

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

Which grips better on dry roads, Cobra Radial G/T or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 73 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Cobra Radial G/T or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 66 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Cobra Radial G/T or Defender LTX M/S?

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

Which lasts longer, Cobra Radial G/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