Tests – · none yet Owners 75 · 34 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Falken Aklimate 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 0 + 1 road tests and 34 + 1 owner reviews. How we score
Aklimate leads, 73–70 Narrow edge
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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.
-
71
Dry
Aklimate +269Why this score
Source Aklimate Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 70 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 73 70 Aklimate: 60% × 69.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.6 = 71
Defender T+H: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 70 = 69
No road tests of dry for Aklimate. 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 T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
-
77
Wet
Aklimate +572Why this score
Source Aklimate Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 76 (est.) ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 80 73 Aklimate: 60% × 75.8 (est.) + 40% × 80 = 77
Defender T+H: 60% × 71.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 72
No road tests of wet for Aklimate. 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).
-
70
Snow
Aklimate +565Why this score
Source Aklimate Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 70 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 69 61 Aklimate: 60% × 70.1 (est.) + 40% × 69.2 = 70
Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 61.1 = 65
No road tests of snow for Aklimate. 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 T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
-
71
Comfort
Aklimate +467Why this score
Source Aklimate Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 72 66 Aklimate: 40% × 69.3 (est.) + 60% × 72.1 = 71
Defender T+H: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 66 = 67
No road tests of comfort for Aklimate. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
No road tests of comfort for Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
-
71
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Aklimate Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) – Reviews found online 77 – Aklimate: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 76.9 = 71
No road tests of noise for Aklimate. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
72
Treadwear
Defender T+H +173Why this score
Source Aklimate Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 70 (est.) 76 Reviews found online 75 68 Aklimate: 60% × 69.7 (est.) + 40% × 75.2 = 72
Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 67.9 = 73
No road tests of treadwear for Aklimate. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
Scores at a glance
| Category | Falken Aklimate | Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 73 | 70 |
| Dry | 71 | 69 |
| Wet | 77 | 72 |
| Snow | 70 | 65 |
| Comfort | 71 | 67 |
| Noise | 71 | – |
| Treadwear | 72 | 73 |
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
Recomputed
Headline score
73
/ 100
Aklimate
70
/ 100
Defender T+H
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 Aklimate
Pros
- Exceptional winter traction and snow/ice handling
- Low road noise and quiet ride
- Smooth and comfortable bump absorption
Cons
- Slightly spongy or reduced dry pavement handling compared to ultra-high-performance tires
- Minor wheel spin from a dead stop on wet roads for some users
- Inherent all-weather performance tradeoffs between winter grip and dry responsiveness
Tire B Defender T+H
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Falken Aklimate | B · Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All-Season tire | Premium Touring All Season tire |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | SUV and 4x4 |
| Sizes available | 91 | — |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 22″ | — |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 640 B A | 820 A - B B |
| Treadwear warranty | 65,000 mi | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Max pressure | 51 psi | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
73
/ 100
Falken Aklimate
70
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
Narrow edge: Falken Aklimate — better wet, snow and comfort. Where the Michelin Defender T+H is ahead, it is by less than 3 points. Michelin Defender T+H rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 1 review), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Falken Aklimate scores 77 vs 72 on wet.
Pick tire A
You drive through snowy winters
Falken Aklimate scores 70 vs 65 on snow.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Falken Aklimate scores 71 vs 67 on comfort.
Tire A · Falken Aklimate
Tire B · Michelin Defender T+H
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Aklimate or Defender T+H?
Which is better in the wet, Aklimate or Defender T+H?
Falken Aklimate, 77 vs 72 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Aklimate or Defender T+H?
Neither, by our numbers: 71 vs 69 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Which is better in snow, Aklimate or Defender T+H?
Falken Aklimate, 70 vs 65 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, Aklimate or Defender T+H?
Falken Aklimate, 71 vs 67 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Aklimate or Defender T+H?
Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 73 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