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Falken Eurowinter HS439 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Falken Eurowinter HS439 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 + 10 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 78–64

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Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Tire BMichelin

Defender LTX M/S

All Season

± 7Provisional

Tests – · 1 test Owners 82 · 10 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. 64

    Dry

    Defender LTX M/S +14
    78
    Why this score
    SourceEurowinter HS439Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 65 (est.)≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online6283

    Eurowinter HS439: 60% × 65.4 (est.) + 40% × 61.7 = 64

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.5 (est.) + 40% × 83.3 = 78

    No road tests of dry for Eurowinter HS439. 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 LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 67

    Wet

    Defender LTX M/S +14
    81
    Why this score
    SourceEurowinter HS439Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 78 (est.)
    Reviews found online6684

    Eurowinter HS439: 60% × 68 (est.) + 40% × 65.7 = 67

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.2 (est.) + 40% × 84.2 = 81

    No road tests of wet for Eurowinter HS439. 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. 59

    Snow

    Defender LTX M/S +15
    74
    Why this score
    SourceEurowinter HS439Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 73 (est.)
    Reviews found online5276

    Eurowinter HS439: 60% × 63.6 (est.) + 40% × 51.6 = 59

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.7 (est.) + 40% × 76 = 74

    No road tests of snow for Eurowinter HS439. 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 LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 60

    Comfort

    Defender LTX M/S +15
    75
    Why this score
    SourceEurowinter HS439Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online5678

    Eurowinter HS439: 40% × 66.8 (est.) + 60% × 56.3 = 60

    Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.7 (est.) + 60% × 77.6 = 75

    No road tests of comfort for Eurowinter HS439 or Defender LTX M/S. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 61

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEurowinter HS439Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online53–

    Eurowinter HS439: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 52.9 = 61

    No road tests of noise for Eurowinter HS439. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 64

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +15
    79
    Why this score
    SourceEurowinter HS439Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 65 (est.)75
    Reviews found online6385

    Eurowinter HS439: 60% × 64.9 (est.) + 40% × 62.5 = 64

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 75.5 + 40% × 85.1 = 79

    No road tests of treadwear for Eurowinter HS439. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 66

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +14
    80
    Why this score
    SourceEurowinter HS439Defender LTX M/S
    Reviews found online6680
Scores at a glance
CategoryFalken Eurowinter HS439Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 64 78
Dry 64 78
Wet 67 81
Snow 59 74
Comfort 60 75
Noise 61 –
Treadwear 64 79
Handling (owners) 66 80

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

Eurowinter HS439

± 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.

DisciplineCategoryEurowinter HS439Defender LTX M/SΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #17/50 2013 Winter Tyre Overview - Braking #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 Eurowinter HS439

Pros

  • Excellent traction and grip in snow, ice, and cold weather conditions
  • High value for money compared to premium European competitors
  • Comfortable ride quality with good steering feedback once run-in

Cons

  • Subpar wet weather braking and performance compared to modern alternatives
  • Increased road noise relative to standard summer tires
  • Vulnerability to sidewall damage on rough, pothole-heavy roads
All owner themes in the Eurowinter HS439 review

Tire B Defender LTX M/S

Pros

  • Exceptional tread longevity and mileage lifespan
  • Quiet and smooth ride quality at highway speeds
  • Strong year-round traction across dry, wet, and light snow conditions

Cons

  • High upfront purchase price
  • Subpar performance in deep mud, sand, and off-road environments
  • Limited ice and severe winter capability compared to dedicated winter tires
All owner themes in the Defender LTX M/S review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Falken Eurowinter HS439 B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
CategoryWinterAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Tread depth11/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure44 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Falken Eurowinter HS439

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better snow, comfort and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score. Falken Eurowinter HS439 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, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 74 vs 59 on snow.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 75 vs 60 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 64 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 78 vs 64 on dry.

Tire A · Falken Eurowinter HS439
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Tire B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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Eurowinter HS439 or Defender LTX M/S?

Which is better in the wet, Eurowinter HS439 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 81 vs 67 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Eurowinter HS439 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 78 vs 64 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Eurowinter HS439 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 59 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Eurowinter HS439 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 75 vs 60 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Eurowinter HS439 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 64 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