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Falken FK451 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Falken FK451 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. Based on 0 + 1 road tests and 10 + 10 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 77–68

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Falken FK451
Tire AFalken

FK451

Summer

Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 67 · 10 reviews

Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Tire BMichelin

Defender LTX M/S

All Season

Provisional

Tests – · 1 test Owners 78 · 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. 66

    Dry

    Defender LTX M/S +10
    76
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 73 (est.)
    Reviews found online6581

    FK451: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 64.9 = 66

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 73.2 (est.) + 40% × 81.3 = 76

    No road tests of dry for FK451. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

    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 0.40).

  2. 70

    Wet

    Defender LTX M/S +8
    78
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 76 (est.)
    Reviews found online7081

    FK451: 60% × 70 (est.) + 40% × 70.2 = 70

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 75.9 (est.) + 40% × 80.7 = 78

    No road tests of wet for FK451. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

    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 0.56).

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    72
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online–73

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 71 (est.) + 40% × 73.2 = 72

    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 0.33).

  4. 68

    Comfort

    Defender LTX M/S +5
    73
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6776

    FK451: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 67.4 = 68

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 70.3 (est.) + 40% × 76.1 = 73

    No road tests of comfort for FK451 or Defender LTX M/S. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    70
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online–75

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 74.7 = 70

    No road tests of noise for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 67

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +9
    76
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 66 (est.)74
    Reviews found online6878

    FK451: 60% × 66.2 (est.) + 40% × 67.5 = 67

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.3 + 40% × 78 = 76

    No road tests of treadwear for FK451. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  7. 65

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +14
    79
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Defender LTX M/S
    Reviews found online6579
Scores at a glance
CategoryFalken FK451Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 68 77
Dry 66 76
Wet 70 78
Snow – 72
Comfort 68 73
Noise – 70
Treadwear 67 76
Handling (owners) 65 79

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

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

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

FK451

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 FK451

Pros

  • Exceptional price-to-performance ratio
  • Strong wet and dry traction
  • Excellent tread life and durability

Cons

  • Potential for rubber cracking between treads over long-term storage or extended age
  • Some users report a slightly less 'alive' or communicative steering feel compared to premium performance tires
  • Availability concerns as it is an older model often superseded by newer iterations
All owner themes in the FK451 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 FK451 B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
CategorySummerAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4

Which one should you actually buy?

Falken FK451

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better handling, dry and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score. Falken FK451 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 10 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 enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 65 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 76 vs 66 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 76 vs 67 on treadwear.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 78 vs 70 on wet.

Tire A · Falken FK451
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Tire B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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FK451 or Defender LTX M/S?

Which is better in the wet, FK451 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 78 vs 70 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, FK451 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 76 vs 66 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, FK451 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 73 vs 68 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, FK451 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 76 vs 67 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