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Falken ZIEX ZE329 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Falken ZIEX ZE329 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 23 + 11 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 79–49

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Falken ZIEX ZE329
Tire AFalken

ZIEX ZE329

All-Season

± 8

Tests – · none yet Owners 39 · 23 reviews

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. 48

    Dry

    Defender LTX M/S +31
    79
    Why this score
    SourceZIEX ZE329Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 56 (est.)≈ 75 (est.)
    Reviews found online3884

    ZIEX ZE329: 60% × 55.5 (est.) + 40% × 37.9 = 48

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

    No road tests of dry for ZIEX ZE329. 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. 51

    Wet

    Defender LTX M/S +31
    82
    Why this score
    SourceZIEX ZE329Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 56 (est.)≈ 79 (est.)
    Reviews found online4386

    ZIEX ZE329: 60% × 55.7 (est.) + 40% × 43.4 = 51

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 79 (est.) + 40% × 85.7 = 82

    No road tests of wet for ZIEX ZE329. 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. 57

    Snow

    Defender LTX M/S +17
    74
    Why this score
    SourceZIEX ZE329Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 63 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online4777

    ZIEX ZE329: 60% × 63.1 (est.) + 40% × 47.2 = 57

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.4 (est.) + 40% × 76.5 = 74

    No road tests of snow for ZIEX ZE329. 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. 43

    Comfort

    Defender LTX M/S +32
    75
    Why this score
    SourceZIEX ZE329Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 61 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online3178

    ZIEX ZE329: 40% × 61 (est.) + 60% × 31 = 43

    Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.6 (est.) + 60% × 77.7 = 75

    No road tests of comfort for ZIEX ZE329. 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 LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 60

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceZIEX ZE329Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)–
    Reviews found online50–

    ZIEX ZE329: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 50.1 = 60

    No road tests of noise for ZIEX ZE329. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 45

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +35
    80
    Why this score
    SourceZIEX ZE329Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 54 (est.)75
    Reviews found online3286

    ZIEX ZE329: 60% × 54.1 (est.) + 40% × 31.8 = 45

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

    No road tests of treadwear for ZIEX ZE329. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 39

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +43
    82
    Why this score
    SourceZIEX ZE329Defender LTX M/S
    Reviews found online3982
Scores at a glance
CategoryFalken ZIEX ZE329Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 49 79
Dry 48 79
Wet 51 82
Snow 57 74
Comfort 43 75
Noise 60 –
Treadwear 45 80
Handling (owners) 39 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

ZIEX ZE329

± 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 ZIEX ZE329

Pros

  • Affordable price point offering great value
  • Good traction and grip on dry pavement
  • Balanced overall performance for everyday commuting

Cons

  • Rapid and premature tread wear, falling short of expected mileage
  • Poor wet and winter weather traction, described as dangerous in snow
  • Excessive road noise and highway hum reported by multiple users
All owner themes in the ZIEX ZE329 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 · Falken ZIEX ZE329 B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
CategoryAll-SeasonAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Tread depth6/32″—
UTQG480 A A720 - 800 B A
Treadwear warranty60,000 mi—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Falken ZIEX ZE329

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better handling, treadwear and comfort. 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 39 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 80 vs 45 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 75 vs 43 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 48 on dry.

Tire A · Falken ZIEX ZE329
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Tire B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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ZIEX ZE329 or Defender LTX M/S?

Which is better in the wet, ZIEX ZE329 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 82 vs 51 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, ZIEX ZE329 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 48 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, ZIEX ZE329 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 57 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, ZIEX ZE329 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 75 vs 43 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, ZIEX ZE329 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 vs 45 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