Tests – · none yet Owners 55 · 10 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter 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 10 + 1 owner reviews. How we score
Defender T+H is ahead, 70–60
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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.
-
63
Dry
Defender T+H +669Why this score
Source Champion Fuel Fighter Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 65 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 60 70 Champion Fuel Fighter: 60% × 64.7 (est.) + 40% × 60 = 63
Defender T+H: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 70 = 69
No road tests of dry for Champion Fuel Fighter. 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).
-
63
Wet
Defender T+H +972Why this score
Source Champion Fuel Fighter Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 65 (est.) ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 60 73 Champion Fuel Fighter: 60% × 65.1 (est.) + 40% × 60.4 = 63
Defender T+H: 60% × 71.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 72
No road tests of wet for Champion Fuel Fighter. 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).
-
58
Snow
Defender T+H +765Why this score
Source Champion Fuel Fighter Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 64 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 50 61 Champion Fuel Fighter: 60% × 64 (est.) + 40% × 50.1 = 58
Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 61.1 = 65
No road tests of snow for Champion Fuel Fighter. 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).
-
59
Comfort
Defender T+H +867Why this score
Source Champion Fuel Fighter Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 55 66 Champion Fuel Fighter: 40% × 65.9 (est.) + 60% × 55 = 59
Defender T+H: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 66 = 67
No road tests of comfort for Champion Fuel Fighter. 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).
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66
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Champion Fuel Fighter Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) – Reviews found online 65 – Champion Fuel Fighter: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 65 = 66
No road tests of noise for Champion Fuel Fighter. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
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54
Treadwear
Defender T+H +1973Why this score
Source Champion Fuel Fighter Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 59 (est.) 76 Reviews found online 46 68 Champion Fuel Fighter: 60% × 59 (est.) + 40% × 45.7 = 54
Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 67.9 = 73
No road tests of treadwear for Champion Fuel Fighter. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
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58
Handling (owners)
No comparison–Why this score
Source Champion Fuel Fighter Defender T+H Reviews found online 58 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter | Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 60 | 70 |
| Dry | 63 | 69 |
| Wet | 63 | 72 |
| Snow | 58 | 65 |
| Comfort | 59 | 67 |
| Noise | 66 | – |
| Treadwear | 54 | 73 |
| Handling (owners) | 58 | – |
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
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
60
/ 100
Champion Fuel Fighter
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 Champion Fuel Fighter
Pros
- Good wet traction and resistance to hydroplaning during heavy rain
- Low road noise and quiet, comfortable dry driving experience
- Stable high-speed handling suitable for long-distance highway commuting
Cons
- Poor long-term tread wear that falls well short of the mileage warranty
- Rapid degradation of wet traction as the tire ages
- Concerns regarding durability, including weak sidewalls and susceptibility to punctures and air leaks
Tire B Defender T+H
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter | B · Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season Premium Touring tires | Premium Touring All Season tire |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | SUV and 4x4 |
| Tread depth | 11/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 600 A A | 820 A - B B |
| Treadwear warranty | 70,000 mi | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Max pressure | 44 psi | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
60
/ 100
Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter
70
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better treadwear, wet and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score. Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional. Michelin Defender T+H rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 1 review), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 54 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Defender T+H scores 72 vs 63 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Defender T+H scores 67 vs 59 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You drive through snowy winters
Michelin Defender T+H scores 65 vs 58 on snow.
Tire A · Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter
Tire B · Michelin Defender T+H
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Champion Fuel Fighter or Defender T+H?
Which is better in the wet, Champion Fuel Fighter or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 72 vs 63 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Champion Fuel Fighter or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 69 vs 63 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Champion Fuel Fighter or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 65 vs 58 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, Champion Fuel Fighter or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 67 vs 59 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Champion Fuel Fighter or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 54 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