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Head-to-head Updated

Firestone Transforce AT2 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 17 + 11 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 79–70

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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. 69

    Dry

    Defender LTX M/S +10
    79
    Why this score
    SourceTransforce AT2Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 75 (est.)
    Reviews found online6984

    Transforce AT2: 60% × 68.5 (est.) + 40% × 69.4 = 69

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

    No road tests of dry for Transforce AT2. 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. 72

    Wet

    Defender LTX M/S +10
    82
    Why this score
    SourceTransforce AT2Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 79 (est.)
    Reviews found online7286

    Transforce AT2: 60% × 71.3 (est.) + 40% × 71.8 = 72

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.8 (est.) + 40% × 85.6 = 82

    No road tests of wet for Transforce AT2. 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. 72

    Snow

    Defender LTX M/S +2
    74
    Why this score
    SourceTransforce AT2Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7377

    Transforce AT2: 60% × 71.2 (est.) + 40% × 72.6 = 72

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.5 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74

    No road tests of snow for Transforce AT2. 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. 59

    Comfort

    Defender LTX M/S +16
    75
    Why this score
    SourceTransforce AT2Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online5478

    Transforce AT2: 40% × 65.8 (est.) + 60% × 54.3 = 59

    Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.5 (est.) + 60% × 77.7 = 75

    No road tests of comfort for Transforce AT2. 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. 69

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceTransforce AT2Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)–
    Reviews found online74–

    Transforce AT2: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 73.5 = 69

    No road tests of noise for Transforce AT2. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 71

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +9
    80
    Why this score
    SourceTransforce AT2Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 69 (est.)75
    Reviews found online7486

    Transforce AT2: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 74.2 = 71

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

    No road tests of treadwear for Transforce AT2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. –

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    82
    Why this score
    SourceTransforce AT2Defender LTX M/S
    Reviews found online–82
Scores at a glance
CategoryFirestone Transforce AT2Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 70 79
Dry 69 79
Wet 72 82
Snow 72 74
Comfort 59 75
Noise 69 –
Treadwear 71 80
Handling (owners) – 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

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

Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Transforce AT2

± 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 Transforce AT2

Pros

  • Excellent value and competitive price point for a commercial line tire
  • Quiet on-road operation despite the deep, aggressive tread design
  • Reliable durability and high mileage potential based on long-term user history

Cons

  • Prone to highway wandering and tracking grooves or ridges in the road
  • Difficulty in achieving proper road balance, causing high-speed vibrations
  • Unstable or 'floaty' feel at highway speeds for specific heavy-duty applications
All owner themes in the Transforce AT2 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 · Firestone Transforce AT2 B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
CategoryAll-Terrain tireAll Season
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4
Sizes available17—
Rim diameters16″ – 20″—
Tread depth32/32″—
UTQG—720 - 800 B A
SidewallOutlined White Lettering—
Max pressure80 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Firestone Transforce AT2

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better comfort, dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Firestone Transforce AT2 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 17 reviews), so read this result as provisional. 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 want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 75 vs 59 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 69 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 72 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 80 vs 71 on treadwear.

Tire A · Firestone Transforce AT2
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Tire B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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Transforce AT2 or Defender LTX M/S?

Which is better in the wet, Transforce AT2 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 82 vs 72 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Transforce AT2 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 69 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Transforce AT2 or Defender LTX M/S?

Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 74 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Transforce AT2 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 75 vs 59 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Transforce AT2 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 vs 71 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