Tests – · 1 test Owners 64 · 24 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Firestone WeatherGrip 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 1 + 1 road tests and 24 + 1 owner reviews. How we score
Defender T+H is ahead, 70–65
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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.
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65
Dry
Defender T+H +469Why this score
Source WeatherGrip Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 63 70 WeatherGrip: 60% × 65.8 (est.) + 40% × 62.8 = 65
Defender T+H: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 70 = 69
No road tests of dry for WeatherGrip. 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).
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70
Wet
Defender T+H +272Why this score
Source WeatherGrip Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 70 (est.) ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 70 73 WeatherGrip: 60% × 70.2 (est.) + 40% × 69.7 = 70
Defender T+H: 60% × 71.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 72
No road tests of wet for WeatherGrip. 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).
-
74
Snow
WeatherGrip +965Why this score
Source WeatherGrip Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 72 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 77 61 WeatherGrip: 60% × 72.4 (est.) + 40% × 76.5 = 74
Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 61.1 = 65
No road tests of snow for WeatherGrip. 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).
-
64
Comfort
Defender T+H +367Why this score
Source WeatherGrip Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 62 66 WeatherGrip: 40% × 67.2 (est.) + 60% × 61.6 = 64
Defender T+H: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 66 = 67
No road tests of comfort for WeatherGrip. 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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67
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source WeatherGrip Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) – Reviews found online 69 – WeatherGrip: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 68.8 = 67
No road tests of noise for WeatherGrip. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
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55
Treadwear
Defender T+H +1873Why this score
Source WeatherGrip Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests 56 76 Reviews found online 54 68 Tested Tread Life (Miles) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 65% 100% WeatherGrip: 60% × 56 + 40% × 53.9 = 55
Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 67.9 = 73
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61
Handling (owners)
No comparison–Why this score
Source WeatherGrip Defender T+H Reviews found online 61 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Firestone WeatherGrip | Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 65 | 70 |
| Dry | 65 | 69 |
| Wet | 70 | 72 |
| Snow | 74 | 65 |
| Comfort | 64 | 67 |
| Noise | 67 | – |
| Treadwear | 55 | 73 |
| Handling (owners) | 61 | – |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Weight the categories that matter to you
Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. 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.
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.
Recomputed
Headline score
65
/ 100
WeatherGrip
70
/ 100
Defender T+H
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.
In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Firestone WeatherGrip finished ahead 0 times and Michelin Defender T+H 1 times.
| Discipline | Category | WeatherGrip | Defender T+H | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tested Tread Life (Miles) | Treadwear | 65% | 100% | −35.3 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires · 215/60R16 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #8/8 | #1/8 | – | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires · 215/60R16 |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A WeatherGrip
Pros
- Outstanding snow and winter weather traction
- Confident wet weather and rain grip
- Smooth and comfortable ride quality
Cons
- Faster tread wear due to the softer rubber compound
- Noticeable drop in fuel economy (MPG)
- Subpar dry pavement performance compared to dedicated summer or standard all-season tires
Tire B Defender T+H
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Firestone WeatherGrip | B · Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Weather | Premium Touring All Season tire |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | SUV and 4x4 |
| Sizes available | 49 | — |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 19″ | — |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 640 A A | 820 A - B B |
| Treadwear warranty | 65,000 mi | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Max pressure | 44 psi | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
65
/ 100
Firestone WeatherGrip
70
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better treadwear, dry and comfort. Pick the Firestone WeatherGrip if snow matters most to you. 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 55 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You drive through snowy winters
Firestone WeatherGrip scores 74 vs 65 on snow.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Defender T+H scores 69 vs 65 on dry.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Defender T+H scores 67 vs 64 on comfort.
Tire A · Firestone WeatherGrip
Tire B · Michelin Defender T+H
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WeatherGrip or Defender T+H?
Which is better in the wet, WeatherGrip or Defender T+H?
Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 72 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Which grips better on dry roads, WeatherGrip or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 69 vs 65 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, WeatherGrip or Defender T+H?
Firestone WeatherGrip, 74 vs 65 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, WeatherGrip or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 67 vs 64 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, WeatherGrip or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 55 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