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Head-to-head Updated

General Altimax Sport 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 32 + 1 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: Altimax Sport and Defender T+H are level at 71.

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General Altimax Sport
Tire AGeneral

Altimax Sport

Summer

± 8

Tests 68 · 1 test Owners 74 · 32 reviews

Best test result: #19 of 45 in 2019 Summer 53 Tyre Braking Shootout (wet braking)

Michelin Defender T+H
Tire BMichelin

Defender T+H

Premium Touring All Season tire

± 8Provisional

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.

  1. 66

    Dry

    Defender T+H +3
    69
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax SportDefender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests64≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online6970

    Altimax Sport: 60% × 63.9 + 40% × 68.8 = 66

    Defender T+H: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 70 = 69

    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).

  2. 74

    Wet

    Altimax Sport +2
    72
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax SportDefender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests72≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7673

    Altimax Sport: 60% × 72.4 + 40% × 75.7 = 74

    Defender T+H: 60% × 71.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 72

    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).

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    65
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax SportDefender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online–61

    Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 61.1 = 65

    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).

  4. 70

    Comfort

    Altimax Sport +3
    67
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax SportDefender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online7166

    Altimax Sport: 40% × 69.2 (est.) + 60% × 71.1 = 70

    Defender T+H: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 65.9 = 67

    No road tests of comfort for Altimax Sport. 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).

  5. 74

    Treadwear

    Altimax Sport +1
    73
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax SportDefender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 71 (est.)76
    Reviews found online7868

    Altimax Sport: 60% × 70.6 (est.) + 40% × 77.9 = 74

    Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 67.9 = 73

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

  6. 73

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax SportDefender T+H
    Reviews found online73–
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral Altimax SportMichelin Defender T+H
Relative Score 71 71
Dry 66 69
Wet 74 72
Snow – 65
Comfort 70 67
Treadwear 74 73
Handling (owners) 73 –

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
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

Altimax Sport

± 8

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.

DisciplineCategoryAltimax SportDefender T+HΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #23/45 2019 Summer 53 Tyre Braking Shootout #1/8 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Altimax Sport

Pros

  • Excellent value for money compared to premium brands
  • Impressive tread life and durability
  • Reliable dry-weather handling and responsiveness

Cons

  • Increased road noise as the tire ages
  • Inconsistent wet-weather grip for some users
  • Performance degradation noted after significant mileage
All owner themes in the Altimax Sport review

Tire B Defender T+H

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · General Altimax Sport B · Michelin Defender T+H
CategorySummerPremium Touring All Season tire
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Sizes available20—
Rim diameters14″ – 20″—
UTQG—820 A - B B
SidewallBlackwall—

Which one should you actually buy?

General Altimax Sport

Michelin Defender T+H

Too close to call: General Altimax Sport and Michelin Defender T+H are within 2 points overall. General Altimax Sport is stronger on comfort. Michelin Defender T+H is stronger on dry. Michelin Defender T+H rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 1 review), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

General Altimax Sport scores 70 vs 67 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender T+H scores 69 vs 66 on dry.

Tire A · General Altimax Sport
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Tire B · Michelin Defender T+H
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Altimax Sport or Defender T+H?

Which is better in the wet, Altimax Sport or Defender T+H?

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

Which grips better on dry roads, Altimax Sport or Defender T+H?

Michelin Defender T+H, 69 vs 66 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Altimax Sport or Defender T+H?

General Altimax Sport, 70 vs 67 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Altimax Sport or Defender T+H?

Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 73 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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