Tests – · none yet Owners 59 · 55 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max 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 55 + 1 owner reviews. How we score
Defender T+H is ahead, 70–62
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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.
-
62
Dry
Defender T+H +769Why this score
Source Assurance Fuel Max Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 64 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 59 70 Assurance Fuel Max: 60% × 64.3 (est.) + 40% × 59.1 = 62
Defender T+H: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 70 = 69
No road tests of dry for Assurance Fuel Max. 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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63
Wet
Defender T+H +972Why this score
Source Assurance Fuel Max Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 65 (est.) ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 60 73 Assurance Fuel Max: 60% × 64.9 (est.) + 40% × 60.1 = 63
Defender T+H: 60% × 71.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 72
No road tests of wet for Assurance Fuel Max. 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).
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60
Snow
Defender T+H +565Why this score
Source Assurance Fuel Max Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 65 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 52 61 Assurance Fuel Max: 60% × 64.7 (est.) + 40% × 52.2 = 60
Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 61.1 = 65
No road tests of snow for Assurance Fuel Max. 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).
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57
Comfort
Defender T+H +1067Why this score
Source Assurance Fuel Max Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 65 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 51 66 Assurance Fuel Max: 40% × 65.2 (est.) + 60% × 51.3 = 57
Defender T+H: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 66 = 67
No road tests of comfort for Assurance Fuel Max or Defender T+H. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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64
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Assurance Fuel Max Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) – Reviews found online 61 – Assurance Fuel Max: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 61.2 = 64
No road tests of noise for Assurance Fuel Max. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
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65
Treadwear
Defender T+H +873Why this score
Source Assurance Fuel Max Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 66 (est.) 76 Reviews found online 64 68 Assurance Fuel Max: 60% × 65.5 (est.) + 40% × 63.7 = 65
Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 67.9 = 73
No road tests of treadwear for Assurance Fuel Max. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
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56
Handling (owners)
No comparison–Why this score
Source Assurance Fuel Max Defender T+H Reviews found online 56 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max | Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 62 | 70 |
| Dry | 62 | 69 |
| Wet | 63 | 72 |
| Snow | 60 | 65 |
| Comfort | 57 | 67 |
| Noise | 64 | – |
| Treadwear | 65 | 73 |
| Handling (owners) | 56 | – |
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
62
/ 100
Assurance Fuel Max
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 Assurance Fuel Max
Pros
- Noticeable improvement in fuel economy / MPG
- Reliable wet and dry traction and handling
- Impressive long-term tread life and longevity
Cons
- Some road noise on specific asphalt surfaces
- Fuel savings may be less noticeable at higher highway speeds over 75 mph
- Soft rubber compound can be vulnerable to sharp winter cinders or road debris
Tire B Defender T+H
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max | B · Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season Touring tires | Premium Touring All Season tire |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | SUV and 4x4 |
| Sizes available | 7 | — |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 18″ | — |
| Tread depth | 9 - 10/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 580 - 620 A A - B | 820 A - B B |
| Treadwear warranty | 65,000 mi | — |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall - Vertical Serrated Band | — |
| Max pressure | 50 - 51 psi | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
62
/ 100
Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max
70
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better comfort, wet and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score. 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 most comfortable ride
Michelin Defender T+H scores 67 vs 57 on comfort.
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 longest tread life
Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 65 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Defender T+H scores 69 vs 62 on dry.
Tire A · Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max
Tire B · Michelin Defender T+H
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Assurance Fuel Max or Defender T+H?
Which is better in the wet, Assurance Fuel Max or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 72 vs 63 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Assurance Fuel Max or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 69 vs 62 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Assurance Fuel Max or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 65 vs 60 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, Assurance Fuel Max or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 67 vs 57 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Assurance Fuel Max or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 65 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