Tests – · 1 test Owners 64 · 2 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 7 in Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) (overall ranking)
Head-to-head
Updated
Goodyear Assurance MaxLife 2 vs Michelin Defender2 — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.
Defender2 is ahead, 77–65
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Tests 65 · 2 tests Owners 87 · 11,218 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 7 in Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) (dry braking)
“I am sick from New Michelin Defender2 tires. Need recommendation of all season tires with less offgassing of toxic chemicals. Short of breath and nasal congestion from 3 brand new Michelin Defender2 tires offgassing on my SUV. Tires consist of approximately 400 chemicals. What is the half life of their offgassing? I am considering replacing them with Hanhook Kinergy tires. Has anyone smelled them? Read more”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
65
Dry
Defender2 +1580Why this score
Source Assurance MaxLife 2 Defender2 Professional tests (TWG score) – 73 Reviews found online 64 90 Dry Braking (% of best) 96% 100% Dry Circle (% of best) 99% 100% -
68
Wet
Defender2 +674Why this score
Source Assurance MaxLife 2 Defender2 Professional tests (TWG score) – 65 Reviews found online 68 88 Wet Braking (% of best) 94% 84% Wet Handling (% of best) 96% 99% -
63
Snow
Assurance MaxLife 2 +459Why this score
Source Assurance MaxLife 2 Defender2 Professional tests (TWG score) – 47 Reviews found online 59 77 Snow Braking (% of best) 74% 100% Snow Handling (% of best) 90% 88% -
66
Comfort
Defender2 +1379Why this score
Source Assurance MaxLife 2 Defender2 Reviews found online 62 88 -
71
Noise
Defender2 +778Why this score
Source Assurance MaxLife 2 Defender2 Professional tests (TWG score) 75 73 Reviews found online – 85 -
67
Treadwear
Defender2 +1178Why this score
Source Assurance MaxLife 2 Defender2 Reviews found online 68 87 -
58
Handling
Defender2 +3088Why this score
Source Assurance MaxLife 2 Defender2 Reviews found online 58 88
Scores at a glance
| Category | Goodyear Assurance MaxLife 2 | Michelin Defender2 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 65 | 77 |
| Dry | 65 | 80 |
| Wet | 68 | 74 |
| Snow | 63 | 59 |
| Comfort | 66 | 79 |
| Noise | 71 | 78 |
| Treadwear | 67 | 78 |
| Handling | 58 | 88 |
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.
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Recomputed
Headline score
65
/ 100
Assurance MaxLife 2
77
/ 100
Defender2
The professional test results behind the scores
Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.
| Discipline | Category | Assurance MaxLife 2 | Defender2 | Δ | Both? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 96% #3/7 · Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) | 100% #1/7 · Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) | −4.4 | Same test |
| Dry Circle | Dry | 99% #5/7 · Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) | 100% #1/7 · Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) | −1.2 | Same test |
| Ice Braking | Ice | 92% #4/7 · Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) | 95% #2/7 · Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) | −3.2 | Same test |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | 100% #1/7 · Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) | 25% #4/7 · Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) | +75.0 | Same test |
| Snow Braking | Snow | 74% #5/7 · Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) | 100% #3/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test | −26.0 | Different tests |
| Snow Handling | Snow | 90% #5/7 · Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) | 88% #11/11 · 2024 TireRack All Season and Weather Tyre Test | +2.8 | Different tests |
| Subj. Comfort | Subj | 100% #1/7 · Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) | 94% #3/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test | +6.3 | Different tests |
| Subj. Noise | Subj | 100% #1/7 · Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) | 100% #1/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test | 0.0 | Different tests |
| Subj. Road Score | Subj | 93% #2/7 · Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) | 85% #3/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test | +8.5 | Different tests |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 94% #4/7 · Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) | 84% #3/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test | +9.5 | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 96% #3/7 · Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) | 99% #5/7 · Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) | −2.9 | Same test |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Assurance MaxLife 2
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Tire B Defender2
Pros
- Long-lasting tread life and high mileage capability
- Confident dry and wet traction with stable handling
- Quiet and smooth ride quality on specific vehicles and highway surfaces
Cons
- Stiffer, harder ride compared to original equipment or older models
- Noticeable road noise and lack of noise absorption on certain pavement types
- Reduced fuel economy (MPG) reported by multiple users
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Goodyear Assurance MaxLife 2
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Positive
Michelin Defender2
The Michelin Defender2 is widely praised by the community as a top-tier all-season tire, frequently compared favorably against alternatives like the CrossClimate2 and Continental LX25. Users highlight its exceptional tread life, excellent Consumer Reports rankings, and balanced performance, though minor concerns exist regarding speed rating requirements and rare individual complaints.
r/crv
·6 upvotes ·2025-04-07
“Michelin CC2 or Defender2 or Continental crosscontact LX25?? For 2019 Honda Crv. I heard a lot of pros for these tires in the following order. CC2 --> Defender2 --> LX25 But Cons which i what i like to know about.. CC2 - lots of reviews on mpg hit. Defender2 - Not sure if also has mpg hit. Lx25 - I have a friend who is already 20k on it and tire looks new and didn't mention about any mpg hit for him Thank you. Update: Thank you for all your valuable reviews, I have ordered these from Costco and should get them rolling soon. MICHELIN DEFENDER2 AS 235/60R18 107H XL BSW ALL SEASON TIRE. Read more”
r/tires
·3 upvotes ·2025-02-08
“Michelin Defender2 for handling, comfort, and noise? Vehicle is a 2008 Honda Accord LX Sedan. 215/60/R16. I prefer A/S tires and only drive in a warm dry climate with occasional rain (southern CA) I know that Michelins are generally considered the best tire maker but the main advantage of the Defender2's seems to be their excellent durability and tread life. The thing is I have an older car and although I love it I'll probably be selling it within 4yrs. In addition I only average around 6000 miles per year. So I would rather have tires that are more focused on providing a balance of ride quality, comfort, and handling while I have the car. I can get Turanza Quiettracks for about the same price also from Costco so maybe these or another tire might be better suited for my needs? Thanks for reading. Read more”
Top themes
#long tread life#consumer reports ranking#all season performance#fuel economy impact#tire comparisons
Based on 5 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Goodyear Assurance MaxLife 2 | B · Michelin Defender2 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season | All Season |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 66 | 1 |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 22″ | 18″ |
| Tread depth | 11 - 12/32″ | 10 - 11/32″ |
| UTQG | 820 A B | 840 B B |
| Treadwear warranty | 85,000 mi | 80,000 mi |
| Sidewall | Vertical Serrated Band | Black Side Wall |
| Max pressure | 50 - 51 psi | 50 - 51 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
65
/ 100
Goodyear Assurance MaxLife 2
77
/ 100
Michelin Defender2
Winner: Michelin Defender2 — better handling, dry and comfort. Pick the Goodyear Assurance MaxLife 2 if snow matters most to you.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Defender2 scores 88 vs 58 on handling.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Defender2 scores 80 vs 65 on dry.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Defender2 scores 79 vs 66 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Defender2 scores 78 vs 67 on treadwear.
Tire A · Goodyear Assurance MaxLife 2
Tire B · Michelin Defender2
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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.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.