Tests – · none yet Owners 59 · 31 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Goodyear Wrangler Fortitude HT 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 31 + 1 owner reviews. How we score
Defender T+H is ahead, 70–62
Add your size for an exact match
/R
Both Amazon links then search this exact size.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
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.
-
61
Dry
Defender T+H +970Why this score
Source Wrangler Fortitude HT Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 63 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 57 71 Wrangler Fortitude HT: 60% × 63.4 (est.) + 40% × 56.9 = 61
Defender T+H: 60% × 69.2 (est.) + 40% × 70.8 = 70
No road tests of dry for Wrangler Fortitude HT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
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 0.42).
-
59
Wet
Defender T+H +1473Why this score
Source Wrangler Fortitude HT Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 62 (est.) ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 55 73 Wrangler Fortitude HT: 60% × 62.2 (est.) + 40% × 55.3 = 59
Defender T+H: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 73.3 = 73
No road tests of wet for Wrangler Fortitude HT. 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).
-
66
Snow
Wrangler Fortitude HT +165Why this score
Source Wrangler Fortitude HT Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 63 62 Wrangler Fortitude HT: 60% × 68 (est.) + 40% × 63.4 = 66
Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 62.1 = 65
No road tests of snow for Wrangler Fortitude HT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
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 0.37).
-
62
Comfort
Defender T+H +668Why this score
Source Wrangler Fortitude HT Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 58 67 Wrangler Fortitude HT: 40% × 67.1 (est.) + 60% × 58.2 = 62
Defender T+H: 40% × 68.7 (est.) + 60% × 66.9 = 68
No road tests of comfort for Wrangler Fortitude HT or Defender T+H. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
66
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Wrangler Fortitude HT Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) – Reviews found online 66 – Wrangler Fortitude HT: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 65.5 = 66
No road tests of noise for Wrangler Fortitude HT. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
63
Treadwear
Defender T+H +1073Why this score
Source Wrangler Fortitude HT Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 65 (est.) 76 Reviews found online 62 68 Wrangler Fortitude HT: 60% × 64.6 (est.) + 40% × 61.7 = 63
Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 67.9 = 73
No road tests of treadwear for Wrangler Fortitude HT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
-
56
Handling (owners)
No comparison–Why this score
Source Wrangler Fortitude HT Defender T+H Reviews found online 56 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Goodyear Wrangler Fortitude HT | Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 62 | 70 |
| Dry | 61 | 70 |
| Wet | 59 | 73 |
| Snow | 66 | 65 |
| Comfort | 62 | 68 |
| Noise | 66 | – |
| Treadwear | 63 | 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
Wrangler Fortitude HT
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 Wrangler Fortitude HT
Pros
- Excellent tread life and durability
- Quiet and smooth highway ride quality
- Improved fuel economy compared to all-terrain alternatives
Cons
- Poor traction in snow, ice, and heavy rain
- Inadequate performance for off-road or mud environments
- Reports of vibration and balancing issues in some units
Tire B Defender T+H
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Goodyear Wrangler Fortitude HT | B · Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Premium Touring All Season tire | Premium Touring All Season tire |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | SUV and 4x4 |
| Sizes available | 9 | — |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 18″ | — |
| Tread depth | 10 - 15/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 680 A B | — |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall - Vertical Serrated Band | — |
| Max pressure | 50 - 83 psi | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
62
/ 100
Goodyear Wrangler Fortitude HT
70
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better wet, treadwear and dry. Where the Goodyear Wrangler Fortitude HT is ahead, it is by less than 3 points. Michelin Defender T+H rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 1 review), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 59 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 63 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Defender T+H scores 70 vs 61 on dry.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Defender T+H scores 68 vs 62 on comfort.
Tire A · Goodyear Wrangler Fortitude HT
Tire B · Michelin Defender T+H
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Wrangler Fortitude HT or Defender T+H?
Which is better in the wet, Wrangler Fortitude HT or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 59 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Wrangler Fortitude HT or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 70 vs 61 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Wrangler Fortitude HT or Defender T+H?
Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 65 on the snow score, within 3 points.
Which is more comfortable, Wrangler Fortitude HT or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 68 vs 62 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Wrangler Fortitude HT or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 63 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