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Head-to-head Updated

Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT vs Michelin Defender LTX M/S — 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 10 + 11 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 79–74

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Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT
Tire AGoodyear

Wrangler Steadfast HT

All-Season tire

± 6Provisional

Tests 66 · 1 test Owners 83 · 10 reviews

Best test result: #3 of 9 in 2024 Tire Rack Highway All Season Tyre Test (dry braking)

Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Tire BMichelin

Defender LTX M/S

All Season

± 7Provisional

Tests – · 1 test Owners 83 · 11 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 13 in 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck 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. 78

    Dry

    Defender LTX M/S +1
    79
    Why this score
    SourceWrangler Steadfast HTDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests75≈ 75 (est.)
    Reviews found online8384

    Wrangler Steadfast HT: 60% × 75.3 + 40% × 83.1 = 78

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.8 (est.) + 40% × 84.4 = 79

    No road tests of dry for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 77

    Wet

    Defender LTX M/S +5
    82
    Why this score
    SourceWrangler Steadfast HTDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests71≈ 79 (est.)
    Reviews found online8686

    Wrangler Steadfast HT: 60% × 71 + 40% × 86 = 77

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 79 (est.) + 40% × 85.7 = 82

    No road tests of wet for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 57

    Snow

    Defender LTX M/S +17
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWrangler Steadfast HTDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests39≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online8477

    Wrangler Steadfast HT: 60% × 38.8 + 40% × 83.6 = 57

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.5 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74

    No road tests of snow for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 75

    Comfort

    Level
    75
    Why this score
    SourceWrangler Steadfast HTDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7878

    Wrangler Steadfast HT: 40% × 70.7 (est.) + 60% × 78.1 = 75

    Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.6 (est.) + 60% × 77.7 = 75

    No road tests of comfort for Wrangler Steadfast HT. 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 LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 68

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWrangler Steadfast HTDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)–
    Reviews found online70–

    Wrangler Steadfast HT: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 70.2 = 68

    No road tests of noise for Wrangler Steadfast HT. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 78

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +2
    80
    Why this score
    SourceWrangler Steadfast HTDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 73 (est.)75
    Reviews found online8586

    Wrangler Steadfast HT: 60% × 73.2 (est.) + 40% × 85 = 78

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 75.4 + 40% × 86.3 = 80

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

  7. 80

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +2
    82
    Why this score
    SourceWrangler Steadfast HTDefender LTX M/S
    Reviews found online8082
Scores at a glance
CategoryGoodyear Wrangler Steadfast HTMichelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 74 79
Dry 78 79
Wet 77 82
Snow 57 74
Comfort 75 75
Noise 68 –
Treadwear 78 80
Handling (owners) 80 82

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
Recomputed
Headline score
± 6

Wrangler Steadfast HT

± 7

Defender LTX M/S

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.

DisciplineCategoryWrangler Steadfast HTDefender LTX M/SΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #23/30 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test #3/13 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Wrangler Steadfast HT

Pros

  • Extremely quiet and smooth ride quality
  • Confident performance in rain, snow, and ice
  • Good overall handling and responsiveness

Cons

  • Some users report a firmer ride where road bumps are more noticeable
  • Potential decrease in fuel economy observed during winter conditions
All owner themes in the Wrangler Steadfast HT review

Tire B Defender LTX M/S

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and long-term durability, often exceeding 60,000 miles
  • Smooth, quiet, and comfortable highway ride quality
  • Strong traction and secure handling in wet, dry, and moderate snow conditions

Cons

  • High initial purchase price compared to competitors
  • Subpar off-road performance, specifically struggling in mud, sand, and loose gravel
  • Limited ice performance compared to dedicated winter tires
All owner themes in the Defender LTX M/S review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
CategoryAll-Season tireAll Season
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4
Sizes available31—
Rim diameters16″ – 22″—
Tread depth11 - 12/32″—
UTQG800 A B720 - 800 B A
Treadwear warranty70,000 mi—
SidewallSerrated Black Lettering—
Max pressure50 - 51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better snow and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional. Michelin Defender LTX M/S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 74 vs 57 on snow.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 77 on wet.

Tire A · Goodyear Wrangler Steadfast HT
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Tire B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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Wrangler Steadfast HT or Defender LTX M/S?

Which is better in the wet, Wrangler Steadfast HT or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 82 vs 77 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Wrangler Steadfast HT or Defender LTX M/S?

Neither, by our numbers: 78 vs 79 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, Wrangler Steadfast HT or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 57 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Wrangler Steadfast HT or Defender LTX M/S?

Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 75 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Wrangler Steadfast HT or Defender LTX M/S?

Neither, by our numbers: 78 vs 80 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