Head-to-head Updated

Kumho Crugen HP71 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 0 + 1 road tests and 275 + 10 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 78–47

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Kumho Crugen HP71
Tire AKumho

Crugen HP71

Summer Ultra High Performance tires

± 8

Tests – · none yet Owners 35 · 275 reviews

“Tesla model y tire HP71 crugen on tirerack is offering $80 rebate per tire.”

Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Tire BMichelin

Defender LTX M/S

All Season

± 7Provisional

Tests – · 1 test Owners 82 · 10 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. 44

    Dry

    Defender LTX M/S +34
    78
    Why this score
    SourceCrugen HP71Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 53 (est.)≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online3283

    Crugen HP71: 60% × 52.8 (est.) + 40% × 31.8 = 44

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.5 (est.) + 40% × 83.3 = 78

    No road tests of dry for Crugen HP71. 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 LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 52

    Wet

    Defender LTX M/S +29
    81
    Why this score
    SourceCrugen HP71Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 56 (est.)≈ 78 (est.)
    Reviews found online4584

    Crugen HP71: 60% × 56.4 (est.) + 40% × 44.7 = 52

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.2 (est.) + 40% × 84.2 = 81

    No road tests of wet for Crugen HP71. 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 LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 53

    Snow

    Defender LTX M/S +21
    74
    Why this score
    SourceCrugen HP71Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 60 (est.)≈ 73 (est.)
    Reviews found online4276

    Crugen HP71: 60% × 60 (est.) + 40% × 41.9 = 53

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.7 (est.) + 40% × 76 = 74

    No road tests of snow for Crugen HP71. 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 LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 45

    Comfort

    Defender LTX M/S +30
    75
    Why this score
    SourceCrugen HP71Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 63 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online3378

    Crugen HP71: 40% × 62.6 (est.) + 60% × 33.4 = 45

    Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.7 (est.) + 60% × 77.6 = 75

    No road tests of comfort for Crugen HP71 or Defender LTX M/S. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 55

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrugen HP71Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online37–

    Crugen HP71: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 36.7 = 55

    No road tests of noise for Crugen HP71. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 37

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +42
    79
    Why this score
    SourceCrugen HP71Defender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 49 (est.)75
    Reviews found online1885

    Crugen HP71: 60% × 49.5 (est.) + 40% × 18.3 = 37

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 75.5 + 40% × 85.1 = 79

    No road tests of treadwear for Crugen HP71. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 52

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +28
    80
    Why this score
    SourceCrugen HP71Defender LTX M/S
    Reviews found online5280
Scores at a glance
Kumho Crugen HP71 vs Michelin Defender LTX M/S: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryKumho Crugen HP71Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 47 78
Dry 44 78
Wet 52 81
Snow 53 74
Comfort 45 75
Noise 55 –
Treadwear 37 79
Handling (owners) 52 80

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
± 8

Crugen HP71

± 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.

DisciplineCategoryCrugen HP71Defender LTX M/SΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #8/9 2021 Teknikens Värld Summer Tire Test R18 #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 Crugen HP71

Pros

  • Affordable pricing compared to premium tier brands
  • Quiet and smooth ride quality when new
  • Confident wet-weather traction and performance in heavy rain

Cons

  • Significantly premature tread wear and short lifespan for many users
  • Developing loud road noise or howling as mileage increases
  • Balancing issues and vehicle vibrations
All owner themes in the Crugen HP71 review

Tire B Defender LTX M/S

Pros

  • Exceptional tread longevity and mileage lifespan
  • Quiet and smooth ride quality at highway speeds
  • Strong year-round traction across dry, wet, and light snow conditions

Cons

  • High upfront purchase price
  • Subpar performance in deep mud, sand, and off-road environments
  • Limited ice and severe winter capability compared to dedicated winter tires
All owner themes in the Defender LTX M/S review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Kumho Crugen HP71

Mixed

Community sentiment for the Kumho Crugen HP71 (and its EV variant) is mixed, with owners praising its affordability, comfortable ride, and quiet performance on many vehicles. However, a significant number of drivers report disappointingly rapid tread wear—particularly on heavy electric vehicles—as well as occasional noise on coarse surfaces and internal acoustic foam detachment issues.

Top themes
#Rapid tread wear#Affordable price value#Cabin noise levels#Ride comfort#EV tire performance#Acoustic foam issues#OEM tire replacement

Based on 51 community posts

Tire B

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Kumho Crugen HP71 B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
CategorySummer Ultra High Performance tiresAll Season
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4
Sizes available63—
Rim diameters16″ – 22″—
Tread depth9.9/32″—
UTQG640 A A—
Treadwear warranty65,000 mi—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Kumho Crugen HP71

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better treadwear, dry and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin Defender LTX M/S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 37 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 78 vs 44 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 75 vs 45 on comfort.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 81 vs 52 on wet.

Tire A · Kumho Crugen HP71
Tire B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S

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Crugen HP71 or Defender LTX M/S?

Which is better in the wet, Crugen HP71 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 81 vs 52 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Crugen HP71 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 78 vs 44 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Crugen HP71 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 53 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Crugen HP71 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 75 vs 45 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Crugen HP71 or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 37 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