Tests – · none yet Owners 59 · 23 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Kumho Ecsta PA31 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 23 + 1 owner reviews. How we score
Defender T+H is ahead, 70–63
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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.
-
63
Dry
Defender T+H +669Why this score
Source Ecsta PA31 Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 65 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 60 70 Ecsta PA31: 60% × 64.6 (est.) + 40% × 59.8 = 63
Defender T+H: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 70 = 69
No road tests of dry for Ecsta PA31. 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).
-
67
Wet
Defender T+H +572Why this score
Source Ecsta PA31 Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 66 73 Ecsta PA31: 60% × 67.9 (est.) + 40% × 65.5 = 67
Defender T+H: 60% × 71.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 72
No road tests of wet for Ecsta PA31. 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).
-
59
Snow
Defender T+H +665Why this score
Source Ecsta PA31 Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 64 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 51 61 Ecsta PA31: 60% × 64.3 (est.) + 40% × 51.1 = 59
Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 61.1 = 65
No road tests of snow for Ecsta PA31. 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).
-
58
Comfort
Defender T+H +967Why this score
Source Ecsta PA31 Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 54 66 Ecsta PA31: 40% × 65.6 (est.) + 60% × 53.6 = 58
Defender T+H: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 66 = 67
No road tests of comfort for Ecsta PA31. 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 T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
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67
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Ecsta PA31 Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) – Reviews found online 67 – Ecsta PA31: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 66.7 = 67
No road tests of noise for Ecsta PA31. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
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61
Treadwear
Defender T+H +1273Why this score
Source Ecsta PA31 Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 64 (est.) 76 Reviews found online 58 68 Ecsta PA31: 60% × 63.6 (est.) + 40% × 58.3 = 61
Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 67.9 = 73
No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta PA31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
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55
Handling (owners)
No comparison–Why this score
Source Ecsta PA31 Defender T+H Reviews found online 55 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Kumho Ecsta PA31 | Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 63 | 70 |
| Dry | 63 | 69 |
| Wet | 67 | 72 |
| Snow | 59 | 65 |
| Comfort | 58 | 67 |
| Noise | 67 | – |
| Treadwear | 61 | 73 |
| Handling (owners) | 55 | – |
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
63
/ 100
Ecsta PA31
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 Ecsta PA31
Pros
- Affordable price and high overall value
- Smooth and quiet ride quality
- Strong wet-weather grip and confidence
Cons
- Tendency to develop temporary flat spots when parked for a few days
- Occasional durability issues such as sidewall bubbles reported by some users
- Not intended for high-performance track use or extreme grip
Tire B Defender T+H
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Kumho Ecsta PA31 | B · Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season Ultra High Performance tires | Premium Touring All Season tire |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | SUV and 4x4 |
| Sizes available | 7 | — |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 18″ | — |
| Tread depth | 11/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 500 A A | 820 A - B B |
| Treadwear warranty | 50,000 mi | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Max pressure | 50 psi | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
63
/ 100
Kumho Ecsta PA31
70
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better treadwear, comfort and dry. 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 longest tread life
Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 61 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Defender T+H scores 67 vs 58 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Defender T+H scores 69 vs 63 on dry.
Pick tire B
You drive through snowy winters
Michelin Defender T+H scores 65 vs 59 on snow.
Tire A · Kumho Ecsta PA31
Tire B · Michelin Defender T+H
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Ecsta PA31 or Defender T+H?
Which is better in the wet, Ecsta PA31 or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 72 vs 67 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Ecsta PA31 or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 69 vs 63 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Ecsta PA31 or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 65 vs 59 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, Ecsta PA31 or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 67 vs 58 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Ecsta PA31 or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 61 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