Head-to-head Updated

Kumho Solus KH25 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 17 + 1 owner reviews. How we score

Defender T+H is ahead, 70–38

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Kumho Solus KH25
Tire AKumho

Solus KH25

All Season Premium Touring tires

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 21 · 17 reviews

Michelin Defender T+H
Tire BMichelin

Defender T+H

Premium Touring All Season tire

± 8Provisional

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.

  1. 38

    Dry

    Defender T+H +31
    69
    Why this score
    SourceSolus KH25Defender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 49 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online2270

    Solus KH25: 60% × 49 (est.) + 40% × 22 = 38

    Defender T+H: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 70 = 69

    No road tests of dry for Solus KH25. 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).

  2. 41

    Wet

    Defender T+H +31
    72
    Why this score
    SourceSolus KH25Defender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 48 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online2973

    Solus KH25: 60% × 48.1 (est.) + 40% × 29.2 = 41

    Defender T+H: 60% × 71.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 72

    No road tests of wet for Solus KH25. 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).

  3. 40

    Snow

    Defender T+H +25
    65
    Why this score
    SourceSolus KH25Defender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 54 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online2061

    Solus KH25: 60% × 54.3 (est.) + 40% × 19.6 = 40

    Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 61.1 = 65

    No road tests of snow for Solus KH25. 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).

  4. 33

    Comfort

    Defender T+H +34
    67
    Why this score
    SourceSolus KH25Defender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 58 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online1666

    Solus KH25: 40% × 58.1 (est.) + 60% × 15.6 = 33

    Defender T+H: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 66 = 67

    No road tests of comfort for Solus KH25 or Defender T+H. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 49

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceSolus KH25Defender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)–
    Reviews found online23–

    Solus KH25: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 22.5 = 49

    No road tests of noise for Solus KH25. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 32

    Treadwear

    Defender T+H +41
    73
    Why this score
    SourceSolus KH25Defender T+H
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 46 (est.)76
    Reviews found online1068

    Solus KH25: 60% × 46.1 (est.) + 40% × 10 = 32

    Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 67.9 = 73

    No road tests of treadwear for Solus KH25. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 32

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceSolus KH25Defender T+H
    Reviews found online32–
Scores at a glance
Kumho Solus KH25 vs Michelin Defender T+H: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryKumho Solus KH25Michelin Defender T+H
Relative Score 38 70
Dry 38 69
Wet 41 72
Snow 40 65
Comfort 33 67
Noise 49 –
Treadwear 32 73
Handling (owners) 32 –

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
± 8

Solus KH25

± 8

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 Solus KH25

Pros

  • Smooth and comfortable ride quality
  • Good dry weather handling and traction
  • Decent tread life for some drivers

Cons

  • Higher than average cabin noise
  • Poor grip in snow, ice, and heavy wet conditions
  • Concerns regarding sidewall durability and construction quality
All owner themes in the Solus KH25 review

Tire B Defender T+H

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Kumho Solus KH25 B · Michelin Defender T+H
CategoryAll Season Premium Touring tiresPremium Touring All Season tire
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Sizes available6—
Rim diameters15″ – 18″—
Tread depth10/32″—
UTQG480 A A820 A - B B
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure44 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Kumho Solus KH25

Michelin Defender T+H

Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better treadwear, comfort and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score. Kumho Solus KH25 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 17 reviews), so read this result as provisional. 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 32 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Defender T+H scores 67 vs 33 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender T+H scores 69 vs 38 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender T+H scores 72 vs 41 on wet.

Tire A · Kumho Solus KH25
Tire B · Michelin Defender T+H

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Solus KH25 or Defender T+H?

Which is better in the wet, Solus KH25 or Defender T+H?

Michelin Defender T+H, 72 vs 41 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Solus KH25 or Defender T+H?

Michelin Defender T+H, 69 vs 38 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Solus KH25 or Defender T+H?

Michelin Defender T+H, 65 vs 40 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Solus KH25 or Defender T+H?

Michelin Defender T+H, 67 vs 33 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Solus KH25 or Defender T+H?

Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 32 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