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Michelin Defender looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Michelin CrossClimate 2 vs Michelin Defender — 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 33 + 0 road tests and 21,761 + 4 owner reviews. How we score

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Michelin CrossClimate 2
Tire AMichelin

CrossClimate 2

All Season

± 4

Tests 87 · 33 tests Owners 87 · 21,761 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 35 in 2023 All Season Tyre 35 Set Shootout (dry braking)

“I have had the Cross Climate 2 tires on my VW All Track now for about a year and thought I would share some findings about them. 1. They are QUIET on the road. Looking at the tread, you might think they are noisy but they are not! Run as quiet as a normal tire. 2. They give excellent traction and handling on dry, wet and snowy roads. This past winter, I had two occasions to drive on roads covered with 6-10" of snow. Excellent traction. 3. They wear very well! After about 12,000 miles, they hardly show any wear. I expect to get about 50,000-60,000 miles out of these tires. 4. They do exact a mileage penalty. I lost about 2 mpg overall since putting on these tires. However, I do not mind that considering the excellent traction I get from them. 5. They tend to pick up stones in the tread, particularly after the great state of Pennsylvania in its wisdom covers the roads before, during and after a snowstorm with gravel. Overall, this tire is a winner. Handling is excellent as is wear and traction. I would recommend this tire to anyone who wants these features and wants to leave a set of tires on their car year around.”

Michelin Defender
Tire BMichelin

Defender

Summer Premium Touring tires

Tests – · none yet Owners – · 4 reviews (needs 5)

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 95

    Dry

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimate 2Defender
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 31 / – tests99–
    Reviews found online88–

    CrossClimate 2: 60% × 99.2 + 40% × 88.3 = 95

  2. 87

    Wet

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimate 2Defender
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 31 / – tests83–
    Reviews found online92–

    CrossClimate 2: 60% × 83.1 + 40% × 91.8 = 87

  3. 91

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimate 2Defender
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 27 / – tests99–
    Reviews found online79–

    CrossClimate 2: 60% × 98.6 + 40% × 78.6 = 91

  4. 79

    Comfort

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimate 2Defender
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests67–
    Reviews found online86–

    CrossClimate 2: 40% × 67.1 + 60% × 86.1 = 79

  5. 79

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimate 2Defender
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 20 / – tests77–
    Reviews found online83–

    CrossClimate 2: 60% × 76.9 + 40% × 82.5 = 79

  6. 84

    Treadwear

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimate 2Defender
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests81–
    Reviews found online88–

    CrossClimate 2: 60% × 81.2 + 40% × 88 = 84

  7. 82

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimate 2Defender
    Reviews found online82–
  8. 90

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimate 2Defender
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 23 / – tests90–
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin CrossClimate 2Michelin Defender
Relative Score 88 –
Dry 95 –
Wet 87 –
Snow 91 –
Comfort 79 –
Noise 79 –
Treadwear 84 –
Handling (owners) 82 –
Efficiency 90 –

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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
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Not important
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Recomputed
Headline score
± 4

CrossClimate 2

Defender

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 CrossClimate 2

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in snow, slush, and winter weather conditions
  • Strong braking and handling performance on dry and wet pavement
  • Long-lasting tread wear and durability

Cons

  • Higher initial purchase price
  • Slight negative impact on fuel economy / EV range for some drivers
  • Potential for increased road noise or harshness as the tires wear down
All owner themes in the CrossClimate 2 review

Tire B Defender

Pros

  • Excellent ride comfort and quiet operation
  • Strong tread life and durability over several years
  • Reliable grip on dry pavement

Cons

  • Susceptibility to hydroplaning in heavy rain
  • Limited traction in deep or severe snow
  • Audible squealing during aggressive dry-pavement acceleration
All owner themes in the Defender review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Michelin CrossClimate 2

Positive

The community overwhelmingly praises the Michelin CrossClimate 2 for its exceptional snow, ice, and wet-weather traction, often describing it as an ideal all-weather tire. While many drivers report a quiet, comfortable ride and solid durability, some users note potential downsides including reduced fuel or battery efficiency, road noise on certain surfaces, and premium pricing. A few commenters also point out that the tire may be overkill for regions without significant winter weather.

mavericktruckclub.com ·9 upvotes ·2024-08-12

“I replaced the factory Continentals at 9,258 miles at the end of August 2023 with the stock size 225/65R17 Michelin CrossClimate 2's. I waited until the local tire shop had a sale and had these mounted/balanced for under $800. 348 days, 10,004 miles and 4 seasons have passed since then. I spend much of my time around "town" with speed limits under 55 while also having a handful of longer highway drives. These are the closest thing to a "no-compromise" all season tire that I can imagine. They are smooth, quiet and have incredible grip in all weather conditions. Snow, rain, etc. Admittedly, I have not taken my FWD Maverick through any meaningful amount of mud. Maybe there is a tire better suited to this. There are also certainly performance oriented tires that will outperform this tire when it is hot and dry. Last, and certainly not least - there does not seem to be any fuel economy change. I have tracked every tank before and after these tires. Both my best (48.5MPG) and worst (27MPG) full tanks have happened since these were installed. 38.8 overall.”
r/LexusNX ·55 upvotes ·2026-06-14

“CrossClimate2 in. Alenza Run Flats out. Swapped the Alenza run flats for CrossClimate2 all-weather tires. Sharper handling. Better ride comfort. Very quiet after an initial break-in period. Just make sure the tire pressure is as recommended on the door sill sticker, shop techs don’t always check. I’m an early adopter of CC2 tires, been using them on my old Jeep since 2022, super durable and perfect for inclement weather, still had some tread remaining at the 60k-mile warranty mark.”
r/KiaEV9 ·2 upvotes ·2026-06-25

“We downsized from 21” stock on GTline to 20” rims and put on the CC2s—can’t stand the ugly stock rims and plastic covers. It got so much quieter that we noticed we could turn the radio down from 6 to 4 on the secondary roads, and down from 8 to 5 on the highway. Efficiency improved slightly, possibly due to lighter weight wheels.”
Top themes
#Snow and ice traction#Wet handling and hydroplaning#Road noise and comfort#Fuel economy and range#Tread wear and longevity#Premium price point#Directional tread design

Based on 762 community posts

Tire B

Michelin Defender

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin CrossClimate 2 B · Michelin Defender
CategoryAll SeasonSummer Premium Touring tires
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available92—
Rim diameters15″ – 21″—
Tread depth9 - 10/32″—
UTQG640 B A—
Treadwear warranty60,000 mi—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure50 - 51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin CrossClimate 2

Michelin Defender

Only Michelin CrossClimate 2 has enough test and review data for a Relative Score, so there is no head-to-head winner yet.

Tire A · Michelin CrossClimate 2
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Michelin Defender
Check price on Amazon

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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