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Michelin Defender LTX M/S vs BFGoodrich Urban Terrain T/A — 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 + 0 road tests and 11 + 20 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 79–74

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Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Tire AMichelin

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. 79

    Dry

    Defender LTX M/S +5
    74
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SUrban Terrain T/A
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 75 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online8477

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 84.3 = 79

    Urban Terrain T/A: 60% × 71.6 (est.) + 40% × 76.9 = 74

    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 0.41).

    No road tests of dry for Urban Terrain T/A. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 82

    Wet

    Defender LTX M/S +6
    76
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SUrban Terrain T/A
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 79 (est.)≈ 75 (est.)
    Reviews found online8679

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.8 (est.) + 40% × 85.6 = 82

    Urban Terrain T/A: 60% × 75 (est.) + 40% × 78.6 = 76

    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).

    No road tests of wet for Urban Terrain T/A. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 74

    Snow

    Defender LTX M/S +4
    70
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SUrban Terrain T/A
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7769

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

    Urban Terrain T/A: 60% × 70.2 (est.) + 40% × 69.4 = 70

    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).

    No road tests of snow for Urban Terrain T/A. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 75

    Comfort

    Defender LTX M/S +2
    73
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SUrban Terrain T/A
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7875

    Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.5 (est.) + 60% × 77.7 = 75

    Urban Terrain T/A: 40% × 70 (est.) + 60% × 75.3 = 73

    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).

    No road tests of comfort for Urban Terrain T/A. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 80

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +5
    75
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SUrban Terrain T/A
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests75≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online8680

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

    Urban Terrain T/A: 60% × 71.5 (est.) + 40% × 80.2 = 75

    No road tests of treadwear for Urban Terrain T/A. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  6. 82

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +8
    74
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SUrban Terrain T/A
    Reviews found online8274
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Defender LTX M/SBFGoodrich Urban Terrain T/A
Relative Score 79 74
Dry 79 74
Wet 82 76
Snow 74 70
Comfort 75 73
Treadwear 80 75
Handling (owners) 82 74

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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
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Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

Defender LTX M/S

± 8

Urban Terrain T/A

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A 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

Tire B Urban Terrain T/A

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and long-term durability
  • Strong grip and confidence in snow, ice, and wet conditions
  • Comfortable ride quality with good impact absorption

Cons

  • Higher road noise compared to standard highway or summer tires
  • Slight negative impact on fuel economy/rolling resistance
  • Average braking and handling performance when pushed to extremes
All owner themes in the Urban Terrain T/A review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S B · BFGoodrich Urban Terrain T/A
CategoryAll SeasonAll Season
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—18
Rim diameters—15″ – 18″
UTQG720 - 800 B A—

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

BFGoodrich Urban Terrain T/A

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

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 74 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 76 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 74 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 80 vs 75 on treadwear.

Tire A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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Tire B · BFGoodrich Urban Terrain T/A
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Defender LTX M/S or Urban Terrain T/A?

Which is better in the wet, Defender LTX M/S or Urban Terrain T/A?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 82 vs 76 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Defender LTX M/S or Urban Terrain T/A?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 74 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Defender LTX M/S or Urban Terrain T/A?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 70 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Defender LTX M/S or Urban Terrain T/A?

Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 73 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Defender LTX M/S or Urban Terrain T/A?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 vs 75 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