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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Defender LTX M/S vs Continental TrueContact Tour — 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 + 19 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: Defender LTX M/S 79, TrueContact Tour 78.

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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 +2
    77
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/STrueContact Tour
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 75 (est.)≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online8482

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 84.4 = 79

    TrueContact Tour: 60% × 73.8 (est.) + 40% × 82.2 = 77

    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 TrueContact Tour. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 82

    Wet

    TrueContact Tour +1
    83
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/STrueContact Tour
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 79 (est.)≈ 80 (est.)
    Reviews found online8688

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.9 (est.) + 40% × 85.7 = 82

    TrueContact Tour: 60% × 79.9 (est.) + 40% × 87.5 = 83

    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 TrueContact Tour. 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 +5
    69
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/STrueContact Tour
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7768

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.4 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74

    TrueContact Tour: 60% × 69.8 (est.) + 40% × 68.3 = 69

    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 TrueContact Tour. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 75

    Comfort

    TrueContact Tour +1
    76
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/STrueContact Tour
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7879

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

    TrueContact Tour: 40% × 70.7 (est.) + 60% × 79 = 76

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

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    73
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/STrueContact Tour
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online–82

    TrueContact Tour: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 82.3 = 73

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

  6. 80

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +1
    79
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/STrueContact Tour
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests75≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online8686

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

    TrueContact Tour: 60% × 73.5 (est.) + 40% × 86.1 = 79

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

  7. 82

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +2
    80
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/STrueContact Tour
    Reviews found online8280
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Defender LTX M/SContinental TrueContact Tour
Relative Score 79 78
Dry 79 77
Wet 82 83
Snow 74 69
Comfort 75 76
Noise – 73
Treadwear 80 79
Handling (owners) 82 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
± 7

Defender LTX M/S

± 8

TrueContact Tour

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 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 TrueContact Tour

Pros

  • Extremely low road noise and a comfortable ride quality that absorbs bumps well
  • Impressive tread life and overall mileage durability
  • Reliable wet weather grip and cornering confidence

Cons

  • Some users reported a noticeable drop in fuel economy
  • Desire for improved water displacement grooves to better handle heavy rain
  • Limited performance in deep winter or heavy snow conditions
All owner themes in the TrueContact Tour review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S B · Continental TrueContact Tour
CategoryAll SeasonAll Season Premium Touring tires
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Tread depth—11/32″
UTQG—700 - 800 A A - B
Sidewall—Black Side Wall - White Wall
Max pressure—44 - 51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Continental TrueContact Tour

Too close to call: Michelin Defender LTX M/S and Continental TrueContact Tour are within 2 points overall. Michelin Defender LTX M/S is stronger on snow. Michelin Defender LTX M/S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional. Continental TrueContact Tour rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 19 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 74 vs 69 on snow.

Tire A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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Tire B · Continental TrueContact Tour
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Defender LTX M/S or TrueContact Tour?

Which is better in the wet, Defender LTX M/S or TrueContact Tour?

Neither, by our numbers: 82 vs 83 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Defender LTX M/S or TrueContact Tour?

Neither, by our numbers: 79 vs 77 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, Defender LTX M/S or TrueContact Tour?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 69 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Defender LTX M/S or TrueContact Tour?

Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 76 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Defender LTX M/S or TrueContact Tour?

Neither, by our numbers: 80 vs 79 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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