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Falken Eurowinter HS439 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Defender LTX M/S vs Falken Eurowinter HS439 — 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 10 + 19 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 78–64

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Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Tire AMichelin

Defender LTX M/S

All Season

± 7Provisional

Tests – · 1 test Owners 82 · 10 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. 78

    Dry

    Defender LTX M/S +14
    64
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SEurowinter HS439
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 74 (est.)≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online8362

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.5 (est.) + 40% × 83.3 = 78

    Eurowinter HS439: 60% × 65.4 (est.) + 40% × 61.7 = 64

    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 0.42).

    No road tests of dry for Eurowinter HS439. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 81

    Wet

    Defender LTX M/S +14
    67
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SEurowinter HS439
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 78 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online8466

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.2 (est.) + 40% × 84.2 = 81

    Eurowinter HS439: 60% × 68 (est.) + 40% × 65.7 = 67

    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 Eurowinter HS439. 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 +15
    59
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SEurowinter HS439
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 73 (est.)≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online7652

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.7 (est.) + 40% × 76 = 74

    Eurowinter HS439: 60% × 63.6 (est.) + 40% × 51.6 = 59

    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 0.37).

    No road tests of snow for Eurowinter HS439. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 75

    Comfort

    Defender LTX M/S +15
    60
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SEurowinter HS439
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7856

    Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.7 (est.) + 60% × 77.6 = 75

    Eurowinter HS439: 40% × 66.8 (est.) + 60% × 56.3 = 60

    No road tests of comfort for Defender LTX M/S or Eurowinter HS439. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    61
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SEurowinter HS439
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online–53

    Eurowinter HS439: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 52.9 = 61

    No road tests of noise for Eurowinter HS439. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 79

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +15
    64
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SEurowinter HS439
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests75≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online8563

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 75.5 + 40% × 85.1 = 79

    Eurowinter HS439: 60% × 64.9 (est.) + 40% × 62.5 = 64

    No road tests of treadwear for Eurowinter HS439. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 80

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +14
    66
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SEurowinter HS439
    Reviews found online8066
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Defender LTX M/SFalken Eurowinter HS439
Relative Score 78 64
Dry 78 64
Wet 81 67
Snow 74 59
Comfort 75 60
Noise – 61
Treadwear 79 64
Handling (owners) 80 66

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

Eurowinter HS439

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategoryDefender LTX M/SEurowinter HS439ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #3/13 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires #17/50 2013 Winter Tyre Overview - Braking – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Defender LTX M/S

Pros

  • Exceptional tread longevity and mileage lifespan
  • Quiet and smooth ride quality at highway speeds
  • Strong year-round traction across dry, wet, and light snow conditions

Cons

  • High upfront purchase price
  • Subpar performance in deep mud, sand, and off-road environments
  • Limited ice and severe winter capability compared to dedicated winter tires
All owner themes in the Defender LTX M/S review

Tire B Eurowinter HS439

Pros

  • Excellent traction and grip in snow, ice, and cold weather conditions
  • High value for money compared to premium European competitors
  • Comfortable ride quality with good steering feedback once run-in

Cons

  • Subpar wet weather braking and performance compared to modern alternatives
  • Increased road noise relative to standard summer tires
  • Vulnerability to sidewall damage on rough, pothole-heavy roads
All owner themes in the Eurowinter HS439 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S B · Falken Eurowinter HS439
CategoryAll SeasonWinter
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Tread depth—11/32″
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—44 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Falken Eurowinter HS439

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better snow, comfort and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin Defender LTX M/S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional. Falken Eurowinter HS439 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 59 on snow.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 75 vs 60 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 64 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 78 vs 64 on dry.

Tire A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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Tire B · Falken Eurowinter HS439
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Defender LTX M/S or Eurowinter HS439?

Which is better in the wet, Defender LTX M/S or Eurowinter HS439?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 81 vs 67 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Defender LTX M/S or Eurowinter HS439?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 78 vs 64 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Defender LTX M/S or Eurowinter HS439?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 59 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Defender LTX M/S or Eurowinter HS439?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 75 vs 60 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Defender LTX M/S or Eurowinter HS439?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 64 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