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Michelin Defender LTX M/S vs General Grabber HTS — 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 + 990 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 78–58

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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))

General Grabber HTS
Tire BGeneral

Grabber HTS

All-Season tire

± 7

Tests – · none yet Owners 52 · 990 reviews

“Yeah Michelin's are out of my price range. Went to sears today to see about getting either the Falkens are another set of Grabber HTS's installed and apparently their online pricing leaves out a ~$25 shipping/handling charge they assess to each tire so I left.”

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 +19
    59
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SGrabber HTS
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 74 (est.)≈ 62 (est.)
    Reviews found online8353

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

    Grabber HTS: 60% × 61.9 (est.) + 40% × 53.4 = 59

    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 Grabber HTS. 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 +20
    61
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SGrabber HTS
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 78 (est.)≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online8458

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

    Grabber HTS: 60% × 63.4 (est.) + 40% × 57.5 = 61

    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 Grabber HTS. 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 +16
    58
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SGrabber HTS
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 73 (est.)≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online7650

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

    Grabber HTS: 60% × 62.9 (est.) + 40% × 49.8 = 58

    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 Grabber HTS. 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 +19
    56
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SGrabber HTS
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online7849

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

    Grabber HTS: 40% × 65.4 (est.) + 60% × 48.9 = 56

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

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    62
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SGrabber HTS
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online–56

    Grabber HTS: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 55.9 = 62

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

  6. 79

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +25
    54
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SGrabber HTS
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests75≈ 59 (est.)
    Reviews found online8546

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

    Grabber HTS: 60% × 59.2 (est.) + 40% × 46.1 = 54

    No road tests of treadwear for Grabber HTS. 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 +26
    54
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SGrabber HTS
    Reviews found online8054
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Defender LTX M/SGeneral Grabber HTS
Relative Score 78 58
Dry 78 59
Wet 81 61
Snow 74 58
Comfort 75 56
Noise – 62
Treadwear 79 54
Handling (owners) 80 54

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

± 7

Grabber HTS

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 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 Grabber HTS

Pros

  • Smooth and quiet ride quality that improves vehicle feel
  • Excellent value and affordable price point compared to competitors like Michelin
  • Strong traction and handling in both dry and wet conditions

Cons

  • Premature tread wear reported by several users failing to reach expected mileage
  • Balancing difficulties and occasional out-of-round vibrations
  • Decreased winter and wet traction performance as the tread wears down
All owner themes in the Grabber HTS review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

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

Tire B

General Grabber HTS

Positive

Community opinion on the General Grabber HTS is largely favorable, with drivers frequently praising its quiet ride, comfortable highway cruising, wet traction, and affordable price point. The most prevalent complaints focus on faster-than-advertised treadwear and occasional squirm or handling instability in heavy-load applications. Several users also note that while it handles moderate conditions well, dedicated snow tires are preferable in severe winter weather.

r/tires ·2 upvotes ·2024-01-26

“I am a big fan of General tires in general in the moderate budget category... they are a great cost to benefit tire and part of Continental tires. The Grabber HTS 60 is a great tire... as long as you don't have to deal with winter conditions. An alternative I have seen people extremely happy with is the Nexen Roadian HTX2 or the Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S... but in my neck of the woods we don't usually use "3-season" tires (which is what all-season tires really are these days) very often, but really like all-weather tires or using all-seasons in conjunction with dedicated winter/snow tires.”
explorerforum.com ·2012-12-29

“Yeah Michelin's are out of my price range. Went to sears today to see about getting either the Falkens are another set of Grabber HTS's installed and apparently their online pricing leaves out a ~$25 shipping/handling charge they assess to each tire so I left.”
r/HyundaiSantaFe ·8 upvotes ·2025-03-11

“New shoes - General Grabber HTS 60’s on 2009 Santa Fe 2nd owner in my family after my grandfather, 124k and going strong Read more”
Top themes
#treadwear and longevity#highway comfort and noise#wet and dry traction#budget and value#winter and snow capability#towing and load stability

Based on 50 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S B · General Grabber HTS
CategoryAll SeasonAll-Season tire
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4
Sizes available—9
Rim diameters—15″ – 20″
Tread depth—11 - 13/32″
UTQG—640 A B
Sidewall—Black Side Wall - Raised Outline White Lettering
Max pressure—44 - 80 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

General Grabber HTS

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better handling, treadwear and wet. 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.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 80 vs 54 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 54 on treadwear.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 81 vs 61 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 78 vs 59 on dry.

Tire A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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Tire B · General Grabber HTS
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Defender LTX M/S or Grabber HTS?

Which is better in the wet, Defender LTX M/S or Grabber HTS?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 81 vs 61 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Defender LTX M/S or Grabber HTS?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 78 vs 59 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Defender LTX M/S or Grabber HTS?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 58 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Defender LTX M/S or Grabber HTS?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 75 vs 56 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Defender LTX M/S or Grabber HTS?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 54 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