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))
Head-to-head
Updated
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 11 + 990 owner reviews. How we score
Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 79–58
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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.
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79
Dry
Defender LTX M/S +2158Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Grabber HTS Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 75 (est.) ≈ 62 (est.) Reviews found online 84 53 Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.8 (est.) + 40% × 84.4 = 79
Grabber HTS: 60% × 61.7 (est.) + 40% × 52.8 = 58
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).
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82
Wet
Defender LTX M/S +2161Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Grabber HTS Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 79 (est.) ≈ 63 (est.) Reviews found online 86 57 Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 79 (est.) + 40% × 85.7 = 82
Grabber HTS: 60% × 63.2 (est.) + 40% × 56.9 = 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).
-
74
Snow
Defender LTX M/S +1658Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Grabber HTS Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 72 (est.) ≈ 64 (est.) Reviews found online 77 49 Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.5 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74
Grabber HTS: 60% × 63.7 (est.) + 40% × 48.9 = 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 0.32).
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 0.32).
-
75
Comfort
Defender LTX M/S +2055Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Grabber HTS Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 71 (est.) ≈ 65 (est.) Reviews found online 78 48 Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.6 (est.) + 60% × 77.7 = 75
Grabber HTS: 40% × 64.5 (est.) + 60% × 48 = 55
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 Grabber HTS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
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–
Noise
No comparison62Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Grabber HTS Professional tests (TWG score) – ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online – 55 Grabber HTS: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 55.2 = 62
No road tests of noise for Grabber HTS. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
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80
Treadwear
Defender LTX M/S +2654Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Grabber HTS Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 75 ≈ 59 (est.) Reviews found online 86 46 Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 75.4 + 40% × 86.3 = 80
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 0.36).
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82
Handling (owners)
Defender LTX M/S +2953Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Grabber HTS Reviews found online 82 53
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Defender LTX M/S | General Grabber HTS |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 79 | 58 |
| Dry | 79 | 58 |
| Wet | 82 | 61 |
| Snow | 74 | 58 |
| Comfort | 75 | 55 |
| Noise | – | 62 |
| Treadwear | 80 | 54 |
| Handling (owners) | 82 | 53 |
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
79
/ 100
Defender LTX M/S
58
/ 100
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 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
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
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
Positive
General Grabber HTS
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/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”
bobistheoilguy.com
·2011-05-14
“Well , I have them on my 2003 Chevy Silverado 4x4. Put them on at 42k and now at 52k they look like they are 1/2 gone!! Good riding tire , low noise, great in rain and snow ,even wear pattern ,( ran at 39lbs air pressure / 35 psi in winter) but they are gonna be "iffy" for this coming winter by the looks of them.....geeeeesh. I rotated them at 6 k miles too. Nope....I would not buy the HTS Grabbers again. BOB in PA.”
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.”
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season | All-Season tire |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | SUV and 4x4 |
| Sizes available | — | 9 |
| Rim diameters | — | 15″ – 20″ |
| Tread depth | — | 11 - 13/32″ |
| UTQG | 720 - 800 B A | 640 A B |
| Sidewall | — | Black Side Wall - Raised Outline White Lettering |
| Max pressure | — | 44 - 80 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
79
/ 100
Michelin Defender LTX M/S
58
/ 100
General Grabber HTS
Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better handling, treadwear 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 53 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 80 vs 54 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 58 on dry.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 61 on wet.
Tire A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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, 82 vs 61 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Defender LTX M/S or Grabber HTS?
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 58 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 55 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Defender LTX M/S or Grabber HTS?
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 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