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 Kumho Ecsta STX KL12 — 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 + 15 owner reviews. How we score
Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 79–62
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Tests – · none yet Owners 60 · 15 reviews
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 +1564Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Ecsta STX KL12 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 75 (est.) ≈ 65 (est.) Reviews found online 84 62 Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 84.3 = 79
Ecsta STX KL12: 60% × 65.4 (est.) + 40% × 61.8 = 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 0.41).
No road tests of dry for Ecsta STX KL12. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
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82
Wet
Defender LTX M/S +2161Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Ecsta STX KL12 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 79 (est.) ≈ 63 (est.) Reviews found online 86 57 Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.8 (est.) + 40% × 85.6 = 82
Ecsta STX KL12: 60% × 63.4 (est.) + 40% × 57.4 = 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 Ecsta STX KL12. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
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74
Snow
Defender LTX M/S +1064Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Ecsta STX KL12 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 72 (est.) ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 77 59 Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.5 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74
Ecsta STX KL12: 60% × 66.9 (est.) + 40% × 59.1 = 64
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 Ecsta STX KL12. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
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75
Comfort
Defender LTX M/S +1263Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Ecsta STX KL12 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 70 (est.) ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 78 61 Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.5 (est.) + 60% × 77.7 = 75
Ecsta STX KL12: 40% × 67 (est.) + 60% × 60.6 = 63
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 Ecsta STX KL12. 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 comparison67Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Ecsta STX KL12 Professional tests (TWG score) – ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online – 67 Ecsta STX KL12: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 67.1 = 67
No road tests of noise for Ecsta STX KL12. 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 +1862Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Ecsta STX KL12 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 75 ≈ 64 (est.) Reviews found online 86 59 Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 75.4 + 40% × 86.3 = 80
Ecsta STX KL12: 60% × 63.7 (est.) + 40% × 58.7 = 62
No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta STX KL12. 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 +2557Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Ecsta STX KL12 Reviews found online 82 57
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Defender LTX M/S | Kumho Ecsta STX KL12 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 79 | 62 |
| Dry | 79 | 64 |
| Wet | 82 | 61 |
| Snow | 74 | 64 |
| Comfort | 75 | 63 |
| Noise | – | 67 |
| Treadwear | 80 | 62 |
| Handling (owners) | 82 | 57 |
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
62
/ 100
Ecsta STX KL12
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 Ecsta STX KL12
Pros
- Excellent price-to-performance ratio
- High tread life and durability
- Strong wet weather grip and cornering stability
Cons
- Potential for increased road noise over time
- Inconsistent traction performance on certain vehicle chassis
- Accelerated wear on poor road surfaces
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S | B · Kumho Ecsta STX KL12 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season | Summer High Performance tires |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | SUV and 4x4 |
| Sizes available | — | 7 |
| Rim diameters | — | 18″ – 22″ |
| Tread depth | — | 11.5/32″ |
| UTQG | 720 - 800 B A | 420 A A |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 50 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
79
/ 100
Michelin Defender LTX M/S
62
/ 100
Kumho Ecsta STX KL12
Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better handling, wet and treadwear. 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. Kumho Ecsta STX KL12 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 15 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 57 on handling.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 61 on wet.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 80 vs 62 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 64 on dry.
Tire A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Tire B · Kumho Ecsta STX KL12
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Defender LTX M/S or Ecsta STX KL12?
Which is better in the wet, Defender LTX M/S or Ecsta STX KL12?
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 82 vs 61 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Defender LTX M/S or Ecsta STX KL12?
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 64 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Defender LTX M/S or Ecsta STX KL12?
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 64 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, Defender LTX M/S or Ecsta STX KL12?
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 75 vs 63 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Defender LTX M/S or Ecsta STX KL12?
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 vs 62 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