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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Defender LTX M/S vs Michelin Energy Saver — 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 + 1 road tests and 11 + 137 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 80–70

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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))

Michelin Energy Saver
Tire BMichelin

Energy Saver

Summer

± 7

Tests 71 · 1 test Owners 69 · 137 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 20 in 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test (wear)

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 +10
    69
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SEnergy Saver
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 75 (est.)71
    Reviews found online8467

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 84.3 = 79

    Energy Saver: 60% × 70.6 + 40% × 67.1 = 69

    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).

  2. 82

    Wet

    Defender LTX M/S +14
    68
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SEnergy Saver
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 79 (est.)69
    Reviews found online8667

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.8 (est.) + 40% × 85.6 = 82

    Energy Saver: 60% × 69.2 + 40% × 66.5 = 68

    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).

  3. 74

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SEnergy Saver
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)–
    Reviews found online77–

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.5 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74

    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).

  4. 75

    Comfort

    Defender LTX M/S +7
    68
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SEnergy Saver
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online7867

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

    Energy Saver: 40% × 68.4 (est.) + 60% × 67.3 = 68

    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 Energy Saver. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    70
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SEnergy Saver
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests–72
    Reviews found online–≈ 66 (est.)

    Energy Saver: 60% × 72.1 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 70

    No owner ratings of noise for Energy Saver. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 80

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +6
    74
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SEnergy Saver
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests7574
    Reviews found online8674

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

    Energy Saver: 60% × 74.4 + 40% × 74.3 = 74

  7. 82

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +18
    64
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SEnergy Saver
    Reviews found online8264
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    75
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SEnergy Saver
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests–75
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Defender LTX M/SMichelin Energy Saver
Relative Score 80 70
Dry 79 69
Wet 82 68
Snow 74 –
Comfort 75 68
Noise – 70
Treadwear 80 74
Handling (owners) 82 64
Efficiency – 75

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
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Neutral
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Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

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.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

Defender LTX M/S

± 7

Energy Saver

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/SEnergy SaverΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #3/13 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires #5/20 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test – 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 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 Energy Saver

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and long-lasting durability
  • Noticeable improvements in fuel economy and low rolling resistance
  • Low road noise and high levels of driving comfort

Cons

  • Subpar wet-weather grip and traction, especially as the tires age
  • Prone to dry rotting, cracking, and hardening after a few years
  • Poor performance and sliding in cold or winter conditions
All owner themes in the Energy Saver review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S B · Michelin Energy Saver
CategoryAll SeasonSummer
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—4
Rim diameters—15″ – 16″
UTQG720 - 800 B A—

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Michelin Energy Saver

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better handling, wet 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 64 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 68 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 69 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 75 vs 68 on comfort.

Tire A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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Tire B · Michelin Energy Saver
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Defender LTX M/S or Energy Saver?

Which is better in the wet, Defender LTX M/S or Energy Saver?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 82 vs 68 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Defender LTX M/S or Energy Saver?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 69 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Defender LTX M/S or Energy Saver?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 75 vs 68 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Defender LTX M/S or Energy Saver?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 vs 74 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