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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Defender LTX M/S vs Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 — 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 + 18 road tests and 10 + 30 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Alpin 5 is ahead, 87–78

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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))

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
Tire BMichelin

Pilot Alpin 5

Winter

± 4

Tests 90 · 18 tests Owners 82 · 30 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 31 in 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test (dry braking)

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 78

    Dry

    Pilot Alpin 5 +10
    88
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SPilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 14 tests≈ 74 (est.)91
    Reviews found online8384

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

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 91.1 + 40% × 83.8 = 88

    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).

  2. 81

    Wet

    Pilot Alpin 5 +10
    91
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SPilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 18 tests≈ 78 (est.)94
    Reviews found online8486

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

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 93.5 + 40% × 86.4 = 91

    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

    Pilot Alpin 5 +13
    87
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SPilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 17 tests≈ 73 (est.)94
    Reviews found online7678

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

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 93.7 + 40% × 77.8 = 87

    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).

  4. 75

    Comfort

    Pilot Alpin 5 +3
    78
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SPilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 71 (est.)80
    Reviews found online7877

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

    Pilot Alpin 5: 40% × 79.5 + 60% × 76.8 = 78

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

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    85
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SPilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 14 tests–97
    Reviews found online–≈ 67 (est.)

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 96.5 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 85

    No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Alpin 5. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 79

    Treadwear

    Pilot Alpin 5 +5
    84
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SPilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 5 tests7584
    Reviews found online8582

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

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 84.4 + 40% × 82.3 = 84

  7. 80

    Handling (owners)

    Pilot Alpin 5 +5
    85
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SPilot Alpin 5
    Reviews found online8085
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    74
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SPilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 14 tests–74
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Defender LTX M/SMichelin Pilot Alpin 5
Relative Score 78 87
Dry 78 88
Wet 81 91
Snow 74 87
Comfort 75 78
Noise – 85
Treadwear 79 84
Handling (owners) 80 85
Efficiency – 74

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

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
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Not important
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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

± 4

Pilot Alpin 5

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/SPilot Alpin 5ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #3/13 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires #2/18 2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter 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 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 Pilot Alpin 5

Pros

  • Outstanding dry and wet grip and handling, feeling similar to a UHP summer tire
  • Great snow traction and stability for mountain driving and aggressive winter cornering
  • Excellent steering response and high feedback compared to traditional winter tires

Cons

  • Subpar performance and braking on pure ice or severe slush
  • Stiffer sidewalls can lead to a firmer, sometimes bumpy ride quality and transfer road imperfections
  • Fuel economy can be negatively impacted
All owner themes in the Pilot Alpin 5 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S B · Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
CategoryAll SeasonWinter
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—81
Rim diameters—16″ – 23″

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

Winner: Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 — better snow, dry 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 B You drive through snowy winters

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 87 vs 74 on snow.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 88 vs 78 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 91 vs 81 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 84 vs 79 on treadwear.

Tire A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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Tire B · Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
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Defender LTX M/S or Pilot Alpin 5?

Which is better in the wet, Defender LTX M/S or Pilot Alpin 5?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 91 vs 81 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Defender LTX M/S or Pilot Alpin 5?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 88 vs 78 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Defender LTX M/S or Pilot Alpin 5?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 87 vs 74 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Defender LTX M/S or Pilot Alpin 5?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 78 vs 75 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Defender LTX M/S or Pilot Alpin 5?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 84 vs 79 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