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 Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow — 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, 79–69
Add your size for an exact match
/R
Both Amazon links then search this exact size.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Tests – · none yet Owners 68 · 15 reviews
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
79
Dry
Defender LTX M/S +1267Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Scorpion Ice & Snow Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 75 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 84 67 Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 84.3 = 79
Scorpion Ice & Snow: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 66.9 = 67
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 Scorpion Ice & Snow. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
-
82
Wet
Defender LTX M/S +1072Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Scorpion Ice & Snow Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 79 (est.) ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 86 73 Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.9 (est.) + 40% × 85.6 = 82
Scorpion Ice & Snow: 60% × 72 (est.) + 40% × 73 = 72
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 Scorpion Ice & Snow. 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 +371Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Scorpion Ice & Snow Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 72 (est.) ≈ 71 (est.) Reviews found online 77 72 Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.4 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74
Scorpion Ice & Snow: 60% × 70.9 (est.) + 40% × 71.9 = 71
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 Scorpion Ice & Snow. 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 +867Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Scorpion Ice & Snow Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 70 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 78 66 Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.5 (est.) + 60% × 77.6 = 75
Scorpion Ice & Snow: 40% × 68.2 (est.) + 60% × 66.3 = 67
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 Scorpion Ice & Snow. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
-
–
Noise
No comparison63Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Scorpion Ice & Snow Professional tests (TWG score) – ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online – 59 Scorpion Ice & Snow: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 59.1 = 63
No road tests of noise for Scorpion Ice & Snow. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
80
Treadwear
Defender LTX M/S +1466Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Scorpion Ice & Snow Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 75 ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 86 66 Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 75.4 + 40% × 86.3 = 80
Scorpion Ice & Snow: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 66.1 = 66
No road tests of treadwear for Scorpion Ice & Snow. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
-
82
Handling (owners)
Defender LTX M/S +1765Why this score
Source Defender LTX M/S Scorpion Ice & Snow Reviews found online 82 65
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Defender LTX M/S | Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 79 | 69 |
| Dry | 79 | 67 |
| Wet | 82 | 72 |
| Snow | 74 | 71 |
| Comfort | 75 | 67 |
| Noise | – | 63 |
| Treadwear | 80 | 66 |
| Handling (owners) | 82 | 65 |
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
69
/ 100
Scorpion Ice & Snow
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 Scorpion Ice & Snow
Pros
- Excellent grip on snow and especially ice, including steep icy hills, unpaved ice-covered roads in northern Sweden, and 3+ ft of snow in the Apennines
- Long tread life for many owners, including about 25,000 miles on a used set, 40,000+ miles over 4-5 years, and roughly 52,695 miles over 10 winters
- Confident, stable handling in varied conditions, including high-speed driving on snowy roads, slippery B-roads, twisty country roads and motorway journeys
Cons
- Noise on dry pavement, mentioned by several owners
- Rapid wear for some owners, particularly on dry roads and in warmer-season use
- Firm or hard ride quality
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S | B · Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season | Winter |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | SUV and 4x4 |
| Sizes available | — | 8 |
| Rim diameters | — | 18″ – 21″ |
| Tread depth | — | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | 720 - 800 B A | — |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 50 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
79
/ 100
Michelin Defender LTX M/S
69
/ 100
Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow
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. Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow 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 65 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 80 vs 66 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 67 on dry.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 72 on wet.
Tire A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Tire B · Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Defender LTX M/S or Scorpion Ice & Snow?
Which is better in the wet, Defender LTX M/S or Scorpion Ice & Snow?
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 82 vs 72 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Defender LTX M/S or Scorpion Ice & Snow?
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 67 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Defender LTX M/S or Scorpion Ice & Snow?
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 71 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, Defender LTX M/S or Scorpion Ice & Snow?
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 75 vs 67 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Defender LTX M/S or Scorpion Ice & Snow?
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 vs 66 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