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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Defender LTX M/S vs Toyo Celsius — 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 + 6 road tests and 11 + 152 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 79–64

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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))

Toyo Celsius
Tire BToyo

Celsius

All Season

± 6

Tests 56 · 6 tests Owners 70 · 152 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 9 in 2022 ACE/ARBÖ/GTÜ All-Season Tire Test R17 (dry handling)

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 +23
    56
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SCelsius
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests≈ 75 (est.)48
    Reviews found online8468

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

    Celsius: 60% × 47.6 + 40% × 68.4 = 56

    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 +21
    61
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SCelsius
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests≈ 79 (est.)55
    Reviews found online8671

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

    Celsius: 60% × 55 + 40% × 71.1 = 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).

  3. 74

    Snow

    Level
    74
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SCelsius
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 72 (est.)76
    Reviews found online7772

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

    Celsius: 60% × 76 + 40% × 72 = 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 +6
    69
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SCelsius
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7869

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

    Celsius: 40% × 68.6 (est.) + 60% × 68.6 = 69

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

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    56
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SCelsius
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests–48
    Reviews found online–≈ 66 (est.)

    Celsius: 60% × 48.3 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 56

    No owner ratings of noise for Celsius. 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 +11
    69
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SCelsius
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests75≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online8670

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

    Celsius: 60% × 67.7 (est.) + 40% × 69.9 = 69

    No road tests of treadwear for Celsius. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 82

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +19
    63
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SCelsius
    Reviews found online8263
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    28
    Why this score
    SourceDefender LTX M/SCelsius
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests–28
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Defender LTX M/SToyo Celsius
Relative Score 79 64
Dry 79 56
Wet 82 61
Snow 74 74
Comfort 75 69
Noise – 56
Treadwear 80 69
Handling (owners) 82 63
Efficiency – 28

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
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

± 6

Celsius

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/SCelsiusΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #3/13 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires #9/8 2022 ACE/ARBÖ/GTÜ All-Season Tire Test R17 – 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 Celsius

Pros

  • Exceptional snow and winter weather performance
  • Quiet and smooth ride quality
  • High value for money compared to premium brands

Cons

  • Some complaints regarding wet traction and hydroplaning resistance
  • Softer sidewalls can lead to a bouncy feel or slower steering response
  • Faster tread wear reported by certain users compared to competitors like Michelin
All owner themes in the Celsius review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S B · Toyo Celsius
CategoryAll SeasonAll Season
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—52
Rim diameters—14″ – 20″
Tread depth—10 - 11/32″
UTQG720 - 800 B A440 A A
Treadwear warranty—60,000 mi
Sidewall—Black Side Wall
Max pressure—50 - 51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Toyo Celsius

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better dry, wet and handling. 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 want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 56 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 61 on wet.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 63 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 80 vs 69 on treadwear.

Tire A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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Tire B · Toyo Celsius
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Defender LTX M/S or Celsius?

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

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 82 vs 61 on our wet score.

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

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 56 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Defender LTX M/S or Celsius?

Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 74 on the snow score, within 3 points.

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

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 75 vs 69 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Defender LTX M/S or Celsius?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 vs 69 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