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 3,650 + 0 owner reviews. How we score
Defender LTX M/S2 leads, 74–71 Narrow edge
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Tests 66 · 1 test Owners 88 · 3,650 reviews
Best test result: #2 of 30 in 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test (snow braking)
“The tires are over inflated for transport. The dealership should set them to the proper PSI during PDI but that's not always the case. I had 55 PSI in mine which explained the rough ride.”
Tests 72 · 1 test Owners – · none yet
Best test result: #2 of 9 in 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test (dry braking)
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Defender LTX M/S2 | Encounter AT2 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests | 52 | 72 |
| Reviews found online | 92 | ≈ 70 (est.) |
Defender LTX M/S2: 60% × 51.7 + 40% × 91.7 = 68
Encounter AT2: 60% × 72.4 + 40% × 69.9 (est.) = 71
No owner ratings of dry for Encounter AT2. The owner half is estimated from its road-test score, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
| Source | Defender LTX M/S2 | Encounter AT2 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests | 68 | 74 |
| Reviews found online | 93 | ≈ 73 (est.) |
Defender LTX M/S2: 60% × 68.1 + 40% × 92.5 = 78
Encounter AT2: 60% × 74.1 + 40% × 72.6 (est.) = 73
No owner ratings of wet for Encounter AT2. The owner half is estimated from its road-test score, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.54).
| Source | Defender LTX M/S2 | Encounter AT2 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests | 87 | – |
| Reviews found online | 75 | – |
| Ice Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 86% | 86% |
| Ice Traction (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 90% | 89% |
| Snow Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 97% | 88% |
| Snow Traction (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 94% | 87% |
| Snow Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 94% | 68% |
Defender LTX M/S2: 60% × 86.8 + 40% × 75.3 = 82
| Source | Defender LTX M/S2 | Encounter AT2 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests | ≈ 73 (est.) | 69 |
| Reviews found online | 88 | ≈ 69 (est.) |
Defender LTX M/S2: 40% × 72.5 (est.) + 60% × 88.1 = 82
Encounter AT2: 40% × 69 + 60% × 69.1 (est.) = 69
No road tests of comfort for Defender LTX M/S2. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
No owner ratings of comfort for Encounter AT2. The owner half is the owners’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
| Source | Defender LTX M/S2 | Encounter AT2 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests | ≈ 67 (est.) | 67 |
| Reviews found online | 89 | ≈ 67 (est.) |
Defender LTX M/S2: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 88.9 = 75
Encounter AT2: 60% × 67.3 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 67
No road tests of noise for Defender LTX M/S2. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
No owner ratings of noise for Encounter AT2. 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.
| Source | Defender LTX M/S2 | Encounter AT2 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 74 (est.) | – |
| Reviews found online | 89 | – |
Defender LTX M/S2: 60% × 74.5 (est.) + 40% × 89.2 = 80
No road tests of treadwear for Defender LTX M/S2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
| Source | Defender LTX M/S2 | Encounter AT2 |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 87 | – |
| Category | Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 | Sumitomo Encounter AT2 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 74 | 71 |
| Dry | 68 | 71 |
| Wet | 78 | 73 |
| Snow | 82 | – |
| Comfort | 82 | 69 |
| Noise | 75 | 67 |
| Treadwear | 80 | – |
| Handling (owners) | 87 | – |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Defender LTX M/S2
Encounter AT2
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
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.
In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 finished ahead 1 times and Sumitomo Encounter AT2 0 times.
| Discipline | Category | Defender LTX M/S2 | Encounter AT2 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 93% #9/9 · 2024 Tire Rack Highway All Season Tyre Test | 98% #2/9 · 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 92% #6/9 · 2024 Tire Rack Highway All Season Tyre Test | 97% #2/9 · 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 97% #5/9 · 2024 Tire Rack Highway All Season Tyre Test | 99% #3/9 · 2025 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Ice Braking | Snow | 86% | 86% | +0.2 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17 |
| Ice Traction | Snow | 90% | 89% | +1.6 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17 |
| Snow Braking | Snow | 97% | 88% | +8.6 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17 |
| Snow Handling (tester's mark) | Snow | 94% | 68% | +26.5 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17 |
| Snow Traction | Snow | 94% | 87% | +7.0 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #3/30 | #23/30 | – | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Tire Rack All Terrain Tyre Snow Test · 265/70 R17 |
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
The community widely views the Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 as an outstanding highway and daily driving tire, praising its smooth ride, low road noise, and reliable wet traction. While considered an ideal replacement for noisy all-terrain or OEM tires, some users question its performance in severe winter or deep mud conditions compared to dedicated off-road tires. A few owners also raised minor concerns regarding warranty differences, balancing, and tread life compared to prior generations.
“Tires 24 overtrail+ I'm at 20,000 miles now and need to change the stock tires that come with the overtrail +. I'm just looking for some recommendations, was thinking of getting the Michelin defender ltx m/s2 but wanted to see what other people were using. I do not off-road too much and do a lot of city and highway driving and when reading seems like the Michelin defender kind of fulfills what I need. Also, has anybody gone up a size and tires? I know the stock size is 265/70R18, but I was curious if anybody used a larger tire with the OEM wheels that come with it. I know the 24 is 1 inch shorter than the 25 and 26 so outcomes can be a little different. Appreciate anybody's experience they have dealt with. Thank you”
“I'm likely swapping out the tires that come on my soon-to-be built Lariat when I get it, so I've been doing some research myself. That Conti is a good tire, but I'm not sure I want an AT tire on this one. I'd be more interested in the TerrainContact H/T. But both of them come highly recommended. If I go Michellins, I'm going Defender LTX M/S2. Bit pricey but has really good user reviews overall. On my last F150 (2011 EB FX4) I ran Firestone Destinations and they rode really well, good in the rain, etc, but wore down quick. Then again, I did a lot of towing. The Bridgestone Duelers used to be a great tire but the reviews on these haven't been great lately...not for the price they want.”
“The Michelin Defender LTX m/s2 is available in 255/60/20 and is a fantastic tire. Not severe snow rated but it has a great reputation for being great in the snow. Lasts forever too.”
Based on 83 community posts
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
| Attribute | A · Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 | B · Sumitomo Encounter AT2 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All-Season tire | All-Terrain tire |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | SUV and 4x4 |
| Sizes available | 1 | 30 |
| Rim diameters | 22″ | 16″ – 22″ |
| Tread depth | 11 - 14/32″ | 12/32″ |
| UTQG | 820 B A | 660 B B |
| Treadwear warranty | — | 65,000 mi |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall - Raised Outline White Lettering | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | 50 - 80 psi | 50 psi |
Michelin Defender LTX M/S2
Sumitomo Encounter AT2
Narrow edge: Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 — better comfort, noise and wet. Pick the Sumitomo Encounter AT2 if dry matters most to you. Sumitomo Encounter AT2 rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 0 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 scores 82 vs 69 on comfort.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 scores 75 vs 67 on noise.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 scores 78 vs 73 on wet.
Sumitomo Encounter AT2 scores 71 vs 68 on dry.
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Michelin Defender LTX M/S2, 78 vs 73 on our wet score.
Sumitomo Encounter AT2, 71 vs 68 on our dry score.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S2, 75 vs 67 on our noise score.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S2, 82 vs 69 on our comfort score.
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
