Tests – · 1 test Owners 69 · 1 review
Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires (tested tread life (miles))
Head-to-head
Updated
Michelin Defender T+H vs Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S — 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 1 + 18 owner reviews. How we score
Defender T+H is ahead, 70–53
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Tests – · none yet Owners 43 · 18 reviews
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
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69
Dry
Defender T+H +1455Why this score
Source Defender T+H ZIEX ZE001 A/S Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 60 (est.) Reviews found online 70 49 Defender T+H: 60% × 68.9 (est.) + 40% × 70.1 = 69
ZIEX ZE001 A/S: 60% × 60 (est.) + 40% × 48.7 = 55
No road tests of dry for Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
No road tests of dry for ZIEX ZE001 A/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
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72
Wet
Defender T+H +1854Why this score
Source Defender T+H ZIEX ZE001 A/S Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 72 (est.) ≈ 58 (est.) Reviews found online 73 48 Defender T+H: 60% × 71.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.9 = 72
ZIEX ZE001 A/S: 60% × 58.1 (est.) + 40% × 47.7 = 54
No road tests of wet for Defender T+H. 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 ZIEX ZE001 A/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
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65
Snow
Defender T+H +461Why this score
Source Defender T+H ZIEX ZE001 A/S Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 65 (est.) Reviews found online 61 54 Defender T+H: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 61.2 = 65
ZIEX ZE001 A/S: 60% × 65.4 (est.) + 40% × 54.2 = 61
No road tests of snow for Defender T+H. 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 ZIEX ZE001 A/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
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67
Comfort
Defender T+H +1354Why this score
Source Defender T+H ZIEX ZE001 A/S Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 64 (est.) Reviews found online 66 47 Defender T+H: 40% × 68.2 (est.) + 60% × 66 = 67
ZIEX ZE001 A/S: 40% × 64.2 (est.) + 60% × 46.7 = 54
No road tests of comfort for Defender T+H. 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 ZIEX ZE001 A/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
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–
Noise
No comparison62Why this score
Source Defender T+H ZIEX ZE001 A/S Professional tests (TWG score) – ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online – 55 ZIEX ZE001 A/S: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 54.7 = 62
No road tests of noise for ZIEX ZE001 A/S. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
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73
Treadwear
Defender T+H +3340Why this score
Source Defender T+H ZIEX ZE001 A/S Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 76 ≈ 51 (est.) Reviews found online 68 23 Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 67.9 = 73
ZIEX ZE001 A/S: 60% × 51.1 (est.) + 40% × 23.4 = 40
No road tests of treadwear for ZIEX ZE001 A/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
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–
Handling (owners)
No comparison42Why this score
Source Defender T+H ZIEX ZE001 A/S Reviews found online – 42
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Defender T+H | Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 70 | 53 |
| Dry | 69 | 55 |
| Wet | 72 | 54 |
| Snow | 65 | 61 |
| Comfort | 67 | 54 |
| Noise | – | 62 |
| Treadwear | 73 | 40 |
| Handling (owners) | – | 42 |
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
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
70
/ 100
Defender T+H
53
/ 100
ZIEX ZE001 A/S
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 T+H
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Tire B ZIEX ZE001 A/S
Pros
- Quiet, comfortable ride, noted by several owners including a long-distance highway driver
- Good dry grip and handling, with several reviewers describing wet performance as impressive or confident
- Stable, composed behavior and good steering feedback in everyday driving, with one reviewer calling it a capable all-rounder that is not aimed at sporting use
Cons
- Premature tread wear is the most frequent complaint, with reports of tires nearly bald or needing replacement at roughly 34-36K miles, and fast wear noted at 13K miles, 15,000 km and 20,000 km
- Poor traction in snow, slush and ice, with some reviewers advising against use below 0°C
- Wet-weather concerns in some cases, including hydroplaning resistance described as dangerous on a turbo Mazda 6 and looser handling in the wet late in the tire's life
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Defender T+H | B · Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season | All Season |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | SUV and 4x4 |
| Sizes available | — | 6 |
| Rim diameters | — | 17″ – 20″ |
| Tread depth | — | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | 820 A - B B | 360 A A |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 51 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
70
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
53
/ 100
Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S
Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better treadwear, wet and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin Defender T+H rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 1 review), so read this result as provisional. Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 18 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 40 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Defender T+H scores 72 vs 54 on wet.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Defender T+H scores 69 vs 55 on dry.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Defender T+H scores 67 vs 54 on comfort.
Tire A · Michelin Defender T+H
Tire B · Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S
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Defender T+H or ZIEX ZE001 A/S?
Which is better in the wet, Defender T+H or ZIEX ZE001 A/S?
Michelin Defender T+H, 72 vs 54 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Defender T+H or ZIEX ZE001 A/S?
Michelin Defender T+H, 69 vs 55 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Defender T+H or ZIEX ZE001 A/S?
Michelin Defender T+H, 65 vs 61 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, Defender T+H or ZIEX ZE001 A/S?
Michelin Defender T+H, 67 vs 54 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Defender T+H or ZIEX ZE001 A/S?
Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 40 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