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 Goodyear Assurance CS Fuel Max — 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 + 16 owner reviews. How we score
Defender T+H is ahead, 70–62
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Tests – · none yet Owners 59 · 16 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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70
Dry
Defender T+H +1060Why this score
Source Defender T+H Assurance CS Fuel Max Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 63 (est.) Reviews found online 71 56 Defender T+H: 60% × 69.2 (est.) + 40% × 70.8 = 70
Assurance CS Fuel Max: 60% × 62.9 (est.) + 40% × 55.8 = 60
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 Assurance CS Fuel Max. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
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73
Wet
Defender T+H +865Why this score
Source Defender T+H Assurance CS Fuel Max Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 72 (est.) ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 73 63 Defender T+H: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 73.3 = 73
Assurance CS Fuel Max: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 62.7 = 65
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 Assurance CS Fuel Max. 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 +560Why this score
Source Defender T+H Assurance CS Fuel Max Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 64 (est.) Reviews found online 62 53 Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 62.1 = 65
Assurance CS Fuel Max: 60% × 64.2 (est.) + 40% × 53.2 = 60
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 0.37).
No road tests of snow for Assurance CS Fuel Max. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
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68
Comfort
Defender T+H +1058Why this score
Source Defender T+H Assurance CS Fuel Max Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 67 52 Defender T+H: 40% × 68.7 (est.) + 60% × 66.9 = 68
Assurance CS Fuel Max: 40% × 66 (est.) + 60% × 52.1 = 58
No road tests of comfort for Defender T+H or Assurance CS Fuel Max. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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–
Noise
No comparison64Why this score
Source Defender T+H Assurance CS Fuel Max Professional tests (TWG score) – ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online – 60 Assurance CS Fuel Max: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 59.8 = 64
No road tests of noise for Assurance CS Fuel Max. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
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73
Treadwear
Defender T+H +964Why this score
Source Defender T+H Assurance CS Fuel Max Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 76 ≈ 65 (est.) Reviews found online 68 62 Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 67.9 = 73
Assurance CS Fuel Max: 60% × 64.7 (est.) + 40% × 62.1 = 64
No road tests of treadwear for Assurance CS Fuel Max. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
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–
Handling (owners)
No comparison60Why this score
Source Defender T+H Assurance CS Fuel Max Reviews found online – 60
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Defender T+H | Goodyear Assurance CS Fuel Max |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 70 | 62 |
| Dry | 70 | 60 |
| Wet | 73 | 65 |
| Snow | 65 | 60 |
| Comfort | 68 | 58 |
| Noise | – | 64 |
| Treadwear | 73 | 64 |
| Handling (owners) | – | 60 |
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
62
/ 100
Assurance CS Fuel Max
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 Assurance CS Fuel Max
Pros
- Exceptional tread life with many users reporting over 50,000 miles
- Improved fuel economy
- Consistent and reliable on-road handling
Cons
- Higher upfront cost compared to competing options
- Limited availability at some local retailers
- Primarily optimized for on-road use rather than off-road or severe weather conditions
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Defender T+H | B · Goodyear Assurance CS Fuel Max |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Premium Touring All Season tire | All-Season tire |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | SUV and 4x4 |
| Tread depth | — | 10 - 11/32″ |
| UTQG | — | 600 A B |
| Treadwear warranty | — | 65,000 mi |
| Sidewall | — | Vertical Serrated Band |
| Max pressure | — | 51 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
70
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
62
/ 100
Goodyear Assurance CS Fuel Max
Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better dry, comfort and treadwear. 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. Goodyear Assurance CS Fuel Max rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 16 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Defender T+H scores 70 vs 60 on dry.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Defender T+H scores 68 vs 58 on comfort.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 64 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 65 on wet.
Tire A · Michelin Defender T+H
Tire B · Goodyear Assurance CS Fuel Max
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Defender T+H or Assurance CS Fuel Max?
Which is better in the wet, Defender T+H or Assurance CS Fuel Max?
Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 65 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Defender T+H or Assurance CS Fuel Max?
Michelin Defender T+H, 70 vs 60 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Defender T+H or Assurance CS Fuel Max?
Michelin Defender T+H, 65 vs 60 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, Defender T+H or Assurance CS Fuel Max?
Michelin Defender T+H, 68 vs 58 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Defender T+H or Assurance CS Fuel Max?
Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 64 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