Tests – · 1 test Owners 71 · 1 review
Head-to-head
Updated
Michelin Defender T+H vs Kumho Solus KL21 — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.
Defender T+H is ahead, 72–56
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Tests – · none yet Owners 51 · 14 reviews
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
72
Dry
Defender T+H +1755Why this score
Source Defender T+H Solus KL21 Reviews found online 74 48 -
74
Wet
Defender T+H +1559Why this score
Source Defender T+H Solus KL21 Reviews found online 75 55 -
66
Snow
Defender T+H +1254Why this score
Source Defender T+H Solus KL21 Reviews found online 64 44 -
70
Comfort
Defender T+H +1159Why this score
Source Defender T+H Solus KL21 Reviews found online 70 50 -
68
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Defender T+H Solus KL21 Reviews found online 70 – -
73
Treadwear
Defender T+H +1459Why this score
Source Defender T+H Solus KL21 Professional tests (TWG score) 75 – Reviews found online 70 55 -
72
Handling
Defender T+H +2349Why this score
Source Defender T+H Solus KL21 Reviews found online 72 49
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Defender T+H | Kumho Solus KL21 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 72 | 56 |
| Dry | 72 | 55 |
| Wet | 74 | 59 |
| Snow | 66 | 54 |
| Comfort | 70 | 59 |
| Noise | 68 | – |
| Treadwear | 73 | 59 |
| Handling | 72 | 49 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Weight the categories that matter to you
Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Important
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Important
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Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Recomputed
Headline score
72
/ 100
Defender T+H
56
/ 100
Solus KL21
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 Solus KL21
Pros
- Impressive treadwear and longevity reported by many users, with several achieving over 30,000 to 40,000 miles
- Good ride comfort and low road noise under normal driving conditions
- Affordable replacement pricing compared to premium tier brands
Cons
- Extremely poor grip and significantly increased braking distances on fresh or compact snow and ice
- Isolated reports of extreme premature wear or complete tread failure under 20,000 miles
- Structural deformation issues reported by at least one user
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Defender T+H | B · Kumho Solus KL21 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Premium Touring All Season tire | All Season |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 5 |
| Rim diameters | — | 17″ – 20″ |
Which one should you actually buy?
72
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
56
/ 100
Kumho Solus KL21
Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better handling, dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Defender T+H scores 72 vs 49 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Defender T+H scores 72 vs 55 on dry.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Defender T+H scores 74 vs 59 on wet.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 59 on treadwear.
Tire A · Michelin Defender T+H
Tire B · Kumho Solus KL21
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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.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.