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 Michelin Primacy HP — 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 + 205 owner reviews. How we score
Defender T+H is ahead, 71–64
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Tests – · none yet Owners 62 · 205 reviews
“Sounds as if Aus is rationalising inventory John. Pity because the HP is a good dirt road tyre with stones around. That said the XM2 is also a tough tyre & designed to take knocks that would damage High Performance summer tyres.”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
69
Dry
Defender T+H +564Why this score
Source Defender T+H Primacy HP Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 70 62 Defender T+H: 60% × 68.9 (est.) + 40% × 70.1 = 69
Primacy HP: 60% × 65.7 (est.) + 40% × 62.4 = 64
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 Primacy HP. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
-
72
Wet
Defender T+H +765Why this score
Source Defender T+H Primacy HP Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 72 (est.) ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 73 63 Defender T+H: 60% × 71.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 72
Primacy HP: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 63.1 = 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 Primacy HP. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
65
Snow
No comparison–Why this score
Source Defender T+H Primacy HP Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) – Reviews found online 61 – Defender T+H: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 61.2 = 65
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).
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67
Comfort
Defender T+H +661Why this score
Source Defender T+H Primacy HP Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 66 58 Defender T+H: 40% × 68.2 (est.) + 60% × 66 = 67
Primacy HP: 40% × 66.5 (est.) + 60% × 57.6 = 61
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 Primacy HP. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
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73
Treadwear
Defender T+H +1063Why this score
Source Defender T+H Primacy HP Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 76 ≈ 65 (est.) Reviews found online 68 61 Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 67.9 = 73
Primacy HP: 60% × 64.6 (est.) + 40% × 61.1 = 63
No road tests of treadwear for Primacy HP. 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 comparison59Why this score
Source Defender T+H Primacy HP Reviews found online – 59
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Defender T+H | Michelin Primacy HP |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 71 | 64 |
| Dry | 69 | 64 |
| Wet | 72 | 65 |
| Snow | 65 | – |
| Comfort | 67 | 61 |
| Treadwear | 73 | 63 |
| Handling (owners) | – | 59 |
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
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
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
71
/ 100
Defender T+H
64
/ 100
Primacy HP
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.
| Discipline | Category | Defender T+H | Primacy HP | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #1/8 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires | #5/6 2010 Autocar Tyre Test - FWD | – | Different tests |
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 Primacy HP
Pros
- Exceptional tread life and longevity
- Strong dry-road grip and handling
- High fuel efficiency and low rolling resistance
Cons
- Noticeable decline in wet-weather grip as tread depth decreases
- High retail price compared to competitors
- Increased road noise as the tire ages
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Michelin Defender T+H
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Mixed
Michelin Primacy HP
Community opinion on the Michelin Primacy HP is divided depending on use case: enthusiasts frequently criticize them for lacking grip compared to dedicated Pilot Sport performance tires, though many appreciate their playful, low-traction slide characteristics on cars like the GR86/BRZ. Owners also note their low rolling resistance and suitability for mild climates, but raise occasional discussions around shoulder cracking with age and their limitation as summer-only rubber.
r/ft86
·3 upvotes ·2016-01-25
“You will notice the difference, but if you don't track, autocross, or canyon carve, I wouldn't bother. You don't have to stick with Primacy but it's not worth the PSS. The only reason I would go PSS in that instance, is if the price is similar to Primacy HP (it might actually be similar). If you drive in snow at all I would not go with PSS. Do not go with anything more aggressive than PSS for day to day street driving. There are people who daily drive more aggressive RS3s, RE-71s, ZII Star Specs, etc. but they track/autocross, know the limits, and take it easy around standing water.”
bobistheoilguy.com
·2021-12-28
“I noticed these cracks at around spring this year. The car experiences frequent moments of hard driving so I'm thinking of replacing the tires next spring when the car comes out of hibernation as I'm a little worried about how they're going to hold up despite there still being plenty of thread left. The tires are original to the car (2016 Scion FRS). Date code of this one is 4215, but they're all within a couple of weeks or so and they're all in the same condition. Tires and car have 25,000km on them.”
gr86.org
·2024-11-11
“So long as you’ve got some tread, the stock Primacy HP tires are plenty safe for Bay Area weather all year ‘round. Just don’t drive anywhere that gets real winter weather or freezing temps. I’d avoid trips up to Tahoe in January. And don’t climb Mt. Diablo or Mt. Hamilton when they get their occasional dusting of snow. (I live in upstate NY now, so I’m familiar with tires & winter conditions …but I’m also a Bay Area native.)”
Top themes
#grip vs playfulness#comparison to pilot sport#summer tire limitations#tread cracking concerns#low rolling resistance#oem fitment discussion
Based on 36 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Defender T+H | B · Michelin Primacy HP |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season | Summer |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| UTQG | 820 A - B B | 240 A A |
Which one should you actually buy?
71
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
64
/ 100
Michelin Primacy HP
Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better treadwear, wet and comfort. 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.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 63 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Defender T+H scores 72 vs 65 on wet.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Defender T+H scores 67 vs 61 on comfort.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Defender T+H scores 69 vs 64 on dry.
Tire A · Michelin Defender T+H
Tire B · Michelin Primacy HP
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Defender T+H or Primacy HP?
Which is better in the wet, Defender T+H or Primacy HP?
Michelin Defender T+H, 72 vs 65 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Defender T+H or Primacy HP?
Michelin Defender T+H, 69 vs 64 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Defender T+H or Primacy HP?
Michelin Defender T+H, 67 vs 61 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Defender T+H or Primacy HP?
Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 63 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