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 MXM4 — 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 + 1 road tests and 1 + 10 owner reviews. How we score
Defender T+H is ahead, 70–62
Add your size for an exact match
/R
Both Amazon links then search this exact size.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Tests 72 · 1 test Owners 54 · 10 reviews
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
70
Dry
Primacy MXM4 +373Why this score
Source Defender T+H Primacy MXM4 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 69 (est.) 87 Reviews found online 71 52 Defender T+H: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 70.9 = 70
Primacy MXM4: 60% × 87.2 + 40% × 51.9 = 73
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).
-
73
Wet
Defender T+H +1657Why this score
Source Defender T+H Primacy MXM4 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 72 (est.) 56 Reviews found online 73 58 Defender T+H: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 73.4 = 73
Primacy MXM4: 60% × 56.1 + 40% × 57.5 = 57
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).
-
65
Snow
Defender T+H +956Why this score
Source Defender T+H Primacy MXM4 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 62 (est.) Reviews found online 62 48 Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 62.1 = 65
Primacy MXM4: 60% × 62.2 (est.) + 40% × 47.9 = 56
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 Primacy MXM4. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
-
68
Comfort
Defender T+H +1355Why this score
Source Defender T+H Primacy MXM4 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 69 (est.) 64 Reviews found online 67 48 Defender T+H: 40% × 68.7 (est.) + 60% × 67 = 68
Primacy MXM4: 40% × 63.9 + 60% × 48.3 = 55
No road tests of comfort for Defender T+H. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
–
Noise
No comparison76Why this score
Source Defender T+H Primacy MXM4 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests – 82 Reviews found online – ≈ 67 (est.) Primacy MXM4: 60% × 81.9 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 76
No owner ratings of noise for Primacy MXM4. 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.
-
73
Treadwear
Defender T+H +1162Why this score
Source Defender T+H Primacy MXM4 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 76 ≈ 64 (est.) Reviews found online 68 59 Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 68 = 73
Primacy MXM4: 60% × 63.7 (est.) + 40% × 59.3 = 62
No road tests of treadwear for Primacy MXM4. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
-
–
Handling (owners)
No comparison50Why this score
Source Defender T+H Primacy MXM4 Reviews found online – 50 -
–
Efficiency
No comparison55Why this score
Source Defender T+H Primacy MXM4 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests – 55
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Defender T+H | Michelin Primacy MXM4 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 70 | 62 |
| Dry | 70 | 73 |
| Wet | 73 | 57 |
| Snow | 65 | 56 |
| Comfort | 68 | 55 |
| Noise | – | 76 |
| Treadwear | 73 | 62 |
| Handling (owners) | – | 50 |
| Efficiency | – | 55 |
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.
Not 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
Primacy MXM4
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 MXM4 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #1/8 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires | #4/3 2024 AutoView All-Season Tire Test R18 | – | 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 MXM4
Pros
- Exceptional ride comfort and vibration dampening
- Strong tread life and durability
- High fuel efficiency
Cons
- Mediocre dry grip and handling precision
- Noticeable understeer when cornering
- Soft sidewalls that lack steering feedback
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Defender T+H | B · Michelin Primacy MXM4 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Premium Touring All Season tire | All Season |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | Passenger Car / Crossover |
Which one should you actually buy?
70
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
62
/ 100
Michelin Primacy MXM4
Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better wet, comfort and treadwear. Pick the Michelin Primacy MXM4 if dry matters most to you. Michelin Defender T+H rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 1 review), so read this result as provisional. Michelin Primacy MXM4 rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 57 on wet.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Defender T+H scores 68 vs 55 on comfort.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 62 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You drive through snowy winters
Michelin Defender T+H scores 65 vs 56 on snow.
Tire A · Michelin Defender T+H
Tire B · Michelin Primacy MXM4
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Defender T+H or Primacy MXM4?
Which is better in the wet, Defender T+H or Primacy MXM4?
Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 57 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Defender T+H or Primacy MXM4?
Michelin Primacy MXM4, 73 vs 70 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Defender T+H or Primacy MXM4?
Michelin Defender T+H, 65 vs 56 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, Defender T+H or Primacy MXM4?
Michelin Defender T+H, 68 vs 55 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Defender T+H or Primacy MXM4?
Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 62 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