Tests – · 1 test Owners 71 · 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 Nexen Roadian H/TX RT5 — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 1 + 0 road tests and 1 + 3 owner reviews. How we score
Defender T+H leads, 72–70 Narrow edge
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 – · none yet Owners 69 · 3 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 +270Why this score
Source Defender T+H Roadian H/TX RT5 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 70 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 74 71 Defender T+H: 60% × 70.3 (est.) + 40% × 74.1 = 72
Roadian H/TX RT5: 60% × 68.9 (est.) + 40% × 70.6 = 70
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 0.40).
No road tests of dry for Roadian H/TX RT5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).
-
74
Wet
Defender T+H +173Why this score
Source Defender T+H Roadian H/TX RT5 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 73 (est.) ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 75 74 Defender T+H: 60% × 72.7 (est.) + 40% × 74.9 = 74
Roadian H/TX RT5: 60% × 72.3 (est.) + 40% × 74.2 = 73
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 0.56).
No road tests of wet for Roadian H/TX RT5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).
-
66
Snow
Roadian H/TX RT5 +369Why this score
Source Defender T+H Roadian H/TX RT5 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 63 68 Defender T+H: 60% × 67.7 (est.) + 40% × 63.3 = 66
Roadian H/TX RT5: 60% × 69.2 (est.) + 40% × 67.7 = 69
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 0.33).
No road tests of snow for Roadian H/TX RT5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).
-
70
Comfort
Roadian H/TX RT5 +171Why this score
Source Defender T+H Roadian H/TX RT5 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 70 (est.) Reviews found online 70 74 Defender T+H: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 70.1 = 70
Roadian H/TX RT5: 60% × 69.9 (est.) + 40% × 73.6 = 71
No road tests of comfort for Defender T+H or Roadian H/TX RT5. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
69
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Defender T+H Roadian H/TX RT5 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) – Reviews found online 71 – Defender T+H: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 70.5 = 69
No road tests of noise for Defender T+H. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
73
Treadwear
Defender T+H +964Why this score
Source Defender T+H Roadian H/TX RT5 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 75 ≈ 65 (est.) Reviews found online 70 62 Defender T+H: 60% × 74.8 + 40% × 70 = 73
Roadian H/TX RT5: 60% × 64.6 (est.) + 40% × 62.2 = 64
No road tests of treadwear for Roadian H/TX RT5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).
-
72
Handling (owners)
Defender T+H +171Why this score
Source Defender T+H Roadian H/TX RT5 Reviews found online 72 71
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Defender T+H | Nexen Roadian H/TX RT5 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 72 | 70 |
| Dry | 72 | 70 |
| Wet | 74 | 73 |
| Snow | 66 | 69 |
| Comfort | 70 | 71 |
| Noise | 69 | – |
| Treadwear | 73 | 64 |
| Handling (owners) | 72 | 71 |
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
Recomputed
Headline score
72
/ 100
Defender T+H
70
/ 100
Roadian H/TX RT5
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 Roadian H/TX RT5
Pros
- Strong initial traction in varied weather conditions including snow, slush, and ice
- Excellent performance for towing applications
- Impressive off-road capability, particularly in soft sand
Cons
- Noticeable decline in grip and handling characteristics after 8,000-10,000 miles
- Increased susceptibility to oversteer and instability on wet surfaces as tread wears
- Harsh ride quality and unpredictable handling at higher tire pressures
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Defender T+H | B · Nexen Roadian H/TX RT5 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Premium Touring All Season tire | All Season Touring tires |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
72
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
70
/ 100
Nexen Roadian H/TX RT5
Narrow edge: Michelin Defender T+H — better treadwear. Pick the Nexen Roadian H/TX RT5 if snow matters most to you. Michelin Defender T+H rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 1 review), so read this result as provisional. Nexen Roadian H/TX RT5 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 3 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 64 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
You drive through snowy winters
Nexen Roadian H/TX RT5 scores 69 vs 66 on snow.
Tire A · Michelin Defender T+H
Tire B · Nexen Roadian H/TX RT5
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Defender T+H or Roadian H/TX RT5?
Which is better in the wet, Defender T+H or Roadian H/TX RT5?
Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 73 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Which grips better on dry roads, Defender T+H or Roadian H/TX RT5?
Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 70 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Which is better in snow, Defender T+H or Roadian H/TX RT5?
Nexen Roadian H/TX RT5, 69 vs 66 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, Defender T+H or Roadian H/TX RT5?
Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 71 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Which lasts longer, Defender T+H or Roadian H/TX RT5?
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