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 Sumitomo HTR A/S P02 — 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 + 116 owner reviews. How we score
Defender T+H is ahead, 70–64
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Tests – · 1 test Owners 65 · 116 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 +169Why this score
Source Defender T+H HTR A/S P02 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 70 70 Defender T+H: 60% × 69.1 (est.) + 40% × 70.4 = 70
HTR A/S P02: 60% × 68.7 (est.) + 40% × 69.5 = 69
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 HTR A/S P02. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
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72
Wet
Defender T+H +369Why this score
Source Defender T+H HTR A/S P02 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 72 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 73 68 Defender T+H: 60% × 72.1 (est.) + 40% × 73.1 = 72
HTR A/S P02: 60% × 69.1 (est.) + 40% × 67.7 = 69
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 0.54).
No road tests of wet for HTR A/S P02. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.54).
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65
Snow
Defender T+H +362Why this score
Source Defender T+H HTR A/S P02 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 61 56 Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 61.4 = 65
HTR A/S P02: 60% × 65.9 (est.) + 40% × 56.4 = 62
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).
No road tests of snow for HTR A/S P02. 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 +463Why this score
Source Defender T+H HTR A/S P02 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 67 60 Defender T+H: 40% × 68.7 (est.) + 60% × 66.7 = 67
HTR A/S P02: 40% × 67.6 (est.) + 60% × 60.4 = 63
No road tests of comfort for Defender T+H or HTR A/S P02. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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–
Noise
No comparison68Why this score
Source Defender T+H HTR A/S P02 Professional tests (TWG score) – ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online – 70 HTR A/S P02: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 69.6 = 68
No road tests of noise for HTR A/S P02. 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 +1954Why this score
Source Defender T+H HTR A/S P02 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests 76 46 Reviews found online 68 65 Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 68.3 = 73
HTR A/S P02: 60% × 46.1 + 40% × 64.7 = 54
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–
Handling (owners)
No comparison65Why this score
Source Defender T+H HTR A/S P02 Reviews found online – 65
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Defender T+H | Sumitomo HTR A/S P02 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 70 | 64 |
| Dry | 70 | 69 |
| Wet | 72 | 69 |
| Snow | 65 | 62 |
| Comfort | 67 | 63 |
| Noise | – | 68 |
| Treadwear | 73 | 54 |
| Handling (owners) | – | 65 |
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
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.
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.
Recomputed
Headline score
70
/ 100
Defender T+H
64
/ 100
HTR A/S P02
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 | HTR A/S P02 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tested Tread Life (Miles) | Treadwear | 100% #1/8 · 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires | 47% #17/19 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires | – | Different tests |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #1/8 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires | #18/19 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires | – | 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 HTR A/S P02
Pros
- Affordable, budget-friendly pricing
- Low road noise and comfortable, smooth ride
- Responsive dry and wet handling
Cons
- Tread life occasionally falls short of expected mileage warranties
- Winter and snow traction is generally described as merely adequate or mediocre
- Some complaints regarding balancing issues or slight hydroplaning in heavy downpours
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Defender T+H | B · Sumitomo HTR A/S P02 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Premium Touring All Season tire | All-Season tire |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Tread depth | — | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | — | 600 A A |
| Treadwear warranty | — | 65,000 mi |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 51 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
70
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
64
/ 100
Sumitomo HTR A/S P02
Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better treadwear, comfort and wet. 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 54 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Defender T+H scores 67 vs 63 on comfort.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Defender T+H scores 72 vs 69 on wet.
Pick tire A
You drive through snowy winters
Michelin Defender T+H scores 65 vs 62 on snow.
Tire A · Michelin Defender T+H
Tire B · Sumitomo HTR A/S P02
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Defender T+H or HTR A/S P02?
Which is better in the wet, Defender T+H or HTR A/S P02?
Michelin Defender T+H, 72 vs 69 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Defender T+H or HTR A/S P02?
Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 69 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Which is better in snow, Defender T+H or HTR A/S P02?
Michelin Defender T+H, 65 vs 62 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, Defender T+H or HTR A/S P02?
Michelin Defender T+H, 67 vs 63 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Defender T+H or HTR A/S P02?
Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 54 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