Tests – · 1 test Owners 71 · 1 review
Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires (tested tread life (miles))
Toyo Proxes RA1 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.
Head-to-head
Updated
Michelin Defender T+H vs Toyo Proxes RA1 — 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 + 11 owner reviews. How we score
Defender T+H is ahead, 71–66
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Tests – · none yet Owners 65 · 11 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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72
Dry
Proxes RA1 +375Why this score
Source Defender T+H Proxes RA1 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 70 (est.) ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 74 79 Defender T+H: 60% × 70.3 (est.) + 40% × 74.1 = 72
Proxes RA1: 60% × 72.1 (est.) + 40% × 78.5 = 75
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 Proxes RA1. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).
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74
Wet
Defender T+H +1064Why this score
Source Defender T+H Proxes RA1 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 73 (est.) ≈ 65 (est.) Reviews found online 75 61 Defender T+H: 60% × 72.7 (est.) + 40% × 74.9 = 74
Proxes RA1: 60% × 65 (est.) + 40% × 61.3 = 64
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 Proxes RA1. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).
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66
Snow
Defender T+H +1749Why this score
Source Defender T+H Proxes RA1 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 58 (est.) Reviews found online 63 34 Defender T+H: 60% × 67.7 (est.) + 40% × 63.3 = 66
Proxes RA1: 60% × 58.2 (est.) + 40% × 34.4 = 49
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 Proxes RA1. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).
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70
Comfort
Defender T+H +367Why this score
Source Defender T+H Proxes RA1 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 70 66 Defender T+H: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 70.1 = 70
Proxes RA1: 60% × 68.5 (est.) + 40% × 65.7 = 67
No road tests of comfort for Defender T+H or Proxes RA1. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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69
Noise
Defender T+H +168Why this score
Source Defender T+H Proxes RA1 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 71 70 Defender T+H: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 70.5 = 69
Proxes RA1: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 70.1 = 68
No road tests of noise for Defender T+H or Proxes RA1. 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 +667Why this score
Source Defender T+H Proxes RA1 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 75 ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 70 68 Defender T+H: 60% × 74.8 + 40% × 70 = 73
Proxes RA1: 60% × 66.2 (est.) + 40% × 67.6 = 67
No road tests of treadwear for Proxes RA1. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).
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72
Handling (owners)
Proxes RA1 +173Why this score
Source Defender T+H Proxes RA1 Reviews found online 72 73
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Defender T+H | Toyo Proxes RA1 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 71 | 66 |
| Dry | 72 | 75 |
| Wet | 74 | 64 |
| Snow | 66 | 49 |
| Comfort | 70 | 67 |
| Noise | 69 | 68 |
| Treadwear | 73 | 67 |
| Handling (owners) | 72 | 73 |
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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
71
/ 100
Defender T+H
66
/ 100
Proxes RA1
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 Proxes RA1
Pros
- Exceptional dry grip that remains consistent even as the tread wears down.
- Superior tire life compared to many other dedicated track-focused compounds.
- Predictable breakaway characteristics that provide driver confidence at the limit.
Cons
- Performance can become 'greasy' if the tire is overdriven or overheated during long sessions.
- Requires proper heat cycling and break-in procedures to achieve optimal performance.
- Sensitive to alignment settings, which can lead to accelerated or uneven wear if not managed.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Defender T+H | B · Toyo Proxes RA1 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Premium Touring All Season tire | Summer Trackday and Competition tires |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 7 |
| Rim diameters | — | 15″ – 18″ |
| Tread depth | — | 8/32″ |
| UTQG | — | 100 AA A |
| Sidewall | — | Black Side Wall |
| Max pressure | — | 44 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
71
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
66
/ 100
Toyo Proxes RA1
Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better snow, wet and treadwear. Pick the Toyo Proxes RA1 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. Toyo Proxes RA1 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire A
You drive through snowy winters
Michelin Defender T+H scores 66 vs 49 on snow.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Defender T+H scores 74 vs 64 on wet.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 67 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Defender T+H scores 70 vs 67 on comfort.
Tire A · Michelin Defender T+H
Tire B · Toyo Proxes RA1
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Defender T+H or Proxes RA1?
Which is better in the wet, Defender T+H or Proxes RA1?
Michelin Defender T+H, 74 vs 64 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Defender T+H or Proxes RA1?
Toyo Proxes RA1, 75 vs 72 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Defender T+H or Proxes RA1?
Michelin Defender T+H, 66 vs 49 on our snow score.
Which is quieter, Defender T+H or Proxes RA1?
Neither, by our numbers: 69 vs 68 on the noise score, within 3 points.
Which is more comfortable, Defender T+H or Proxes RA1?
Michelin Defender T+H, 70 vs 67 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Defender T+H or Proxes RA1?
Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 67 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