Tests – · none yet Owners 74 · 4 reviews
Michelin Defender looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.
Head-to-head
Updated
Michelin Defender 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 0 + 0 road tests and 4 + 3 owner reviews. How we score
Defender 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.
-
73
Dry
Defender +370Why this score
Source Defender Roadian H/TX RT5 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 71 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 76 71 Defender: 60% × 71.2 (est.) + 40% × 76.4 = 73
Roadian H/TX RT5: 60% × 68.9 (est.) + 40% × 70.6 = 70
No road tests of dry for Defender. 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).
-
73
Wet
Level73Why this score
Source Defender Roadian H/TX RT5 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 72 (est.) ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 74 74 Defender: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 74.1 = 73
Roadian H/TX RT5: 60% × 72.3 (est.) + 40% × 74.2 = 73
No road tests of wet for Defender. 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).
-
–
Snow
No comparison69Why this score
Source Defender Roadian H/TX RT5 Professional tests (TWG score) – ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online – 68 Roadian H/TX RT5: 60% × 69.2 (est.) + 40% × 67.7 = 69
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).
-
71
Comfort
Level71Why this score
Source Defender Roadian H/TX RT5 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 70 (est.) ≈ 70 (est.) Reviews found online 73 74 Defender: 60% × 69.9 (est.) + 40% × 73.4 = 71
Roadian H/TX RT5: 60% × 69.9 (est.) + 40% × 73.6 = 71
No road tests of comfort for Defender or Roadian H/TX RT5. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
69
Treadwear
Defender +564Why this score
Source Defender Roadian H/TX RT5 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) ≈ 65 (est.) Reviews found online 72 62 Defender: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 71.6 = 69
Roadian H/TX RT5: 60% × 64.6 (est.) + 40% × 62.2 = 64
No road tests of treadwear for Defender. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).
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).
-
77
Handling (owners)
Defender +671Why this score
Source Defender Roadian H/TX RT5 Reviews found online 77 71
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Defender | Nexen Roadian H/TX RT5 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 72 | 70 |
| Dry | 73 | 70 |
| Wet | 73 | 73 |
| Snow | – | 69 |
| Comfort | 71 | 71 |
| Treadwear | 69 | 64 |
| Handling (owners) | 77 | 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
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
Recomputed
Headline score
72
/ 100
Defender
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
Pros
- Excellent ride comfort and quiet operation
- Strong tread life and durability over several years
- Reliable grip on dry pavement
Cons
- Susceptibility to hydroplaning in heavy rain
- Limited traction in deep or severe snow
- Audible squealing during aggressive dry-pavement acceleration
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 | B · Nexen Roadian H/TX RT5 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer Premium Touring tires | All Season Touring tires |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
72
/ 100
Michelin Defender
70
/ 100
Nexen Roadian H/TX RT5
Narrow edge: Michelin Defender — better handling, treadwear and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin Defender rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 4 reviews), 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 enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Defender scores 77 vs 71 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Defender scores 69 vs 64 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Defender scores 73 vs 70 on dry.
Tire A · Michelin Defender
Tire B · Nexen Roadian H/TX RT5
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Defender or Roadian H/TX RT5?
Which is better in the wet, Defender or Roadian H/TX RT5?
Neither, by our numbers: 73 vs 73 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Which grips better on dry roads, Defender or Roadian H/TX RT5?
Michelin Defender, 73 vs 70 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Defender or Roadian H/TX RT5?
Neither, by our numbers: 71 vs 71 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Which lasts longer, Defender or Roadian H/TX RT5?
Michelin Defender, 69 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