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 Pirelli Cinturato AllSeason — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 0 + 2 road tests and 4 + 7 owner reviews. How we score
Defender is ahead, 72–66
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Tests 66 · 2 tests Owners 64 · 7 reviews
Best test result: #3 of 11 in 2017 All Season VS Winter Tyre Test (wet braking)
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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73
Dry
Defender +1261Why this score
Source Defender Cinturato AllSeason Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests ≈ 71 (est.) 62 Reviews found online 76 60 Defender: 60% × 71.2 (est.) + 40% × 76.4 = 73
Cinturato AllSeason: 60% × 62.1 + 40% × 60.2 = 61
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).
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73
Wet
Defender +172Why this score
Source Defender Cinturato AllSeason Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests ≈ 72 (est.) 72 Reviews found online 74 73 Defender: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 74.1 = 73
Cinturato AllSeason: 60% × 72.2 + 40% × 72.6 = 72
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).
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–
Snow
No comparison64Why this score
Source Defender Cinturato AllSeason Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests – 69 Reviews found online – 56 Cinturato AllSeason: 60% × 68.7 + 40% × 55.9 = 64
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71
Comfort
Defender +368Why this score
Source Defender Cinturato AllSeason Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 70 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 73 67 Defender: 60% × 69.9 (est.) + 40% × 73.4 = 71
Cinturato AllSeason: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 67.3 = 68
No road tests of comfort for Defender or Cinturato AllSeason. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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–
Noise
No comparison66Why this score
Source Defender Cinturato AllSeason Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests – 66 Reviews found online – ≈ 67 (est.) Cinturato AllSeason: 60% × 65.6 + 40% × 67.3 (est.) = 66
No owner ratings of noise for Cinturato AllSeason. 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.
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69
Treadwear
Defender +762Why this score
Source Defender Cinturato AllSeason Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 67 (est.) 61 Reviews found online 72 65 Defender: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 71.6 = 69
Cinturato AllSeason: 60% × 60.9 + 40% × 64.6 = 62
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).
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77
Handling (owners)
Defender +1463Why this score
Source Defender Cinturato AllSeason Reviews found online 77 63
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Defender | Pirelli Cinturato AllSeason |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 72 | 66 |
| Dry | 73 | 61 |
| Wet | 73 | 72 |
| Snow | – | 64 |
| Comfort | 71 | 68 |
| Noise | – | 66 |
| Treadwear | 69 | 62 |
| Handling (owners) | 77 | 63 |
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
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
66
/ 100
Cinturato AllSeason
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 Cinturato AllSeason
Pros
- Exceptional wet weather traction and aquaplaning resistance
- High levels of ride comfort and low road noise
- Reliable performance in light snow conditions
Cons
- Performance degradation in high ambient temperatures (above 25C)
- Slightly vague steering feedback on dry pavement compared to dedicated summer tires
- Potential for premature tread wear or structural deformation over time
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Defender | B · Pirelli Cinturato AllSeason |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer Premium Touring tires | All Season |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 8 |
| Rim diameters | — | 14″ – 19″ |
Which one should you actually buy?
72
/ 100
Michelin Defender
66
/ 100
Pirelli Cinturato AllSeason
Winner: Michelin Defender — better handling, dry and treadwear. 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.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Defender scores 77 vs 63 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Defender scores 73 vs 61 on dry.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Defender scores 69 vs 62 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Defender scores 71 vs 68 on comfort.
Tire A · Michelin Defender
Tire B · Pirelli Cinturato AllSeason
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Defender or Cinturato AllSeason?
Which is better in the wet, Defender or Cinturato AllSeason?
Neither, by our numbers: 73 vs 72 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Which grips better on dry roads, Defender or Cinturato AllSeason?
Michelin Defender, 73 vs 61 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Defender or Cinturato AllSeason?
Michelin Defender, 71 vs 68 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Defender or Cinturato AllSeason?
Michelin Defender, 69 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