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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 CINTURA/TO P4 — 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 + 6 owner reviews. How we score

Defender is ahead, 72–55

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Michelin Defender
Tire AMichelin

Defender

Summer Premium Touring tires

Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 74 · 4 reviews

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 73

    Dry

    Defender +17
    56
    Why this score
    SourceDefenderCINTURA/TO P4
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 60 (est.)
    Reviews found online7649

    Defender: 60% × 71.2 (est.) + 40% × 76.4 = 73

    CINTURA/TO P4: 60% × 60.2 (est.) + 40% × 48.9 = 56

    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 CINTURA/TO P4. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 73

    Wet

    Defender +16
    57
    Why this score
    SourceDefenderCINTURA/TO P4
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 60 (est.)
    Reviews found online7453

    Defender: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 74.1 = 73

    CINTURA/TO P4: 60% × 60.2 (est.) + 40% × 52.7 = 57

    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 CINTURA/TO P4. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 71

    Comfort

    Defender +14
    57
    Why this score
    SourceDefenderCINTURA/TO P4
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online7345

    Defender: 60% × 69.9 (est.) + 40% × 73.4 = 71

    CINTURA/TO P4: 60% × 64.9 (est.) + 40% × 44.6 = 57

    No road tests of comfort for Defender or CINTURA/TO P4. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  4. 69

    Treadwear

    Defender +11
    58
    Why this score
    SourceDefenderCINTURA/TO P4
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 61 (est.)
    Reviews found online7252

    Defender: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 71.6 = 69

    CINTURA/TO P4: 60% × 61.4 (est.) + 40% × 52 = 58

    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 CINTURA/TO P4. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  5. 77

    Handling (owners)

    Defender +37
    40
    Why this score
    SourceDefenderCINTURA/TO P4
    Reviews found online7740
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin DefenderPirelli CINTURA/TO P4
Relative Score 72 55
Dry 73 56
Wet 73 57
Comfort 71 57
Treadwear 69 58
Handling (owners) 77 40

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
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score

Defender

CINTURA/TO P4

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
All owner themes in the Defender review

Tire B CINTURA/TO P4

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and high mileage capability
  • Predictable performance on dry, steady-state roads
  • Progressive handling characteristics on specific vehicle chassis

Cons

  • Poor wet-weather grip and high risk of understeer
  • Lack of steering feedback and road feel
  • Excessive road noise
All owner themes in the CINTURA/TO P4 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Defender B · Pirelli CINTURA/TO P4
CategorySummer Premium Touring tiresSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Defender

Pirelli CINTURA/TO P4

Winner: Michelin Defender — better handling, dry and wet. 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. Pirelli CINTURA/TO P4 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 6 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender scores 77 vs 40 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender scores 73 vs 56 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender scores 73 vs 57 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Defender scores 71 vs 57 on comfort.

Tire A · Michelin Defender
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Tire B · Pirelli CINTURA/TO P4
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Defender or CINTURA/TO P4?

Which is better in the wet, Defender or CINTURA/TO P4?

Michelin Defender, 73 vs 57 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Defender or CINTURA/TO P4?

Michelin Defender, 73 vs 56 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Defender or CINTURA/TO P4?

Michelin Defender, 71 vs 57 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Defender or CINTURA/TO P4?

Michelin Defender, 69 vs 58 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