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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 Toyo Proxes ST — 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 + 14 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: Defender and Proxes ST are level at 72.

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Michelin Defender
Tire AMichelin

Defender

Summer Premium Touring tires

Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 74 · 4 reviews

Toyo Proxes ST
Tire BToyo

Proxes ST

All Season

Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 73 · 14 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 +1
    72
    Why this score
    SourceDefenderProxes ST
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7675

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

    Proxes ST: 60% × 70.5 (est.) + 40% × 74.7 = 72

    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 Proxes ST. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 73

    Wet

    Proxes ST +2
    75
    Why this score
    SourceDefenderProxes ST
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online7477

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

    Proxes ST: 60% × 73.6 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 75

    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 Proxes ST. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    66
    Why this score
    SourceDefenderProxes ST
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online–64

    Proxes ST: 60% × 67.8 (est.) + 40% × 63.6 = 66

    No road tests of snow for Proxes ST. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).

  4. 71

    Comfort

    Proxes ST +1
    72
    Why this score
    SourceDefenderProxes ST
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7374

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

    Proxes ST: 60% × 70 (est.) + 40% × 74.1 = 72

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

  5. 69

    Treadwear

    Level
    69
    Why this score
    SourceDefenderProxes ST
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7272

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

    Proxes ST: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 71.7 = 69

    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 Proxes ST. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  6. 77

    Handling (owners)

    Defender +6
    71
    Why this score
    SourceDefenderProxes ST
    Reviews found online7771
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin DefenderToyo Proxes ST
Relative Score 72 72
Dry 73 72
Wet 73 75
Snow – 66
Comfort 71 72
Treadwear 69 69
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

Defender

Proxes ST

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
All owner themes in the Defender review

Tire B Proxes ST

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and long-term durability
  • Quiet and comfortable ride quality compared to other brands and run-flats
  • Strong dry and wet grip with good resistance to aquaplaning

Cons

  • Poor performance and limited traction in snow and ice
  • A small number of users experienced disappointing treadwear and longevity
  • Conflicting feedback regarding wet grip, with isolated reports of poor performance
All owner themes in the Proxes ST review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Defender B · Toyo Proxes ST
CategorySummer Premium Touring tiresAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Defender

Toyo Proxes ST

Too close to call: Michelin Defender and Toyo Proxes ST are within 2 points overall. Michelin Defender is stronger on handling. Michelin Defender rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 4 reviews), so read this result as provisional. Toyo Proxes ST rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 14 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender scores 77 vs 71 on handling.

Tire A · Michelin Defender
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Toyo Proxes ST
Check price on Amazon

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Defender or Proxes ST?

Which is better in the wet, Defender or Proxes ST?

Neither, by our numbers: 73 vs 75 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Defender or Proxes ST?

Neither, by our numbers: 73 vs 72 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Defender or Proxes ST?

Neither, by our numbers: 71 vs 72 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Defender or Proxes ST?

Neither, by our numbers: 69 vs 69 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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