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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Defender2 vs Pirelli Scorpion All Season SF3 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Defender2 leads, 76–75 Narrow edge

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Tire AMichelin

Defender2

All Season

Tests 65 · 2 tests Owners 87 · 11,218 reviews

“Michelin CC2 or Defender2 or Continental crosscontact LX25?? For 2019 Honda Crv. I heard a lot of pros for these tires in the following order. CC2 --> Defender2 --> LX25 But Cons which i what i like to know about.. CC2 - lots of reviews on mpg hit. Defender2 - Not sure if also has mpg hit. Lx25 - I have a friend who is already 20k on it and tire looks new and didn't mention about any mpg hit for him Thank you. Update: Thank you for all your valuable reviews, I have ordered these from Costco and should get them rolling soon. MICHELIN DEFENDER2 AS 235/60R18 107H XL BSW ALL SEASON TIRE. Read more”

Category by category

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

  1. 80

    Dry

    Defender2 +4
    76
    Why this score
    SourceDefender2Scorpion All Season SF3
    Professional tests (TWG score)73–
    Reviews found online9080
  2. 74

    Wet

    Scorpion All Season SF3 +6
    80
    Why this score
    SourceDefender2Scorpion All Season SF3
    Professional tests (TWG score)65–
    Reviews found online8883
  3. 59

    Snow

    Scorpion All Season SF3 +14
    73
    Why this score
    SourceDefender2Scorpion All Season SF3
    Professional tests (TWG score)47–
    Reviews found online7775
  4. 79

    Comfort

    Defender2 +7
    72
    Why this score
    SourceDefender2Scorpion All Season SF3
    Reviews found online8876
  5. 78

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceDefender2Scorpion All Season SF3
    Professional tests (TWG score)73–
    Reviews found online85–
  6. 78

    Treadwear

    Defender2 +8
    70
    Why this score
    SourceDefender2Scorpion All Season SF3
    Reviews found online8772
  7. 88

    Handling

    Defender2 +9
    79
    Why this score
    SourceDefender2Scorpion All Season SF3
    Reviews found online8879
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Defender2Pirelli Scorpion All Season SF3
Relative Score 76 75
Dry 80 76
Wet 74 80
Snow 59 73
Comfort 79 72
Noise 78 –
Treadwear 78 70
Handling 88 79

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

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Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Recomputed
Headline score

Defender2

Scorpion All Season SF3

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 Defender2

Pros

  • Long-lasting tread life and high mileage capability
  • Confident dry and wet traction with stable handling
  • Quiet and smooth ride quality on specific vehicles and highway surfaces

Cons

  • Stiffer, harder ride compared to original equipment or older models
  • Noticeable road noise and lack of noise absorption on certain pavement types
  • Reduced fuel economy (MPG) reported by multiple users
All owner themes in the Defender2 review

Tire B Scorpion All Season SF3

Pros

  • Exceptional wet and dry road grip
  • Low noise levels and quiet, comfortable highway ride
  • Sporty handling with good turn-in response and reduced understeer

Cons

  • Potential for rapid tread wear based on historical Scorpion models (though long-term wear on the SF3 is still being evaluated)
  • Road feedback could be slightly improved
  • Not optimized for extreme off-road use like deep mud
All owner themes in the Scorpion All Season SF3 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Michelin Defender2

Positive

The Michelin Defender2 is widely praised by the community as a top-tier all-season tire, frequently compared favorably against alternatives like the CrossClimate2 and Continental LX25. Users highlight its exceptional tread life, excellent Consumer Reports rankings, and balanced performance, though minor concerns exist regarding speed rating requirements and rare individual complaints.

r/tires ·2024-01-30

“I am sick from New Michelin Defender2 tires. Need recommendation of all season tires with less offgassing of toxic chemicals. Short of breath and nasal congestion from 3 brand new Michelin Defender2 tires offgassing on my SUV. Tires consist of approximately 400 chemicals. What is the half life of their offgassing? I am considering replacing them with Hanhook Kinergy tires. Has anyone smelled them? Read more”
r/tires ·3 upvotes ·2025-02-08

“Michelin Defender2 for handling, comfort, and noise? Vehicle is a 2008 Honda Accord LX Sedan. 215/60/R16. I prefer A/S tires and only drive in a warm dry climate with occasional rain (southern CA) I know that Michelins are generally considered the best tire maker but the main advantage of the Defender2's seems to be their excellent durability and tread life. The thing is I have an older car and although I love it I'll probably be selling it within 4yrs. In addition I only average around 6000 miles per year. So I would rather have tires that are more focused on providing a balance of ride quality, comfort, and handling while I have the car. I can get Turanza Quiettracks for about the same price also from Costco so maybe these or another tire might be better suited for my needs? Thanks for reading. Read more”
Top themes
#long tread life#consumer reports ranking#all season performance#fuel economy impact#tire comparisons

Based on 5 community posts

Tire B

Pirelli Scorpion All Season SF3

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Defender2 B · Pirelli Scorpion All Season SF3
CategoryAll SeasonAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Sizes available120
Rim diameters18″17″ – 21″
Tread depth10 - 11/32″—
UTQG840 B B—
Treadwear warranty80,000 mi—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure50 - 51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Defender2

Pirelli Scorpion All Season SF3

Too close to call: Michelin Defender2 and Pirelli Scorpion All Season SF3 are within 2 points overall. Michelin Defender2 is stronger on handling, treadwear and comfort. Pirelli Scorpion All Season SF3 is stronger on snow and wet.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Pirelli Scorpion All Season SF3 scores 73 vs 59 on snow.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender2 scores 88 vs 79 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender2 scores 78 vs 70 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Defender2 scores 79 vs 72 on comfort.

Tire A · Michelin Defender2
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Tire B · Pirelli Scorpion All Season SF3
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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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

76

Narrow edge

Defender2

Amazon