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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Defender2 vs Uniroyal Tiger Paw GTZ All Season 2 — Compared

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

Defender2 is ahead, 78–51

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Tire AMichelin

Defender2

All Season

Tests 64 · 2 tests Owners 87 · 11,218 reviews

Best test result: #10 of 11 in 2024 TireRack All Season and Weather Tyre Test (overall ranking)

“I just turned 58K miles on my OEMs in my long-range RWD Premium. There is still some tread left--these are rated at 55K miles--but I'm also anticipating needing to replace them before too much longer. Pretty sure they will last well on one more road trip (Las Vegas/Los Angeles from the Bay Area). While replacing them with the same is...fine...I'm also seeing good reviews for the Defender2. And that, as well as a better price ($253 each, $1040 total including installation and fees at Costco) and a better warranty (80K) is what I'm leaning toward. I don't drive aggressively, I don't need severe weather capability, and my primary considerations are range, costs, and durability, so am I missing anything in going for these?”

Tire BUniroyal

Tiger Paw GTZ All Season 2

Tests – · 1 test Owners – · none yet

Best test result: #16 of 19 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires (overall ranking)

Category by category

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

  1. 80

    Dry

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceDefender2Tiger Paw GTZ All Season 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)73–
    Reviews found online90–
  2. 74

    Wet

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceDefender2Tiger Paw GTZ All Season 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)64–
    Reviews found online88–
  3. 59

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceDefender2Tiger Paw GTZ All Season 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)46–
    Reviews found online77–
  4. 79

    Comfort

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceDefender2Tiger Paw GTZ All Season 2
    Reviews found online88–
  5. 78

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceDefender2Tiger Paw GTZ All Season 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)73–
    Reviews found online85–
  6. 78

    Treadwear

    Defender2 +27
    51
    Why this score
    SourceDefender2Tiger Paw GTZ All Season 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–46
    Reviews found online87–
  7. 88

    Handling

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceDefender2Tiger Paw GTZ All Season 2
    Reviews found online88–
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Defender2Uniroyal Tiger Paw GTZ All Season 2
Relative Score 78 51
Dry 80 –
Wet 74 –
Snow 59 –
Comfort 79 –
Noise 78 –
Treadwear 78 51
Handling 88 –

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

Weight the categories that matter to you

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

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Recomputed
Headline score

Defender2

Tiger Paw GTZ All Season 2

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryDefender2Tiger Paw GTZ All Season 2ΔBoth?
Overall Ranking Overall 10% #10/11 · 2024 TireRack All Season and Weather Tyre Test 17% #16/19 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires −6.7 Different tests

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 Tiger Paw GTZ All Season 2

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Michelin Defender2

Positive

Community sentiment toward the Michelin Defender2 is strongly positive, with owners widely praising its exceptional tread life, durability, and 80k-mile warranty. Many drivers and EV owners report excellent longevity and efficiency, though some note elevated road noise compared to premium touring tires or question its necessity for low-mileage driving.

bobistheoilguy.com ·8 upvotes ·2026-05-11

“Taking advantage of Michelin's $80 rebate that runs until 5/23/26, I bought four 225/65R17 Michelin Defender2 tires for my wife's '21 Rav4. I took them home with me and the production dates are 4425 so that is less than a year old and I'm ok with that. I plan to have them mounted this fall after I put on her winter tires. It will also be a good time to put new batteries in her tire pressure sensors although I have never done that before. Last time they see daylight before they go to the basement for storage until fall.”
teslamotorsclub.com ·2 upvotes ·2025-03-13

“I have put Michelin Defender2 on my Model Y P right when I got it. I have driven 62k miles on them and they have plenty life left. Very impressed with their longevity. I didn't drive the Pilot Sport enough to really be able to compare, but the Defender2 is definitely not a performance tire. Efficiency is pretty amazing. I just drove from Dallas to Orlando and my average was 268 Wh/m going at the speed limit of 65 to 75. Road noise could be better, but part of it is that the Y is so well sound insulated from other noises that tire noise is the loudest thing left. It is far less noisy overall than my Model S was. So it might appear noisier only because the other noises are so reduced.”
mbworld.org

“I have Mercedes GLE 350 2018 with Scorpion Verde 255/50/19 R 107H. Drove 45 K miles in 4 years on it and still have 35% left. Got it slightly damaged on the side but still driveable so i am thinking about changing tires. For the same size, what would be better Michelin Defender2 or Primacy Tour A/S? Prefer quiet/smooth ride/noise isolation/safety.Never accelerate too fast/slalom or overusing breaks. Driving in Los Angeles. Max 80 mph/no quick turns. Thought that Primacy Tour A/S should be better for my needs as above, but read bad reviews (very low usable tire mileage ~ 35000 miles, wobbly, bad when raining) vs great for Defender2”
Top themes
#tread life longevity#80k mileage warranty#EV efficiency and range#road noise trade-off#comparison to CrossClimate2#speed rating fitment issues#ride comfort

Based on 24 community posts

Tire B

Uniroyal Tiger Paw GTZ All Season 2

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Defender2 B · Uniroyal Tiger Paw GTZ All Season 2
CategoryAll Season—
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
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

Uniroyal Tiger Paw GTZ All Season 2

Winner: Michelin Defender2 — better treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender2 scores 78 vs 51 on treadwear.

Tire A · Michelin Defender2
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Tire B · Uniroyal Tiger Paw GTZ All Season 2
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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.

78

Leads

Defender2

Amazon