Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 2 + 1 road tests and 11,218 + 34 owner reviews. How we score
Defender2 leads, 76–72 Narrow edge
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Tests 64 · 2 tests Owners 89 · 11,218 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test (noise (tester's mark))
“I just ordered Michelin Defender 2 for our 15 Outback . We've had 2 sets of Yokohama YK-CTX after OEM which only lasted about 20k (first set) and 25k (second set). I've had Michelin Defender (orig) and Michelin Defender2 on our Ford Taurus. Very comfortable and great tread life.”
Tests – · 1 test Owners 74 · 34 reviews
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Defender2 | AVID Ascend LX |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests | 73 | ≈ 72 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 92 | 78 |
| Dry Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 100% | 94% |
| Dry Circle (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 100% | 99% |
Defender2: 60% × 72.7 + 40% × 92.1 = 80
AVID Ascend LX: 60% × 72.4 (est.) + 40% × 78.4 = 75
No road tests of dry for AVID Ascend LX. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
| Source | Defender2 | AVID Ascend LX |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests | 64 | ≈ 73 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 93 | 75 |
| Wet Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 98% | 91% |
| Wet Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 99% | 98% |
Defender2: 60% × 63.8 + 40% × 92.7 = 75
AVID Ascend LX: 60% × 73.2 (est.) + 40% × 75.1 = 74
No road tests of wet for AVID Ascend LX. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
| Source | Defender2 | AVID Ascend LX |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests | 46 | ≈ 67 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 80 | 61 |
| Ice Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 95% | 89% |
| Snow Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 | 71% | 77% |
| Snow Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 | 90% | 93% |
Defender2: 60% × 46.3 + 40% × 79.6 = 60
AVID Ascend LX: 60% × 67.2 (est.) + 40% × 61.3 = 65
No road tests of snow for AVID Ascend LX. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
| Source | Defender2 | AVID Ascend LX |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 73 (est.) | ≈ 70 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 88 | 74 |
| Comfort (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–0 | 88% | 88% |
Defender2: 40% × 72.7 (est.) + 60% × 88.3 = 82
AVID Ascend LX: 40% × 70 (est.) + 60% × 73.9 = 72
No road tests of comfort for Defender2 or AVID Ascend LX. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Defender2 | AVID Ascend LX |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests | 73 | 63 |
| Reviews found online | 87 | 76 |
| Noise (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 97% | 85% |
Defender2: 60% × 73.4 + 40% × 87.3 = 79
AVID Ascend LX: 60% × 62.8 + 40% × 76.4 = 68
| Source | Defender2 | AVID Ascend LX |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 74 (est.) | ≈ 69 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 89 | 75 |
Defender2: 60% × 74 (est.) + 40% × 88.9 = 80
AVID Ascend LX: 60% × 69.1 (est.) + 40% × 74.7 = 71
No road tests of treadwear for Defender2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
No road tests of treadwear for AVID Ascend LX. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
| Source | Defender2 | AVID Ascend LX |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 89 | – |
| Category | Michelin Defender2 | Yokohama AVID Ascend LX |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 76 | 72 |
| Dry | 80 | 75 |
| Wet | 75 | 74 |
| Snow | 60 | 65 |
| Comfort | 82 | 72 |
| Noise | 79 | 68 |
| Treadwear | 80 | 71 |
| Handling (owners) | 89 | – |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Defender2
AVID Ascend LX
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.
In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Michelin Defender2 finished ahead 1 times and Yokohama AVID Ascend LX 0 times.
| Discipline | Category | Defender2 | AVID Ascend LX | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 100% | 94% | +6.5 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) · 215/55R17 |
| Dry Circle | Dry | 100% | 99% | +1.2 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) · 215/55R17 |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 98% | 91% | +7.0 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) · 215/55R17 |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 99% | 98% | +1.3 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) · 215/55R17 |
| Ice Braking | Snow | 95% | 89% | +5.9 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) · 215/55R17 |
| Snow Braking | Snow | 71% | 77% | −5.8 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) · 215/55R17 |
| Snow Handling | Snow | 90% | 93% | −3.0 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) · 215/55R17 |
| Comfort (tester's mark) | Comfort | 88% | 88% | 0.0 | 0–0 in 1 shared test Newest: Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) · 215/55R17 |
| Noise (tester's mark) | Noise | 97% | 85% | +12.2 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) · 215/55R17 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Road Rating (tester's mark) | Other | 100% | 100% | 0.0 | 0–0 in 1 shared test Newest: Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) · 215/55R17 |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #4/7 | #6/7 | – | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: Tire Rack Touring All-Season Tire Test (November 2025) · 215/55R17 |
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
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.
“Michelin Defender2 LTX M/S are excellent tires IMO. Quiet and good all around. Or the KO3 but there have a more aggressive look.”
“I just ordered Michelin Defender 2 for our 15 Outback . We've had 2 sets of Yokohama YK-CTX after OEM which only lasted about 20k (first set) and 25k (second set). I've had Michelin Defender (orig) and Michelin Defender2 on our Ford Taurus. Very comfortable and great tread life.”
“Swapped the OEM 19s for the 18" TSportLine wheels I had on our 2022 MYP. I installed new Michelin Defender2 tires sized 235/55s last June and they have 9K miles on them and look brand new. The complement the Stealth Gray nicely. I do miss the RED clippers the MYP had. The car was PERFECT at delivery and continues to amaze us with each mile. Just turned 167 miles. HW4 is a game changer.”
Based on 24 community posts
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
| Attribute | A · Michelin Defender2 | B · Yokohama AVID Ascend LX |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season | All-Season tire |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 1 | 39 |
| Rim diameters | 18″ | 15″ – 18″ |
| Tread depth | 10 - 11/32″ | 11/32″ |
| UTQG | 840 B B | 800 A A |
| Treadwear warranty | 80,000 mi | 85,000 mi |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | 50 - 51 psi | 51 psi |
Michelin Defender2
Yokohama AVID Ascend LX
Narrow edge: Michelin Defender2 — better noise, comfort and treadwear. Pick the Yokohama AVID Ascend LX if snow matters most to you.
Michelin Defender2 scores 79 vs 68 on noise.
Michelin Defender2 scores 82 vs 72 on comfort.
Michelin Defender2 scores 80 vs 71 on treadwear.
Michelin Defender2 scores 80 vs 75 on dry.
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Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 74 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Michelin Defender2, 80 vs 75 on our dry score.
Yokohama AVID Ascend LX, 65 vs 60 on our snow score.
Michelin Defender2, 79 vs 68 on our noise score.
Michelin Defender2, 82 vs 72 on our comfort score.
Michelin Defender2, 80 vs 71 on our treadwear score.
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
