Tests – · 1 test Owners 65 · 116 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Sumitomo HTR A/S P02 vs Michelin Defender T+H — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 1 + 1 road tests and 116 + 1 owner reviews. How we score
Defender T+H is ahead, 70–64
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Tests – · 1 test Owners 69 · 1 review
Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires (tested tread life (miles))
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
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69
Dry
Defender T+H +170Why this score
Source HTR A/S P02 Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 70 70 HTR A/S P02: 60% × 68.7 (est.) + 40% × 69.5 = 69
Defender T+H: 60% × 69.1 (est.) + 40% × 70.4 = 70
No road tests of dry for HTR A/S P02. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
No road tests of dry for Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
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69
Wet
Defender T+H +372Why this score
Source HTR A/S P02 Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 68 73 HTR A/S P02: 60% × 69.1 (est.) + 40% × 67.7 = 69
Defender T+H: 60% × 72.1 (est.) + 40% × 73.1 = 72
No road tests of wet for HTR A/S P02. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.54).
No road tests of wet for Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.54).
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62
Snow
Defender T+H +365Why this score
Source HTR A/S P02 Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 56 61 HTR A/S P02: 60% × 65.9 (est.) + 40% × 56.4 = 62
Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 61.4 = 65
No road tests of snow for HTR A/S P02. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
No road tests of snow for Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
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63
Comfort
Defender T+H +467Why this score
Source HTR A/S P02 Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 60 67 HTR A/S P02: 40% × 67.6 (est.) + 60% × 60.4 = 63
Defender T+H: 40% × 68.7 (est.) + 60% × 66.7 = 67
No road tests of comfort for HTR A/S P02 or Defender T+H. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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68
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source HTR A/S P02 Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) – Reviews found online 70 – HTR A/S P02: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 69.6 = 68
No road tests of noise for HTR A/S P02. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
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54
Treadwear
Defender T+H +1973Why this score
Source HTR A/S P02 Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests 46 76 Reviews found online 65 68 HTR A/S P02: 60% × 46.1 + 40% × 64.7 = 54
Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 68.3 = 73
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65
Handling (owners)
No comparison–Why this score
Source HTR A/S P02 Defender T+H Reviews found online 65 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Sumitomo HTR A/S P02 | Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 64 | 70 |
| Dry | 69 | 70 |
| Wet | 69 | 72 |
| Snow | 62 | 65 |
| Comfort | 63 | 67 |
| Noise | 68 | – |
| Treadwear | 54 | 73 |
| Handling (owners) | 65 | – |
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
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
64
/ 100
HTR A/S P02
70
/ 100
Defender T+H
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
The professional test results behind the scores
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.
| Discipline | Category | HTR A/S P02 | Defender T+H | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tested Tread Life (Miles) | Treadwear | 47% #17/19 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires | 100% #1/8 · 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires | – | Different tests |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #18/19 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires | #1/8 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires | – | Different tests |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A HTR A/S P02
Pros
- Affordable, budget-friendly pricing
- Low road noise and comfortable, smooth ride
- Responsive dry and wet handling
Cons
- Tread life occasionally falls short of expected mileage warranties
- Winter and snow traction is generally described as merely adequate or mediocre
- Some complaints regarding balancing issues or slight hydroplaning in heavy downpours
Tire B Defender T+H
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Sumitomo HTR A/S P02 | B · Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All-Season tire | Premium Touring All Season tire |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | SUV and 4x4 |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 600 A A | — |
| Treadwear warranty | 65,000 mi | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Max pressure | 51 psi | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
64
/ 100
Sumitomo HTR A/S P02
70
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better treadwear, comfort and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin Defender T+H rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 1 review), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 54 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Defender T+H scores 67 vs 63 on comfort.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Defender T+H scores 72 vs 69 on wet.
Pick tire B
You drive through snowy winters
Michelin Defender T+H scores 65 vs 62 on snow.
Tire A · Sumitomo HTR A/S P02
Tire B · Michelin Defender T+H
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HTR A/S P02 or Defender T+H?
Which is better in the wet, HTR A/S P02 or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 72 vs 69 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, HTR A/S P02 or Defender T+H?
Neither, by our numbers: 69 vs 70 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Which is better in snow, HTR A/S P02 or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 65 vs 62 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, HTR A/S P02 or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 67 vs 63 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, HTR A/S P02 or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 54 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