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Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v vs Michelin Defender LTX M/S — 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 0 + 1 road tests and 11 + 11 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 79–70

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Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v
Tire AYokohama

iceGUARD iG51v

Premium Touring Winter tire

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 68 · 11 reviews

Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Tire BMichelin

Defender LTX M/S

All Season

± 7Provisional

Tests – · 1 test Owners 83 · 11 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 13 in 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck 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.

  1. 70

    Dry

    Defender LTX M/S +9
    79
    Why this score
    SourceiceGUARD iG51vDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 75 (est.)
    Reviews found online7184

    iceGUARD iG51v: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 71.2 = 70

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 84.3 = 79

    No road tests of dry for iceGUARD iG51v. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

    No road tests of dry for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 77

    Wet

    Defender LTX M/S +5
    82
    Why this score
    SourceiceGUARD iG51vDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 76 (est.)≈ 79 (est.)
    Reviews found online8086

    iceGUARD iG51v: 60% × 75.6 (est.) + 40% × 79.6 = 77

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.9 (est.) + 40% × 85.6 = 82

    No road tests of wet for iceGUARD iG51v. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 74

    Snow

    Level
    74
    Why this score
    SourceiceGUARD iG51vDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7677

    iceGUARD iG51v: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 75.8 = 74

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.4 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74

    No road tests of snow for iceGUARD iG51v. 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 LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 69

    Comfort

    Defender LTX M/S +6
    75
    Why this score
    SourceiceGUARD iG51vDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6978

    iceGUARD iG51v: 40% × 68.7 (est.) + 60% × 68.8 = 69

    Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.5 (est.) + 60% × 77.6 = 75

    No road tests of comfort for iceGUARD iG51v. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 63

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceiceGUARD iG51vDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)–
    Reviews found online57–

    iceGUARD iG51v: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 57.4 = 63

    No road tests of noise for iceGUARD iG51v. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 56

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +24
    80
    Why this score
    SourceiceGUARD iG51vDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 60 (est.)75
    Reviews found online4986

    iceGUARD iG51v: 60% × 60.3 (est.) + 40% × 49 = 56

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 75.4 + 40% × 86.3 = 80

    No road tests of treadwear for iceGUARD iG51v. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. –

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    82
    Why this score
    SourceiceGUARD iG51vDefender LTX M/S
    Reviews found online–82
Scores at a glance
CategoryYokohama iceGUARD iG51vMichelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 70 79
Dry 70 79
Wet 77 82
Snow 74 74
Comfort 69 75
Noise 63 –
Treadwear 56 80
Handling (owners) – 82

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
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.

Neutral
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
± 8

iceGUARD iG51v

± 7

Defender LTX M/S

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 iceGUARD iG51v

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Tire B Defender LTX M/S

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and long-term durability, often exceeding 60,000 miles
  • Smooth, quiet, and comfortable highway ride quality
  • Strong traction and secure handling in wet, dry, and moderate snow conditions

Cons

  • High initial purchase price compared to competitors
  • Subpar off-road performance, specifically struggling in mud, sand, and loose gravel
  • Limited ice performance compared to dedicated winter tires
All owner themes in the Defender LTX M/S review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
CategoryPremium Touring Winter tireAll Season
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4SUV and 4x4
Tread depth13/32″—
UTQG—720 - 800 B A
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better treadwear, dry and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score. Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional. Michelin Defender LTX M/S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 80 vs 56 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 70 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 75 vs 69 on comfort.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 77 on wet.

Tire A · Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v
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Tire B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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iceGUARD iG51v or Defender LTX M/S?

Which is better in the wet, iceGUARD iG51v or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 82 vs 77 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, iceGUARD iG51v or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 70 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, iceGUARD iG51v or Defender LTX M/S?

Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 74 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, iceGUARD iG51v or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 75 vs 69 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, iceGUARD iG51v or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 vs 56 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