We review the Michelin Defender2 all-season touring tire designed for coupes, sedans, and crossovers. Here’s what we have found in our initial trials.
Michelin’s new Defender2 all-season grand touring tire came to market recently with the intent of maintaining its leading position as the default tire for many vehicle owners. The tire has earned praise from owners in reviews and we wished to see if it lived up to the sterling reputation it has begun to develop.
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Michelin Defender2 - Will It Fit Your Car? The Michelin Defender2 tire comes in diameters from 16-inch to 20-inch. However, most of the sizes are in the 16-18-inch range. In total, there are 38 sizes presently. Mostly for popular makes and models of vehicles. You can view a chart here to see if the Defender2 will fit your car. However, we always suggest that any shopper ask their tire retailer to verify the tire they are considering is right for their specific vehicle.
Michelin Defender2 Tires - Initial Driving Impressions We have had a chance to drive the Defender2 tires on suburban, urban, and highway roadways since the installation this past week. Here are our impressions broken down into categories. - Comfort - New tires generally feel pretty sweet, given that they have full tread, are newly balanced, and the tires that came off are worn. However, the comfort of the Defender2 tires is hard to miss. A short ride over broken-up roads reveals that they are comfortable over all surfaces. -Sound Level - The Defender2 tires are still fresh, but they seem very quiet by comparison to other all-season tires we have tested. -Handling - The biggest improvement over past tires is felt in the wheel. The Defender2 tires turn in crisply and handle very well in corners. -The Look - The Defender2 has a unique sidewall. We like the look, and suspect many shoppers will as well.
Michelin Defender2 Tires - Reviews and Ratings At Other Sites T
ire Rack customers scored the Defender2 tire a 4.5/5 in over 120 reviews. In Tire Rack testing the Defender2 also scored quite high in all categories. That includes earning a rating of Excellent in the Wet, Dry, Comfort, and Treadwear categories. Discount Tire reviewed the Defender2 and said, “If you like the Michelin Defender T+H, you’re going to love the Michelin Defender 2, its leveled-up big brother. With a slew of upgraded, updated, and entirely new features, the Defender 2 doesn’t just help you get where you need to go, it’ll make sure you have fun along the way.”
Michelin Defender2 Tires - Prices We shopped the Michelin Defender2 tire against its premium brand peers at a popular inline tire retailer. Here are the results we found. We used the 215/50R17 size as our example. Only tires in stock for immediate shipment were considered. Michelin Defender2 - $191 Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 - $189 Goodyear Assurance Comfort Drive - $193 Bridgestone Turanza Quiettrack - $209 As you can see, there is no meaningful price difference between the major premium tire brands in this category. The Michelin Defender2 is priced mid-pack, which we feel makes it a good value.
Michelin Defender2 Tires - Warranties Michelin Tires have a warranty package the company calls the Promise Plan. The plan has four main elements, as follows: -60-Day Satisfaction Guarantee -Roadside Assistance for 3 years -Manufacturer’s Limited Warranty against defects -Treadwear Warranty In the case of the Defender2, which has been designed for long life, the treadwear warranty is a whopping 80,000 miles. That is the longest treadwear warranty of any tire this author has ever tested.
Test Notes: The tires used in this long-term test were provided by Michelin. The author paid out of pocket to have them mounted and balanced. As with all of our automotive product tests, we have offered to return them when testing is concluded.
John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can follow John on Twitter, and TikTok @ToknCars, and view his credentials at Linkedin Images by John Goreham except the image of the Defender2 close-up, which is courtesy of Jay Condrick of Boston Mobile Tire.
I'm running the Michelin…
I'm running the Michelin Defender2 on my 2012 Toyota Corolla and love them. Have racked up 11k in 12 months. Smoothe ride, good handling, good gas mileage, and excellent performance in wet conditions.
In 2019, I bought a set of…
In 2019, I bought a set of Michelin Defender tires for my Ford Explorer Sport which had, 35,000 miles. The ride was smooth, comfortable, quiet, very controllable, etc. Now, the Explorer has 100,000 miles on the same set of tires and the ride is just as good. I’m getting close so I’ll buy the Defender 2 as replacements. Great tires.