Which is quieter Michelin Defender or Premier

Q: Is Michelin Defender a quiet tire?

Night or day, rain or shine, our Defender® Tires offer long lasting mileage with the safety you expect, and a ride as comfortable as it is quiet.

Home » Tires » Michelin Defender vs Premier – Detailed Comparison

Last Updated On
December 15, 2020

Overview

Features

Quality

Performance

Value

Rating

Overall Score

4.9

Overview

Features

Quality

Performance

Value

Rating

Overall Score

4.75

Michelin is one of the most popular tire manufacturers in the USA and Canada. They have been offering long-lasting and quality tires for decades. We’ll explore in detail two of the brand’s most popular tires in our Michelin Defender vs Premier guide

First, it should be pointed out that both tires are excellent all-season tires, very quiet, and of course, by Michelin standards.

Tips for Buying New Car Tires

Whether you are buying summer, winter, or all-season tires, you can always choose between expensive or cheaper tires.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages. For example, budget tires can be half the cost of premium tires, but premium tires last much longer.

No one will blame you if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a set of tires. It’s perfectly acceptable to take the cheaper ones, but keep in mind that they wear out and lose performance faster. A budget tire is recommended for drivers who don’t drive many miles and mostly drive around the city.

If you’re looking for more affordable budget tires, check out our tire review.

Premium tires should give you a superior driving feel. They’re more comfortable, quieter, use less fuel, and last longer. If money isn’t too much of a problem for you, especially if you’re driving often and working a lot of mileage, premium tires should be your first choice. The price difference will pay off over the years of comfortable use.

Before you buy new tires, determine the correct size. It’s better to buy low cost, budget tires than used tires. Don’t buy used tires as you don’t know the service time of the tires and if possible, buy all four tires at once.

What Are All-Season Tires

Michelin defender vs premier tires are both all-season tires.

All-season, or four-season tires, are hybrid tires that can be driven at between -10 degrees celsius and 30 degrees celsius. What’s their secret to performing well in winter or summer? They combine the characteristics of summer and winter tires, which enables safe driving in dry and wet conditions, as well as on snow.

This is a key advantage of all-season tires over summer tires, as despite not being as powerful as winter tires (which remain the ultimate snow tires), they provide mobility and safety in most winter conditions.

Michelin Defender Tires

The Michelin Defender is a family of long-lasting tires in all kinds of weather, rain, snow or sun and hot weather. They offer a very comfortable ride, with the newest technologies, and are very quiet tires.

Michelin currently offers two types of Defender tires, Michelin Defender T+H tires and Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires.

We will look into Michelin Defender T+H tires, which are suitable for passenger cars.

Michelin Defender T+H Tires

It’s a Michelin standard touring all-season tire and suitable for drivers of minivans, coupes, family sedans, and passenger cars. It’s one of the longest-lasting tires among leading competitive tires.

The tire promises a mileage warranty of up to 80,000 miles and a standard limited warranty of 6 years.

The Defender is built with IntelliSipe technology to maximize vehicle grip and control in all seasons. It also has an EverTread compound to offer more durability. With MaxTouch Construction, it ensures tire contact force is evenly distributed to maximize the wheel’s tread life.

It also has a Comfort Control technology built-in, which offers a comfortable ride with a minimized noise on the road.

Pros

Good performance on both wet and dry roads.
Long tread life and high durability.
Very long mileage warranty.
Good value for the price, as it’s one of the more affordable tires from the Defender group of tires.

Cons

Responsiveness time of the tire is average.
Doesn’t perform well in heavy snow or on icy roads.

What Do Customers Say?

Everyone who buys something new first looks at the reviews.

There are a lot of mixed reviews, some good and some bad. As expected, not everything suits everybody.

So let’s look at some of the positives and negatives of the Michelin Defender T+H tires:

The Positives

Most of the customers are impressed with the durability and reduced wear of the tires. They say they offer a very smooth and enjoyable ride. The tires have excellent traction and control stability, and also very good light snow traction.

The Negatives

Most of the negative comments are that the tires wore out sooner than expected and didn’t make it to the promised 80.000 miles. They also say they’re not as quiet as expected from the description. So for some of the customers, the tires didn’t reach the expectations of the mileage warranty.

Michelin Premier Tires

Michelin Premier also has two new types of tires in its line: the Michelin Premier A/S and Premier LTX. Both are also all-season tires with the latest technology for the highest comfort while driving.

We will look into Michelin Premier A/S tires, which are suitable for passenger cars.

Michelin Premier A/S

It’s an all-season tire, with luxury touring performance, and is suitable for passenger cars and minivans.

The mileage warranty is for up to 60,000 miles, which is less than our previously reviewed Michelin Defender tires, but still very good.

It has EverGrip wet-braking technology built-in, which allows shorter stops and braking on wet roads. The EverGrip compound is smeared with sunflower oil that keeps the tire flexible and soft in low temperatures, making it move effortlessly in light snow.

Comfort control technology reduces vibrations and road noise, making the tire very quiet while driving.

The tire is still very safe, even when it’s already half worn out because of the EverGrip compound.

Pros

Long tread life.
Very quiet tire allowing for comfortable rides even on bumpy roads.
Good braking and grip on dry and wet roads.
Very good and quick responsiveness of the tires.

Cons

Not for heavy snow or icy roads.
Expensive.
Short mileage compared to some other similar quality tires.

What Do Customer Say

The customer is always right, as the saying goes.

Let’s look into some good and bad customer reviews of the Michelin Premier A/S tires.

The Positives

Most comments say that the tires have an outstanding grip on the road and excellent braking on dry and wet roads. They also comment about the very long tire life span.

They perform very well on wet roads and have very good traction in light snow. Tires meet customer expectations of 60,000 miles or more, as promised on their official website.

The Negatives

The negative comments mostly say that the tire is not as quiet as promised, especially after some mileage. They also notice problems with wet handling issues when the tire is half worn and state that the tread life of the front tires is shorter than promised 60,000 miles.

There was a bit of conflict from the customer’s comments.

A Comparison Between Michelin Defender T+H and Michelin Premier A/S

Most people will think that both of the tires are very similar, which is not true. The Michelin Defender T+H tire has a longer tread life, and the Michelin Premier A/S has a longer speed rating.

So let’s compare both of them to see the differences and similarities.

Dry Road Performance

Michelin Defender T+H

These tires have MaxTouch technology built-in, which allows braking at higher speeds. They have exceptional stability when speeding, very short braking distance, and they’re considerably quiet.

Michelin Premier A/S

These tires also have a really good braking distance and precise cornering on the road. They aren’t as quiet as Michelin Defender T+H but still offer a very comfortable driving experience. Because of the Evertread compound, they’re still very safe despite tire wear.

Wet Road Performance

Michelin Defender T+H

With the IntelliSipe technology built-in, this tire performs very well on wet roads. It allows a perfect grip and control of the vehicle on wet roads and is also designed to prevent any hydroplaning by removing water from the tread.

Michelin Premier A/S

The tire is softer and very flexible because of the sunflower oil, which allows it to have a very tight grip on wet roads. It’s also designed to remove water from the tread and prevent chances of hydroplaning. However, it does have a slightly slower braking distance on wet roads compared to the Michelin Defender.

Snow Performance

Michelin Defender T+H

Although it’s an all-season tire and does have good traction in light snow, it’s not designed for the deep, heavy snow. It also does not perform very well on icy roads. So if you live in areas that have harsh winters, with a lot of snow and ice, it would be better to get winter tires.

Michelin Premier A/S

Just like the Defender T+H tire, it’s not built for heavy snow conditions. It does pretty well in light to moderate snow; its side blocks and sipes can cut through the snow more easily. So for a mild winter, it’s a brilliant all-season tire. But still, if you live in an area with heavy winters, it’s better to get winter tires.

Mileage Warranty and Comfort

Michelin Defender T+H

The mileage warranty is 80,000 miles, for at least 6 years of tread life span. It’s one of the most long-lasting all-season tires in comparison to the competitive tires.

With Comfort Control technology, it’s a very easygoing tire with minimized road noise.

However, we must not forget that even if this tire is one of the best long-lasting tires, drivers should not forget about tire maintenance. Its longevity depends on how often you check tire pressure and if you keep the tire balanced and rotate them when needed.

To learn how to check your tire pressure, check out our full guide. Also, check our guide on how to see if your tires are balanced and how to rotate them.

Michelin Premier A/S

The mileage warranty is 60,000 miles, which is less than the Michelin Defender tires, and with at least 6 years of tread life span. Still, they’re not the most durable and long-lasting tires on the market. Even when it’s already half worn out, the tire is still very safe, thanks to the EverGrip compound.

It’s a very quiet tire, slightly more so than the Michelin Defender tire, and the Comfort Control technology reduces vibrations and makes for a very smooth drive.

Price Range

Michelin Defender T+H

The price range is between 105 to 200 dollars, depending on the size of the tires. It’s one of the most affordable tires in the Defender group.

Michelin Premier A/S

The tire’s price ranges from 116 to 263 dollars, depending on the size of the tires. They’re on the more expensive side, with occasional discounts, but it’s a very good-quality tire and worth the money.

Conclusion

The Michelin Defender T+H has a long-lasting tread life warranty, durable EverTread compound, MaxTouch Construction, and is quite affordable from the Michelin Defender line. But the Michelin Premier A/S is also an amazing premium all-season tire; it’s very quiet and comfortable, but with a little less tread life warranty. It has EverGrip wet-braking technology, making it slightly better on wet roads and snow as well, but the Michelin Defender isn’t far behind.

The Michelin Premier A/S is a little on the more expensive side, but then again, if you want premium quality, the price is suitable. The Michelin Defender T+H is also not that cheap, but it’s one of the most affordable tires from the Michelin Defender line.

In the end, it depends on what you want out of your tires, where you live, and what kind of weather conditions your area has. Also, how many miles you drive per month and your driving style. These are all the factors you should consider when deciding which tires to buy.

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Which is a better tire Michelin defender or Michelin Premier?

In general, both tires perform reliably well in all types of driving conditions apart from heavy snow. However, the Premier LTX edges out the Defender LTX regarding speed and handling.

Are Michelin defenders noisy?

Summarizing everything said above, the Michelin Defender LTX M/S offers a smooth and quiet riding experience with a decent level of traction in dry and wet conditions. This makes it a good year-round option for SUVs, vans and light trucks.