Michelin Defender VS Michelin Premier: Which One is Better?

Are you wondering what to choose between the Michelin Defender and Premier A/S?
The Michelin Defender and Premier are the two most recent additions to Michelin’s all season tire categories.

Brand loyalists may be torn apart when a company offers two products that appear to be similar but released at different intervals.

Does launching something at a later date mean that it is better? You never know until you try them out. Our review will aim to deliver Michelin followers from the aforementioned dilemma.

First, it’s important to note that both are great all-season tires, are quiet and represent the true hallmark of quality that Michelin stands for. However, each tire serves a very unique purpose and we intend to get down to which is the better tire of the two by breaking down what each has to offer.

Do follow through.

The Michelin Defender T + H is the latest entry to the all-season tire line-up. It is an all-season tire suitable for passenger cars and minivans with exceptionally great handling and extended tire tread life.
This tire stands out against competition with its all-season safety and longevity.

The Michelin Defender is built with IntelliSipe Technology™ which gives the tires exceptional grip and maximizes the number of sipes in the tire to enable you to brake confidently.

This braking technology also means that the Defender will stop up to 31 feet shorter than other standard all-season tires.

Technologies

In addition, the manufacturer has added the icing on the cake by fitting specialized rain grooves on its walls to increase hydroplane resistance. Driving in wet places will no longer be an extreme sport for you.

This tire is also crafted with Michelin Comfort Control Technology ™ that guarantees you a comfortable ride by limiting road noise and unwanted vibrations. That means you will get miles of a quiet and comfortable ride from these wheels.

A combination of the interlocking action of IntelliSipe technology and MaxTouch Construction delivers an awe-inspiring tread life and provides driver value.

These tires optimize the tire and road contact during acceleration, cornering, and braking in addition to giving an outstanding tread block rigidity.

What are the customers saying?

The Michelin Defender T + H is definitely giving consumers value for their money by being the longest lasting tire in comparison to its predecessors.

The previous defender tires did not give users many miles from the tread despite its popularity on the onset of 2012. T + H delivers a compact all-around solid performance and superb dry and wet traction.

To be fair, not every all- season tire is good in deep snow or ice and we, therefore, don’t hold it against the T + H that its performance is limited in such conditions.

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The Michelin Premier A/S reflects the top-notch quality of a tire you would expect from Michelin as an apex manufacturer. This tire is a passenger vehicle (minivans/cars) all season tire with some mind-blowing features.

It will give you superb traction in both dry and muddy terrain and also provides great braking and stopping. It also offers a smooth, comfortable and quiet ride that makes it the best replacement for whatever tires you’re currently using.

Performance

Despite the fact that the Premier A/S isn’t designed to move on heavy ice and snow, it still exudes great performance on wet, slick roads.

To combat the ice issue, the treads have large amounts of sunflower oil that keeps the rubber softer and flexible at low temperatures which enables it to grip snow in winter conditions. The tires can, therefore, move on light snow and slush and that makes our tire an all (3 season) tire.

This excellent feature is attributed to the design of the tread and general tire.

Thanks to Michelin’s EverGrip technology, the tire’s grooves expand when driving on wet surfaces to increase traction and to give you a smooth ride.

The grooves also widen when the tire wears so as to provide more traction. Say after 10 years, you can still expect the cornering to be tight and handling to be superb even when going through dry or wet conditions.

What are the customers saying?

The selling point that keeps people buying the Premier A/S is the mantra that ‘it’s safe when new and safe when worn.’
This tire suits your driving needs especially when you live in places that stay a little bit wet than other states (e.g. Pacific Northwest).

When riding through a cross-grooved concrete expressway section, these tires are not very quiet as the treads generate a distinctive tone that plays over the noise from the wind and traffic.

Despite that, consumers give this tire very good grades in regards to its performance and most especially ride quality.

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Which One is Better?

Before looking into the winner, it is important to note that Michelin as a brand delivers the safest, most fuel efficient and durable tires to grace the tire manufacturing industry.

Michelin believes that mobility is a key part of human development and the DNA of this company’s innovation forever aims to contribute to tire safety and comfort when driving.

The company pushes the potential of its products to the limit by participating in the world’s premier open-racing series in order to prove its technological superiority on a large number of vehicles. It also takes the same opportunity to improve its performance and benchmark with other manufacturers on the same platform.

That being said, you can expect our aforementioned Michelin products to give you ultimate performance with no trade-offs.

On one hand, we have the Michelin Premier A/S with a higher speed rating and a softer tread compound that offers sharp steering inputs and delivers an immediate response during lane changes. On the other, we have the Michelin defender that boasts of a longer tread life warranty, ride comfort, and is perfect for the non-aggressive driver.

A combined T + H speed rating also allows it to be used on a wide range of vehicles including an Audi A4 or BMW 3 Series which require an H-speed rated tire.

Key features of Michelin tires

Worth considering an alternative

The Milestar Sport is also worth considering as an alternative to Michelin tires. It is an all-season, asymmetric high-performance tire perfect for the new-age sport and performance vehicles.

Milestar products are manufactured with an aim of setting the bar in regards to quality and high performance. Their products are a diverse assortment of Ultra-High Performance, High Performance, Light Truck, Commercial Medium Radial Truck, and Passenger applications. This company is known for making the best products for tire replacements.

This is a budget brand company of some of the least expensive tires in the industry so you won’t find a lot of extras being built into the tires.

But all the same, the tires are reliable and have tread designs for all-season and summer performance applications, SUV highway tires and all-terrain touring applications.

In addition, Milestar tires are associated with longevity and reduce downtime associated with blowouts especially for heavy-duty trucks in their routine operations. So you know we are not playing when we push in the Milestar MS932 Sport into the list as a Michelin alternative all season tire. It is definitely worth taking a shot at.

Key features

Product description

The Milestar MS932 is tailored to offer reliable all-season traction, cornering grip, increased handling and a super comfy ride. It is designed with rounded shoulders with large tread blocks that improve dry pavement traction and enhance cornering power.

To enhance traction and performance on wet roads, this tire is fitted with wide circumferential grooves and added sipes around the tread to expel water from under the tire and limit the chances of hydroplaning. It offers traction in light snow but it wasn’t designed to maneuver through deeper amounts of snow and ice.

Additionally, the MS932 is stocked in a huge variety of sizes from 14 to 20-inch sizes and features a V speed rating.

This tire will fit an Audi A or S series, Chrysler 300, Infiniti G35, Hyundai Elantra, Cadillac DeVille, Land Rover Range Rover, Mercedes, C, E, and S Cass only to mention but a few.

What are the customers saying?

Road noise has been an issue with these tires but they make up for it with some first-rate traction and cornering performance suitable for any sporty vehicle.
It has proven to provide the user with a comfortable ride whether it is a simple ride on the city streets or out on the interstate.

You can also depend on the Milestar MS932 Sport to deliver excellent traction in the rain but it still falls short in performance in deep snow and ice. But we have seen that as a common issue with all the other all-season tires we have reviewed.

The good news is that this tire offers solid performance at a relatively cheaper cost than all the other big name brands in the all-season tire category. You will definitely not sacrifice a single thing with the Milestar MS932 sport.

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FAQ and a Buying Guide

Contents:

Is the Michelin defender good in snow?

The Michelin Defender may not perform quite well in deep snow but it can get you through a lightly snowy surface.

The Michelin Defender is constructed with both interdependent tread blocks and Michelin’s IntelliSipe technology that provides zigzag interlocking sipes around the tire. This assists in delivering superb wet traction and together with the tire’s biting edges, it enhances their performance on snow-covered surfaces.

What is the warranty on Michelin defender tires?

The manufacturer offers an 80, 000 mile or 6-year limited warranty on this tires. The mileage is sliced by half when different tire sizes are used on the front and rear of a vehicle. The tire’s uniformity is however guaranteed for the first 2/32 inch or first year of wear.
Workmanship and materials are also guaranteed for 6 years inclusive of free replacements during the first 2/32 inch of wear.

Michelin then prorates out the amount for the final 2/32 inch of tread depth on the tire.
The company also sweetens the deal by offering a 3-year flat tire changing service and a 30-day customer service guarantee. If you are not satisfied with the performance of your tires, you can swap them with a different model or get a full refund. Michelin sure knows how to keep the customer happy.

Are there any recalls on Michelin tires?

On December 2013, Michelin issued a voluntary recall of about 1.3 million defective tires that were sold in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The issue was that the tires had increased tread separation which may have resulted in loss of control and serious injury when the vehicles got on the road. The tires in question were the Michelin LTX M/S LT 225/75R16 115/12R LRE.

Ford estimated that about 600,000 of the recalled tires were used in Ford E-series vans. Michelin gave its consumers the option of visiting authorized retail locations to have them changed for free and followed through to send letters to the customers to explain the issue and offer guidance.

Are Michelin premier tires good in snow?

This tire performs well in wintery conditions as an all-season tire. It provides good traction and handling in a light snow and ice trickle. However, it’s fuel efficiency and performance declines when required to maneuver through a huge buildup of snow.

What are Milestar tires?

Milestar tires are developed by Tireco, Inc. and are for passenger vehicles, SUVs, light, and medium trucks. They guarantee consumer safety, performance, and value at an affordable price. Milestar tires are perfect for all weather conditions and guarantee you a smooth drive and peace of mind even in challenging road conditions.

Where are Milestar tires made?

Milestar tires are owned and marketed by Tireco, Inc. that is a distribution company and private brand marketer based in the United States. Currently, their headquarters are in Gardena, California. They have a vast network of national distributors and they run one of the country’s largest tire warehouses at Fontana, California.

OUR TAKE

There is no doubt that as the Michelin Defender and Premier stand head to head, they are still among the best all-season tires available today.

Milestar is also a good pick if you are working on a budget and still need something with first-rate performance. However, as you can tell from the overall review, there is minimal difference between the all-season tires and it all depends on your terrain and the type of vehicle you own or intend to buy.

To make the best decision, it is prudent to have a discussion with a professional on tires, say a Michelin or Milestar representative, on your driving conditions and habits.

Another good hack for getting the best tires is to shop all available options by keying in the type of vehicle you have. That way you can pick out the best tires that perfectly fit your needs. Good luck and stay safe driving.