Michelin Defender2 

Great tire, you get your values worth noise quiet is great, dry traction is nice, Defender 2 tends to slip a little bit in dry corning traction when going tight corners however wet traction and hydrop[laning resistance is greeat I was on a road going 50mph, and out of nowhere the road had about 4 inches of standing water on it and did great i did not feel the car lose traction

Car was bought at carmax with substantial dry rot on the tires. Did a on best rated for my jeep cherokee. They recommended these and the cross climate. The cross climate were way more money for slightly better conditions. These had an 80,000 mile warranty which was insane. Once I got them, it snowed about 2 weeks later about 10 inches. I drove to work like a boss. I had one unplowed road that slipped me about 1 second and the 4x4 and tires all pulled through and muscled through it. I’ve ran Pirelli Winter tires on a FWD Mazdaspeed3 that handled about the same as these. In the rain, you wonder what a water hazard is. Haven’t experienced any hydroplaning. I’ve driven on very light ice and still haven’t had much of an issue. Done with the weather. I wanna see these in some dry heat! Very low road noise and exceptional handling and bounce resistance. Highly recommend these tires!

Car was bought at carmax with substantial dry rot on the tires. Did a on best rated for my jeep cherokee. They recommended these and the cross climate. The cross climate were way more money for slightly better conditions. These had an 80,000 mile warranty which was insane. Once I got them, it snowed about 2 weeks later about 10 inches. I drove to work like a boss. I had one unplowed road that slipped me about 1 second and the 4x4 and tires all pulled through and muscled through it. I’ve ran Pirelli Winter tires on a FWD Mazdaspeed3 that handled about the same as these. In the rain, you wonder what a water hazard is. Haven’t experienced any hydroplaning. I’ve driven on very light ice and still haven’t had much of an issue. Done with the weather. I wanna see these in some dry heat! Very low road noise and exceptional handling and bounce resistance. Highly recommend these tires!

Purchased because of ratings and past positive experience with Michelin. Tire rack purchases are always seamless. I had a local shop install the tires. These tires do everything well. It seems like they got gripier in hard cornering after about 5000 miles. Enjoy the piece of mind that my family is riding on these tires this winter.

Great tire, you get your values worth noise quiet is great, dry traction is nice, Defender 2 tends to slip a little bit in dry corning traction when going tight corners however wet traction and hydrop[laning resistance is greeat I was on a road going 50mph, and out of nowhere the road had about 4 inches of standing water on it and did great i did not feel the car lose traction

THE most comfortable and quiet riding tire I’ve ever purchased(68yrs old). Very responsive.

I previously drove 65,000 miles on the original Michelin Defender 1, so moving to the Defender 2 was a natural choice for my Sienna.

I am now 23,000 miles into this new set, and I love them just as much, if not more. The ride comfort is excellent, and the road noise is incredibly low—perfect for a family van.

If you are looking for a smooth, quiet ride with lots of miles, this is it.

Just bought these tires. Went back and forth trying to decide between the crossclimate2 and defender 2 for my Palisade. Ultimately decided on the defender 2 because I really wanted a quiet ride. And the tires are quiet. Previous to these tires, I thought I had a bad bearing on the back side of my car, but the noise was just worn out tires. When I picked these up, the noise was completely gone. Took a long drive in -8 deg weather and the ride was smooth and quiet. Love these tires so far.

I ran a set of Michelin Defender tires on my Corolla for three years in the Northeast after the Michelin Energy Saver A/S were fast worn. On the positive side, I never experienced a flat. The tread of Defender was durable and wear was excellent. Interestingly, the tires frequently picked up nails, but none ever penetrated fully or caused a loss of air.

Highway stability and wet-road performance were reassuring. In rain, they felt planted and predictable. However, winter performance was clearly a weakness. In light snow they slipped easily, and on ice they felt borderline unsafe—although I never actually lost control. Lateral grip was also limited; when pushed through curves at speed, the front end would wash out and understeer sooner than expected.

One major disappointment was sidewall durability. By the third year in the Northeast climate, visible dry rot had developed, which is unacceptable at this price point.

Some reviews praise the Defender for comfort and quietness, but in my experience these were its weakest attributes. Ride quality and cabin noise were inferior to other tires I’ve used including Continental (premium), Toyo (mid-tier), and even Radar (budget).

Michelin’s warranty response (not Tire Rack) was equally disappointing. After contacting them, I was told:
"If the replacement tires are from a brand outside of these three, unfortunately we are unable to offer warranty coverage, as it only applies to our affiliated brands."

Given the cost and the customer service experience, I would not purchase Michelin again.

I got 4 tires, 2 to this spec and 2 to the other spec for my 2021 VW Id.4. The tires show almost no wear after a year and about 8,000 miles of city and highway driving. The noise is not appreciably different from the manufacturer's tires. I read some concerns about decreased distance with a charge with these tires. However, I have not noticed any appreciable difference the distance I get with a charge. I ordered the tires from Tire Rack to be delivered to my local mechanic to put on. The delivery happened as promised. I think I got a great deal! Overall, I'd buy these again.