I installed a set of four on my 2006 Mercury Montego Premier and the handling, smooth ride and i have notice increased gas mileage. I been using Michelin's on my cars for over 35 years and will not put another brand tire of my cars. They have never failed and have given my excellent mileage wear, I usually have to change tires because they are to old and have become hard.

I switched the Yokohama YK-GTX for Michelin Defender 2 tires. The Yokos were stiff, jolted over road holes/bumps, responsive steering, but were nice & quiet. Wanted a smooth, quiet ride, that handled curves smoothly and that absorbed holes and bumps on roads and the freeway like my previous Michelins did. The Defender 2 tires are horrible. My car feels like a Tilt-a-Whirl, unstable, squirrely, and they are not quiet, mostly smooth, but the steering needs second-to-second monitoring and concentration. My last Michelins were outstanding and outlasted their warranty, just stated cracking in the Arizona summer heat. They were smooth, quiet, absorbing and steered wonderfully. So disappointed, paid much more for the Michelins and now I feel stuck...

Factory tires had worn and was time to replace. Did lots of research before buying and these seemed to fit my needs (Quit, smooth ride with a good tread life.) The Defender 2 has not disappointed. Minimal, if any road noise, smooth ride and excellent grip in rain and snow. You get what you pay for and in this case, these were a bit more than others, but well worth the money spent.

I have purchased Defender tires for 20+ years and these Defender2 tires are outstanding for performance and the ride and control are excellent. Best tire in snow and they give you confidence because they hold the road so well. The only tire I will put on my cars.

Now experiencing a renewed feeling of being connected to the road due to the responsive Defender 2 design. Whether on hot Florida pavement or downpour drenched roadways, movement is nimble while braking is smooth and confident. And, quiet, a noticeable difference over even the replaced premium brand. Michelin research and development continues to miraculously improve over the original Defender. With proper maintenance tread life will hopefully be achieved as well. And was it mentioned that these tires are quiet!

Prior to purchasing my Defender2 tires I had the Firestone Destination tires on my vehicle and they were the worse tires I have every had on a vehicle. The traction and grip on these Michelin Defender2 tires are excellent! I would definitely recommend the Defender2 to others looking for a great set of all season tires.

Nice at first, but every time I rotate they handle poorly. They seem to overinflate after driving on the highway and are atrocious, worse after about 30000 miles. I would throw these on a minivan, not an Avalon. If you don't care about ride quality or handling these are your tires.

I upgraded to Defender2 tires and and happy so far. Ride is not only more quiet but is also smoother. A little better on gas mileage. Design seems good for my area of usage, construction and materials so far are holding up well, I have had them rotated once. They were more expensive than other choices but so far worth it. I was eligible for a discount given as a gift card and am not as satisfied with that option because I was only able to use it for the exact amount issued. This is almost impossible to do so I will have to leave a small amount left on the gift card. Michelin needs to change this to allow customers to use all of the discount given on the card.

We are very pleased with the Michelin Defender 2 tires that we just purchased for our Ford Escape Titanium. This vehicle is a medium sized SUV so it is light and has turbo so it is quick to respond to changes in speed or direction. Consequently, we are concerned about the tires ability to be stable on windy highways and grip the road at higher speeds and when turning corners especially in wet weather. Since this is early spring and winter road damage has not yet been repaired, they are surprisingly smooth when going over rough roads and occasional potholes and uneven roads. They are also well priced for this level of performance.

I bought these tires in May after my OE tires needed to be replaced and they have exceeded my expectations. They provide excellent traction when dry or wet and my vehicle is super quiet while on the road. It's likely that these tires will last at least twice as long as my OE tires. You won't regret this purchase.