No question about the quality of the tire, but the 80K rating (something which was admittedly a key factor in my decision to buy) meant THE hardest tread compound of any tire I've ever purchased. The result was THE noisiest, roughest ride on a car (2012 Outback) which wasn't the smoothest or quietest riding to begin with. But for those whom maximum mileage is your #1 goal beyond all else, then this should be among your first choices.

I had the Defender tire and after 40000 mi I replaced them with the Defender t+h. the handling at speed is not the same. My car is not as stable as it was before. The best way to describe it is that the car floats. When changing lanes or just going down the freeway. The car does not feel stable as it wants to follow road groves and the back end sways when I change lanes. It’s as if the side wall is not the same. I have 205 r 55 16 s on the car and it’s as if I have 205 r 65 16 on the car. As for the rest of the tire I cannot tell you as I have only put 800 mi on a road trip and did not have to drive in rain or have a panicked stop. But I will be replacing the tires. This issue is not on jut my car my sister has them on her car at the same time as me in a different state. Same thing for her.

I decided on the Michelin Defender T+H based on the advice on my Mercedes mechanic as he was spot on. These replaced my Pirelli P4’s with only 16k miles on. I was miserable with the Pirelli and was experiencing very poor traction in all conditions. The Michelins grip in all conditions and they have restored my confidence in my car’s safe handling. My Mercedes is thirty years old now and I still enjoy driving my 300E it’s almost as much fun as my R172...but not quite.

When you see the name “Michelin” on tires ,one thing comes to mind QUALITY, this is our 3rd upcoming summer for ours,drive smoothly & provides safety on our travels.we have Michelin x ice (5th season) & more than adequate for next year.we have great results purchasing from auto dealer. Michelin is the “Best”

I bought this tire three years ago and after 40k miles they are needing replacement. They have been great tires, but they are rated to go to 80-85k! It's just been three years and half the estimated miles! I am very dissatisfied and will not be purchasing this tires in the future.

I’ve been running Cooper tires for 20 years. I decided to go to my local tire dealer and give Michelin a try. We purchased 4 Michelin Defender T+H tires for our 2011 Chevy Malibu. The road noise is totally unacceptable. When you get over 50 MPH it is nearly impossible to carry on a conversation with all the noise. I cannot speak to the performance in snow, as there’s no way we can deal with this noise. They may be a great performing tire; however, the road noise is unacceptable. I think I’m going back to Cooper. We’ve had the tires for 3 months now and can’t deal with this any longer.

I bought these tires because of the safety rating and the ability to stop on wet roads. The amazing ride that these tires provide is 100% pure bonus. So my Michelin tires make me feel like I'm in a luxury car but most important they give me Peace of Mind!

I've had 3 or 4 sets of these tires or their predecessor. All lasted longer than their 80,000 mile claim. Most of 'em got past 90,000 miles. I'm shopping for another set right now. The set I'm replacing has a little over 120,000 miles. I kept them @ 44 psi. I rotated them once. The outer groove on the front tires has just reached the Nader bumps.

Retired engineer-pilot, very observant of aircraft / vehicle performance. These replaced OEM tires on a Camry hybrid. PRO: Very quiet and smooth, fine ride and handling, and (based on 1 encounter) sure-footed in heavy rain. CON: High rolling resistance. Fuel mileage is down more than 5mpg.

Bought Defenders in October 2014 for a 2009 Toyota Camry. I was impressed with reviews, and tread life advertised at 90,000. Figured a tire might not make its full tread life, but even in normal city/highway driving conditions, two of the tires are now at 2/32" after only 35,000 miles and 4 years, and should be replaced. One is at 3, and one is at four. I rotate every 5000; definitely have done one or two alignments since the initial installation alignment. Other than the tread life, the tire rode well and was quiet. I've seen other poor reviews of the Defenders due to tread life. Since then, Michelin has revised the line, so perhaps the tread life has improved.