Nokian One HT vs Michelin Defender LTX M/S2
- Thread starter Oldswagon
- Start date
Thanks for all the advice. I ended up ordering a set of Michelin Defender M/S2s. I didn't want to take a change on the lower grade (probably) Nokians, because every time I have tried a cheaper tire in the past I have not been satisfied. I almost went with the Contis, as they were basically identical in price, and they seem to have better overall performance. However, I think that the longevity of the Michelins will be better. With my course roads I drive on regularly, maybe the chip resistance of the new MS/2s might be more durable.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Thinking about price difference, are Michelin's LT and Nokian P rated?
Both were for P rated tires, in P275/55R20 size. So, I'd assume there'd be some compromise in design going with the Nokian over the Michelin.
I don’t think Nokian “compromises” in design, but they do design to different performance objectives.
Their “all weather” tires, like the WR G4, are much better in snow and on ice than any other “all season” tire.
I bought those exact tires for my wife’s Volvo V70XC and my daughter’s XC90. Interestingly, my wife’s Volvo eats up tires at the furious rate. Michelin, Continental, all of the brands, lasted tops, 30,000 miles on her car. It has 307,000 on it now, so we have been through many, many sets of tires.
The WRG4 are lasting longer than any of the other tires we’ve tried. I did not expect this result. The WRG4RXL tires, and have a higher load rating, than the typical tires in her size, P215/65R16, and I wonder if perhaps they are a bit stronger and more durable as a result.
The WRG3 that I had on my Tundra in P275/55R20, were great in snow, a really good “all weather” tires, but they wore out quickly (30,000 miles) on the truck. I replaced them with the Michelin LTX, which are holding up much better. At 40,000 miles, they are still about 9/32”.
I am considering a set of Nokian for the Tundra because the Michelins are at 6 years old, and I have a weird, slight pulsation under braking, that followed the tires from front to back when I rotated them.
I would like to put new tires on the truck to see if I can fix this annoying problem, and because it does see snow on occasion, the new tires would need to have good snow performance.
For my daughter’s XC90, which is in Boston, it’s the Nokian WRG4 for three seasons, and Continental Viking Contact 7 in the winter. She is a big skier - and sees a lot of snowy roads - so, she gets a dedicates set of wheels with dedicated winter tires.
They would have been the Nokian Hakkapellitta if I could have sourced them two years ago in VB, but the Contis have been excellent in the snow (yes, I’ve gone skiing with her in her car).
Maybe that came out wrong, but as I am sure you are aware, tire design is about compromise - or as your more eloquently put it, design objectives. I know that the Michelins have longevity as one of its design objectives and this is something important to me. I don't know how the Nokians would hold up in that regard or what Nokian's primary objectives were for this tire. Where is the Nokia design strong and where is it compromised? And how does it compare to the Michelins or Continentals? Without some sort of professional objective testing, its all speculation. And quite honestly, I decided the extra cost of the Michelins was worth the peace of mind knowing that I was getting a premium long last tire that is well regarded rather than gambling on the Nokian One HTs to save a few hundred dollars.
Based on the tire test videos, it also does not seem that this Nokian One HTs are stellar in snow; the Nokians AT were signficantly better. The Michelin Defender LTX MS/2, on the other hand, does well against most AT's in the snow test. I also have a Tundra (my second one) and live in an a rural area with extremely harsh winters. A true winter tire is a must for me, but I also want an all season that can handle some snow as more often than not I have been caught in a snow storm before I switch to winter tires. I currently run Michelin Xice SUV snows and they are only "ok" for my road conditons. I think my next set of winters I will look at Nokian Hakkapellittas as they consistently do better in the harshest winter conditions, I just not sure if I will got studded or studdless. The Michelins are very good on bare pavement, but not the best on snow packed roads that I drive very often.
Had a small business fleet of eight vehicles so we bought a lot of tires. We always put Michelins on our personal cars (going back to 1975) but we had such a great experience with Nokian winter tires (which we tested head-to-head with them-current Blizzak and X-Ice) that we decided to give Nokian rest-of-year tires a try. So we’ve put Nokian Ones on a Honda Odyssey, two Outbacks, and a Prius V.
They have good rain performance (but the latest Continentals seem to be best). Above-average performance for an A/S in light snow. Ride is good. Don’t think they are quietest but not loud. About 30,000 miles on my Outback and plenty of tread left. If you don’t like paying what some call the “Michelin Tax” they are a good bang-for- the-buck choice.
One big change occurred in the last five years when Nokian opened a new U.S. factory. Nokian had a big factory in Russia which was shut down after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. They moved inventory and molds to the U.S. and Nokia. Tires we’ve purchased in the last 2-3 years have come from both the U.S. and Finland.
This weekend I’ll check the tread depth to see how they are holding up.
They have good rain performance (but the latest Continentals seem to be best). Above-average performance for an A/S in light snow. Ride is good. Don’t think they are quietest but not loud. About 30,000 miles on my Outback and plenty of tread left. If you don’t like paying what some call the “Michelin Tax” they are a good bang-for- the-buck choice.
One big change occurred in the last five years when Nokian opened a new U.S. factory. Nokian had a big factory in Russia which was shut down after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. They moved inventory and molds to the U.S. and Nokia. Tires we’ve purchased in the last 2-3 years have come from both the U.S. and Finland.
This weekend I’ll check the tread depth to see how they are holding up.
