Your opinion on the Michelin Defender

[wolf_06]

Hello,

My chevy cruze just hit 100,000 km and I need new tires in a 215/60/R16.

I'm looking for comfort, quiet ride, and good tread wear. I was thinking of the Michelin Defender.
I do most of my mileage on the highway.

Any opinion or experiences with this tire? or other suggestion?

Thanks!

 

[Starman2112]

I've had them on my Nissan PU for a couple of years now. Great tire, no complaints here.

 

[shiny]

I bought Michelin Defenders exclusively for years, but recently bought a set of Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring. The Coopers give a more comfortable ride and they are so much quieter! They handle very well in the rain. I don't know how good they'll be on tread wear, but the reason I switched was because the Defenders weren't wearing all that well and the Coopers were much more affordable. I'll never buy Defenders again.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

I have them on my wife's commuter Corolla. They are wearing well and are excellent in the rain but they aren't very 'sporty' if that's important to you, and they aren't cheap. They are a highly decent tire but at a premium price.

 

[Oli20]

Last year I put them on my wife's Fusion. In the limited times I've driven the vehicle I've been quite pleased. Last winter she was very happy with the performance in the snow. We have about 10k miles on them and at this stage I would certainly buy them again.

 

[gabriel9766]

my moms 06 taurus we just go rid of had michelin defenders on it. i took them off her car before we got rid of it and plan to put them on my malibu when the factory continental tires wear out. they have 7-8/32 left with 30k on them. she loved em and i cant see them going to waste when i can reuse them. the tire size is also 215/60/16

 

[Errtt]

Running Defenders on one of the vehicles and will have 55k on them soon.
Wearing very even and looks plenty of tread left. Running them 4-5psi higher than the placard. 10k rotations except 1st rotation was at 5k.

 

[mrsilv04]

I have a set on a Town and Country. Overpriced for what you get. No chance that they'll ever go 90,000 miles. There won't be a second set for me.

 

[901Memphis]

Cooper cs5

 

[Smokescreen]

On my Corolla, I have had the Cooper CS4, then bought the Defender which wore most quickly...I am back to Cooper with the CS5s on both my cars now. I won't be going back to michelin.

 

[ajchien]

I think I got a bad set. I had some dry rotting at the tread line occur at 2 years. Got new tires and the old ones pro-rated at 50%, even though they were only at 28k of the 90k mileage. Tire shop tried to convince me that the dry rot was normal. I personally haven't seen tires crack at 2 years ever.

 

[LX289]

You could go with it but I think there are cheaper alternatives.

Continental PurContact w/EcoPlus Technology
Continental TrueContact-these have the best rating according to TireRack
Firestone Precision Touring

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?filtering=true&width=215%2F&ratio=60&diameter=16

 

[tenderloin]

Have them on my daughters Beetle (205/55/16). About 30,000 miles...wearing well. Good handling. For the few rain storms we have had..they were excellent at freeway speeds ..Smooth/quiet/not a cushy ride. Will look at new Premier when replacing as well as Generals. Not unhappy with them by any means..thinking possibly something better in same /less price range.

 

[The Critic]

Michelin Premier A/S is a much better choice if it is available in your size.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Cooper cs5


+1

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Cooper cs5


+1

Not sure why everyone is so thrilled with the CS5s...must be a price thing?

The latest instrumented testing on the CS5s was not stellar. The CR results show it to be a very mid-grade tire.

 

[gabriel9766]

Originally Posted By: LX289
You could go with it but I think there are cheaper alternatives.

Continental PurContact w/EcoPlus Technology
Continental TrueContact-these have the best rating according to TireRack
Firestone Precision Touring

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?filtering=true&width=215%2F&ratio=60&diameter=16

the Tru contact's are beast in the snow and rain. had them on my 2010 impala and it tore through the snow like nothing. also going 70 in the rain it felt like u were on dry pavement.

 

[ajchien]

By the way, this was a thread I had created on a different forum. I have already replaced the Michelins. Was wondering what you all thought about the dry rot / cracking. Perhaps I replaced the tires prematurely? According to the other site, I was likely justified changing them out.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=311882

The pics in the thread are recent. The tires were put on the car 2 years ago, and the manufacture date on the tires Cary from 2 - 2.5 years old. 28,000 miles on the defenders. Rotations every 5000 mi.

 

[JBinKC]

FWIW my defenders wore down to 4/32 at 24k. The good news is Michelin prorated the defective tires and gave me a $360 credit on my purchase.

 

[sciphi]

Premier AS if you stay Michelin.

Otherwise, your Cruze LS with its 16" wheels will do fine with pretty much any name-brand all-season.