Michelin Defender

[Hokiefyd]

Modern Tire Dealer writes of the Michelin Defender introduced this week at the North American International Auto Show:

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Michelin North America Inc. has introduced a new all-season standard passenger car tire, the Defender, at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), Jan. 9-27, 2012, at Cobo Hall, Detroit, Mich. Michelin has been the official tire of NAIAS for 24 years.

Michelin says the Defender delivers the company’s technical performance attributes and long-lasting tread life designed specifically for the family car.

“The Michelin Defender will replace two existing lines: the Michelin HydroEdge and the Michelin Harmony lines,” says Pete Selleck, Michelin’s new North American chairman and president. “In so doing, the dealer should be able to cover the breadth of all needs. In the past he needed about 117 SKUs to do that. With this new launch, they should be able to do it with only 57 SKUs.”

Selleck, who took over as chairman and president of Michelin North America Inc. in October, 2011, says the Defender meets the demands of customers who are looking for safe, fuel efficient tires with long tread life and good value for the money.

Michelin says the Defender will stop 31 feet shorter than a leading competitor. It will also last 21,000 miles longer than the mileage of a leading competitor. The company also says a consumer who buys set of four Defenders will save $250 in fuel costs over the lifetime of the four tires.

Further adding to its safety features, the Defender tire maintains the same wet handling as the previous generation Michelin HydroEdge tire. It also has 15% increased snow traction over the HydroEdge.

The Defender tire has earned the Michelin Green X designation. Further mass reduction and a reduction in rolling resistance makes the Michelin Defender tire 17% better in rolling resistance than the previous generation Michelin product.

The Defender also incorporates Michelin’s IntelliSipe technology that combines 3D active sipes and variable thickness sipes to provide increased safety. IntelliSipe technology optimizes the number of sipes within the tire, providing additional grip for braking.

Available in April 1, 2012, Michelin says the Defender will cover 93% of standard passenger car vehicles in the marketplace. It will be available in 38 sizes ranging from 175/70R 13 to 225/50R 18.

The Defender tire is backed by the Michelin Promise Plan, a comprehensive tire service package. In addition, Michelin is launching a 90,000-mile warranty with the Defender.

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Source: Modern Tire Dealer

 

[SLCraig]

That is one of the most bland tires ever. Hopefully it's decent, I haven't ridden on much from that company that is any better than any other brand.. At the rate I'm driving I'll need new tires (summer use only) by the summer after next. Need a tire that gets good mileage, low road noise, and decent in rain. Hopefully these are, and they would be on my list at that point.

 

[zyxelenator]

If they will have price of Hankook h727 then we will talk...

 

[eljefino]

Michelin gets that austerity = good.

Am glad they aren't calling it a "touring" tire, that term is so 1997-2008.

 

[addyguy]

Those have almost the EXACT same tread as the Goodyear Intergrity's.

Nothing 'new' here.......

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
Those have almost the EXACT same tread as the Goodyear Intergrity's.

Nothing 'new' here.......


I have to disagree. It might look similar but Goodyear integrity's are bottom barrel oem tires.

These look more siped and slightly different. And of course the tread compound has about 15 years newer research into it.

Also michelin tread patterns always look sorta ...minimalist.

For instance the michelin ltx vs say... the bridgestone REVO2

 

[weebl]

I am certainly interested in these. The question for me will be, do I want to shell out the money for a set of these, or get the older Harmony/Destiny/X Radial DT/WeatherWise II or Hydroedge which will likely be discounted one the Defenders hit the shelves?

 

[Hokiefyd]

It's also an asymmetrical tread pattern, which Michelin hasn't embraced all that much, especially in their sub-UHP tire lines. If it performs as well as they say it does, it should be near the top of its class. Let's see how they price it.

 

[bepperb]

If you can learn everything you need to from a 200x400 pixel image on the Internet... well.. you're going to be wrong a lot.

Rand has a good example, the Michelin LTX is probably the best light truck tire made with a tread pattern that looks like a generic tire from 1958.

So, we'll wait and see. I'm not entirely sold on a basic all season tire having directional tread.

 

[HerrStig]

Take a good look at the Sam's CLub, Costco, BJ's Wholesale
lines from BF Goodrich. More and more of the Goodrich stuff seems to be relabeled Michelin, which owns the Goodrich tire business. The new stuff, however, does not have the old slightly oversize Goodrich look. They look, well, like a Michelin with the same "less agressive" tread design. We understand, though, that tread COMPOUND is what makes these thinks tick, not what the tread looks like. Most "racin'" tires are slicks.

 

[meangreen01]

Originally Posted By: Rand



Also michelin tread patterns always look sorta ...minimalist.




No doubt. With the exception of the High performance Pilot's they're boring as heck. I know some of the exotic tread patterns can add noise, but it doesn't seem Michelin cares at all about how boring their tires look.

 

[Jim 5]

This looks like it might be a good choice for my wife's Honda van. We run dedicated winters, but I like to wait until late in the season to put them on, and early in the spring to take them off. So decent snow ability in the summer/all season tires is fairly important.

My thought over the years is that with Michelin, you pay up front sometimes 20% more, but you get 50% more treadlife and equal or better performance than the competition.

I have really noticed this on motorcycle tires as well as car/truck tires. You do have to buy their premium tire to get the benefit from what I can see.

I had great experiences with Mich Pilot PS2s for my car, Michelin Pilot Power 2CTs, and Pilot Roads for my bike and I read great things about the Michelin LTX's which will go on my truck next.

The crummy OEM Michelins that came on my wife's Acura TL and Honda Ody were so-so, but are priced more competitively, which underscores the need to buy their premium tire to get the extra value.

I guess my hatred for michelin that I got in the 80s from their OEM Michelin p-metric TRX wheel/tire (see BMW and early fox bodied mustangs) has waned in the last 25 years.

 

[Corvette Owner]

That Modern Tire Dealer is a good website, with lots of info about tires, repairs, and latest developments.

http://www.moderntiredealer.com/

 

[daves87rs]

Should be interesting....

 

[Hokiefyd]

More information on the Michelin Media website:

http://www.michelinmedia.com/

I like this from the press release:

The MICHELIN® Defender™ tire, designed, engineered and manufactured in North America, will be available in April 2012.

 

[teddyboy]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
It's also an asymmetrical tread pattern, which Michelin hasn't embraced all that much, especially in their sub-UHP tire lines. If it performs as well as they say it does, it should be near the top of its class. Let's see how they price it.


Hokie, do you know if this is a directional tire? I ask because the guys at DT argue that cross rotation forgives many sins.

On a side note, how in the world did you guys lose twice to Clemson? I thought you got hosed on the overturned TD catch agasint Michigan.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I can't yet tell if this is a directional tire, though it appears to be an asymmetrical one. I can't see Michelin designing both a directional AND an asymmetrical tire for the regular passenger all-season market, but maybe. I agree, cross-rotation is a great thing in my experience, and I generally shy away from directional tires because of that.

I don't know how we lost to Clemson twice in a season. We always have trouble with that team, and they were our only two losses. In the end, our record is better than theirs and West Virginia took them behind the woodshed in the Orange Bowl, so maybe it all worked out in the end...

 

[DuckRyder]

I do hope these are not directional, the Civic has Hydroedge on it and they are good tires that I've been pleased with, but rotation is a pain. I won't buy more of them. After those and a set of GoodYear Aquatread (I didn't buy them and argued hard for Michelin's instead) I've sworn off directional tires.

I'll probably change the wheels next time so I can use MXV4's. But might consider these if they come in the proper size for the existing wheels.

I do think "Defender" is kind of a silly name for a passenger car tire, makes you think of something for a Jeep or Land Rover or something. IMO they need to get back to the letter names and ditch the feel good names...

 

[jjjxlr8]

It is a non-directional asymmetric pattern.

 

[DuckRyder]

Originally Posted By: jjjxlr8
It is a non-directional asymmetric pattern.


I agree, I only mention it because it was brought up and it is "replacing" the hydroedge which is a directional tire.

Looking at the high resolution images in Michelin's "press kit" the sidewall is marked "outside" (it is in the serrated area) but there is no sign of "< Rotation".

As messed up as it is, I will probably avoid this tire due to the name and sidewall styling.