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Head-to-head Updated May 2026

Bridgestone Turanza EL400 RFT vs Michelin Defender LTX M/S — Compared (May 2026)

Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.

VS
Tire B Michelin

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Premium Touring All Season tire

Michelin Defender LTX M/S tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
95/100
109 owner reviews
Dry
98
Wet
96
Snow
82
Comfort
96
Noise
95
Treadwear
97
Handling
97
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Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better treadwear, comfort and noise. It leads or ties in every category we score.
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Category breakdown

7 categories, side by side

Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.

Dry

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Defender LTX M/S leads by 37
A
61
B
98
Why this score
SourceTuranza EL400 RFTDefender LTX M/S
Tire Rack owners – 92
Tyre Reviews owners – 94

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Defender LTX M/S leads by 45
A
51
B
96
Why this score
SourceTuranza EL400 RFTDefender LTX M/S
Tire Rack owners – 83
Tyre Reviews owners – 91

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Defender LTX M/S leads by 42
A
40
B
82
Why this score
SourceTuranza EL400 RFTDefender LTX M/S
Tire Rack owners – 94
Tyre Reviews owners – 80

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Defender LTX M/S leads by 50
A
46
B
96
Why this score
SourceTuranza EL400 RFTDefender LTX M/S
Tire Rack owners – 84
Tyre Reviews owners – 87

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Defender LTX M/S leads by 47
A
48
B
95

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Defender LTX M/S leads by 75
A
22
B
97
Why this score
SourceTuranza EL400 RFTDefender LTX M/S
Tire Rack owners – 92
Tyre Reviews owners – 97

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Defender LTX M/S leads by 37
A
60
B
97
Why this score
SourceTuranza EL400 RFTDefender LTX M/S
Tyre Reviews owners – 85

Scores at a glance

CategoryBridgestone Turanza EL400 RFTMichelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 45 95
Dry 61 98
Wet 51 96
Snow 40 82
Comfort 46 96
Noise 48 95
Treadwear 22 97
Handling 60 97

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

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Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Recomputed
Headline score

Tire A

Tire B

From owners

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Bridgestone Turanza EL400 RFT

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Tire B Michelin Defender LTX M/S

The Michelin Defender LTX M/S is widely regarded as a premier all-season tire for trucks and SUVs, consistently praised for its exceptional tread longevity and balanced performance across various weather conditions. While the vast majority of users report superior ride comfort, stability, and fuel efficiency, a small minority of owners have noted issues with increased road noise as the tires age or inconsistent traction in specific wet-weather scenarios.

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life often exceeding 60,000–80,000 miles
  • Strong all-weather traction, particularly in dry and light snow conditions
  • Improved fuel efficiency due to low rolling resistance
  • High level of ride comfort and stability for heavy vehicles
  • Reliable performance that often outperforms original equipment (OE) tires

Cons

  • Increased road noise reported by some users as the tire tread wears down
  • Higher price point compared to competitors
  • Occasional reports of reduced wet-weather grip or traction loss during turns
  • Limited off-road capability in mud or deep sand

Observations

  • Heavy-duty truck owners (RAM 2500/3500) report high satisfaction with durability, even under heavy usage or towing conditions.
  • SUV owners (Expedition, Highlander) frequently cite the tire as a significant upgrade over factory-installed rubber, specifically noting improvements in cabin quietness and fuel economy.
  • Users recommend running higher tire pressures (40-45 psi) to optimize performance and handling on certain truck platforms.
Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Turanza EL400 RFT B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Category—Premium Touring All Season tire
Vehicle type—SUV and 4x4
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone

Michelin

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better treadwear, comfort and noise. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 97 vs 22 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 96 vs 46 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 95 vs 48 on noise.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 96 vs 51 on wet.

Tire A · Bridgestone Turanza EL400 RFT
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Tire B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.