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Head-to-head Updated May 2026

Michelin Defender T+H vs Toyo A23 — 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.

Tire A Michelin

Michelin Defender T+H

Premium Touring All Season tire

Michelin Defender T+H tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
82/100
Owner ratings
Dry
94
Wet
91
Snow
76
Comfort
89
Noise
87
Treadwear
90
Handling
92

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VS
Tire B Toyo

Toyo A23

All Season Touring tires

Toyo A23 tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
61/100
10 owner reviews
Dry
78
Wet
59
Snow
60
Comfort
66
Noise
–
Treadwear
64
Handling
63

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Michelin Defender T+H — better wet, handling and treadwear. 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 T+H leads by 16
A — Michelin Defender T+H
94
B — Toyo A23
78
Why this score
SourceDefender T+HA23
Tire Rack owners 92 82
Tyre Reviews owners – 78

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Defender T+H leads by 32
A — Michelin Defender T+H
91
B — Toyo A23
59
Why this score
SourceDefender T+HA23
Tire Rack owners 88 73
Tyre Reviews owners – 59

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Defender T+H leads by 16
A — Michelin Defender T+H
76
B — Toyo A23
60
Why this score
SourceDefender T+HA23
Tire Rack owners 73 51
Tyre Reviews owners – 60

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Defender T+H leads by 23
A — Michelin Defender T+H
89
B — Toyo A23
66
Why this score
SourceDefender T+HA23
Tire Rack owners 88 69
Tyre Reviews owners – 66

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A — Michelin Defender T+H
87
B — Toyo A23
–

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Defender T+H leads by 26
A — Michelin Defender T+H
90
B — Toyo A23
64
Why this score
SourceDefender T+HA23
Tire Rack owners 88 51
Tyre Reviews owners – 64

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Defender T+H leads by 29
A — Michelin Defender T+H
92
B — Toyo A23
63
Why this score
SourceDefender T+HA23
Tyre Reviews owners – 63

Scores at a glance

Michelin Defender T+H vs Toyo A23: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryMichelin Defender T+HToyo A23
Relative Score 89 64
Dry 94 78
Wet 91 59
Snow 76 60
Comfort 89 66
Noise 87 –
Treadwear 90 64
Handling 92 63

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

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

From owners

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Michelin Defender T+H

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Tire B Toyo A23

The Toyo A23 is a polarizing OEM tire that receives highly inconsistent feedback, often depending on the user's driving environment and expectations. While some owners report satisfactory longevity and reliable performance for daily commuting, a significant portion of users criticize its poor wet-weather traction and premature tread wear.

Pros

  • Solid dry road grip and stability
  • Acceptable comfort and noise levels for highway driving
  • Capable off-road performance in muddy or rural conditions
  • Competitive value for fleet or standard daily use

Cons

  • Dangerous or unpredictable traction in wet conditions
  • Inconsistent tread life with reports of premature wear
  • High levels of road noise reported by some users
  • Poor value proposition compared to premium aftermarket alternatives

Observations

  • Users of larger 4x4 vehicles like the Shogun Sport report highly polarized experiences, ranging from excellent off-road capability to extreme instability in the wet.
  • CUV owners, specifically those with the Mazda CX5, appear more satisfied with the tire's longevity, with some reporting up to 44,000 miles of service.
Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Defender T+H B · Toyo A23
CategoryPremium Touring All Season tireAll Season Touring tires
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin

Toyo

Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better wet, handling and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender T+H scores 91 vs 59 on wet.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender T+H scores 92 vs 63 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender T+H scores 90 vs 64 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Defender T+H scores 89 vs 66 on comfort.

Tire A · Michelin Defender T+H
Tire B · Toyo A23

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.