Michelin Primacy Tour AS vs Michelin Defender 2
- TR Score
- 8.5/10
- Owners say
- 55% · 8
- TR Score
- 7.0/10
- Owners say
- 92% · 3
The Michelin Primacy Tour AS and the Michelin Defender 2 have met in 2 independent tests and the record is level at 1-1. The Primacy Tour AS stopped 10.1% shorter in the wet.
Data updated
Which should you buy?
Choose the Michelin Primacy Tour A/S if you want the stronger all-around performer-especially for wet-weather confidence, shorter braking, and more responsive handling. Choose the Michelin Defender 2 if your priority is a quieter, low-drama commute on mostly clear roads and you're willing to accept weaker overall grip (and heightened caution) when conditions turn wintry.
Where the Primacy Tour AS is stronger
- Stronger wet braking in both tests (about 10% shorter: 30.27 m vs 33.62 m; 42.67 m vs 47.55 m), a major real-world safety advantage
- Consistently shorter dry braking (25.51 m vs 26.27 m; 37.49 m vs 39.72 m) and sharper subjective handling (7.25 vs 6.75 dry; 7.19 vs 6 wet subjective)
- Better overall winter results in these comparisons on snow (including a big snow-braking gap in 2025: 21.4 m vs 25.76 m) and quicker snow handling laps
Where the Defender 2 is stronger
- Quieter, more refined daily-driving character (quietest in the 2026 test; subjective noise 8 vs 7)
- Strong dry cornering grip on paper (ties 0.86g dry circle in 2026) with stable, easygoing manners on clear roads
- Slightly better ice performance in the 2026 test (ice braking 16.76 m vs 17.59 m; ice traction 6.17 s vs 6.24 s)
The bullet points are analysis of the shared tests and of owner reviews; the measured wins in each discipline are in the tables below. Where the two disagree, the figures are right.
Primacy Tour AS vs Defender 2 at a glance
| Category | Primacy Tour AS | Gap | Defender 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared tests won2 shared tests | 1 | 1 | |
| Dry5 measurements | 3 | The Primacy Tour AS stopped 4.3% shorter in the dry (2 tests) | 0 |
| Wet5 measurements | 5 | The Primacy Tour AS stopped 10.1% shorter in the wet (2 tests) | 0 |
| Snow6 measurements | 5 | The Primacy Tour AS stopped 8.9% shorter on snow (2 tests) | 0 |
| Ice3 measurements | 1 | 2 | |
| Comfort2 measurements | 0 | 1 | |
| Tire Reviews Scoreevery test and review we hold | 8.5/10 | The Primacy Tour AS by 1.5 | 7.0/10 |
| Owner rating8 and 3 reviews | 55% | The Defender 2 by 37 points | 92% |
Wins count every measurement the shared tests recorded for both tires; a tick marks the tire ahead on that line. Subjective driver scores count as wins but are never averaged, because each test uses its own scale.
Head to head in 2 tests, 2025 to 2026
Each row is one published test in which both tires ran on the same car, in the same size, on the same day. The line is the whole field, winner on the left.
| Test | Primacy Tour AS | Field | Defender 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tire Test | P3 of 3 | P2 of 3 | |
| 2024 TireRack All Season and Weather Tire Test | P4 of 11 | P10 of 11 |
Performance profile
5 measurements from the 2 shared tests, each tire shown as its share of the better figure in every test.
Where each is furthest ahead
Primacy Tour AS
Defender 2
Point at or tap any spoke for both tires' figures.
In each test the better of the two figures counts as 100% and the other as its share of it, so a 118 ft stop against 112 ft is 95%; each spoke averages the shared tests that recorded it. 11 measurements recorded in only one shared test are left off; every measurement is in the table further down.
Where each scores higher
Primacy Tour AS
Defender 2
Point at or tap any spoke for both tires' figures.
Category scores are percentiles among tires of the same season and class: 90 means this tire out-performs 90% of them, measured across every test we hold, not only the ones it appeared in.
Where owners rate each higher
Primacy Tour AS
Not ahead in any category
Defender 2
Point at or tap any spoke for both tires' figures.
Owners rate the Primacy Tour AS 55% from 8 reviews and the Defender 2 92% from 3. Each spoke is one question owners answer out of 10; reviews are vetted by hand before publication.
Every measurement, side by side
Averages of the figures both tires posted in the same tests. The gap is the average of each test's own gap, so figures from different cars and years are never mixed. Open a discipline for its measurements, and a measurement for every test's figure.
| Measurement | Primacy Tour AS | Gap | Defender 2 | Wins | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 103 | 4.3% | 108 | 2-0 | |||||||||
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| scored | 7.4% | scored | 1-0 | |||||||||
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| 0.86 | = | 0.86 | 0-0 | |||||||||
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| scored | = | scored | 0-0 | |||||||||
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| 120 | 10.1% | 133 | 2-0 | |||||||||
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| 34.03 | 3.7% | 35.35 | 1-0 | |||||||||
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| scored | 19.8% | scored | 1-0 | |||||||||
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| 0.72 | 2.9% | 0.7 | 1-0 | |||||||||
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| 76 | 8.9% | 83 | 2-0 | |||||||||
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| 6.14 | 0.5% | 6.17 | 1-0 | |||||||||
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| 60.4 | 2.7% | 62.1 | 2-0 | |||||||||
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| scored | = | scored | 0-0 | |||||||||
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| 55 | 0.2% | 55 | 1-1 | |||||||||
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| 6.24 | 1.1% | 6.17 | 0-1 | |||||||||
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| scored | = | scored | 0-0 | |||||||||
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| scored | 14.3% | scored | 0-1 | |||||||||
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Braking distances and lap times are better when lower; speeds, wear and grip figures when higher. A test's figures are its own: sizes, cars, surfaces and temperatures differ from one to the next, which is why the averages here are only ever of tests the two tires shared. "Scored" rows are subjective driver ratings: each test uses its own scale, so only the wins are counted.
Scores beyond the shared tests
On the Tire Reviews Score, which weighs every test and review we hold, the Primacy Tour AS scores 8.5 and the Defender 2 7 out of 10.
| Primacy Tour AS | Category | Defender 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86 | Dry | 66 | ||
| 78 | Wet | 32 | ||
| 33 | Comfort | 41 | ||
| 13 | Snow | 5 | ||
| 85 | Ice | 83 | ||
Category scores are percentiles among tires of the same season and class: 90 means this tire out-performs 90% of them, measured across every test we hold, not only the ones it appeared in.
What owners say
| Primacy Tour AS | Category | Defender 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.7 | Dry Grip | 9.3 | ||
| 6.3 | Wet Grip | 8.3 | ||
| 6.3 | Road Feedback | 8.7 | ||
| 7.4 | Handling | 9.3 | ||
| 3.3 | Wear | 9 | ||
| 7.1 | Comfort | 9.3 | ||
| 3.5 | Snow Grip | 9 | ||
| 3.2 | Ice Grip | 9 | ||
Owners rate the Primacy Tour AS 55% from 8 reviews and the Defender 2 92% from 3. Reviews are vetted by hand before publication; ownership is not verified.
Michelin Primacy Tour AS
- 55%from 8 reviews
- 14%would buy again
- 408,528 milesdriven by reviewers
Ride comfort is the clearest positive for the Michelin Primacy Tour AS, praised in three of five owner reviews. All five reviews fall in the neutral score band, averaging 56.8%, and two owners describe excessive understeer rather than rewarding dry handling. Noise experiences vary, from quiet motorway cruising to a persistent hum, while another complaint concerns cornering squeal. Wet-road experiences also differ sharply, with one owner praising rain performance and another reporting poor braking and cornering. Later-life reports include disappointing wear, but the small sample does not establish a consistent lifespan or ageing pattern.
- Comfortable ride
- Understeer in dry corners
Summarised by AI from 5 vetted reviews; the reviews themselves are on the tire page.
All 8 Primacy Tour AS reviewsI’ve gone through two sets of these tires. I live in a hot climate, no snow and sometimes a lot of rain. It handles really well in the rain. I’ve gone 123mph with them. I’ve had punctures like 6 times and they’ve always been patchable without an issue.
I think they are great tires. They don’t last as long as the defender series but I think they work better in the rain.
Michelin Defender 2
- 92%from 3 reviews
- 120,120 milesdriven by reviewers
All 3 Defender 2 reviewsWe own a Dodge Challenger GT AWD. We dive the challenger year round. The OEM tires were Michelins and were touring tires. They were super comfortable and offered great handling. When we went lookng for our next tires we found out that the OEM tires were no longer available. They spec'd the Defender 2 at Costco and we extremely pleased with them. We have summer and winter rims and are so happy with the Defenders that we are buying them again for the summer rims. and they came with a rebate, too! Happy customers! Thanks, Michelin.
Sizes, EU label and lineage
| Category | Primacy Tour AS | Defender 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Season | All Season | All Season |
| On the market since | 2021 | - |
| Replaced | - | Michelin Defender |
Reading the results
Written from the test results and owner reviews above. It is analysis, not a measurement: where it and the tables disagree, the tables are right.
Michelin's Primacy Tour A/S and Defender 2 sit under the same “premium touring all-season” umbrella, but these Tire Rack results show they're tuned for notably different priorities. The Primacy Tour A/S (often fitted to crossovers/SUVs) leans more toward an “athletic touring” feel-quicker steering response and stronger wet/dry control-while the Defender 2 (a staple passenger-car touring option) focuses more on easy everyday manners, especially low noise.
Across two shared 215/55 R17 Tire Rack tests that mix dry, wet, and winter metrics, the headline trend is consistent: the Primacy Tour A/S is the better performer when grip matters most (especially in the wet), whereas the Defender 2's biggest advantage is refinement-most notably noise-and, in one test, slightly better ice acceleration/braking. The key question for buyers is whether you prioritize confident stopping/handling in rain (and overall test performance) or a quieter, unobtrusive daily commute with clear limitations when conditions turn wintry.
Conclusion
On objective performance, Michelin Primacy Tour A/S is the clear winner across these two tests. It beats the Defender 2 in every measured dry and wet result provided, with meaningful gaps where it matters most for safety margins: wet braking improves by about 10% in both tests (30.27 m vs 33.62 m in 2026; 42.67 m vs 47.55 m in 2025), and dry braking is also consistently shorter (e.g., 37.49 m vs 39.72 m). It also posts better snow metrics in both tests (notably a large 2025 snow-braking advantage: 21.4 m vs 25.76 m), and earns substantially better overall placements (4/11 vs 10/11; 10/10 vs 9/10), reflecting a more capable “do-everything” dynamic package in mild-to-wet conditions.
The Defender 2's case is narrower but real: it's the quieter tire (subjective noise 8 vs 7 in 2026) and is described as the easiest, most unobtrusive commuter option on clear roads. It also edges the Primacy on ice metrics in the 2026 test (ice braking 16.76 m vs 17.59 m; ice traction 6.17 s vs 6.24 s), though that advantage isn't consistent across both tests. The practical takeaway is that Primacy Tour A/S is the better choice for drivers who want stronger wet/dry performance and more confidence in variable weather, while Defender 2 best suits comfort/quiet-focused drivers who mainly face dry-to-wet commuting and can be especially cautious-or switch tires-when winter conditions arrive.
Primacy Tour AS vs Defender 2: your questions
Is the Michelin Primacy Tour AS or the Michelin Defender 2 the better tire?
The Michelin Primacy Tour AS and the Michelin Defender 2 have met in 2 independent tests and the record is level at 1-1. On the Tire Reviews Score, which weighs every test and review we hold, the Primacy Tour AS scores 8.5 and the Defender 2 7 out of 10.
Which is better in the wet, the Primacy Tour AS or the Defender 2?
The Primacy Tour AS led 5 of the 5 wet measurements the shared tests recorded. On average it stopped 10.1% shorter in the wet across 2 tests.
Which is better in the dry?
The Primacy Tour AS led 3 of the 5 dry measurements the shared tests recorded. On average it stopped 4.3% shorter in the dry across 2 tests.
Which is better in snow?
The Primacy Tour AS led 5 of the 6 snow measurements the shared tests recorded. On average it stopped 8.9% shorter on snow across 2 tests.
Which is quieter and more comfortable?
Owners rate comfort 7.1/10 for the Primacy Tour AS and 9.3/10 for the Defender 2.
What do owners say?
Owners rate the Primacy Tour AS 55% from 8 reviews and the Defender 2 92% from 3.
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Run either of these?
Your review is the part of this page no test can supply: how the tire wore, how it aged, what it was like in the rain in year three. It takes about five minutes.
Where this data comes from
Finishing positions and measurements are transcribed from each published test. A test only counts here when both tires ran in it, so every figure was recorded on the same car, size and day as the one it is compared to.
About the TR Score
The Tire Reviews Score rates each tire out of 10 from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold, so two tires can be compared even before a test has run them together.
Who does the testing
Every test published as a Tire Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tires independently since 2007.
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