Michelin Defender on Civic

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Dec 25, 2015
Messages
44
Location
Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
What do you think about these tires on a 2017 Civic Coupe?

The best tires I've ever owned were Michelin Harmony, also on a Civic Coupe (2000). They lasted 100,000 miles.

I don't care a lick about ride quality or snow, etc. (I live in Florida). All I care about is the longevity of the tires and if I can expect these to hold up as good as the Harmonys.

People have told me these are "van tires" or some such (same with the Harmonys). I'm not interested in driving fast or looking cool. So if they're something for a van, well OK.

I've been through the factory Dunlops on a 2000 and they were junk. I have the factory Firestones on the 2017 and they're much better tires, but I'm going to replace them soon and I've always had good experience with Michelin.

What do you think?
 
I have a set on a 1998 Accord V6. Tires have about 30K miles on it. From the looks of it, I might get 60-70K miles from the tires before needing replacement. I work in Washington DC. 20 miles of freeway and 15 miles of city traffic, one way.

Grip is not very good on wet roads. On a car that serves as a basic point a to b commuter car, I cant complain. They are quiet tires IMO.
 
What is your tire size?
smile.gif


consider the Vredestein Ultrac Satin
 
Originally Posted by jharrison
What do you think about these tires on a 2017 Civic Coupe?

The best tires I've ever owned were Michelin Harmony, also on a Civic Coupe (2000). They lasted 100,000 miles.

I don't care a lick about ride quality or snow, etc. (I live in Florida). All I care about is the longevity of the tires and if I can expect these to hold up as good as the Harmonys.

People have told me these are "van tires" or some such (same with the Harmonys). I'm not interested in driving fast or looking cool. So if they're something for a van, well OK.

I've been through the factory Dunlops on a 2000 and they were junk. I have the factory Firestones on the 2017 and they're much better tires, but I'm going to replace them soon and I've always had good experience with Michelin.

What do you think?



I'm guessing you have 16" wheels, right? If so, The defender isn't available in 215/55r16. Why don't you look at the Premier A/S if you insist on Michelin
 
I hmmm and hawed about getting the michelin harmonys and cheaped out and got the Hankook Optimo H727. Was not disappointing. Wet and dry was close to the original michelins on the van and they lasted about 70-80K miles on a van known the eat tires.
replaced them with another set before selling it.

New sienna has General RT43 they are hitting 50K miles and still look good on the treads. I think they are just ad good as the michelins they replaced and quieter than the hankooks.

both are bargin tires.
 
Quote
I'm guessing you have 16" wheels, right? If so, The defender isn't available in 215/55r16. Why don't you look at the Premier A/S if you insist on Michelin


I do have 16" wheels and both TireRack and Tire Kingdom show these as available for 16"...?

That said, I'm not married to the Defender and would consider the Premier A/S if it has similar longevity to the Harmonys.

This is for a point A-to-B commuter car that I intend to keep until it falls apart.
 
Last edited:
I have a set of Defenders on my 2010 Civic and like them a lot. Smooth and quiet ride. They are rated for 80k miles.
 
I would very much recommend the Michelin Defenders. I currently have 65000 on mine on my civic with at least another 15 to go. They offer good all season traction, are quiet and balance up good. I cannot recommend my previous tires, Michelin Premier because of their poor tread life. Mine lasted 40,000 before they were pro rated out by discount tire.
 
I don't mind forking out the $170 for the Defenders, but why is the cost so much more than the Harmonies? I don't remember spending that much for a tire, but I bought those around 2002 so maybe I don't remember what I spent.

I think the Harmonies were like $110 each at the time. I was a kid in the army at the time and I don't think I bought $170.00 tires. Maybe I did - I just don't recall.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by jharrison
Quote
I'm guessing you have 16" wheels, right? If so, The defender isn't available in 215/55r16. Why don't you look at the Premier A/S if you insist on Michelin


I do have 16" wheels and both TireRack and Tire Kingdom show these as available for 16"...?

That said, I'm not married to the Defender and would consider the Premier A/S if it has similar longevity to the Harmonys.

This is for a point A-to-B commuter car that I intend to keep until it falls apart.


It's the Truck version, that for some reason is available in 215/55r16, the Defender LTX, not the car version, which you're probably looking it.
 
According to the Consumer reports ratings, for your 215-55R16 size, your best value is:

Yokohama Avid Ascend (t) 100K projected mileage, very good dry , good wet braking, very good hydroplaining $91
 
I'm not looking for a bargain. I want to throw a bunch of money on new tires. Maybe that's a very naive position to take but it served me well with previous Michelins. The Harmonys were absolutely **phenomenal tires**. They don't make them anymore. I'm trying to understand if the defenders (their replacement) are their equals.

I got 100K miles off those Harmonies. That's what I'm looking for. AFIAK, the Michelin Harmonies were the best tires ever made. I've had the sporty Dunlops (Direzza star-spec, AKA Dunflop Diarrhea) and Potenzas on my Del Sol and they don't make it past 20K miles, if that. Yeah, I understand they're "summer tires", but still.
 
Last edited:
If you want sporty but "long" life for a performance tire, take a look at the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+.

The last generation of the Defender series was plagued with short life. Supposedly this issue was fixed with the Defender T+H and X Tour A/S(which is the Costco/Sam's/BJ's version).
 
My son and I both have the Michelin Defenders T+H on our 2012 Civics. They are wearing very well on both vehicles. Both cars have between 25,000 and 35,000 and are wearing just like they should. They are rated at 80,000 or 90,000 miles but I expect to only get about 60,000 since my driving is on gravel roads and ice and lots of turning, braking and in town driving. I think if it were mainly straight line highway driving you could hit the 80,000 miles easily but the condition I drive in are poor and we have tons of potholes in my state.
 
I'll bet you can find a tire that will wear as well as the Defenders, but cost a lot less.

Some insight: I am of the opinion that the UTQG treadwear rating can be compared between brands - BUT - there is variability such that anything within 10% should be considered the same.

That said, the UTQG treadwear rating for the Defender is 720 with a warranty of 70K. I think that any tire with as high of a treadwear rating of 800 would result in similar tread life.

Another tip: Since you are concerned only about wear (Why aren't you concerned about wet traction? I am sure it rains in Florida!), you need to get an alignment and the alignment tech ought to dial out as much camber as he can and set the toe EXACTLY on spec.

Why dial out the camber? Too much camber can cause uneven wear and anything over a degree is too much (IMHO)

Check BEFORE you get the alignment that the tech agrees to get the camber below a degree - even if the spec says the acceptable value is higher. This might require some parts at an additional cost (camber plate or eccentric bolt).
 
my defenders for a 2010 accent wore out in 25000 miles.. maybe they have fixed that?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top