Yokohama AVID Ascend LX vs Michelin Defender T+H: All season tires have always been the go to tires for the American market and this segment has been well established across the years. There are 2 types of all season tires, one with 3 peak mountain & one with only M+S. We have covered these 2 types of tire head to head with Michelin’s Defender T+H (M+S) vs Cross Climate 2 (3 peak mountain) and the M+S all season tires are worst in winter performances but excel much better in mileage.
This time around we picked up another M+S all season challenger in the form of Yokohama’s AVID Ascend LX. This tireline was launched in 2019 and covers a large range of passenger cars and crossovers. Defender T+H on the other hand was launched a year earlier in 2017 and covers mostly SUV sizes from 15″-18″. Both products discussed here are exclusive for the North American market which demonstrates the commitment towards this market. Let’s put 2 of the finest M+S all season tires head to head and see who comes out on top !
Table of Contents
Results
Results below were taken from the Tire Rack’s “Testing Standard Touring All-Season 2021” test. A total of 4 tires were tested this time around in Tire Rack’s own proving ground. The graph below shows the comparison between Yokohama AVID Ascend LX vs Michelin Defender T+H based on the relevant performance category. The AVID Ascend LX was set as a reference hence at the 100% mark. Note that for subjective evaluation, we equate 1 point as 5%. Hence for example if tire A is graded 7 while tire B is graded 6, A is better than B by 5%.
As both tires are categorized as all season tires, Tire Rack has included snow & ice in its testing portfolio. A detailed testing on snow including acceleration, braking & handling were evaluated. The tire size of interest is a 225/50 R17 which is a common tire size for Audi A4 & Honda Accord. You can check out our latest tire size table for more information. The testing vehicle is a rear wheel drive 2020 BMW F36 430i Gran Coupe with a 17×7.5 rim.
Wet
The friction of coefficient of the tire/road dramatically decreases in wet roads compared to dry roads. Hence it is more likely to get into a road accident during wet conditions rather than on a sunny day. It was so important that the EU label has wet braking as one of its three criteria. Defender T+H came up on top when it comes to wet braking by stopping 6.7 feet (2m) earlier than AVID Ascend LX.
The advantage carried on in wet handling, as Defender T+H was superb once again as it blazed through the track with a 1.2 seconds advantage in lap time against AVID Ascend LX. It was the same for subjective wet handling rating as Defender T+H fared better with a subjective score of 5.56/10 compared to 5.09/10 of AVID Ascend LX. Overall, it is clear that Defender T+H was better in all wet categories.
Defender T+H:
- +5.3% in wet braking
- +2.4% in wet handling (subj)
- +3.3% in wet handling (lap time)
Dry
As for dry, safety is usually not an issue as the braking distance is much longer than wet. However this is the default daily usage and the tires have to perform at a very consistent level. Similar to the wet results, it was led by Michelin once again. Defender T+H was better in dry braking as it managed to brake 4.6 feet (1.4m) earlier compared to AVID Ascend LX from a speed of 50mph (80km/h) down to 0.
In dry handling, the performances were much closer with Defender T+H having an advantage with a subjective rating of 6.38/10 over AVID Ascend LX’s 5.94/10. In regards to the lap times, Defender T+H was only a fraction faster (0.03 seconds per lap) relative to AVID Ascend LX. Overall, both tires showed much closer performances in dry compared to wet with Defender T+H leading the race in both surfaces
Defender T+H:
- +5.2% in dry braking
- +2.2% in dry handling (subj)
- +0.1% in dry handling (lap time)
Noise/Comfort/Ride Quality
Ride comfort, noise & comfort was tested and both tires fared roughly the same as Defender T+H ended with a 7.21/10 rating compared to the 7.17/10 rating of AVID Ascend LX.
Defender T+H:
- +0.2% in average of Noise, Comfort & Ride Quality.
Snow
As both tires have been rated as an all season tire, we were thrilled when Tire Rack included snow on its testing list. As discussed earlier in the introduction, AVID Ascend LX & Defender T+H do not have the elusive 3 peak mountain logo. Hence both tires do not need to pass a certain threshold of snow traction level as determined by the legislation.
With dry & wet performances favoring Defender T+H, things were totally different when it came to snow as AVID Ascend LX dominated across all snow tests. It stopped 4.3 feet (1.3m) earlier than Defender T+H from a speed of 25 mph (40 km/h) to 0. It was also extremely good when it came to snow acceleration as it took 3.6 feet (1.1 m) less distance to accelerate from 0 to 12 mph (20 km/h). While it was also quicker in lap time (2.9 seconds !) and also subjectively better in snow handling (+0.29 points). Overall, AVID Ascend LX is clearly the better snow tire.
Defender T+H:
- -7% in snow braking
- -10.9% in snow acceleration
- -1.5% in snow handling (subj)
- -4% in snow handling (lap time)
Ice
With AVID Ascend LX showing such dominating performances in snow, we would expect this to continue in ice. However this was proven not true as Defender T+H out-brake AVID Ascend LX by 11.1 feet (3.4m) from a braking speed of 12 mph (20 km/h) to 0. In ice traction, AVID Ascend LX once again is in the lead by taking 0.43 seconds less to travel 60 feet in comparison against Defender T+H. Unlike in snow, Defender T+H was dominant in ice. This puzzled us as usually snow & ice goes well aligned with each other. If the test data would be publicly available we would definitely like to have a second look !
Defender T+H:
- +21.6% in ice braking
- +8.2% in ice acceleration
UTQG rating
We have previously shown that UTQG tread wear rating can be a good indication of your expected mileage. Below are the UTQG values of both of the tirelines.
| Brand | Tireline | Size | Tread Wear | Traction | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yokohama | AVID Ascend LX | All | 800 | A | A |
| Michelin | Defender T+H | All | 820 | A | B |
The mileage warranty for Defender T+H is at 80,000 miles while for AVID Ascend LX it is at 85,000 miles. These 2 tires are in the top range when it comes to mileage. Even though AVID Ascend LX had a lower UTQG tread wear rating (800) Yokohama still offered an extra 5,000 miles more compared to Michelin. However taking into consideration the overall picture, both tires should have the same expected mileage “give and take” the standard real life tolerances (road condition, car alignment, driving style & rotation)
For more in depth information about UTQG, please check out this article here. We even have a free download on the latest UTQG values from the leading tire manufacturers.
Price
Being the undisputed technology leader, we would expect Michelin to command the highest priced tire in the market. Defender T+H was found to cost only 9 dollars more compared to AVID Ascend LX which came as a surprise. The price mark up of the same segment tire was relatively low based on Michelin’s standard.
Tire size: 225/50R17
Defender T+H: $189
AVID Ascend LX: $180
Difference: +5% more expensive for Defender T+H.
Summary
Overall, Defender T+H was clearly dominant in wet, dry & ice performances while AVID Ascend LX was strong in snow. Taking into consideration winter & summer factors, there is not a clear winner in the duel and it boils down to your main requirements. If snow is your main requirement you should choose AVID Ascend LX, otherwise Defender T+H would be your better choice. Enjoy !