Released in 2016, the Yokohama YK740 is part of Yokohama’s all-season tires collection geared towards drivers of coupes, sedans, crossovers, and minivans. Offered next-level all-season touring performance, the YK740 features dependable all season-traction, a smooth and comfortable ride, and long-lasting tread life.
The updated Michelin Defender T+H was released in March 2017 and is a standard all-season tire for drivers of coupes, family sedans, crossovers, minivans, and other vehicles of the sort.
| Features | Yokohama YK740 GTX | Michelin Defender |
| Material | Tri-Plex rubber compound | Evertread Michelin rubber compound |
| Wet Traction | Extraordinary wet traction owing to excellent grooves and traction sipes. | Decent wet traction due to ergonomic design |
| Dry Traction | Unique tread patterns deliver excellent dry traction on paved surfaces. | Offers better traction while cornering. |
| Snow Traction | Only suitable for light snow conditions. Suffers in heavy snow. | Not recommended for heavy snow conditions as well. |
| Off-Road Performance | Suffers in off-road performance due to non-aggressive tread designs | Better Off-Road performance due to microgrooves/channels and 3D Active Siping Technology. |
| Road Noise | Noise is minimal even at high speeds on rough terrain | Comparably less quiet. |
| Warranty | 60,000 mile tread warranted | 90,000 mile tread warranted |
| Price | Prices range from $97 and up | Prices range from $97 and up |
What is the difference between Yokohama YK740 GTX and Michelin Defender?
The main difference between Yokohama YK740 GTX and Michelin Defender is that YK740 offers better wet traction, less road noise, and is suitable for light snow conditions. While the Michelin Defender excels in off-road performance, has better dry traction, and is comparably less quiet than YK740 GTX.
Material
The YK740 GTX uses a Tri-Plex rubber compound (i.e., three layers make up the rubber compound of the tire) infused with Yokohama’s proprietary infused ELS orange oil compound.
The orange oil compound is eco-friendly, replaces some of the fuel oil that goes in tire production, is responsible for longer durability of the tire, and gives the tire low rolling resistance for better fuel economy.
Excellent wet and dry traction throughout all seasons are accredited to the YK740’s unique asymmetrical tread pattern. The outcome is a better product for consumers and also for the environment.
In contrast, the Defenders make use of a specialized Evertread Compound renowned for long-lasting durability and capability to endure different types of conditions throughout the year.
It also features an asymmetric tread pattern that contains high amounts of silica for sharper grip on wet paved surfaces all the while maintaining regular traction as the tire wears off.
Dry Traction
For the YK740 GTX tires, the unique tread patterns on these all-season tires provide exceptional traction on dry paved terrains.
The YK740 offers phenomenal handling and crisp steering response due to the hard rubber compound the tire uses which also effectively absorbs any bumps and vibrations ensuring a comfortable experience on the road.
Longitudinal and lateral grooves of the YK740 combined with the triple 3D sipes that provide more biting edges are responsible for the tire’s sharp and crisp grip on the road.
The Michelin Defender in comparison offers better performance while cornering. All-season traction on the Defender is accredited to a silica tread compound that adds strength to the rubber compound that in turn provides better rolling resistance.
In addition, Michelin’s IntelliSipe technology maximizes the number of sipes on the tire providing more biting edges. The two features go hand in hand and the result is stable handling and better overall brake performance.
Wet Traction
For an all-season tire, the YK740 GTX has almost the same dry and wet traction. The Yokohama tires offer enhanced wet traction as well owing to their narrow circumferential grooves, triple 3D sipes, and specialized rain channels.
The rubber surface of the narrow grooves and rain channels helps in channeling out water quickly meanwhile the sipes increase the overall grip.
nt - longer_content -->The Defenders also offer excellent wet traction which is attributed to the four circumferential grooves and hundreds of lateral grooves that collaborate together to increase grip and oust more water from under the tire that prevents the dangerous condition of skidding.
Due to its lateral grooves and wide channels, the defender has high hydroplaning resistance that provides extra confidence on the road.
Snow Traction
Unfortunately, the snow traction is limited on the YK740s as the triple 3D sipes and narrow grooves of the YK740 GTX tires are apt only for light snow conditions.
For medium to heavy snow conditions, these tires won’t survive. The same is the case for the Michelin Defenders that are inadequate for heavy snow conditions for similar reasons.
Such conditions demand specific winter tires designed with flexible rubber compounds that do not freeze and both of these tires fail to meet this criterion.
Off-Road Performance
The YK740s do not have enough aggressiveness in its tread designs to go off-road. The sipes of these tires do not provide a strong crisp grip in off-road or rougher conditions.
The reason is that its channels are not deep enough to handle muddy roads and there is not enough sturdiness on the sidewall to tolerate sharp objects.
On the other hand, the Michelin Defender offers comparatively better off-road performance owing to its 3D active sipes, microgrooves, and wide channels in the circumference making it a better choice for off-road enthusiasts.
Road Noise
A quiet ride is a real highlight with the YK740 tires. These tires roll silently in urban roads and the noise remains minimal even at high speeds in rough terrains. The tires achieve this feat due to their adaptive shoulder tread blocks, offset tread design, and special pitch variation.
The Michelin Defenders are comparatively less quiet but still effective in their performance on the road.
Comfortable Driving
The YK740 GTX tires are a reliable choice for worry-free driving as they have lasting tread life, better fuel economy, tight and responsive steering, and excellent all-season dry and wet traction.
These mentioned features make the YK740s a standard in reliability, comfort, and sustainability. The tires especially do not disappoint on highway surfaces and provide a well-balanced and smooth ride.
The Defenders are also an excessively good option for driving on highways. The tire is effective in balancing its handling, cornering, and steering response and keeps you safe during skids, drifts, and sudden brakes making them a convenient option.
Talking about reliability make sure to check out our guide on tire rotation and driving on bald tires.
Warranty
Drivers of the Yokohama YK740 GTX are served with a solid 60K mile tread warranty. Yokohama offers first 2/32 inch of wear guarantee on the tire’s uniformity for all sizes and a 30-day trial satisfaction guarantee from Yokohama.
The Michelin Defenders, on the other hand, are rated at a whopping 90K mile tread warranty. Despite a 90K mile warranty, a number of drivers complained that they were not seeing that many miles from the tread so that is one consideration that should be kept in mind while purchasing the Defender.
Also Read: Can you drive on bald tires?
Final thoughts
Now that you’ve learned about the features of both tires, you can make an informed decision next time you go out buying one of these tires.
They both are an excellent choice for all-season tires that perform and last well and don’t break the budget. Both tires won’t do you any good if you live in a snowy area so you must keep this consideration in mind and avoid both tires in that case.
Hopefully, we have given you much insight about both of these tires.