The armor of this tank will not save you. If you find yourself at the front in close proximity to enemy heavies that are the same or higher tier than you you have done something wrong.
The armor though does not hold up to its historical value because the direct historical competitors of this tank were designed to counter the tiger (IS, Pershing, etc.).
This gun is formidable even in the tier 8 arena, and will have no problem penetrating most tier 8 heavies from the front. However, it's still best to equip Optics (unless you have an exceptional crew) in case you don't have allies to spot for you, as the base view range is quite good for its tier. Stay at a distance, using bushes if possible, and with your superior accuracy and armor penetration you'll soon whittle them down. If you are at the bottom of the list, let your allies spot the enemies for you to snipe. Its top gun, the 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71, is extremely accurate (0.34), inflicts good damage, has a phenomenal rate of fire and has excellent penetration (203 on its standard AP shot), enough to go through any Tier 9's weak spots. Many German tanks are great snipers, and the Tiger is no exception.