Michelin X-Ice SNOW | The New Winter Tire to Have

Today is as gorgeous as it gets in upstate New York in November. But you can only hold off Mother Nature for so long so I’ve made an appointment for next week to give the Kona some real winter tires. So these Nexen all-seasons are coming off and in their place will be these new Michelin X-Ice Snows; an updated version of their previously available X-Ice Xi3 and Latitude X-Ice Xi2. Michelin says snow grip has been improved by 4% and ice grip by 8%. And with the climate trending warmer, our area roads are seeing more ice and slush each winter and that aspect has been improved by 7%. And this is an EV so rolling resistance matters to me and this tire has been reduced in that department by 9%. So I guess all that’s left to do is to wait for the snow to fly.

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Michelin X-Ice SNOW Review

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[GregorianChance]

Dedicated snow tires are a game changer! I put the X-Ice-Snows on my new MB GLC300 and immediately felt the difference. I bought separate wheels and now I can just change them over; seasonally, on my own. It’s like having a pair of good winter boots for your car!

[sk-unjq]

X-Ice Snows blew away the Blizzaks after being shaved down to 4/32. I have the CC2s and they're AMAZING in snow! They're good for 75-85K miles real world too and good for the life of the tread.

[shopwithaaron]

Thanks! I put Conti Viking 7's on my new RWD turbo 4 Stinger and really liked the performance in the first 6" snow. No loss of MPGs or any tire noise increase. Reno has some but not too much snow but I took ther bridgestones off just in case...

[michaelpoczynek]

I am in Atlantic Canada and I can tell you there is no comparison between All-Season, otherwise known as "no-season" tires and winter tires. We cannot do without them here.

[rightlanehog]

Steve, Admittedly I don't do very high mileage but I got 11 or 12 winters out of my first set of X-Ice tires. The X-Ice 3s that replaced them came with a 40, 000 mile tread wear rating which I believe is/was unprecedented for a winter tire. The X-Ice 3s are easily the most quiet winter tires I have used in 40 years. Of course rule #1 in winter driving is to slow the he__ down. In regard to the 'expense' of winter tires, the money saved in avoiding one crash will easily pay for a set of winter tires and cheap steel rims. Finally, those winter tires can be sold separately when you trade in or sell your car. Michelin tires cost a premium price when buying but command a premium value when selling used. 😁

[XtremiTeez]

Pro tip: Get another set of rims for your snow tires.

1. You can change them over yourself any time you want in your garage.
2. You can buy smaller diameter rims and smaller diameter tires that will save you money and ride better in the snow.

[danielordonez]

I have those on my Mazda cx5 and Genesis G80 and honestly the best snow tire I’ve ever had. Michelin nailed it

[Foniiguy]

I have these on my Nissan Altima and they’re great, never getting stuck again.

[Tinrs]

I remember years ago my first job.. everyone had SUVs and i had a Cavalier.. i had really good tires on it and was only one made it to work in a snow storm.. lol ( traction n tires have tru effect )

[Thexaios]

I live in northern Canada and put these on my 2021 Honda CR-V. Very pleased with them so far. They compare quite well to the Toyo Observes that I drove on for years, and they were no slouches either. I will say, at -45 Celsius, they got pretty square, but then there is no tire that doesn't get that way at those temperatures.😄

[klasseact]

I'm having these installed tomorrow on my Elantra N. The OEM size is 245/35/19 but I went with the 225/40/19 for a couple reasons. First is they're 20mm narrower to slice through the snow better and the height is only .3" taller, a bit more protection and ride comfort.

I haven't had Michelin winter tires since the early 2000's when I had Michelin Artic Alpins and thought they rode great and performed very well in SE Michigan winters.

[Wigglythegreat]

On my previous AWD vehicle I had an older version of these tires and they were great back then. They have since been updated/improved so I can only imagine that they are even better. I'm going to put some on my mew Mazda cx-30 AWD because the Bridgestone Turanza tires that the car came with are said to be horrible in the winter.

[Andrew]

Never bought snows until I married a Canadian. Now using them for 23 years. Game-changing! Will get either Blizzaks or Michelins depending on what’s available when the need arises, and always happy.

Got Blizzaks for the Niro EV if you ever want to do a side-by-side of different tires on two rather similar cars.

Thanks for the review. Enjoy that awesome car.

[TP-scx]

I have had these tires for 3yrs, use from nov. to march. Works great 😊

[JatinderSinghWinnipegCanada]

I live in manitoba where it's bitterly cold and snows like crazy. I am buying these this week and picking these over Blizzak and Continental tru contact. Am I making the right choice? Thanks

[OGsneakerhead]

Hey Steve, how has your electric Kona been performing in the winter? I'm looking at purchasing a Kona or a Tucson hybrid. Like you I live on the east coast and was a bit skeptical about hybrids/electric vehicles in the winter months.

[buoyant]

My first introduction to snow tires here in Minnesota was a set of Michelin Arctic Alpins I purchased about 20 years ago. Loved them and became a snow tire believer.

Then, when I sold that car, I ran Goodyear Ultra Grips on my next vehicle in the cold season and was not too impressed. Both snow traction and ride seemed inferior to the Michelins. Dry performance may have been a bit better but not by much.

Last two vehicles have been clad with Blizzaks. Tread design and performance of both sets of Blizzaks remind me a lot of those original Arctic Alpins. They’re a little squishy on dry pavement but ride nicely, are generally pretty quiet and are fantastic on snow and ice. Overall, I think Blizzaks are hard to beat unless someone is lazy and tries to run winter tires year round (not sure how they’d perform at speed in the summer; I’d guess pretty horribly).

[alex]

Awesome EV by the way and great color!

[gabeferlin]

How do these compare to the Yokohama ice guard or blue earth? I need new winter tires but Michelin's are expensive

[markdecker]

Tis the season already. I drive way above average mileage. I've owned the Blizzard on multiple vehicles over the years. Ive owned 2 sets of Michelin Xice tires. I have not used their newest and current evolution of this tire.
The two the biggest stand out I'd like of the Michelin tires over the Blizzak is tread wear.
I already said I drive above average miles I've always thought the Bridgestone blizzax wear out rather quickly.
I think the blizzak tire overall offers a little bit superior winter grip. I think the Michelin is a close second.
However the Michelin tire will even come with a 40, 000 mi tread warranty which is practically unheard of when it comes to any winter tires.
Shopping around for prices The two tires are almost even in price from what I'm finding.
I will live with slightly less overall winter traction for a tire that will last much longer than the Blizzak.
Here it is first week of October and I was just looking on Tirerack for some prices.