Winter tire comparisons are very difficult because conditions vary wildly across different types of snow, ice, wetness and temp. No one has best, comparison is just same day and certain conditions but another day it would be different.
Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV
- Thread starter OVERKILL
- Start date
They still don’t have in 205/50 R17 I need for BMW. They have WS90, but based on last winter experience on Tiguan, they are “whatever.”
I would definitely go Continental VikingContact 7, but it is after Costco discount for Bridgestone or/and Michelin , dramatically more expensive than WS90 or X-Ice snow.
Nokian, i am not touching with 10ft pole.
I would definitely go Continental VikingContact 7, but it is after Costco discount for Bridgestone or/and Michelin , dramatically more expensive than WS90 or X-Ice snow.
Nokian, i am not touching with 10ft pole.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Yup, it's interesting to see the results of the different shootouts and the ranking change.In this big test of 16 different studded and studless SUV 235/55R18 winter tires (by Motor Magazine of Norway) there are some interesting results:
The Nokian R5 outperforms the X-Ice Snow in acceleration on ice and handling on ice. They are equal in ice braking.
The Nokian R5 outperforms the X-Ice Snow in braking on snow and handling on snow. They are equal in acceleration on snow
The Nokian R5 outperforms the X-Ice Snow in braking on wet roads. The Michelin had the longest wet braking distances of the 8 studless tires tested. They are equal in braking on dry roads.
They are equal in handling on dry roads and wet roads.
The R5 had the lowest score for hydroplaning resistance among the 8 studless tires tested, and the SNOW had the 2nd lowest score. In other words, they are both mediocre in hydroplaning resistance.
Her er de beste vinterdekkene til SUV-en
Piggdekk eller piggfritt? Motor har testet åtte av hver for at du skal velge de beste vinterdekkene til biler i SUV-klassen.www.motor.no
I haven’t had X-Ice Snow. But of tires I did, VC7 is IMO most comprehensive snow tire. It does everything good, nothing best, but no weakness.
Is it because of that crazy Colorado winter weather? Snowing and 25F on a Monday, then 65F and sunny on Wednesday?
I have a new set of them mounted on some OEM 18" takeoff wheels waiting to be bolted to my GF's '21 Acadia here soon. I chose them because they actually have a threadwear rating.
It is bcs. they are good in one or two disciplines and absolute junk in rest.
And the noise and harshness? Geez.
So yeah, if driving, IDK, Purdhoe Bay, AK, maybe. You don’t have to brake in dry or wet.
It would be nice to see them test the Blizzak WS90, or whatever latest car version is in future tests since that is always a recommended tire here in USA/Canada. I don't know if it was here at BITOG or other sites where members discussed their feeling of DM-V3 or V2 being more slippery than other versions they had.
One comment that I think stands out from TyreReviews is to pick the tire for where you will use it most as he was discussing the Central European Conti TS870. It does good in the snow and ice but excels in wet and dry grip. If you get more wet and dry than snow/ice then something with higher scores for that might be better for you and will determine how you recommend to others.
One comment that I think stands out from TyreReviews is to pick the tire for where you will use it most as he was discussing the Central European Conti TS870. It does good in the snow and ice but excels in wet and dry grip. If you get more wet and dry than snow/ice then something with higher scores for that might be better for you and will determine how you recommend to others.
Yes, they are made for snow and ice and Scandinavian roads. Michelin are horrible on these roads and feel like riding on balloons, but really good at Germanys silky smooth roads. But thats my experience.
I had Michelin snow tires and they are excellent in snow and ice. In deep snow Nokian was bit better. Bit. But that is about it
I wet they were pretty much dangerous. I kept twice the distance from vehicles than usual.
IMO, they are not even second tier manufacturer.
Will have to check more comparisons to confirm but it looks like Nokian has improved in those categories with their newest model, the R5.
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2022-Tyre-Reviews-Studless-Winter-Tyre-Test.htm
Dry Braking 100km/h ---> 5km/h:
Nokian R5: 45.45m
X-Ice: 47.88m
Wet Braking: 80km/h ----> 5km/h:
Nokian R5: 35.21m
X-Ice: 35.59m
Noise:
Nokian R5 (61.9dB)
X-Ice: (62.1dB)
Comfort:
Nokian R5 (100/100)
X-Ice: (95/100)
I had 4 sets of their tires in the last 20 years. All had issues in one or two disciplines. That is how Kumho, Barum etc. perform. That is not how top tier tires perform. Which is ok. Problem with Nokian is they charge like top tier manufacturers. Their drop in performance after 10k is dramatic. That is not how Michelin, Continental, Bridgestone do.
Tests are like statistics, they tell you a lot but cover most important parts. Most important part being, what in 6 months or a year.
They are Liqui Moly of tire world.
You make some good points.
I thought the same about everything you mentioned when I had the R2's. R3's seemed better but still had a few issues.
Now I'm hoping the R5's will perform as promised.
I think calling them the liqui moly of the tire world is a little harsh as they actively seek to get better (ex: R5's or the WGR4's). I see why you think that though, especially after 4 sets with their marketing.
I probably had 40+ sets of snow tires last 25 years. One tire manufacturer that is always consistent in winter tire category is Continental. Bridgestone is OK, Michelin is consistent but they have their own philosophy of adapting to majority of drivers. One thing about Michelin is that they absolutely do not drop in performance.
Another thing is this argument how they are for Scandinavian market! Ok, how many people spent winter in Oslo, Copenhagen or Helsinki? The whole Alps have much worse winter mixed with black ice and then warm winds from Adriatic or Mediterranean Sea in French and part of Switzerland.
There are numerous manufacturers that have this rugged design but lack in other disciplines. They are cheaper tires like Barum, Debica etc. manufacturers in ownership of Continental, GY, Michelin or Bridgestone. They are made to offer cheaper alternatives usually focused on ice and snow performance but lacking in other disciplines. The thing is, Barum charges snow tire 60% of what Continental does, an owner of Barum. But, there are more compromises.
Nokian wants to get better, no doubt. But, they are not in the league with big manufacturers. That is fine. Price on other hand is consequence of selling BS.
Winter studless SUV tire buyers who place a high value on wet braking and hydroplaning resistance should avoid the Michelin XIce Snow and Nokian R5, and put their sights on the Continental VikingContact 7 or the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2 tires. The latter 2 tires sacrifice some ice traction in exchange for better wet traction. This is especially true for the Goodyear. The inverse relationship between ice traction and wet traction for winter tires is a well established fact.
It would not surprise me if 3-4 months from now Continental announces the new VikingContact 8. Continental has been on a 4-5 year product cycle for the VikingContact winter tires, and it has been 4.75 years since the VikingContact 7 came to market on February 2018 (in Europe).
Idk about X-Ice snow, but Latitude X-Ice II were excellent in wet.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
My biggest concern is ice (particularly black ice). The Hankook's that came off were always bad on ice, but got scary bad the last couple of years. We had Michelin Latitude X-Ice XI2's on our Durango and they were so much better it wasn't even funny (we have those on the RAM).
We have Conti's for the summer rubber on the RAM and we are very happy with them BTW, so I'm not opposed to Continental. I do however prefer to support the French nuclear fleet over German coal
The fact that these tires were made here in Canada was just the icing on the cake.I don't mind spending money on good tires and I've always had great results with Michelin. These tires cost me ~$1,800 after taxes, mounted.
Problems with Michelin are that thay have floppy sidewalls, and cracks very fast
Hmm, no they don’t. At least none of my Michelin did, and I drive on and off on them for 30yrs.
