Michelin X-Ice Snow is a studless winter tire. This tire can be used on sedans, coupes, crossovers, SUVs, and minivans. Everybody in the tire industry knows that Michelin Crossclimate 2 is a king of all-weather tires(best ones). Well, X-Ice Snow is developed from Crossclimate 2 tread. Believe my guys, this tread design promises a lot. Let’s dig into it and see what it can bring to you!
| Michelin X-Ice Snow | |
|---|---|
| Best for | Smooth & quiet winter driving, decent tread life |
| Test Report | vs Blizzak WS90 & VikingContact 7 & WinterCommand Ultra (December 12, 2020) |
| Category | Studless Ice&Snow Tire |
| Vehicle | Passenger Car/Minivan/SUV |
| Available Sizes (Rim) | 15”, 16”, 17”, 18”, 19”, 20” (Ensure these tires fit your vehicle) |
| Made In | USA |
| Labels | 3PMSF |
| Warranty | 40,000 Miles |
As a former Bridgestone engineer, from my standpoint, Michelin X-Ice Snow is an alpha plus tire no matter how severe your winter conditions are. While offering perfect traction on light snow, it also outperforms most winter tires regarding deep snow and ice. Moreover, while working gorgeously on snow, it also offers long-lasting tread and fuel efficiency. Michelin X-Ice Snow is quiet and cozy. However, even though it prevents most of its performance in warm conditions, I don’t recommend using them above 7 Celcius degrees.
I highly recommend checking the below pages out before making any purchase:
- DiscountTire Deals:
https://www.discounttire.com/promotions - TireRack Deals:
https://www.tirerack.com/specialoffers - SimpleTire Deals:
https://simpletire.com/tire-deals
Table of Contents
Dry Performance
The dry performance of winter is misunderstood. Many people think that winter tires can’t provide traction in summer. That’s completely wrong.
Due to their soft compounds, winter tires can provide traction no matter the temperature is. However, softer compounds become softer in summer times and that causes rapid wearing. So, in fact, you’re losing money, not the traction.
On the other hand, the real issue is handling. When the rubber becomes fluffy, the tire can preserve its shape and handling issues occur.
Lastly but most importantly, if the weather is cold, it doesn’t mean it’s gonna rain or snow. You also need dry traction in winter conditions. In this section, I’ll talk about winter dry traction.
Michelin X-Ice Snow has decent dry traction in cold weather. Michelin uses FleX-Ice 2.0 compound on the X-Ice Snow that can prevent its softness. So, gripping isn’t an issue for it.
Even though X-Ice Snow has a lug-type tread, this V-Shaped design, decreases the void area ratio and optimizes the pattern for better handling on dry pavements. Therefore, Michelin X-Ice Snow offers trustworthy handling.
Wet Performance
Wet performance sometimes is an issue for winter tires. Due to their aggressive lug-type pattern, the water inside of the tread can’t be thrown out easily. So that costs hydroplaning at high speeds. Well, Michelin X-Ice Snow has some words to say.
Hydroplaning Resistance
Hydroplaning is the floating feeling when you pass through the puddle at high velocity. That might seem insignificant but most accidents on rainy days are caused by hydroplaning. Hence, this is vital.
Due to its V-shaped pattern design, Michelin had a chance to increase groove width. Wide and V-shaped grooves go through the shoulders and throw the water out with ease. For this reason, hydroplaning isn’t an issue for it.
Michelin X-Ice Snow has magnificent hydroplaning resistance.
Note: Hydroplaning is vital for a safe ride under the pouring rain. However, it might occur even with the best tire. Maybe you can’t prevent it but if you know what it is and how to deal with it, you can easily stay on the safe side.
Here is an extremely efficient guide about ‘How to Deal with Hydroplaning?‘ –> https://www.discounttire.com/learn/hydroplaning
Wet Traction
Wet traction is a doddle for X-Ice Snow. Due to its extremely notched and full-depth sipes and fluffy compound, it grips like there’s no tomorrow.
Michelin X-Ice Snow has a unique wet traction capability.
Winter Performance
Since you’re looking for a winter tire, this section is a prime mover of this article. Unlike most people, I evaluate winter tires under three different dimensions. These dimensions are light snow, deep snow, and ice. These dimensions are affected by different technical features. So, I’m going to evaluate them in different sections for better understanding.
Note: Michelin X-Ice Snow is rated with 3PMSF marking(severe winter rated).
Light Snow
Light snow is similar to wet performance. In that case, the self-cleaning ability also gets into the game.
Due to its highly-notched pattern and soft compound selection, X-Ice Snow provides tons of traction on light snow. Moreover, its inter-locked center section and v-shaped but lug-type pattern have a huge self-cleaning capability.
I strongly recommend Michelin X-Ice Snow for light snow.
Deep Snow and Ice
I’ve put up the best feature of FleX-Ice 2.0 for this section. FleX-Ice 2.0 has a unique technology that generates micro-roughness on the tread surface. That feature improves the ice and deep snow traction. When the surface of the compound becomes stiffer, it increases the grip ability on ice and deep snow.
Regarding deep snow and ice performance, its V-Shaped tread helps to increase contact patches. That might seem bad for deep snow. Yet, its wide grooves and full-depth sipes dramatically increase its biting edges and that means unique traction. On the other hand, micro-roughness that is provided by a unique compound is a gift for ice traction. Winter tires need a bit of stiffness to provide ice traction. Especially when they don’t have a stud option.
Michelin X-Ice Snow is rare due to ice and deep snow performance. It’s one of the best in its category.
Comfort
Michelin X-Ice Snow has a high-silica compound. Tires with high silica compounds can maintain their flexibility. So, they generally offer a smooth ride but that’s not the only thing I have to talk about.
Comfort is also related to the tread pattern. Unlike most winter tires, X-Ice Snow has a directional pattern that’s going to improve your riding comfort for sure.
Michelin X-Ice Snow is exceedingly cozy tire.
Road Noise
Road noise is highly related to the void area ratio. As I mentioned before, Michelin X-Ice Snow has a perfectly optimized void area. Its interlocked center section minimizes the void area and offers a deaf ride.
On the other hand, FleX-Ice 2.0 compound brings some disadvantages in that case. When the surface of the tire relatively gets stiffer and sometimes that causes slight road noise.
I can’t say X-Ice Snow is the quietest tire, yet, it’s one of the best in its category(8.5 out of 10).
A side note here: Even though some tires tend to make noise because of their tread patterns, it’s still possible to keep your tire noise down.
I’m leaving a perfect explanation below from DiscountTire for those who need it;
How to Keep Tire Noise Down? –>
https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-noise
Tread Life
The Tread life of winter tires is generally short. However, you can increase your tires’ tread life with a couple of tricks.
Firstly, I don’t recommend using these tires above 7 Celcius degrees. If you’ll, your tread life will dramatically decrease. Moreover, your tire will wear unevenly and you’ll have handling issues.
Secondly, winter tires have a lower speed rating. Though, they’re not built for aggressive driving. Keep that in mind and that’ll help you to improve your tires’ tread life.
Regarding Michelin X-Ice Snow, alpha plus compound have a huge impact out here also. When the tire surface becomes stiffer, it also wears slowly. Though worth reminding, this is a winter tire. Expecting above 50,000 miles tread life is kinda utopic.
Michelin X-Ice Snow has a decent tread life. One of the best in its category.
Getting maximum wear life from a tire is related to you as well as your tire,
If you’d like to learn how to get maximum tread life:
Fuel Efficiency
Fuel efficiency is related to rolling resistance and winter tires mostly have high rolling resistance. However, that’s not valid for Michelin X-Ice Snow.
Due to its lightweight and stick but durable compound, X-Ice Snow offers better gas mileage.
It’s going to be a bit assertive but Michelin X-Ice Snow offers almost the same gas mileage with all-season tires. I strongly recommend it.
Check Michelin’s product page for detailed information: https://www.michelinman.com/auto/tires/michelin-x-ice-snow
Warranty
Unlike other manufacturers, Michelin trusts its product and offers 40,000 miles treadwear warranty for X-Ice Snow. Folks, it’s hard to find a winter tire with a treadwear warranty.
Michelin X-Ice Snow Warranty Document: https://www.tirerack.com/images/pdf/warranty/MI0619.pdf
Sizes
Most tire sizes begin with modifier letters(P, LT, etc.) that identify the type of vehicle or type of service for which they were designed. Here is a perfect guide for reading tire size –> https://tireterrain.com/how-to-read-tire-size/
| 14” | 15” | 16” | 17” | 18” | 19” | 20” |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 175/65R14 86T XL BSW | 175/65R15 88T XL BSW | 185/55R16 87H XL BSW | 205/50R17 93H XL BSW | 225/40R18 92H XL BSW | 225/40R19 93H XL BSW | 245/40R20 99H XL BSW |
| 185/60R15 88H XL BSW | 195/60R16 89H SL BSW | 205/55R17 95T XL BSW | 225/45R18 95H XL BSW | 235/40R19 96H XL BSW | 255/40R20 101H XL BSW | |
| 185/65R15 92T XL BSW | 205/55R16 94H XL BSW | 215/45R17 91H XL BSW | 225/50R18 99H XL BSW | 245/45R19 102H XL BSW | ||
| 195/60R15 92H XL BSW | 205/60R16 96H XL BSW | 215/50R17 95H XL BSW | 225/60R18 100H SL BSW | 255/45R19 104H XL BSW | ||
| 195/65R15 95T XL BSW | 205/65R16 99T XL BSW | 215/55R17 98H XL BSW | 235/40R18 95H XL BSW | |||
| 215/55R16 97H XL BSW | 215/60R17 100T XL BSW | 235/45R18 98H XL BSW | ||||
| 215/60R16 99H XL BSW | 215/65R17 99T SL BSW | 235/50R18 101H XL BSW | ||||
| 215/65R16 102T XL BSW | 225/45R17 94H XL BSW | 245/40R18 97H XL BSW | ||||
| 225/60R16 102H XL BSW | 225/50R17 98H XL BSW | 245/45R18 100H XL BSW | ||||
| 225/65R16 100T SL BSW | 225/60R17 103T XL BSW | 255/45R18 103H XL BSW | ||||
| 225/65R17 106T XL BSW | ||||||
| 235/45R17 97H XL BSW | ||||||
| 235/55R17 103H XL BSW | ||||||
| 235/60R17 106T XL BSW |
For Better Understanding: 215/55R17 94V SL BSW
215: Tire Width
55: Aspect Ratio
R: Radial
17: Rim Size
94: Load Index
V: Speed Index
SL: Load Range(can be XL also)
BSW: Black Sidewall
A side note here: If you are planning to upsize or downsize from your original equipment size (changing tire size with a smaller or bigger size), or if you have already done, it’s crucial to remember that changing tire size will decrease the accuracy of your speedometer. If this is the case, I strongly recommend checking DiscountTire Speedometer Guide.
Price
The tire market has a dynamic price policy. Hence, in my point of view, sharing tire price is pointless.
Though, I’ve analyzed the top 10 brands of most popular tire brands.
Here are the dealers with a reasonable price range,
TireRack
- Fast and Free shipping
- Usually delivered in 1 day
- Joint venture with DiscountTire(their installers and dealers are on your service)
- Tons of installer options, they also help you to choose the best one
- Mobile installers in many areas, your tires will be replaced while you’re working in the office
- Tire test results and comparisons can be found on the most product page
- 4.6/5 points on Google rate
Michelin X-Ice Snow: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/michelin-x-ice-snow
Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/michelin-x-ice-snow-suv
DiscountTire
- Biggest dealer in the US. Founded in 1960
- 1000 stores in 35 states. You most probably find one on your parallel street
- Free rotation and balancing
- 5% off for DiscountTire cardholders on online purchase
- Highest rated online tire dealer in Consumer Affairs
- Almost all brands are available
- Delivery takes 2-4 days (30% shorter average waiting time when you book online)
- Frequent discounts and promotions
Michelin X-Ice Snow: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/michelin-x-ice-snow
Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/michelin-x-ice-snow-suv
SimpleTire
- Free shipping
- Delivered in 2 days
- Verified shops near you(for mount and balance)
- Mobile installation option
- 7 million customers since 2021
- 4.7/5 points on Google rate
- Top-notch customer service, you may even request a price match
Michelin X-Ice Snow: https://simpletire.com/brands/michelin-tires/x-ice-snow
Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV: Not available
While choosing dealers, I especially pay attention to reliability. All of the dealers on this list have 15-20 years of experience in the online tire business. Therefore, I can guarantee a smooth and fast tire buying process.
Conclusion
Michelin X-Ice Snow is an extraordinary tire. As a winter tire, it doesn’t have any bad manners at all. Well, it might be a bit noisy from time to time but the noise level is vest-pocket. I strongly recommend this tire especially if you frequently face severe winter conditions.
| Michelin X-Ice Snow | |
|---|---|
| Best for | Smooth & quiet winter driving, decent tread life |
| Test Report | vs Blizzak WS90 & VikingContact 7 & WinterCommand Ultra (December 12, 2020) |
| Category | Studless Ice&Snow Tire |
| Vehicle | Passenger Car/Minivan/SUV |
| Available Sizes (Rim) | 15”, 16”, 17”, 18”, 19”, 20” (Ensure these tires fit your vehicle) |
| Made In | USA |
| Labels | 3PMSF |
| Warranty | 40,000 Miles |
Take-Home Points,
- XL sizes tend to carry more load and offer better handling. Hence, they might be a better pick for bigger vehicles( XL vs SL tires)
- Please pay attention to the load index and speed index. These metrics are essential if you expect decent tread life
- There isn’t a bad tire in the market right now, you should just know what to expect from tires
A side note here: If you’d like to get local advice and find the best fit for your driving habits, location, and road conditions DiscountTire – Treadwell Tire Guide can give you masterpiece recommendations.
I hope the article was helpful for those who need a little backup. If you have any further questions, I’ll be happy to assist you. Have a safe ride folks!
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