X-ice Snow Review

[Benita Vandervoort]

Justlooking at the tread says this isn't an all-season tire. It has big tread blocks; wide channels and a distinct Vee to squish out slush; and multi-directional sipes, which are the little cuts molded into the tire. Like you might expect, the chunky treads do a lot of the work in loose snow, but on slippery surfaces, whether icy, slushy, or just cold and wet, the sipes both bite in, and deform slightly to increase surface area and give you grip. The X-Ice Snow's sipes are full depth, meaning you'll have them as long as you have tread, which Michelin says can be up to a whole winter longer than competitors.

The rubber is made with "Flex-Ice 2.0," which is a low-temperature, full-silica formulation; and "EverWinterGrip" rubber inclusion technology, which is a stiff, high-density silica and carbon black compound that resists thermal degradation in warmer temperatures, like highway driving above freezing. Silica in snow tires also aids in traction.

Our X-Ices got their first exposure to snow on a December 2022 Christmas tree run. We started in the rain at an elevation of about 780 feet, and headed up five miles of mountain singletrack dirt road to use our harvest permit from a wilderness area. The rain changed over to light snow at the base of the mountain, and accumulated to a couple of inches by the time we were back down. The tires plowed easily through slippery mud, as long as we turned off the traction control and let them spin. Braking was uneventful. In dry or above-freezing conditions over the next two weeks, we found them easy to live with, and both quieter and less bouncy-feeling than Blizzak WS90s.

Since the storm, it's largely been above freezing. We've found the X-Ice Snows to be excellent in cold and wet conditions, and essentially unnoticeable on the highway. They're also doing great on the mud bogs that our rural dirt roads have turned into.

We're pretty sure that any tire that brought us through the Blizzard of '22 is good enough for us to recommend. They did take a fair amount of weight to balance, but we also did it at a garage that uses old-school clip weights, and not beads or stick-ons, so we're not going to draw any conclusions from that. We'll post another update in February when, we hope, we've been able to drive them in more typical winter conditions but at least for now, they're as good as anything else on the market.

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After completing a degree project in automotive design, Dave wrote and photographed for almost a decade in print car magazines (remember those?), before transitioning to digital. He now subjects a series of old high-performance cars to the roads and weather in Vermont and wonders why they're always expensively broken. Please stop when you see him crawling under one on the side of the road.

SkiTalk, Powered by Pugski.com, is managed under the stewardship of Phil and Tricia Pugliese, two of the snow sport industry's most respected and read reviewers and product testers. SkiTalk evolved from Pugski.com's original tag line, "SkiTalk at a Higher Level." Pugski.com was founded in 2015.

The Michelin X-Ice SNOW tire offers shorter ice and snow stopping distances thanks to the exceptional grip provided by having two types of full-depth 3D sipes for an increased claw effect on snow and ice and for long-lasting biting edges.1

The Michelin X-Ice SNOW tire provides more snow traction performance than competitors.2 The innovative Evergrip Technology and the multiple biting edges of the 3D interlocking sipes provide superior traction on snowy surfaces.

The tread design with interlocking 3D sipes combined with the Flex-IceTM 2.0 tread compound delivers long wear life by providing tread block rigidity and optimizing the tires's contact with the road surface during acceleration, braking and cornering.

All Michelin tires have a Standard Manufacturer's Limited Warranty, which covers defects in workmanship and materials for the life of the original usable tread, or for 6 years from date of purchase, whichever occurs first.

(4) Based on third-party longevity tests, in North Finland between October 2019 and January 2020, on a Volkswagen Golf 1.5 TSI comparing the Michelin X-Ice SNOW tire versus BRIDGESTONE Blizzak WS-90, CONTINENTAL Viking Contact 7, NOKIAN Hakkappeliitta R3, GOODYEAR UltraGrip Ice 2, Pirelli Ice Zero FR in tire size 205/55R16 94H XL. 12,000 kilometres driven per winter is estimated from annual average kilometres driven in Canada per vehicle by Desrosiers Automotive Consultants. A winter season is defined as six months.

(5) Based on internal on-vehicle noise testing in tire size 235/45R18 XL using a 2020 Tesla Model 3 Performance vehicle comparing the Michelin X-Ice Snow tire versus the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 EV tire and the Bridgestone WS90 tire. Actual on-road results may vary.

>> The sizes shown are average design values for tires measured on specified measuring rim widths. Some tires may vary from this value by +/-3% of the section height (affecting overall diameter), and +/-4% of the section width.

>> Section width varies approximately 0.2" (5mm) for every 0.5" change in rim width.

>> Tread patterns are often tuned to accomodate different tire widths. Tires for a particular dimension of a given tireline may vary in appearance from the tire shown in the photograph.

WARNING: Serious or fatal injury may result from tire failure due to underinflation or overloading. To ensure correct air pressure and vehicle load, refer to vehicle owner's manual or tire information placard on the vehicle. Serious injury or death may result from explosion of tire/rim assembly due to improper mounting. Only tire professionals should mount tires and they should never inflate beyond 40 psi to seat the beads. Before mixing types of tires in any configuration on any vehicle, be sure to check the vehicle owner's manual for its recommendations.

Inflation pressure increase must not exceed the maximum pressure branded on the tire sidewall. When a customer requests a replacement tire with a lower speed rating than the original equipment tire, you must clearly communicate to him or her that the handling of the vehicle may be different, and that its maximum speed capability is limited to that of the lowest speed-rated tire on the vehicle. Exceeding the lawful speed limit is neither recommended nor endorsed.

For high-speed driving, additional inflation pressure and possibly reduced tire loading and/or upsizing is required. In the absence of specific recommendations by the vehicle manufacturer, use the following guidelines based on those in the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organization Standards Manual.

Attested review: Review submitted by a User which has not been verified by Michelin or its Service Provider, but for which the User has attested to having had the required consumption experience (purchase or use of the Product).

Jonathan Benson is an independent tire tester for Motor1.com with more than 15 years of experience in the tire industry. He founded TyreReviews.com / Tire-Reviews.com in 2006, establishing the largest-reaching dedicated tire review source in the world.

If you live in a region that regularly receives moderate to heavy snowfall each year, a high-quality winter tire can be the difference between an uneventful trip to the grocery store and calling a tow truck to drag you out of a snow bank.

The best winter tires are the Michelin X-Ice Snow, Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5, Continental VikingContact 7, Pirelli Ice Zero FR, and the Yokohama iceGUARD iG53 according to our in-person testing with tire expert Jonathan Benson.

Each winter tire in this review was thoroughly tested and evaluated based on several categories, including snow handling, ice handling, wet handling, dry handling, and overall comfort. You can find more specifics regarding our rating system here.

Two types of full-depth sipes are featured on this tire: notched sipes and variable-thickness sipes. Notched sipes add multiple biting edges to your tire for traction while variable-thickness sipes help to maintain an efficient contact patch whether driving through slush or hard-packed snow. Additionally, a high silica content ensures the X-Ice Snow maintains flexibility in harsh winter climates.

Overall, our independent tire tester Jonathan Benson loved the Michelin X-Ice Snow. He noted that in his snow handling tests, this tire felt similar to the Nokian, but offered slightly less grip, and sliding out was more abrupt and sudden.

Building upon the esteemed Hakkapeliitta line of tires, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 is a studless winter tire designed for drivers of passenger cars. Additionally, these non-studded tires are recommended for hybrid and electric vehicles due to their rugged construction.

It should be noted that this tire did hydroplane from time to time, but we subjectively felt the Viking Contact 7 outperformed its competitors on dry roads. This winter tire offered very neutral balance, instilled confidence in our independent tire tester, and was good on lane changes.

But on icy roads, our independent tire tester felt he had to be careful on the throttle and remain cautious when turning or braking. On wet roads, Benson says he felt this tire began to lose a lot of time on the fast and long left-hand turn within the Spain Test Grounds, where only tire grip has an effect on performance. On dry roads, he says the Ice Zero FR performed very well.

It also should be noted that this tire had notably softer steering than other winter tires in this specific test. The tire was a little wobbly on lane changes, but the wobbles were not substantial enough to warrant any real concern.

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