It’s 23 degrees and snowing hard. It’s the first good snow of the winter and there’s 6 inches of fresh powder on top of what was clear, rain-slicked pavement just a few days ago. The outlook for the next couple of months is a continuation of the same, with small warming breaks between storms.
That can make winter driving conditions a real challenge here in the Pacific Northwest, as well as in any region of the country that gets snow, especially on the secondary highways and country backroad roads like those that wind through Oregon’s Coast and Cascade mountain ranges.
But this year, I was well prepared, switching out the all-season tires on my 2018 Mazda CX-5 AWD for the same set of 235/55R19 Michelin X-Ice Snow tires that I ran the previous winter. In many regions of the country, nearly every winter day can be a “snow day,” and that’s where dedicated snow tires are a must.
These tires, which replaced the Michelin’s X-Ice Xi3 and Latitude X-Ice Xi2 tire lines in 2021, take a huge bite out of worry when winter driving.
I wanted to get a few winters of driving on these tires before doing this review. After all, they are only run for a few months before going back to storage when all-season tires take their place. So, getting a really good feel for a snow tire’s performance takes more time than doing a review of typical street tires.
In short: Of all the snow tires that I have tested over the years, the Michelin X-Ice Snow are my favorite, ahead of comparable Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2s and Nokkia Hakkas, all tested underneath the same vehicle. A great tire for the price, and one that will last three to four winter seasons.
- (As Tested):
- Size: 235/55R19
- Diameter: 29.17
- Speed rating: H 130
- Severe snow service rated (3PMS): Yes
- Traction Type: Studless
- Max load: 2,039 lbs. @ 50 psi
- Weight: 31 lbs.
- Treadwear warranty: 40,000 mi.
- MSRP: $235
Pros
- Excellent traction on both powder and plowed roads
- Tread siping state-of-the-art
- Fits a wide range of vehicles and wheel sizes
- Drives like an all-season tire
- Reduces chances of hydroplaning on wet pavement
- Very quiet on dry pavement
- Excellent tread wear warranty for snow tire
Cons
- Cost at upper end of snow tire price range
- Not as good as studded tires on ice
Michelin X-Ice Snow Tire Review
What Is a Michelin X-Ice Snow Tire?
The Michelin X-Ice Snow tire is a dedicated winter tire specifically designed for SUVs and passenger cars. It’s become the gold standard when it comes to traction and tread-life warranty.
Snow tires are notorious for fast tread wear because of their softer tread compounds. Still, Michelin’s engineering team has been able to develop a tread compound that brings with it a 40,000-mile tread life warranty, without sacrificing the exceptional traction in snow.
I’ve spent many, many hours with tire engineers under controlled conditions on snow-covered and plowed test tracks doing comparative tire testing using electronic data gathering and the different tires rolling under the same pickup or vehicle. Testing of this type reveals a lot about tires and the nuances between them.
But in the real world, when there’s only one set of tires to drive on, you go by what your seat of the pants reveals. What I’ve seen and felt during the past two winters of driving in subfreezing temperatures, heavy snow, and hard rains, the X-Ice Snow’s biting edges, V-shaped tread pattern, and unique siping in each tread block really helps grab and hold fresh powder while dispersing water, greatly reducing the chances of hydroplaning on rain-soaked road surfaces.
That combination provides a more responsive and predictable reaction to steering, acceleration, and braking inputs than I’ve experienced with all-terrains, mud tires, and all-season tires under similar driving conditions.
Enhanced Tire Design
“Our Michelin X-Ice SNOW tire is designed to give drivers peace of mind when driving in extreme winter conditions,” said Sylvaine Cuniberti, Michelin’s marketing director, back in 2020 when this new tire was first revealed. “We have an exceptional winter tire with a new tread design and innovative technologies, resulting in improved snow performance and leadership in ice braking.”
To one-up the previous Michelin snow tire offerings, Michelin engineers developed a three-pronged approach to enhance cold-weather traction for the studless X-Ice Snow:
- FLEX-ICE 2.0 tread compound: Utilizes inclusion technology, which generates micro-roughness on the tread surface, helping improve grip both in snow and on ice. The compound also contains a high silica content that ensures the tire maintains its flexibility, even in severe climates.
- MICHELIN EverGrip technologies: An innovative tread compound with rigid polymer for improved grip on both snow and ice for the duration of the wear life.
- Two types of full-depth, interlocking 3-D sipes: Hundreds and hundreds of deep cuts in the tread blocks across the tire face provide for an increased claw effect on snow and ice, and for long-lasting biting edges.
On top of that, the X-Ice Snow’s distinctive V-tread design gives these tires a much more aggressive look than either the Michelin Ice Xi3 and Latitude X-Ice Xi2 tire lines it replaced. It turns heads in both looks and performance.
Great Road Manners
Another element of the Michelin X-Ice Snow that struck me favorably was how quiet and smooth-riding they are on the road when snow isn’t a factor. A number of dedicated snow tires on the market seem to increase road noise in the vehicle when the pavement is dry. Not so with the X-Ice Snow. The softer tread compound absorbs road irregularities with ease, and damps road-induced noise coming into my Mazda CX-5.
These tires were also slightly quicker-responding to steering and braking inputs on both wet and dry pavement than the all-season Goodyear WeatherReady 2s they replaced for winter driving duties.
All in all, the high bar for dedicated studless snow tires for cars, pickups, and SUVs up to this point has always been the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2. But the Michelin X-Ice SNOW has taken that spot, even though they might cost a little more than the competitors.
It really is an exceptional winter tire that a driver can count on for providing the best margin of safety when the road surface turns white and slippery. Today, the X-Ice Snow is available in 150 sizes to fit rims ranging from 15 to 22 inches.
You can rest assured the ones under my Mazda will be placed back in the garage in mid-March, ready for yet another winter of use under my crossover SUV. Kudos, Michelin.
Michelin X-Ice Snow Tire Review Wrapup
Michelin’s newest severe service snow tire, the X-Ice SNOW, is a stellar performer in both fresh powder and plowed road surfaces. The additional sipes, the advanced tread compound, and the V-shape directional tread design of this new snow tire deliver that snow-to-snow traction for exceptional grip that really shines under all-wheel-drive cars, crossovers, and SUVs.
The tire also performs excellent over slushy road surfaces and driving conditions during heavy rain downpours that would tend to promote hydroplaning when driving with other tires. The X-Ice Snow treads do a great job forcing water away from the tread face, maximizing traction.
