Michelin X-ICE Xi3

I had run studded Nokia Hakkepilitas but realized I didn’t need that extreme of a tire setup even for the harsh northern Canadian winters where we lived. When we bought a new Ford Escape for the wife I shopped around for what I hoped would be a more practical alternative and narrowed it down to either the Michelin XIce3 or the Bridgestone Blizzak. The Michelin won out based on its tread wear warranty as I didn’t want to be buying new winter tires all the time and after running them for 5 winters now I think I will stay with them for life. They handle Ice so well that I didn’t think it was possible, even on slippery, icy roads the vehicle drives like it’s on dry pavement and the real concern is not to become overconfident when driving in those conditions and to remember the roads are bad. They handle average amounts of snowfall fine and perform acceptably in slush although you have to drive for road conditions of course. In deep, heavy snow they are not that good I assume because the treads load up and the vehicle also starts lifting but really they are just a car tire so of course a foot of snow is going to be more than they can comfortably handle. Another amazing thing about these tires is their tread life. Of course a main concern with soft winter tires is that they wear off quickly however these Michelin X-Ice 3’s have only been losing 5% of their tread each winter and after 5 winters of commuter use every day they still have over 70% tread life left. To me that is amazing for a winter tire and between their performance and tread life I’m more than happy with them. Why buy cheaper, inferior winter tires that wear down every two years?

I read a lot of reviews that rate them the top tire by a wide margin. I was skeptical but found the comfort and handling to be beyond merely excellent, like a performance tire, without the traditional snow tire squirminess. As a result I thought here is no way that a tire that handles this well can be any good in the ice and snow. Guess what, in many instances it was hard to tell I was even on ice or snow they gripped so well! To be driven to be believe. My car chirps to lay some rubber down even with very sticky summer tires when I floor it, and even when accelerating, one would have actually try to get the tires to spin outside of normal driving they grip so well. In short they ride and grip like nothing else. They are a breathtakingly superior winter tire to anything I have experienced before. No wonder all the praise and top ratings and I don't mean to patronize anyone. They are simply, that good! Two things, you get what you pay for and secondly. what price does on put on life and safety at the risk of sounding like a Michelin commercial. To be objective I wish I had something, anything, negative to sat but sadly, I don't =)

not bad for this price

When I bought these I was expecting the tires to be really good since they were rated number one all over but was let down by the performance of them. It is a very quiet tire, comfortable and doesn't ride like winter tires. It's good on ice and snow but the downsides are when your are driving in messy road conditions such as slush, the tires don't bite well enough and causes you to lose traction and from a stop it takes a little effort to get going. Overall a good tire but not worth the price. Other brands that are cheaper perform a lot better.