Originally Posted By: spavel6
Just bought X-ice Xi3 for one of my Jettas, and un-studded Altimax for the other. We'll see how they handle this winter!
The Xi3s were bought to replace a set of aging (2005) WinterForces that were sub-par on snowpacked uphills last year. They still had plenty of tread, but the rubber feels almost like plastic - hard and smooth.
According to the TireRack reviews I've seen the Xi3 is superior in all conditions to the Altimax besides deep snow.
The Arctic scored(customer reviews) equal or better to the Xi3 all the categories that I have as my highest criteria(Deep Snow/Light Snow, Ice Traction). And the Arctic were ~$30 less per tire for my size and didn't suck in the other categories that I feel to be less important. Both very good tires by the way!
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=W&VT=C&width=195%2F&ratio=65&diameter=15&tireSearch=true&filter=y&autoMake=Mazda&autoYear=2006&autoModel=MAZDA3+i+4-Door&autoModClar=
It too bad that the reviews don't differentiate between the studded and non studded Arctic. So, it's hard to tell if the non studded would score the same. Most review that I read, the owner had non studded Arctic.