Pulled the trigger on some. Michelin xice xi2's

[Rand]

Saw today that tirerack started a 70$ off promotion on all michelin tires..

Priced up a set on 16" steelies

I like tirerack's website and selection but DTD is a much "friendlier" company

Ie they treat you like a neighbor..
at tirerack you are number 233232 and if you have an issue.. they dont really seem to care.

So I always give DTD a chance to earn my business after I check out prices at tirerack.

Tirerack was 56x4+117x4 + 107 shipping no tax.=800$ -70 rebate.

DTD was origionally 853+tax after pricematch 700$ with no rebate to fill out. their rims require lugnuts so they tossed in a set free..and also free upgrade to roadforce balance.
There is tax in ohio but the price was 700.01$ out the door


DTD=winner. The rims were backordered but should be in tomorrow(or wends) and shipping is about 1day from columbus to akron.

edit: the size was 205/65r16

stock is 215/65r16(but not available from dtd)

215/70r16fit but tight and you have to buy latitude xice xi2(22$ more a tire)..
and 205/70r16 isnt made.


Other thoughts.. With AWD I have no deep snow worries. I mainly wanted a tire thats better on ice, good RR for saving a few pennies and wears decently.

These tires are all that and sacrifice a small amount of deep snow traction for "regular tire feel"

The ride and noise on my gf's 2010 accent with these is much better than the OEM tires.

My first choice was conti EWC's but they are backordered till 12-16-2011

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Rand
Saw today that tirerack started a 70$ off promotion on all michelin tires..

Priced up a set on 16" steelies

I like tirerack's website and selection but DTD is a much "friendlier" company

Ie they treat you like a neighbor..
at tirerack you are number 233232 and if you have an issue.. they dont really seem to care.

So I always give DTD a chance to earn my business after I check out prices at tirerack.

Tirerack was 56x4+117x4 + 107 shipping no tax.=800$ -70 rebate.

DTD was origionally 853+tax after pricematch 700$ with no rebate to fill out. their rims require lugnuts so they tossed in a set free..and also free upgrade to roadforce balance.
There is tax in ohio but the price was 700.01$ out the door


DTD=winner. The rims were backordered but should be in tomorrow(or wends) and shipping is about 1day from columbus to akron.

edit: the size was 205/65r16

stock is 215/65r16(but not available from dtd)

215/70r16fit but tight and you have to buy latitude xice xi2(22$ more a tire)..
and 205/70r16 isnt made.


Other thoughts.. With AWD I have no deep snow worries. I mainly wanted a tire thats better on ice, good RR for saving a few pennies and wears decently.

These tires are all that and sacrifice a small amount of deep snow traction for "regular tire feel"

The ride and noise on my gf's 2010 accent with these is much better than the OEM tires.

My first choice was conti EWC's but they are backordered till 12-16-2011


How does AWD help with "deep snow". In my mind, deep snow is where the undercarriage scrapes the snow between the wheels. So the only thing that really helps there is an SUV that is high off the ground.

 

[dailydriver]

I'm also thinking about these, and would like to go with DTD, but they REFUSE to carry them in the ONLY size I can use with the dedicated alloys I have for the winter (which I could not even make ANY coin at all on if I were to sell them, so please do not suggest that

). 225/55-16 on a 16x8 stock/OEM 'snowflake' wheel.
I am NOT going to stretch a 215/60-16 on an 8" wheel!!

(This defeats the WHOLE purpose of flexible winter tire sidewalls, even if it were not downright dangerous!)

So I probably have to go with TR.

Has anyone on here actually had these tires AND used Hakka Rs previously?
Are they really actually better than the much vaunted and worshipped Nokians in most winter conditions, as CR would have us believe???

 

[Astro14]

Rand - AWD is great for going...not so much help stopping...or turning...

When you first get them in snow and realize how well you can stop, you're going to love these!

 

[dparm]

Awesome tires. They're rated for ice-traction and it is very noticeable versus a standard winter tire.

 

[SubLGT]

Originally Posted By: dailydriver
....................Has anyone on here actually had these tires AND used Hakka Rs previously?
Are they really actually better than the much vaunted and worshipped Nokians in most winter conditions, as CR would have us believe???


Based on what I have seen in European tests this year from NAF and Auto Review. the HakkaR is slightly better on snow than the Xi2, and the Xi2 is significantly better on ice than the HakkaR.

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: Rand
Saw today that tirerack started a 70$ off promotion on all michelin tires..

Priced up a set on 16" steelies

I like tirerack's website and selection but DTD is a much "friendlier" company

Ie they treat you like a neighbor..
at tirerack you are number 233232 and if you have an issue.. they dont really seem to care.

So I always give DTD a chance to earn my business after I check out prices at tirerack.

Tirerack was 56x4+117x4 + 107 shipping no tax.=800$ -70 rebate.

DTD was origionally 853+tax after pricematch 700$ with no rebate to fill out. their rims require lugnuts so they tossed in a set free..and also free upgrade to roadforce balance.
There is tax in ohio but the price was 700.01$ out the door


DTD=winner. The rims were backordered but should be in tomorrow(or wends) and shipping is about 1day from columbus to akron.

edit: the size was 205/65r16

stock is 215/65r16(but not available from dtd)

215/70r16fit but tight and you have to buy latitude xice xi2(22$ more a tire)..
and 205/70r16 isnt made.


Other thoughts.. With AWD I have no deep snow worries. I mainly wanted a tire thats better on ice, good RR for saving a few pennies and wears decently.

These tires are all that and sacrifice a small amount of deep snow traction for "regular tire feel"

The ride and noise on my gf's 2010 accent with these is much better than the OEM tires.

My first choice was conti EWC's but they are backordered till 12-16-2011


How does AWD help with "deep snow". In my mind, deep snow is where the undercarriage scrapes the snow between the wheels. So the only thing that really helps there is an SUV that is high off the ground.



It helps because you arent dragging(or pushing for rwd) 2 dead wheels in the snow. Tires dont like to roll in deep snow
all 4 are under power.

I'd say deep snow is heavy wet snow thats 6"+, if its much over 12-14" unless its light fluffy stuff I'm not going to rip my bumper off by driving in it.

What I was basically saying is I'm not afraid of getting stuck in snow ruts or heavy snow... my old fwd car this was very noticeable. I had yokohama ig20's and they didnt have enough bite to really get you moving uphill in the heavy deep stuff. The conti EWS with a different pattern (or tires similar to altimax arctic) Have more snow bite to get you moving in the heavy deep stuff. I have AWD now so I'm more worried about ice grip than having a very aggressive pattern for deep snow. The xice xi2's have one of the mildest tread patterns so their deep snow bite suffers abit but you gain in a tire thats great on ice and feels like a regular all-season on a dry day.

NE Ohio is about 50/50 on bad weather in the winter.
half the time its dry salty roads.. half the time its some form of snow ice.. snow runoff thats refroze... ice storm... or snowshower/lake effect snow.

So I'm getting a very comfortable ice tire thats still amazing in the snow, Low RR, long treadlife and not obnoxious.

If I still had my t-bird or my old FWD I may have went with a more aggressive tire to help out in deep snow.
With AWD my priority is to have more ice traction and not worry about deep snow as I wont ever get stuck.. because if the snows that deep my bumper would be ripped off :\

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: SubLGT
Originally Posted By: dailydriver
....................Has anyone on here actually had these tires AND used Hakka Rs previously?
Are they really actually better than the much vaunted and worshipped Nokians in most winter conditions, as CR would have us believe???


Based on what I have seen in European tests this year from NAF and Auto Review. the HakkaR is slightly better on snow than the Xi2, and the Xi2 is significantly better on ice than the HakkaR.



The Hakka is not ice-rated. The Michelin is.

 

[SubLGT]

Some European testers are speculating that this years production run of the X-Ice Xi2 has had some upgrades in rubber formulation and/or internal construction, resulting in improved ice traction. Can't say for sure whether those improvements are also in the Xi2 tires for the North American market

 

[SubLGT]

Originally Posted By: dparm
.........The Hakka is not ice-rated. The Michelin is.


Where did you get that silly idea? The HakkaR is a studless winter tire, intended for use on snow and ice.

"Nokian Hakkapeliitta R, a Nordic studless winter tyre, rolls lightly, saves fuel and is both stable and accurate. As for wet grip, the new tyre takes a long leap forward. The latest studless alternative represents the Hakkapeliitta family at its purest: it is designed to function in all winter weather and extreme conditions."

"The improved grip properties are the result of a new, Nordic winter compound. Featuring both silica and canola oil, the new-generation rubber compound used in the tread enhances wet and ice grip and improves tear resistance. The patented pump sipe enhances wet and ice grip.
The directional tread pattern is covered by a dense net of sipes, which further improves the grip abilities. Braking grip is enhanced by brake boosters, found to be efficient in the tyre’s predecessors."

http://www.nokiantyres.com/tyre?id=10924176&group=1.01&name=Nokian+Hakkapeliitta+R

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: SubLGT
Originally Posted By: dailydriver
....................Has anyone on here actually had these tires AND used Hakka Rs previously?
Are they really actually better than the much vaunted and worshipped Nokians in most winter conditions, as CR would have us believe???


Based on what I have seen in European tests this year from NAF and Auto Review. the HakkaR is slightly better on snow than the Xi2, and the Xi2 is significantly better on ice than the HakkaR.



THANK YOU!!

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: dparm

The Hakka is not ice-rated. The Michelin is.


Where is this coming from.. I'm pretty sure the hakka r is one of the top studdless max traction ice/snow tires.

Thanks

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: dparm
The Hakka is not ice-rated. The Michelin is.


Thanks dparm.

So for ~35.00 less per tire (vs. the Rs), I guess I am going for the Michelins, especially if it is splitting hairs between their snow performance.

They even have a 40K treadwear warranty

, is this a FIRST for a full winter tire???

 

[SubLGT]

Originally Posted By: dailydriver
...........They even have a 40K treadwear warranty

, is this a FIRST for a full winter tire???


To use the warranty, you will have to run the tire down to 2/32". Do you really want to run a winter tire down that low?

 

[SubLGT]

Originally Posted By: Rand
Originally Posted By: dparm

The Hakka is not ice-rated. The Michelin is.


Where is this coming from.. I'm pretty sure the hakka r is one of the top studdless max traction ice/snow tires.

Thanks

See my earlier reply to dparm. The HakkaR is a studless "ice & snow" tire, and competes in the market ( and in European tests) against the Xi2, WS70, Conti EWC, etc

 

[sciphi]

I'm interested to know too. I have a set of Hakka R's sitting in the basement waiting to go on. We mostly get snow here, but the occasional ice storm is known to happen. I'll trade a bit of ice performance for better snow performance, knowing the area I'm typically in.

 

[SubLGT]

Originally Posted By: dailydriver
..............They even have a 40K treadwear warranty

, is this a FIRST for a full winter tire???


More on this gimmick warranty, from Modern Tire Dealer:

http://www.moderntiredealer.com/News/Sto...e-warranty.aspx

"Michelin North America Inc. has provided some additional details on its Michelin X-Ice Xi2 and Latitude X-Ice Xi2 winter tire warranty, the first warranty the company has provided on winter tires in the U.S.

The limited 40,000-mile tread wear warranty includes coverage for materials and workmanship, the company notes. [.........]

“Winter tires are designed specifically for winter usage and we do not recommend year-round use,” a company spokesman says. “As such, we do place a restriction that tires cannot be in service longer than the winter season (generally six months). However, for those who do generate high mileage in winter conditions, this tread life warranty is another value add from Michelin.

“We recommend standard rotation every 6,000 to 8,000 miles and, if consumers do not achieve 40,000 miles, any shortfalls will be credited toward a new set.”

The company is using 2/32nds as the “wear-out” point. If the consumer decides to replace the tires earlier in the tire life, he or she has made a choice to not exercise the benefit of the tread life warranty coverage, the company states."

 

[SubLGT]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
I'm interested to know too. I have a set of Hakka R's sitting in the basement waiting to go on. We mostly get snow here, but the occasional ice storm is known to happen. I'll trade a bit of ice performance for better snow performance, knowing the area I'm typically in.


Sounds like you made the right choice with the HakkaR. The Continental EWC is another good choice for those who have snow traction as the #1 priority. If ice traction was your #1 priority, the Xi2 or WS70 (or a studded tire) would arguably be a better choice.

 

[Donald]

I guess I have a different view. When I think of traction in heavy snow, I am much more concerned about what the vehicle provides than the difference between tires. I get M&S tires, but the "part time" feature in my Jeep is what provides the super traction.

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: SubLGT
Originally Posted By: sciphi
I'm interested to know too. I have a set of Hakka R's sitting in the basement waiting to go on. We mostly get snow here, but the occasional ice storm is known to happen. I'll trade a bit of ice performance for better snow performance, knowing the area I'm typically in.


Sounds like you made the right choice with the HakkaR. The Continental EWC is another good choice for those who have snow traction as the #1 priority. If ice traction was your #1 priority, the Xi2 or WS70 (or a studded tire) would arguably be a better choice.


What would you guess that the Xi2 gives up in pure snow traction to the Hakka Rs, are they half as good in those conditions, and twice as good as the Rs in glare/black ice conditions??

Or are the differences between the two in all conditions considered 'splitting hairs'?