Michelin X Ice xi3 vs General Altimax Arctic

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I'm getting snow tires for my moms car this season and wanted to hear some feedback from folks who have used both tires mentioned in the title; the Generals are are cheaper but everything I've read online says the Michelins might be worth the extra price. I had Altimax Arctics and the only thing I can compare them to was all seasons and they were much better in snow but squirmy on dry pavement.

So has anyone one run both tires? Were the Michelins better on snow and ice than the Generals?

Thanks for any feedback.
 
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Hey neighbor,
I will give you my few cents. Never owned these two tires, but drove both on other cars.

Michelin Xi3 proved to be really good on ice and packed snow. Deep snow not as much as tread pattern is really tight (IMO).
General Altimax is , how I would put it, lower class or cheaper class. It is Continental subsidiary and it will not match Continental or other top tier tire.
If your mom is not making trips during blizzard over Hoosier pass or some other Colorado passes, she will be better served by Michelin.
You know weather in COS. It is winter with 80% sunny days if not even more. So she needs something that is really good in all weather patterns, and Michelin checks those boxes plus they will last longer.
I personally use Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 on BMW and on Tiguan Blizzak WS-70 (wife). Both are superior in deep snow, and most adverse winter situations. However, for COS weather, they are too soft and in testing Michelin proved bit better in ice, and that is what you want in COS once that snow starts to melt and freezes over night.
I ski twice a week starting in October until May, and I can tell you that Bridgestone and Michelin are by far most common winter tires on parking lot. Far behind actually comes General Altimax, ad few people pay for NOKIAN more because they read somewhere they are best thing after sliced bread in winter (no proof for that, especially after cheating scandal).
I think Altimax will serve her really good. Is Michelin better? Yeah.
 
I used the xi3 and they are poor in packed snow. I should have went with the blizzaks.
 
Someone on here recently posted how the Gen AA were his least favorite after owning many different brands of snow tires. I'll see if I can find the thread. Found it:


Originally Posted By: 360kid
Snow tires I have used:

Pacemark from Sam's Club (Studded and un-Studded)
Blizzaks
General Altimax Artics
Continental Extreme Winter Contacts
Goodyear Ice WRT

The worst of that group were the Altimax Arctics. I gave them away after two winters. The next worse are the Continenta Extreme WC which are on my wife's Camry in the winter. I bought them two winters ago based on rave reviews. I have been completely disappointed. Maybe it's just the Camry... I doubt it though. The just don't grip on snow that well. As a result, we drive my dumpy Impala on winter weekends because the tires were better.

The best of the group in my opinion are the Goodyear Ice WRT which are on my Impala... now worn out. But when they still had tread on them, they were awesome. They drove on hard packed snow like it was pavement, 60 mph no sweat and stopped really good. Their only downside was cornering wasn't as good as the Blizzaks. Goodyear ICE WRT (make sure it's the WRT) are amazing.

My only complaint with the Blizzaks was the cost and treadlife. They were virtually no good after two winters, even with swapping to summer tires. They wear out on dry pavement really fast.

Pacemarks were hard as a rock and studded, they gripped well.

Here's my rank:
1. Goodyear Ice WRT
2. Blizzaks
3. Pacemark Studded
4. Continental EWC
5. General Altimax Arctics

I did not like the Continentals and we still have them. They will go back on my wife's Camry this winter. I would give them away, but her commutes are real short and they will suffice. I would probably get the Blizzaks. They're always good, you know what to expect. Another choice would be the Michelin x-Ice. I've never tried them, but they often rank higher than Blizzaks in tests. They're just expensive like all other Michelin tires.
 
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My findings are the poorest winter tire is superior to the best all-season in winter conditions. Balance the reality of her driving inclement weather with the price.

If you divide actual days needed/season in my locale the cost is high although you don't wear your other seasons.
 
The Michelin XI-3's drive just like an all-season when the roads are free of snow. The General AA's are all snow tire all the time. They're loud, squirmy around corners, and feel like balloons. They both did the same in deep snow from what I recall. Granted, we had the Michelins on our old Honda Fit and the Generals on my old Buick LeSabre a few years back. My wife wasn't a fan of how the Michelins felt on snow, like they were too slippery. They did just fine, but weren't the most confident. From what I recall, the Generals always felt planted and secure in the snow.

Either one would be better than an all-season. If your mom doesn't drive much, get the Generals.
 
I haven't driven on the XI3, but I have used a previous generation of X-Ice. I would agree with the previous posters who have said the tread pattern is quite tight, so it gets clogged in deep snow and is less effective. If I lived somewhere that had well-plowed roads the majority of the time, I would consider them, but I've had better success Nokian Hakkapeliitta, Yokohama G072s, and Blizzak DM-V2s. I have no experience with the Generals.
 
Just to be 100% clear, these are from two different performance categories, snow tires and there are ice tires. The Generals are the former and the Michelins are the latter. They will not work the same and they will not 'feel' the same under similar conditions. You can't really compare them directly.
 
^Bottomfeeder, the newest Blizzaks beat the Michelins on Ice in tests.

They mounted two Blizzaks on one side, two X-ice on the other side, and stop on a skating rink. Blizzaks grip better on ice.

I think Blizzaks are designed to be an Snow and Ice tire, with all the tubules and bite particles etc.

I have had the first gen X-Ice, they were terrible, a lot better than an All-Season but the "style" of the tire hasn't changed.

They aim for it to be as close to being All Seasons in handling as possible.

My Yokohama IG-20s are closer in design logic to the Blizzaks.

Yes, the IG-20s were twice as good as the Michelins.

This is the reason my next tire pick will be the Blizzak WS80, apparently they are much better than the WS70 they replace.

My vote would be Blizzak. I would try the Altimax, but in a Honda Fit I need every ounce of technology possible.

Also, I am guessing that the Blizzaks won't wear too fast on a small car like the Fit.

Blizzak +1
 
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This is a loaded question because it's presumptuous to assume that someone did an A/B comparison on the same car, and that the "old" tires used are still new enough that the current production is the same.

That said I liked my altimax arctics, a lot. They squirm less in corners than cheapo "arctic claws" made by cooper for a private label. I only ran them one winter, having sold the neon they were on, but I managed to drive through snow drifts that broke up over my bumper, sending snow over my hood and windscreen.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
This is a loaded question because it's presumptuous to assume that someone did an A/B comparison on the same car, and that the "old" tires used are still new enough that the current production is the same.

That said I liked my altimax arctics, a lot. They squirm less in corners than cheapo "arctic claws" made by cooper for a private label. I only ran them one winter, having sold the neon they were on, but I managed to drive through snow drifts that broke up over my bumper, sending snow over my hood and windscreen.


Gotta say that I have a set of studded up Arctic Claws on my wifes 2015 Trax AWD and they are pretty awesome in the snow too!
 
Originally Posted By: c502cid
Originally Posted By: eljefino
This is a loaded question because it's presumptuous to assume that someone did an A/B comparison on the same car, and that the "old" tires used are still new enough that the current production is the same.

That said I liked my altimax arctics, a lot. They squirm less in corners than cheapo "arctic claws" made by cooper for a private label. I only ran them one winter, having sold the neon they were on, but I managed to drive through snow drifts that broke up over my bumper, sending snow over my hood and windscreen.


Gotta say that I have a set of studded up Arctic Claws on my wifes 2015 Trax AWD and they are pretty awesome in the snow too!


Not complaining about snow traction at all.
wink.gif
But the dry road driving suffers. But who cares about that, amirite?
 
I'm probably being overly simplistic, but I personally wouldn't buy studdable tires, unless I was going to stud them, which I don't. If they are designed to provide optimum performance with studs, then they aren't going to do their best without them. Studless tires are designed to provide optimum performance without needing studs. Granted, ultimate winter performance is probably obtained with quality studded tires, but that just isn't practical in most situations (and often not legal). Nitto SN2 is an affordable stud less tire that I have been extremely impressed with, traction and wear wise, but are hard to find. The one time I bought stud capable winter tires, Cooper, and didn't stud them, they were OK in deep snow but poor in every other winter condition.
 
Originally Posted By: Falken
^Bottomfeeder, the newest Blizzaks beat the Michelins on Ice in tests.

They mounted two Blizzaks on one side, two X-ice on the other side, and stop on a skating rink. Blizzaks grip better on ice.

I think Blizzaks are designed to be an Snow and Ice tire, with all the tubules and bite particles etc.

I have had the first gen X-Ice, they were terrible, a lot better than an All-Season but the "style" of the tire hasn't changed.

They aim for it to be as close to being All Seasons in handling as possible.

My Yokohama IG-20s are closer in design logic to the Blizzaks.

Yes, the IG-20s were twice as good as the Michelins.

This is the reason my next tire pick will be the Blizzak WS80, apparently they are much better than the WS70 they replace.

My vote would be Blizzak. I would try the Altimax, but in a Honda Fit I need every ounce of technology possible.

Also, I am guessing that the Blizzaks won't wear too fast on a small car like the Fit.

Blizzak +1

I used Blizzak DM-V2 on BMW over last winter, and I think they are step back in ice performance compared to LM-60, WS-70.
They are: great, great, holy s... what just happened in ice.
I drove on numerous winter tire brands and models, and new generation Blizzaks are not really something spectacular.
I put 16K this winter on DM-V2 and only thing I can say: mediocre.
So,after I finish them this winter, moving to something else for sure.
I might actually try Nokian H R2 just to see how they perform.
 
Originally Posted By: c502cid
Stud up the Generals and don't look back. One of the best studded snow tires I have ever had.

Studded tires in Colorado Springs? Talking how to make life complicated.
 
I have dedicated studded winter tires and wheels on every vehicle I own. My ideas on tires are different then yours obviously, and I don't view yours as wrong. I dont care about playing ricky racer in the winter, I want the safest tires for my wifes car, my kids cars, and myself when it is snowing. Thats my performance criteria. And with studded snows, I have that plus some. No I cant go canyon carving, yes they are loud, and the performance of them in the dry is safe, is stable, and I sleep very well at night. Even with the sunny Colorado winters I still want them because when you see the racers being towed up from the ditch on the side of the road I know my wife will make it home on unplowed drifted up country roads.
 
Originally Posted By: c502cid
I have dedicated studded winter tires and wheels on every vehicle I own. My ideas on tires are different then yours obviously, and I don't view yours as wrong. I dont care about playing ricky racer in the winter, I want the safest tires for my wifes car, my kids cars, and myself when it is snowing. Thats my performance criteria. And with studded snows, I have that plus some. No I cant go canyon carving, yes they are loud, and the performance of them in the dry is safe, is stable, and I sleep very well at night. Even with the sunny Colorado winters I still want them because when you see the racers being towed up from the ditch on the side of the road I know my wife will make it home on unplowed drifted up country roads.

I get it, but not sure that advantages of studded tires outweigh safety drawback of same tires in areas like CO with a lot of dry days.
 
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