https://www.tirebusiness.com/news/michelin-unveils-x-ice-snow-its-next-gen-winter-tire
Quote
...When Group Michelin asked tire dealers and distributors what they wanted in the company's next winter tire, they said looks were everything. The X-Ice Xi3, which debuted in 2012, was a very good tire — top ranked in its category with 4.5 out of 5 stars on TireRack.com — but they said it didn't look aggressive enough to sell in the showroom...
..."Michelin listened to what they had to say and started with the look," Sabrina Garofalo, a marketing manager at Michelin North America (Canada) Inc., said. "Then they brought in all of the engineering to maximize the performance."...
X-Ice Snow design:
To give the X-Ice Snow its more aggressive look, Michelin got rid of the large center channel of the X-Ice Xi3, employing, instead a center V-shaped tread pattern and wider grooves throughout the tire. Officials said shifting the voids allows the tire to better evacuate sludge and snow, which gives the driver more confidence, especially when changing lanes on a snowy highway.
The V-tread design and center sipes are angled, and the blocks are off-set to give an even footprint and reduce noise.
Two types of full-depth, interlocking 3-D sipes give an increased grip — or "claw effect," as the company calls it — on snow and ice, and for long-lasting biting edges, the company said. The tire features both notched sipes and variable thickness sipes that undulate throughout the tread block to give grip but maintain stiffness.
The sipes run through the tread blocks to 2/32 of an inch to maintain the same tread pattern — and performance — throughout the life of the tire.
The tire is made with Michelin's FlexIce 2 compound, which is an update of the compound used in the X-Ice Xi3. It's a full silica compound that stays flexible in freezing temperatures but firm in moderate temperatures, the company said. The company said the new compound reduces rolling resistance by 9% over the X-Ice Xi3.
...The company said that because the X-Ice Snow is a global tire, it was important to localize production to be more responsive to the needs of specific markets around the world. The North American version will be produced at the Michelin plant in Pictou, Nova Scotia. "It's a very nimble plant," a Michelin spokesperson said. "And we will be able to react quicker to changes in the market because of it." The X-Ice Snow will also be produced in France, Germany, Hungary and Poland for the European market; China for the Asian market; and in Russia for the Eurasia market.
Quote
...When Group Michelin asked tire dealers and distributors what they wanted in the company's next winter tire, they said looks were everything. The X-Ice Xi3, which debuted in 2012, was a very good tire — top ranked in its category with 4.5 out of 5 stars on TireRack.com — but they said it didn't look aggressive enough to sell in the showroom...
..."Michelin listened to what they had to say and started with the look," Sabrina Garofalo, a marketing manager at Michelin North America (Canada) Inc., said. "Then they brought in all of the engineering to maximize the performance."...
X-Ice Snow design:
To give the X-Ice Snow its more aggressive look, Michelin got rid of the large center channel of the X-Ice Xi3, employing, instead a center V-shaped tread pattern and wider grooves throughout the tire. Officials said shifting the voids allows the tire to better evacuate sludge and snow, which gives the driver more confidence, especially when changing lanes on a snowy highway.
The V-tread design and center sipes are angled, and the blocks are off-set to give an even footprint and reduce noise.
Two types of full-depth, interlocking 3-D sipes give an increased grip — or "claw effect," as the company calls it — on snow and ice, and for long-lasting biting edges, the company said. The tire features both notched sipes and variable thickness sipes that undulate throughout the tread block to give grip but maintain stiffness.
The sipes run through the tread blocks to 2/32 of an inch to maintain the same tread pattern — and performance — throughout the life of the tire.
The tire is made with Michelin's FlexIce 2 compound, which is an update of the compound used in the X-Ice Xi3. It's a full silica compound that stays flexible in freezing temperatures but firm in moderate temperatures, the company said. The company said the new compound reduces rolling resistance by 9% over the X-Ice Xi3.
...The company said that because the X-Ice Snow is a global tire, it was important to localize production to be more responsive to the needs of specific markets around the world. The North American version will be produced at the Michelin plant in Pictou, Nova Scotia. "It's a very nimble plant," a Michelin spokesperson said. "And we will be able to react quicker to changes in the market because of it." The X-Ice Snow will also be produced in France, Germany, Hungary and Poland for the European market; China for the Asian market; and in Russia for the Eurasia market.