Michelin Introduces New "X-Ice Snow"

https://www.tirebusiness.com/news/michelin-unveils-x-ice-snow-its-next-gen-winter-tire

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...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.
 
One statement from Michelin about the X-Ice Snow that caught my attention was:

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....Next-generation V-shaped tread design [...] for exceptional slush performance (5).

Footnote (5): Based on: (1) internal hydroplaning longitudinal acceleration test performed in France in March 2019, on a Volkswagen® Golf 7 comparing the MICHELIN® X-Ice® SNOW tire versus MICHELIN® X-Ice® Xi3 in tire size 205/55R16 94H XL and on: (2) internal hydroplaning curve test performed in Japan in February 2019, on an AUDI® A4, comparing the MICHELIN® X-Ice® SNOW tire versus MICHELIN® X-Ice® Xi3 in tire size 205/55R16 94H XL.....


The Xi3 was demonstrably inferior to its top tier competitors in the few objective slush-planing tests that appeared online, and it appears that Michelin was aware of this.
 
Originally Posted by krzyss
Are you calling Xi3 "absolute garbage"?
Or Pilot Alpin 5 or PA4?

Strange.

Krzys


Yes, the Xi3. If you need to handle severe winter conditions, it is one of the worst winter tires available. It does have its place. Here in Canada, if you live somewhere like Vancouver or Southern Ontario that is just cold, and sees mostly rain or the odd light snow, they are ok.

At several dealerships I have worked at here in Ottawa, they refuse to sell them.
 
Last edited:
Maybe you are in perfect spot to try their studded winter tires. Xi3 were more than enough in the hills of MA (300m above sea level).

KrzyÅ›
 
Originally Posted by krzyss
Maybe you are in perfect spot to try their studded winter tires. Xi3 were more than enough in the hills of MA (300m above sea level).

KrzyÅ›


Would love to, but studded tires are illegal here.
 
Will the xice North come pre-studded to Canada or will it be only available unstudded and the tire shop will have to use generic studs?
 
Originally Posted by UG_Passat
Will the xice North come pre-studded to Canada or will it be only available unstudded and the tire shop will have to use generic studs?


It will no doubt come with Michelin's unique factory studs. A single 205/55R16 X-Ice North-4 tire has 250 studs installed. I can't see a tire dealer being willing to install 1000 studs in a set of 4 tires.
 
Originally Posted by SubLGT
Originally Posted by UG_Passat
Will the xice North come pre-studded to Canada or will it be only available unstudded and the tire shop will have to use generic studs?


It will no doubt come with Michelin's unique factory studs. A single 205/55R16 X-Ice North-4 tire has 250 studs installed. I can't see a tire dealer being willing to install 1000 studs in a set of 4 tires.


I wouldn't assume anything.

A shop can install 1000 studs on a set of tires. There are equipment that will make the process faster and easier for the shop, for less often studding.

https://brunowessel.com/studding-equipment/semi-automatic-studding-machine/

or less expensive would be a gun system
https://brunowessel.com/studding-equipment/stud-insertion-tool/

A tire dealer that studs would be charging money to stud tires. Not everything a tire installer does is glamorous.
 
Originally Posted by mightymousetech


Yes, the Xi3. If you need to handle severe winter conditions, it is one of the worst winter tires available. It does have its place. Here in Canada, if you live somewhere like Vancouver or Southern Ontario that is just cold, and sees mostly rain or the odd light snow, they are ok.

At several dealerships I have worked at here in Ottawa, they refuse to sell them.


I echo your feelings about the X-Ice Xi3.

In 2012, I had to borrow my in-laws' van for a fair bit of driving. They had on X-Ice Xi2, and for the conditions I encountered, mostly just ice in various forms, they seemed to perform well, and my wife wasn't a fan of the General Altimax Arctics we had on, though I was hugely impressed with them.

Fast forward a year to fall 2013, and we bought a second vehicle, a 2014 Passat TDI manual. The 2006 Sienna had a damaged winter tire beyond repair, and no luck finding a matched used tire to the rest of the set. Costco had a Michelin sale. So, based on the Xi2, I bought the new Xi3.

Boy, was I disappointed and underwhelmed. Nothing stellar about snow/slush performance, and horrendous ice performance. Both vehicles, with different tire sizes, vehicle dynamics and drivetrains, and I found the same thing, ABS kicking on a lot when stopping on icy surfaces, even if it was just a frost coating on otherwise bare pavement. Similar starting off, wheels spinning (or traction control kicking in) on icy surfaces, even just mildly so. I never recalled any other previous winter tires I had perform so poorly. I gladly let VW buy back the TDI with the Michelin winters on, and when I got our replacement for the TDI in October 2017, I also wanted the Xi3s gone off the van.

So, the van got Continental ExtremeWinterContacts, which I got a phenomenal close out deal on. The Tiguan got Canadian Tire/Cooper WinterEdge. All I could say was wow, for both vehicles, both tires: no more problems on ice, save for the most extreme cases where only studs could handle it, and even then, had just enough traction to be manageable. Snow and slush improved too. I suspect I would have found the same no matter what non-Michelin winter tire I picked.

So this is definitely a welcome update, but I am not holding my breath. I've already moved on from Michelin winter tires, and there is no way I am gambling on these, regardless of any rave reviews they get (like the Xi3 did), as the praises seem to be coming from people with a Michelin love-in.

I myself don't hate Michelin, my best all-season tire ever was made by them. I just think you need to evaluate their tires on a case-by-case basis, just like tires from any other company.
 
There may have been a manufacturing issue with the Xi3 tires, perhaps an incorrect rubber formulation.

https://shina.guide/press/16270/

Google translation:
.
Quote
..Comparative tests published by Motor with a difference of three years showed a deterioration in the performance of Michelin X-Ice 3 tires....Looking at the constancy of the results of Pirelli and Goodyear tires in Motor tests, the conclusion suggests that the characteristics of the new Michelin X-Ice Xi3 tires of the 2015 and 2018 model are significantly different and not for the better....

...In looking for the reasons for the performance degradation, we turned our attention to the countries in which the tires were made, says technical specialist Shina.Guide . Pirelli tires in both cases were produced in Russia, Goodyear tires in Poland, while Michelin X-Ice 3 tires tested in the 2015 test were produced in Spain (week 29 of 2014) , and in the 2018 test in Russia (17th week of 2017) ...

...Despite the statements of manufacturing companies that the country of production does not affect the quality of tires, we can assume that the features of production at various plants nevertheless leave a certain imprint on the characteristics and quality of tires....
 
https://www.moderntiredealer.com/news/737674/michelin-brings-x-ice-4-north-to-canada

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Michelin dealers in Canada will be able to sell the company's X-Ice 4 North winter tire later this year.

The tire, which has been sold in Europe for several years, will be available in 30 sizes, ranging from 15 to 20 inches in diameter, and will serve as "a nice complement" to the recently introduced Michelin X-Ice Snow, according to Michelin officials. (The X-Ice 4 North is "only for Canada," while the X-Ice Snow will be available in both Canada and the United States.)

The X-Ice 4 North will sport 250 tire studs arranged "according to a mathematical algorithm," says Sabrina Garofalo, product manager, winter, Michelin. It also will feature a V-shaped tread design optimized for grip "in all winter conditions," as well as a "Nordic" rubber compound for enhanced traction at lower temperatures, plus long overall tire life.

The tire will hit the Canadian market in October 2020.


[Linked Image from images.moderntiredealer.com]
 
Just throwing this out there: On my 328i xDrive the Pirelli WINTER SOTTOZERO SERIE II has been great when driving around the Tahoe area during the skiing season. Studded tires would be a bit better on ice.
 
Let's see how they test
I'm a little biased against Michelin (I'm still bitter about my Premier A/S set)
But if people like them, I'll consider it
I definitely need something new for this winter, as my beloved set of WinterContact Si are burned out and done after 3 winters
 
I'm kind of bummed about the USA not getting the new North's. I guess I will continue on with the studded Altimax Arctic's I use on all my vehicles.
 
Let's see how they test
I'm a little biased against Michelin (I'm still bitter about my Premier A/S set)
But if people like them, I'll consider it
I definitely need something new for this winter, as my beloved set of WinterContact Si are burned out and done after 3 winters
I got Conti Viking7 last january. Exceptional tire.
I was happy with two sets of Michelin Xi2. I still have one fore Toyota. Though Xi2 is bit more aggressive than Xi3 was.
 
Viking7?

Wet/slush is the weakest spot for all (most?) studless tires.

I preferred my old Continental TS810 in the wet than Viking7 but performance winter tires seem to be disappearing from the USA market.

Krzyś
 
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