New Michelin X-Ice Snow+

Freedom55

2020 CX-5 GS AWD Montreal Canada
Came across this article after seeing it on a local car program on TV. I have the X-Ice Snow SUV and I'm quite happy with them. The new + version claims better traction among other things. For those looking for winter tires for the 2026-2027 winter!
 
Came across this article after seeing it on a local car program on TV. I have the X-Ice Snow SUV and I'm quite happy with them. The new + version claims better traction among other things. For those looking for winter tires for the 2026-2027 winter!
I've put these on two vehicles so far. They are VERY NOISY and cause a lot of vibrations and harmonics as they age. They are really good in the snow, but after wearing out two sets, I won't do them again. There are better choices.
 
I've put these on two vehicles so far. They are VERY NOISY and cause a lot of vibrations and harmonics as they age. They are really good in the snow, but after wearing out two sets, I won't do them again. There are better choices.
Are you speaking of the old X-Ice tires? The X-Ice Snow + was just introduced I think.

I'm on my 3rd set of the old X-Ice tires and have been very happy with them. I never kept them until they were worn out though.
 
An old set of X-ice tires we bought for my mom's car were a bit noisy and underwhelming. Typically Michelin is top notch so I was surprised that they were so rough.

In response to @stickerbush, you are doing it right -- you should never keep winter tires until they are what you might consider "worn out" with respect to an all-season tire. They need to be replaced when they have much more tread left, typically no less than 5/32s tread remaining but some manufacturers say up to 7/32s! If that was an all season tire you would have lots of life left in the tire.

This has been my experience as well. I've bought about six or seven sets of studless winter tires (I live in an area that gets a fair amount of snow) and I've been surprised in the past at how much the grip drops off at about year 3 or 4, when in snowy or icy conditions. I realized later that I just wasn't replacing them soon enough. They act fine in dry or wet conditions at those tread depths, but the snow and ice performance drops off so they're not much better than an all-season tire.
 
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