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| Spoiler Alert: They're awesome! |
With a big storm approaching, it was clearly time to swap in the snow tires. Off came the aftermarket wheels shod with performance tires and on went the OEM wheels with the Michelins.
Dry performance was excellent, given that these (and the Blizzaks, for that matter) clearly are not in the same league grip-wise as the Sumitomo HTRZ IIs that are on the car 9 months of the year. But that's to be expected.
Two things were immediately noticeable about the Michelins in comparison to the Bridgestones; the ride and noise. The ride was extremely plush, with much less impact registering up into the steering wheel when a pothole was encountered. Shockingly different, in fact.
Noise was also on a whole different level. Actually, these are definitely the quietest tires ever on the Shadowagon.
That's all fine and dandy but what about actual performance in the snow? Well, like a soft and fluffy hammer, it hit a couple of days later, laying down about a foot and a half deep; worse in places where the winds could pick it up and pile it high. Starting on a Friday night, it pelted the area hard until late the following day. Digging out started early Saturday morning but didn't really end until Tuesday afternoon.
In short, the Michelins were incredible and clearly a step up from the Bridgestones.
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| Photos: REVolution |
Out the driveway and down the road...passed a 4WD truck that was completely stuck. Were they okay? Yeah? There's a tow truck on the way. Other FWD cars stuck in snow banks, as well as AWD CUV, SUV and sedans...all in the same predicament. Shadowagon/Snowagon just drove on by, no problem. Performance was supremely predictable and confidence-inspiring.
Thumbs up for the Michelins! These are amazing tires and with the weight of the engine over the driven wheels, it turned this car into a snow machine that clearly surpassed the capabilities of AWD cars with all-season tires.
The X-Ice xi3 tires were acquired from Tire Rack. They were one of the more expensive options but with a $70 gift card rebate (which we used at the grocery store), they ended up being roughly the same price as the cheapest on offer. Total price for the tires was $308.96 for all four, with shipping. Mounting and balancing was extra.
As the previous owner of a Subaru with all-seasons, it's a real hassle to swap your tires for the season. But we feel there's no safer way to get around in the snow and ice unless you have snow tires and AWD.
Stay tuned for future updates on the X-Ice tires.
Nice first impression review, K2. These modern hydrophilic tires are quite an eye opener. It is a gas to drive around under-tired AWD cars in snow storms.
ReplyDeleteI have X-Ice2 on one of my fleet. They are indeed quiet, until the road is wet. Then I find they sing quite a bit.
Are your snows the same aspect ratio as your summer tires? On one of my fleet, I went with a "-1" sizing option for the snows. The difference in ride is massive. I do not notice it as much with the "same size" X-Ice car. Maybe your summers have worn tread, because just the layer of tread (and nice new, soft rubber) is enough to affect the ride also.
I look forward to future updates.
I have the Xi2s (20s) on my Cayenne and they're very, very good. Can't imagine a better tire and I've got no complaints.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your observations, B. I have not heard the xi3s in the rain yet, so it will be interesting to see if they're noticeably noisy, as you said.
ReplyDeleteToday was enlightening because I put about 100 highway miles on them. They're really, REALLY nice daily driver tires, regardless of their wear rating. The UTQG is not listed. They seemed to maybe have a little wander at higher rates of speed but again, that's to be expected.
My summers are 205/50ZR16s and the xi3s are 185/65R15s. There's a lot of concern among turbo brick owners about rubbing but I've never noticed a single issue with the 16s. Of course, they aren't exactly 18s or even 20s. I don't really like wagon wheels anyway. Not my thing. And as you can read, I don't really go for uber low profiles.
Tom,
ReplyDeleteAny time you need me to babysit your Panzer wagon, I'm your man!
K2, the "-1" sizing on the snows explains the much improved ride. That also was a good decision because skinny snow tires are much more effective than wider ones.
ReplyDeletePremise agreed.
ReplyDelete