Michelin Reviews & Comparisons

The Michelin X-Ice Snow is the latest offering in the realm of studless ice & snow winter tires, where it’s designed for coupes, sedans, minivans, and crossovers. This tire is one of the best when it comes to snow performance. But what else does it have to offer? Let’s find out!

So overall the key takeaway is this: The Michelin X-Ice Snow tire provides commendable performance in various conditions, notably excelling in icy grip, snow handling, wet terrain water dispersion, road shock absorption, and tread longevity. While its strengths are many, there’s room for enhancement in noise reduction, dry road steering responsiveness, and fuel efficiency.

Info on Sizes: The Michelin X-Ice Snow comes in 125 total sizes in 15 to 22 inches. They have following specs.

• Speed ratings: T and H.
• Load ratings: SL and XL.
• Tread depth: 10.5/32″ on all.
• Weight: 16 to 40 lbs.
• Tread warranty: 40k miles.

Since the tire is one of best in terms of snow traction, I added it to my list of top studless winter tires.

Tread Design

The Michelin X-Ice Snow offers a unique, directional tread pattern.

Now although its directional, it doesn’t have what they call, “swooping” lugs, as they are pretty voided up, longitudinally.

This basically divides the tread in to 6 block columns, with the outer two being shoulders.

These (shoulder) blocks have thick lateral slits, and are highlighted by the jagged edges on the sides.

In the middle most area of the tread, there’s a very biting zigzag circumferential groove, courtesy of interlocking blocks on both sides.

These lugs offer a lot of biting edges, (off-set and chamfered).

Moreover, they offer multi-directional siping.

The adjacent ribs also have similar tread features, but again sipes vary here as well, in terms of their angles/orientations.

Dry Performance

Even in winter tires, dry traction remains a cornerstone, focusing on rubber-road contact. This can be divided into lateral traction, and longitudinal grip.

Let’s start with later.

Dry Longitudinal Grip

This grip evaluates a tire’s linear traction, predominantly determined by the central tread’s road engagement, and measured by tire’s braking efficiency/efficacy.

(And if you’re wondering why central, you should know that this area of the tread gets the most weight concentration during straight-line movement).

Now, Michelin X-Ice Snow offers a pretty good job here, where it only lacks to the best tire here by only 3 feet (on average), when it comes to braking tests, I performed (from 40 mph).

Dry Handling

Comprehensive dry handling combines, both lateral traction with the tire’s steering responsiveness.

Now here, lateral traction of a tire hinges on its shoulder design, while steering depends on flexing of the lugs.

That’s why although Michelin X-Ice Snow although offers pretty decent overall traction values (compared to other winter tires in its category), it’s overall handling times aren’t that great, with its lagging steering response.

The tire although offers good enough braking and acceleration, its mid-cornering feedback is a little vague, where you don’t get the clear idea of how much traction is there.

So you get a little over-steering prone handling with this tire.

Overall Winter Performance

The efficacy of a tire in winter conditions hinges on its aptitude across two primary terrains, namely ice and snow.

Ice Traction

This traction underscores a tire’s capacity to cling to and navigate (relatively more) slippery ice terrains.

Given that icy roads are inherently slick and lack ample natural friction, the rubber composition and well made tread designs are highly needed here.

Meaning, optimal tires in this context should have numerous biters and retain their flexibility (as things get extreme cold).

Now talking about top-tier winter tires here, the Michelin X-Ice Snow is one of the highest ranking ones on ice.

And its superb performance can be attributed to a distinctive tread pattern that integrates multi-directional snow vices and well engineered angled incisions.

Basically all its ribs have unique siping pattern, where they vary in widths and angle orientations.

When this sophisticated aggressive siping strategy allow for grip in all directions. And as a result, you get notable braking distances and handling precision, (basically above average overall performance).

Snow Traction

Snow traction relates to the tire’s ability on snow-laden roads, (where there’s soft, salt-like snow). Here tires need to offer good enough ability to penetrate, grip, and subsequently shed snow particles.

This allows for snow-to-snow contact, which is pretty important as snowflakes’ distinct interlocking structures create more friction here, compared to rubber to snow contact.

Now this terrain is the expertise of Michelin X-Ice Snow tire, as it offers one of the best performance values, especially in terms of acceleration and handling.

The tire, coming with a directional pattern provides efficient snow scooping abilities (pushing it backwards), generating forward momentum and accleration.

While it’s 6 ribs, forming in-groove notches everywhere, allow for efficient snow-to-snow contact, resulting in best overall snow handling.

To give you an idea, the tire offers quickest snow laps (on tests), where it’s 2 seconds faster (on average), compared to Blizzak WS90, (review this tire here), which comes in the second quickest place here.

Wet Traction

The wet performance of a tire is dictated by its tread blueprint and rubber blend, influencing its wet grip and resistance to hydroplaning.

Wet Gripping

Wet grip revolves around the tire’s rubber-road contact in moist conditions, but as the intervening of water disrupts that (direct tread contact), how well tire disperses off water is the most crucial point here.

And this is achieved by the strategic interplay of grooves and sipes.

While grooves handle bulk water displacement to counter hydroplaning, sipes work at a micro-level, utilizing their inherent air expulsion to induce a suction effect, facilitating better ground contact.

Having said that, it makes sense why the X Ice Snow does pretty great here, offering a mixture of varying sipes (I talked about in the ice traction), and it’s weight (which basically helps hydroplaning, explained in the next section).

To give you a rough idea about its performance, the best tire in this (wet performance) category is the Continental VikingContact 7 (review), and in comparison, the Michelin X Ice Snow only lacks half a second, on average, in handling lap time tests.

Resistance to Hydroplaning

Hydroplaning emerges when water intrudes between the tire and the road, a result of water’s incompressibility. To combat this, tires are equipped with grooves to channel out water, staving off hydroplaning.

And since Michelin here throws out water very effectively, it puts less burden on sipes to begin with, improving its overall wet performance further.

So what’s helping the tire here?

Well, it offers 5 (tough-passing) longitudinal/circumferential channels, which are also interconnected with each other as well, thanks to the tire’s directional pattern.

This pattern of multi-angled grooves, offer water clear paths to run off and out of the tread in all directions, where the tire’s weight (being relatively greater), puts more pressure on lugs and water, so its pushed out with greater force.

The result: You get one of the best tire in terms of aquaplaning resistance.

Side Note: If you’re looking for a winter tire for your SUV, consider Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 (review), the tire offers top notch hydroplaning resistance.

Tread Longevity

Tread longevity intertwines with the dual concepts of rolling resistance and tread depth.

Where rolling resistance depends on tire’s weight, and tread’s composition.

Now looking at all these factors, it can be seen why the Michelin X-Ice Snow pretty decent overall tread life.

Now, even though the tire weighs a lot (relatively speaking), it’s Flex-Ice tread compound and technology still resist wear, as it allows for that weight to be distributed more evenly among its lugs.

Moreover, the tire’s tread rigidity, combined with tread depth that goes up to 10.5/32″ also help here, allowing for above-average overall tread longevity.

And that’s backed by it’s 40k miles treadwear warranty, (which is pretty significant, as almost 90% of the winter tires don’t provide you with any).

Comfort Levels

A tire’s comfort defines elements like road noise suppression and shock absorption, for the most part. And both of these are influenced by factors such as tire’s structure, material composition, tread design, and sidewall architecture, to name the most important one.

Let’s start with noise.

Tread Noise

Now tread noise primarily stems from air molecules colliding with tire treads. Meaning, if a tire has an expansive tread gaps, it’s more prone to elevated noise generation, unless its saved by other factors which include tread pattern and composition.

Now, the Michelin X Ice Snow does okay here, nothing fancy. I mean its good enough for a winter tire.

It’s shoulder voids are basically more open and allow for slightly more air to come in, and that combined with it’s multi-angled siping, you hear slightly more growling sounds.

Though it’s performance is still above average here, mainly thanks to its Piano Acoustic Tuning (a name Michelin gives to variable pitch producing tread, which keeps in-groove resonance low).

Bumps Absorption

Tires act as suspension system for vehicles, cushioning against road discrepancies through both their internal and external configurations.

And in this regard, the Michelin X-Ice Snow is one of the best.

This is mainly because of the tire’s thicker/more-absorbing internal construction, followed by it’s thick tread with independent lugs.

By independent lugs, I mean, all blocks aren’t restricted to flex around, soaking up the bumps potential energy in to kinetic.

Fuel Economy

Fuel economy in tires correlates with their mass and traction. Specifically, a denser tire with prominent tread gaps undergoes pronounced lug flexing during activities, consuming energy which otherwise would be directed to rolling, instead of reshaping lugs or heat production.

Now, the X-Ice Snow although offers a good enough rolling resistance here. It’s overall fuel economy is not so impressive, relatively.

And it makes sense since the tire carries a lot of weight, and has independent lugs, missing foundational supports. Moreover, with a lot of in-groove notches and multi-angled biters, the tire generates a lot of grip, translating in to greater fuel consumption compared to other tires.

So overall, the Michelin tire offers a fuel economy, which is slightly below average among other top ranking winter tires.

Conclusion

So overall, the Michelin X-Ice Snow tire exhibits pretty decent performance across varied conditions. Let me break it down for you in an easier manner.

So the tire excels when it comes to:

• Superior grip on icy terrains due to its unique tread pattern.
• Quick acceleration and impeccable handling on snow-covered roads.
• Efficient water dispersion on wet terrains, reducing hydroplaning risks.
• Effective absorption of road inconsistencies, ensuring a smoother ride.
• Above-average lifespan, bolstered by its Flex-Ice tread compound and supported by a significant treadwear warranty.

While its performance can be improved in:

• Noise reduction, as it offers only average suppression of road noise.
• Steering response on dry roads, which is marginally slower.
• Fuel economy, which is slightly below average when compared to other top-tier winter tires.

The Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 is a pretty reliable winter tire, which is not replaced by PA5. Now, although the Pilot Alpin series is a little pricey, it justifies that with it’s long lasting and fuel efficient design. Let’s see if this tire is made for you.

Compare both PA4 and PA5 in detail here: https://snowytires.com/michelin-pilot-alpin-pa4-vs-5/

Key Takeaway

So overall, the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 tire exhibits exceptional performance, where it leads in:

• Ice Performance: Leading the way with excellent acceleration, braking, and traction on icy surfaces.
• Wet Grip and Handling: Outperforming competitors with outstanding wet grip and handling, even surpassing tires marketed for their wet performance.
• Linear Grip: Impressive grip and speed ratings, making it suitable for sporty driving in winter conditions.
• Dry Handling: Demonstrating above-average lateral traction and superb steering responsiveness.
• Tread Longevity: Above-average tread longevity with a treadwear warranty for peace of mind.
• Fuel Economy: Achieving Michelin’s Green X certification for fuel efficiency and reduced carbon emissions.

Though the tire has some drawbacks too, when it comes to following two:

• Snow Traction: Although offering effective snow contact, it could enhance snow handling for even better results.
• Resistance to Hydroplaning: The tire’s continuous running shoulders and central rib result in average float speeds, leaving room for improvement.

Info on Sizes: The Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 comes in 51 total sizes in 17 to 21 inches. These sizes have speed ratings of H, V and W, while load ratings are standard (XL and SL). Moreover, all sizes have tread depth of 10.5/32″ and come with weight ranging from 20 to 36 lbs. Tire also offers 30k miles treadwear warranty.

Tread Appearance

The Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 showcases an asymmetrical tread design, featuring four main ribs.

The (almost) central-most rib is continuous running, with one side being pretty smooth and straight, while the other side is serrated with sharp edges and notches.

This rib incorporates numerous sipes and slanted slits.

Adjacent to this rib are technically shoulder ribs, forming two circumferential grooves.

One of these ribs, located towards the serrated side of the central rib, covers a significant portion of the tread area.

It has chamfered outer edges and a combination of rectilinear and interlocking siping at various angles. Additionally, there are curving in-groove notches running parallel to the lateral tread voids that separate these blocks.

On the other side of the tire, you’ll find a denser arrangement of in-groove notches and longitudinal slits that don’t split up the lugs.

Meaning this rib is also continuous running, and is more longitudinally aligned, in terms of biters. Though that doesn’t go for the wave-like siping you see there, and thick in-groove notches.

Wet Performance

On a rainy day, roads can become glossy and slippery, so tires need to navigate these wet roads with precision, where their tread patterns and the type of rubber they’re made from play a big role.

These basically define the tire’s overall grip/handling and resistance to hydroplaning.

Wet Grip and Handling

Now the wet traction comes from two main factor. Tire’s ability to clear off water from its tread, and it’s gripping elements, including rubber composition.

Basically grooves and sipes clear off water (where sipes literally suck up water particles), and biters/rubber come in later, forming a water-free contact with the road, providing traction.

Now, in this regard, the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 is one of the best tires you can get, outperforming all its direct competitors, and by a large margin too.

To give you an idea, it outranks the Continental VikingContact 7 (a tire marketed for its superb wet performance), by over half a feet in braking (distance test).

(While handling on both tires is literally the same, referring to their compared lap times on average).

Review that tire here: https://snowytires.com/continental-vikingcontact-7-review/

Resistance to Hydroplaning

Have you ever seen a car almost glide or skim on water? That’s hydroplaning.

To avoid this, tires are designed with grooves that act like water channels, directing water away and keeping the tire firmly on the road.

Now the thing is, hydro or aquaplaning directly influences overall wet traction, as sipes would have less water burden, if more goes out through grooves.

That’s why the Pilot Alpin PA4 could have been even better in overall wet performance, if it weren’t for it’s continuous running shoulders and central rib, hindering it’s lateral water evacuation.

Meaning, the Michelin’s tire here only offers average results here, as seen by its float speeds.

Though this advantages the tire in terms of noise comfort.

Overall Winter Performance

When you think of winter tires, picture a landscape covered in ice and snow. Now, how efficiently a tire moves over these both landscape types, determines its overall winter performance.

So its best, we split this section in those two.

Ice Performance

On ice, every step can be treacherous, as tires need to hold their ground here. And they mostly do that with the help of special polymers in their compounds combined with a ton of biters.

That’s why top tier tires here have a lot of tiny grippers, which also stay flexible and responsive at all times (I mean even during harsh maneuvers and temperatures).

Now, the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 is leading its way literally, compared to its direct competitors, as it offers excellent acceleration values (going from 0 to 30 mph, fastest).

Moreover, the tire also offers just as great braking, and overall traction values, thanks to its superior cornering responsiveness and appreciable on-center feel.

Snow Traction

This landscape includes powdery, soft, salt-like snow (covered roads), where the tire’s job is to sink into the ground, holding onto snow particles (forming snow-to-snow contact), while letting go the excess, so they don’t accumulate and become a hindrance.

But why this contact is important here? Well, its because snowflakes stick well to others on the ground (as they have interlocking fingers). So those captured in the tire’s tread, create a bond that’s stronger than if it was just rubber touching snow.

Having said that, the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 offers effective contact path here, allowing for above average results overall.

The tire although lacks a little in terms of snow handling, it still offers above average results in terms of snow acceleration and braking.

Tread Noise Comfort

Noise is generated by a lot of variables and factors, but air is the biggest contributor here still.

When air rushes into the gaps in a tire’s tread, it can create a hum or buzz. Generally, the bigger these gaps, the louder the noise. It’s like the difference between blowing over the top of a wide vs. narrow bottle.

Moreover, the impact of these air particles (mainly entering through shoulders) hitting the tread, further generates additional noise and in-groove resonances.

Now the Michelin PA4 comes in the list of top quietest winter tires, with such closed up shoulders, which restrict air entry in the first place, limiting noise at the source.

Bumps Comfort

Tires act like cushions. When the car moves over bumps or potholes, the tire’s design and materials help soften those jolts, giving passengers a smoother ride.

Now the Pilot Alpin 4 having such thermally adaptive rubber, featuring Helio Compound (as Michelin likes to call it), offers great absorption to the road vibrations.

This compound basically has a lot of silica in it, which primarily offers wet traction, also helps in the overall ride comfort performance too.

Tread Longevity

Everyone wants tires that last.

And how long a tire lasts is a dance between its design resistance and the depth of its tread. I mean, although deeper treads often mean a longer-lasting tire, they can also be a bit more resistant, producing more heat.

Now, the Michelin Pilot Alpin 4 offers a good balance here, where it’s slightly above average (relatively), tread depth of 10.5/32″ takes a good enough time to reach down to 2/32″ (which is the legal tread-depth-limit allowed in the US).

So you get above average tread longevity, especially when you consider that even all sizes, (even those with speed ratings of W), have 30k miles treadwear warranty.

Dry Performance

Even in winter, there are clear days. And on these days, the tire’s ability to stick to dry roads becomes crucial. This involves how much of the tire’s rubber touches the ground and how it responds to turns and stops.

Let’s check both of these performance metrics.

Linear Grip

Imagine a car speeding down a straight road. What do you think will measure the grip there? Well, of course here the acceleration and braking matters (both being directional metrics).

Now, the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 does pretty well here, and it makes sense why the tire is certified by sports cars’ manufacturers, like Porsche and Audi.

I mean it’s much better on wet roads than it’s on dry, it’s still pretty impressive, I mean for a winter tire, offering tremendous grip and speed ratings up to W.

To give you a rough idea about its performance, the PA4 only lacks by a mere 3 feet in overall braking (from 60 to 0 mph), when compared to a reference summer tire (with above average dry scores).

Dry Handling

When a car turns, the edges or shoulders of the tires play a big role, determining how securely the car handles the turn.

That’s because most of the weight on the tire shifts there.

Now just like the directional grip, the Michelin PA4 also offers pretty nice results in the overall handling too, offering above average lateral traction and superb/direct steering.

The result: You get only a mere 2 second lacking handling (lap times, on average), compared to reference summer tire (with above average dry handling efficacy).

Fuel Economy

A lot of factors are at play when it comes to economy, though weight and tread compound are the most important ones.

Heavier tires or those with balder relative treads consume more energy when turning or accelerating/braking. It’s like wearing heavy boots and trying to run. What would happen? Well, you’d use more energy than if you were wearing light sneakers.

Now, the Pilot Alpin 4 is one of the most fuel efficient tires out there. That’s why it’s branded with Michelin’s Green X certification.

Tires with this label are designed to be more energy-efficient, resulting in reduced fuel consumption and lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

To Summarize

In summary, the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 is an exceptional winter tire that excels in various performance categories.

When it comes to ice performance, this tire leads the pack with excellent acceleration, braking, and overall traction, and although it performs admirably in snow as well, its handling capabilities could be improved slightly.

Though for wet roads, the tire’s a king, outperforming nearly all its competitors, even some pretty great ones, like the Continental VikingContact and WinterContact.

However, its resistance to hydroplaning could be better, resulting in average float speeds.

In terms of comfort, this tire shines with low tread noise and excellent bump absorption, providing a smooth and quiet ride.

And on dry, you get impressive linear grip and dry handling capabilities, making it suitable for sporty driving.

Moreover, the tire’s tread longevity is also impressive, especially when you consider it’s speed rating (going up to W), and same goes for its fuel economy, where the tire earns Michelin’s Green X certification.

Kleber Krisalp HP3, with its unrivaled performance on snow, and Michelin Alpin AP6, known for its exceptional handling on ice, both promise a comfortable winter ride. But who will win this frosty face-off? Let’s find out.

Dry Grip

When it comes to dry traction, the performance of a tire heavily relies on the design of its central tread area, which bears the highest weight pressure during straight-line driving.

In this aspect, the Kleber Krisalp HP3 (review) surpasses its predecessor, offering superior grip and shorter braking distances on dry roads.

With a streamlined central rib and fewer offset edges, the tire provides a larger rubber-to-road contact area, enhancing its overall traction.

On the other hand, the Michelin Alpin AP6 falls behind due to its less streamlined rib design and larger tread voids, limiting its braking effectiveness.

Dry Handling

Handling performance is greatly influenced by the design of shoulder lugs and the tire’s flexibility.

In this regard, the Kleber Krisalp HP3 outshines its predecessor with its multitude of biting edges on the shoulder lugs and narrower lateral grooves.

This configuration improves grip and responsiveness during handling maneuvers. Conversely, the Michelin Alpin AP6’s thicker lugs with fewer biting edges and higher weight limit its grip and responsiveness during cornering.

The heavier weight of the Alpin AP6 leads to increased lug flex, resulting in delayed steering responses.

Tread Life

The longevity of a tire’s tread is impacted by its rolling resistance, which is then influenced by weight and tread design.

In simple terms, a lighter tire tends to have better tread life as it exerts less pressure on the road, reducing friction and wear.

That’s why the Kleber Krisalp HP3, with its lighter construction, prevails in this category as its lugs experience less pressure against the ground, resulting in reduced friction and heat generation. In contrast, the Michelin Alpin AP6’s heavier weight, less streamlined lugs, and older rubber composition contribute to its inferior tread life.

Noise Generation

Tire noise, generated by air particles colliding against the tread walls, can significantly impact the overall driving experience.

And effective noise management is an important consideration in tire design.

That’s why in this aspect, the Kleber Krisalp HP3 gains an advantage over the Michelin Alpin AP6 due to its less voided tread pattern.

With fewer air cavities for sound propagation, the Kleber Krisalp HP3 produces less noise as it rolls over the road, providing a quieter and more comfortable ride for both the driver and passengers.

Wet Traction

The performance of a tire on wet surfaces is determined by the design of its sipes and the composition of its tread rubber.

In this category, the Kleber Krisalp HP3 again outperforms its competitor here in various aspects including (wet) grip, handling, and aqua or hydroplaning resistance.

Basically this tire’s latest rubber compound enhances water dispersion capabilities in a better way, resulting in improved traction on wet surfaces.

Its updated sipe design with multiple angles facilitates a more rapid water evacuation, further enhancing grip.

And yes not to forget the interconnected tread voids in the Kleber Krisalp HP3, those offer exceptional water channeling in all directions, providing a slightly higher resistance to hydroplaning and increased control on wet roads, even at higher speeds.

Fuel Economy

Fuel economy in tires is determined by their interaction with the road surface and their weight, which affects rolling resistance and energy consumption.

That’s why out of both tires, the Michelin Alpin AP6, being heavier, flexes more against the road during maneuvers like cornering, resulting in increased energy consumption.

In contrast, the lighter Kleber Krisalp HP3 with its longitudinally aligned ribs offers a more aerodynamic efficiency, and that gives you a smoother and more fuel-efficient ride, especially during highway driving, (where you run straight).

Vibration Absorption

Tires act as shock absorbers against road irregularities, as they are functioning as secondary suspension systems for vehicles (if you like).

Now out of both boys, the Kleber Krisalp HP3 with its new-generation compound gives you a better vibration absorption capabilities, consider all factors.

Basically its construction effectively cushions disturbances from uneven surfaces, resulting in a smoother ride.

And yes, the tire’s lighter weight also contributes to improved steering feedback, enhancing the overall comfort and smoothness compared to the Michelin Alpin AP6.

Though comfort wise, I’d like to mention that the Alpin AP6 is quieter off the two.

Ice Performance

On icy terrains, the Kleber Krisalp HP3 is again coming a little better with its impressive braking performance (almost 10 feet shorter on average compared to its predecessor).

And that is attributed to its innovative tread pattern, which combines a next-generation tread compound and strategically designed biters.

The tire features streamlined, slanted incisions and V-shaped notches, maximizing ice grip.

Additionally, its more aggressive siping pattern also enhances overall traction on icy surfaces.

In contrast, the Michelin Alpin AP6 lags behind with missing (as many) biters, though it performs well in fluffier snow conditions (see below).

Fluffy Snow Performance

Navigating through fluffy snow requires a slightly different approach, and in this regard, the Alpin AP6 gains an advantage with its slightly open tread design.

The tire’s biters are specifically designed to trap and retain soft snow particles within the tread, facilitating efficient snow-to-snow contact.

This enhances traction since snow adheres better to itself than to rubber.

On the other hand, the Kleber Krisalp HP3 takes a more minimalist approach to snow handling with its compact tread design. While it features aggressive biters, its not able to retain as much snow, resulting in a slightly less impressive performance in fluffy and powdery conditions.

So What’s the Verdict?

In this comparison, the Kleber Krisalp HP3 proves to be superior, offering improved dry traction and handling with its streamlined central rib and multiple biting edges on the shoulder lugs.

Its lighter weight contributes to better fuel efficiency and tread life, while its smaller tread voids reduce noise for a quieter ride.

Additionally, its intricate biters provide superior wet and icy terrain traction.

However, the Michelin Alpin AP6 still holds an advantage in fluffier snow conditions.