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* Review 2.0 - Snow Tested *Just to follow on my initial impressions....I had the X-Ice's installed last Saturday and have put about 200mi of mixed driving on them since.
PROS: They ride smoother and softer than the MXM4's even at slightly higher PSI
CONS: On my RWD LR I'm noticing the traction control light coming on with 3/4 or more of full acceleration although I don't really feel them slipping and they definitely don't corner like the MXM4's without getting squirmy. They also add a little bit more cabin noise at highway speeds.
So I'm slightly regretting not going with a more performance oriented winter tire for thrashing around in just the cold and wet....(the way I usually drive) but holding out full judgment until I can test them in some snow/ice/slush where they SHOULD really excel. To be fair it's also been slightly warmer in the past few days, (40-50f) so I'm guessing this is also at the upper limits for a true winter compound.
Question: I was running the MXM4's at the door jam listed 42PSI..... should I run the X-Ice's at the same or higher/lower pressure?
Finally got my my new Michelin X-Ice XI3's out in some snow....
PROS: The added bite and control in the snow is drastic and noticeable. Braking is short and inline with no drama. No issues with start and stop traction. Snow sheds out of the tread and digs down to the pavement vs. riding on top of it. The X-Ice are also Eco focused for higher efficiency. The OEM MXM4's were downright scary after just 10k miles on them in wet, ice or snow.
CONS: Outside of extreme cold and snow they will not corner as hard or aggressively as a performance all-season and especially in warmer spirited driving they will feel a bit squirmy at times.
Bottom line the X-Ice excel where they promise and IMO are a no brainer for fellow RWD drivers. AWD cars will do better with the all-seasons than RWD, but you can't deny the strengths of a true winter tire which will be ice/snow braking and control.
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