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Head-to-head Updated

Continental IceContact 2 vs Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Too close to call: IceContact 2 and X-Ice Snow SUV are level at 70.

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Tire AContinental

IceContact 2

Winter

Tests 73 · 2 tests Owners 69 · 2 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test (dry braking)

Tire BMichelin

X-Ice Snow SUV

Winter

Tests 68 · 2 tests Owners 74 · 4 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 8 in 2022 ViBilagare Nordic SUV Winter Tyre Test (ice traction)

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 69

    Dry

    X-Ice Snow SUV +2
    71
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2X-Ice Snow SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score)7171
    Reviews found online6670
    Dry Braking (% of best)100%93%
  2. 71

    Wet

    IceContact 2 +6
    65
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2X-Ice Snow SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score)7056
    Reviews found online7278
    Wet Braking (% of best)84%88%
  3. 76

    Snow

    Level
    76
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2X-Ice Snow SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score)7773
    Reviews found online7581
    Snow Handling (% of best)100%99%
    Snow Traction (% of best)95%99%
  4. 66

    Comfort

    X-Ice Snow SUV +7
    73
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2X-Ice Snow SUV
    Reviews found online6377
  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    73
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2X-Ice Snow SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score)–77
  6. 65

    Treadwear

    X-Ice Snow SUV +3
    68
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2X-Ice Snow SUV
    Reviews found online6570
  7. 71

    Handling

    Level
    71
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2X-Ice Snow SUV
    Reviews found online7171
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental IceContact 2Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV
Relative Score 70 70
Dry 69 71
Wet 71 65
Snow 76 76
Comfort 66 73
Noise – 73
Treadwear 65 68
Handling 71 71

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Less important
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

IceContact 2

X-Ice Snow SUV

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryIceContact 2X-Ice Snow SUVΔBoth?
Dry Braking Dry 100% #1/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 93% #7/8 · 2025 Friction Winter Tyre Test +7.2 Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 90% #8/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 96% #4/8 · 2022 ViBilagare Nordic SUV Winter Tyre Test −6.6 Different tests
Ice Handling Ice 99% #2/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 98% #4/8 · 2022 ViBilagare Nordic SUV Winter Tyre Test +0.9 Different tests
Ice Traction Ice 100% #2/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 96% #2/8 · 2022 ViBilagare Nordic SUV Winter Tyre Test +3.1 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall 100% #1/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 25% #4/8 · 2022 ViBilagare Nordic SUV Winter Tyre Test +75.0 Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 100% #1/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 99% #5/8 · 2025 Friction Winter Tyre Test +1.4 Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 95% #4/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 99% #3/8 · 2025 Friction Winter Tyre Test −4.1 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 84% #8/10 · 2017 Autocenter Studded Winter Tyre Test 88% #5/8 · 2025 Friction Winter Tyre Test −3.8 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A IceContact 2

Pros

  • Excellent traction on snow and ice-covered surfaces
  • Surprisingly comfortable and quiet ride for a studded tire
  • Reliable handling and stability in severe winter conditions

Cons

  • Increased road noise when driving on dry or clean pavement
  • Noticeable degradation in ice grip performance after two seasons of use
  • Requires precise tire pressure maintenance to ensure optimal wet-weather handling
All owner themes in the IceContact 2 review

Tire B X-Ice Snow SUV

Pros

  • Outstanding traction on snow and ice
  • Remarkably low road noise for a winter tire
  • Excellent ride comfort

Cons

  • Unsuitable for year-round use due to soft compound in warm temperatures
  • Reduced handling precision compared to dedicated summer tires
All owner themes in the X-Ice Snow SUV review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental IceContact 2 B · Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Sizes available—90
Rim diameters—16″ – 22″

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental IceContact 2

Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV

Too close to call: Continental IceContact 2 and Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV are within 2 points overall. Continental IceContact 2 is stronger on wet. Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV is stronger on comfort and treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV scores 73 vs 66 on comfort.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental IceContact 2 scores 71 vs 65 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV scores 68 vs 65 on treadwear.

Tire A · Continental IceContact 2
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV
Check price on Amazon

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How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

70

Too close to call

IceContact 2

Amazon