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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin X Ice Snow vs Michelin X-Ice Xi3 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 13 + 0 road tests and 20 + 14 owner reviews. How we score

X Ice Snow is ahead, 73–65

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Michelin X Ice Snow
Tire AMichelin

X Ice Snow

Winter

± 5

Tests 70 · 13 tests Owners 78 · 20 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2025 Studded, Friction and European Winter Tyre Test (comfort (tester's mark))

Michelin X-Ice Xi3
Tire BMichelin

X-Ice Xi3

Winter

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 65 · 14 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 67

    Dry

    X Ice Snow +3
    64
    Why this score
    SourceX Ice SnowX-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 11 / – tests65≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7162

    X Ice Snow: 60% × 64.9 + 40% × 70.7 = 67

    X-Ice Xi3: 60% × 65.5 (est.) + 40% × 62.1 = 64

    No road tests of dry for X-Ice Xi3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 71

    Wet

    X Ice Snow +4
    67
    Why this score
    SourceX Ice SnowX-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 12 / – tests65≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online7966

    X Ice Snow: 60% × 64.9 + 40% × 79.2 = 71

    X-Ice Xi3: 60% × 68.2 (est.) + 40% × 66.1 = 67

    No road tests of wet for X-Ice Xi3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 76

    Snow

    X Ice Snow +8
    68
    Why this score
    SourceX Ice SnowX-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 12 / – tests73≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online8167

    X Ice Snow: 60% × 73.2 + 40% × 81.1 = 76

    X-Ice Xi3: 60% × 69.4 (est.) + 40% × 67.1 = 68

    No road tests of snow for X-Ice Xi3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 80

    Comfort

    X Ice Snow +15
    65
    Why this score
    SourceX Ice SnowX-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests81≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online7964

    X Ice Snow: 40% × 81 + 60% × 78.8 = 80

    X-Ice Xi3: 40% × 67.7 (est.) + 60% × 63.9 = 65

    No road tests of comfort for X-Ice Xi3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 75

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceX Ice SnowX-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests81–
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)–

    X Ice Snow: 60% × 80.5 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 75

    No owner ratings of noise for X Ice Snow. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 76

    Treadwear

    X Ice Snow +10
    66
    Why this score
    SourceX Ice SnowX-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online8166

    X Ice Snow: 60% × 71.9 (est.) + 40% × 81.4 = 76

    X-Ice Xi3: 60% × 66.2 (est.) + 40% × 65.7 = 66

    No road tests of treadwear for X Ice Snow. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

    No road tests of treadwear for X-Ice Xi3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 75

    Handling (owners)

    X Ice Snow +19
    56
    Why this score
    SourceX Ice SnowX-Ice Xi3
    Reviews found online7556
  8. 77

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceX Ice SnowX-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests77–
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin X Ice SnowMichelin X-Ice Xi3
Relative Score 73 65
Dry 67 64
Wet 71 67
Snow 76 68
Comfort 80 65
Noise 75 –
Treadwear 76 66
Handling (owners) 75 56
Efficiency 77 –

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

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 5

X Ice Snow

± 8

X-Ice Xi3

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

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategoryX Ice SnowX-Ice Xi3ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #7/10 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test #5/17 2020 Consumer Reports North America Winter Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A X Ice Snow

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in deep snow, packed snow, and slush
  • High confidence and predictable handling on icy and freezing roads
  • Impressive tread wear longevity and minimal wear over multiple seasons

Cons

  • Average performance on dry and wet pavement compared to dedicated non-winter tires
  • Slightly noisier on dry pavement as the tread wears down
  • Can feel slightly twitchy at the limit or less comfortable than older X-Ice generations
All owner themes in the X Ice Snow review

Tire B X-Ice Xi3

Pros

  • Exceptionally quiet and comfortable ride quality
  • Long-lasting treadwear and durability over multiple seasons
  • Good stability and grip on dry pavement and cold winter roads

Cons

  • Squirmy feel and delayed, sluggish steering response on dry and wet roads
  • Lacks cornering grip and confidence during sharp turns
  • Performs poorly in heavy mountain snow, wet ice, and milder above-freezing temperatures
All owner themes in the X-Ice Xi3 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin X Ice Snow B · Michelin X-Ice Xi3
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available10037
Rim diameters13″ – 21″14″ – 20″
Sizes in common2828

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin X Ice Snow

Michelin X-Ice Xi3

Winner: Michelin X Ice Snow — better handling, comfort and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin X-Ice Xi3 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 14 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin X Ice Snow scores 75 vs 56 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin X Ice Snow scores 80 vs 65 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin X Ice Snow scores 76 vs 66 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Michelin X Ice Snow scores 76 vs 68 on snow.

Tire A · Michelin X Ice Snow
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Tire B · Michelin X-Ice Xi3
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X Ice Snow or X-Ice Xi3?

Which is better in the wet, X Ice Snow or X-Ice Xi3?

Michelin X Ice Snow, 71 vs 67 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, X Ice Snow or X-Ice Xi3?

Michelin X Ice Snow, 67 vs 64 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, X Ice Snow or X-Ice Xi3?

Michelin X Ice Snow, 76 vs 68 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, X Ice Snow or X-Ice Xi3?

Michelin X Ice Snow, 80 vs 65 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, X Ice Snow or X-Ice Xi3?

Michelin X Ice Snow, 76 vs 66 on our treadwear score.

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.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

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