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Head-to-head Updated

Pirelli Scorpion Winter 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 3 + 0 road tests and 20 + 14 owner reviews. How we score

Scorpion Winter is ahead, 70–65

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Pirelli Scorpion Winter
Tire APirelli

Scorpion Winter

Winter

± 6

Tests 72 · 3 tests Owners 67 · 20 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2021 AZ SUV Winter Tyre Test (dry handling)

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. 72

    Dry

    Scorpion Winter +8
    64
    Why this score
    SourceScorpion WinterX-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests76≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6662

    Scorpion Winter: 60% × 75.9 + 40% × 66.4 = 72

    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. 72

    Wet

    Scorpion Winter +5
    67
    Why this score
    SourceScorpion WinterX-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests71≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online7566

    Scorpion Winter: 60% × 70.7 + 40% × 75.1 = 72

    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. 70

    Snow

    Scorpion Winter +2
    68
    Why this score
    SourceScorpion WinterX-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests69≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7267

    Scorpion Winter: 60% × 69.4 + 40% × 72 = 70

    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. 69

    Comfort

    Scorpion Winter +4
    65
    Why this score
    SourceScorpion WinterX-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6964

    Scorpion Winter: 40% × 68.6 (est.) + 60% × 68.5 = 69

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

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

    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. 63

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceScorpion WinterX-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests67–
    Reviews found online58–

    Scorpion Winter: 60% × 67.1 + 40% × 57.6 = 63

  6. 61

    Treadwear

    X-Ice Xi3 +5
    66
    Why this score
    SourceScorpion WinterX-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 63 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online5866

    Scorpion Winter: 60% × 63.5 (est.) + 40% × 58.1 = 61

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

    No road tests of treadwear for Scorpion Winter. 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. 70

    Handling (owners)

    Scorpion Winter +14
    56
    Why this score
    SourceScorpion WinterX-Ice Xi3
    Reviews found online7056
  8. 72

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceScorpion WinterX-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests72–
Scores at a glance
CategoryPirelli Scorpion WinterMichelin X-Ice Xi3
Relative Score 70 65
Dry 72 64
Wet 72 67
Snow 70 68
Comfort 69 65
Noise 63 –
Treadwear 61 66
Handling (owners) 70 56
Efficiency 72 –

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
± 6

Scorpion Winter

± 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.

DisciplineCategoryScorpion WinterX-Ice Xi3ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #2/7 2025 Autobild Pirelli All-Terrain Tire Test R19 #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 Scorpion Winter

Pros

  • Exceptional wet grip and resistance to aquaplaning
  • Strong dry road handling and high-speed stability
  • Comfortable and quiet ride quality for highway cruising

Cons

  • Reduced performance on mud, heavy slush, and hard ice
  • Faster tread wear, particularly when driven in warmer temperatures
  • Vague high-speed handling at extreme velocities (over 130 mph)
All owner themes in the Scorpion Winter 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 · Pirelli Scorpion Winter B · Michelin X-Ice Xi3
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available8837
Rim diameters16″ – 22″14″ – 20″
Tread depth10/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure50 psi—
Sizes in common33

Which one should you actually buy?

Pirelli Scorpion Winter

Michelin X-Ice Xi3

Winner: Pirelli Scorpion Winter — better handling, dry and wet. Pick the Michelin X-Ice Xi3 if treadwear matters most to you. 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

Pirelli Scorpion Winter scores 70 vs 56 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Pirelli Scorpion Winter scores 72 vs 64 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Pirelli Scorpion Winter scores 72 vs 67 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin X-Ice Xi3 scores 66 vs 61 on treadwear.

Tire A · Pirelli Scorpion Winter
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Tire B · Michelin X-Ice Xi3
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Scorpion Winter or X-Ice Xi3?

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

Pirelli Scorpion Winter, 72 vs 67 on our wet score.

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

Pirelli Scorpion Winter, 72 vs 64 on our dry score.

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

Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 68 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Scorpion Winter or X-Ice Xi3?

Pirelli Scorpion Winter, 69 vs 65 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Scorpion Winter or X-Ice Xi3?

Michelin X-Ice Xi3, 66 vs 61 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