tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Riken Snow vs Michelin X Ice Snow — 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 4 + 13 road tests and 9 + 20 owner reviews. How we score

X Ice Snow is ahead, 73–68

Check price on Amazon · X Ice Snow or Snow on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Riken Snow
Tire ARiken

Snow

Winter

± 7

Tests 64 · 4 tests Owners 68 · 9 reviews

Michelin X Ice Snow
Tire BMichelin

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))

Category by category

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

  1. 66

    Dry

    X Ice Snow +1
    67
    Why this score
    SourceSnowX Ice Snow
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 11 tests≈ 67 (est.)65
    Reviews found online6571

    Snow: 60% × 66.9 (est.) + 40% × 65.4 = 66

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

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

  2. 67

    Wet

    X Ice Snow +4
    71
    Why this score
    SourceSnowX Ice Snow
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / 12 tests6465
    Reviews found online7179

    Snow: 60% × 64.4 + 40% × 70.6 = 67

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

  3. 71

    Snow

    X Ice Snow +5
    76
    Why this score
    SourceSnowX Ice Snow
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 12 tests≈ 71 (est.)73
    Reviews found online7181

    Snow: 60% × 70.5 (est.) + 40% × 70.5 = 71

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

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

  4. 64

    Comfort

    X Ice Snow +16
    80
    Why this score
    SourceSnowX Ice Snow
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 67 (est.)81
    Reviews found online6379

    Snow: 40% × 67.4 (est.) + 60% × 62.5 = 64

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

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

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    75
    Why this score
    SourceSnowX Ice Snow
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests–81
    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. 68

    Treadwear

    X Ice Snow +8
    76
    Why this score
    SourceSnowX Ice Snow
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online6981

    Snow: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 68.7 = 68

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

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

  7. 66

    Handling (owners)

    X Ice Snow +9
    75
    Why this score
    SourceSnowX Ice Snow
    Reviews found online6675
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    77
    Why this score
    SourceSnowX Ice Snow
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests–77
Scores at a glance
CategoryRiken SnowMichelin X Ice Snow
Relative Score 68 73
Dry 66 67
Wet 67 71
Snow 71 76
Comfort 64 80
Noise – 75
Treadwear 68 76
Handling (owners) 66 75
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
± 7

Snow

± 5

X Ice Snow

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.

DisciplineCategorySnowX Ice SnowΔHead-to-head
Wet Braking Wet 85% #36/55 · 2024 Winter 55 Tyre Braking Test 72% #10/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #36/55 2024 Winter 55 Tyre Braking Test #7/10 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Snow

Pros

  • Exceptional snow, ice, and winter traction
  • High value for the money in the budget tire category
  • Low road noise compared to standard winter tires

Cons

  • Reduced wet-weather braking performance during spirited driving
  • Lower-tier classification compared to premium flagship winter tires
All owner themes in the Snow review

Tire B 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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Riken Snow B · Michelin X Ice Snow
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available41100
Rim diameters15″ – 18″13″ – 21″
Sizes in common3333

Which one should you actually buy?

Riken Snow

Michelin X Ice Snow

Winner: Michelin X Ice Snow — better comfort, handling and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin X Ice Snow scores 80 vs 64 on comfort.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin X Ice Snow scores 75 vs 66 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin X Ice Snow scores 76 vs 68 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Michelin X Ice Snow scores 76 vs 71 on snow.

Tire A · Riken Snow
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Michelin X Ice Snow
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Snow or X Ice Snow?

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

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

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

Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 67 on the dry score, within 3 points.

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

Michelin X Ice Snow, 76 vs 71 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Snow or X Ice Snow?

Michelin X Ice Snow, 80 vs 64 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Snow or X Ice Snow?

Michelin X Ice Snow, 76 vs 68 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