Michelin X ice vs Blizzak Reddit

It's been a few years since I researched the best winter tyres for Calgary's freeze/thaw cycle. At the time it's was recommended either Bridgestone Blizzaks or Michellin X-Ice 2s, I believe.

I went with the Blizzaks and was definitely happy with them.

I'm looking to put a set on the wife's 2012 Rav4 Sport and was just wondering if this is still the case or is there a better tyre after being released in the last 5 years.

Will be mostly city driving, some trips to the mountains and into the woods on trunk roads

I have a 2017 Forester 2.5i Premium with about 36k miles on it. It came from the dealer with Yokohama Geolandar G91s. They've been great, but the tread is getting low enough that I want to replace them before it gets cold. I live where it's snowy/icy a decent portion of the winter, plus I snowboard so I drive up a snowy mountain, plus I have to drive over a mountain pass to get to my dad's house.

I'm kinda lazy (and cheap, and don't want to store a set of tires) so I don't change tires for the summer. (Frankly, there's only about 2 months of the year you can be 100% sure it's not icy on the mountain pass anyway.) Also I was just hoping to get tires at Costco since they're easy.

Costco has Blizzak DM-V2 and Michelin X-Ice Snow recommended for the Forester. The Blizzaks are about $24 less per tire, which is not insignificant.

I want good snow and ice traction but also good dry and wet pavement & warm weather performance. I don't mind buying tires every 3-4 years so tread wear isn't THAT big a concern, but I don't want to have bare tires after 2 years of year-round use. My current tires got 36k miles and that would be fine again.

Any thoughts on which I should get?

Edit: Both the Blizzak and X-Ices have a significantly lower speed rating (S/T) than the Yokohamas (H). I don't think that should matter, since S and T are still faster than I ever drive. Am I right?

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Posted by

2015 7R DSG - Limestone Gray

4 years ago

Is anyone running Michelin X-Ice Xi3 snow tires? My Blizzaks are nearing the end of their serviceable life, and winter is around the corner for me. They've served me well, but the price of the Michelins are significantly less, and the reviews I read put them just behind the Blizzaks, with their only shortcoming being slightly less ice traction.

Has anyone run these tires both back to back? Is the 20% savings worth it?

I went through this in February when I got a new car. What I came to conclude is that both are great with the differences between them being mostly academic, meaning for most people they wouldn't notice much difference in performance. Basically get the cheaper ones.

Having said that, it seems that the Michelin X-Ice are better for urban driving where your streets are plowed after snow falls. They are quiet and the tread life is great on bare roads. They are also great on ice and will do very well in snow. The Blizzaks seem to excel in deep snow so if you are driving around on unplowed roads in the country or if your city doesn't plow then maybe they will be the better choice. The Blizzaks don't last as long, you might get 2-3 more seasons out of the Michelin X-Ice tires especially if you are driving on bare roads or lots on the highway (which usually is clean).

Other tires to consider are the Continental WinterContact SI and the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2. The Hakkapeliitta seem to get rated as the best winter tire in North America but it's harder to find them and they are more expensive. The Continental seems to be closer to the Michelin in performance and durability so they could be a good choice if they are cheaper than the Michelin but most reviews rate the Michelin and Nokian as tops over the Continental tires. Blizzak is usually in the top 3 as well.

In the end I went with Michelin and so far I'm happy. However I think you could be happy with either tire, most people are happy with whichever they choose. Congrats on getting a Subaru, very nice cars!

First winter coming up with the Mach E Premium Extended AWD. I live in rural Ontario on a dirt road in the snowbelt. The roads are not always plowed by the time we need to leave.

I have had Blizzak tires on all my previous SUVs (Ford Explorer, Lexus RX350) and they work well. Going to get a separate set of 18" wheels for winter. I know the Blizzaks are really soft, will that hurt range a lot? Are there better tires that do well in winter and do not affect range as much? Daily driving is usually less than 150km