Snow Tire Review-Michelin X Ice Xi3

Hey I put these on my C2, on a spair set of C2 rims I acquired. They're 175/65r15 size. Neverything seems ok, I'm getting same MPG as before, however I have noticed a strange, low-pitched whining sound when turning my car left at slow speeds (like doing a 90 degree turn onto a road from a stop). The sound goes away when I straighten out the veh. Have you noticed a similar noise? I guess it could be the tread, but I don't hear it as much (or maybe at all) when I turn right, only left.

 

I've been up and down the Coquihalla on my XI3s and I'm super impressed with them! I also live in a very wet Vancouver so even through significant water on the roads/highways (what would've had me hydroplaning for sure in my highlander) - these tires have handled VERY well.

 

I just purchased a set of 4 X-ice3; low profile to fit new 17x7 winter rims I bought. The size is 215-45R17. I'm a bit late in the season but they came with a discount. I will have them in storage until NOV 2014 when the cold season is upon us again.

I must be the first one on this forum with low profile snow tires on a Prius...LOL. Oh well I love my rims like how women love their shoes. A new set for every occasion!

 

Worst snowy winter and still snowing in west Michigan , started the season with
XIce i3 Michelin ,,, with rims and tpms ,,, have not been disappointed they are great

 

Bingee, what size wheels are you running with the X-ice's? Any drop in MPGs?

 

rjdriver - only 2.5 winters life expectancy for you?

Is that because you find they wear out fast or because you put a lot of mileage on the car every year? I recall reading that they come with a 60,000km / 40,000 mile treadwear warranty. I probably only travel 10,000kms during the autumn/winter months so hope these will last me 6 years.

 

We have X-ice and would never attempt winter without. The LRR tires are great in warmer climates or seasons but not in snow country. Installed on used Yaris wheels.

 

I bought these tires too for my c back in December 2013, after a very small amount of snowfall in late November caused my stock tires to slip like crazy on the road.

I spent about $1000 getting a new set of wheels for the winter tires to be mounted on, as I heard mounting tires on the same wheelset repeatedly every summer/winter is bad for both sets. Tirerack convinced me to buy TPMS (tire pressure monitor system) for each wheel, which was $50 each (so $200 total), but unfortunately Goodyear couldn't calibrate them, and a Toyota dealership said it would cost $60 to do it. Since the c can only remember 5 wheels (4 +spare tire) I didn't feel like paying that every time I swapped out the wheels, so I'm just going to put up with the "low tire pressure" warning on the winter tire set (the Toyota mechanic suggested the same thing). So in hindsight, I wouldn't bother getting TPMS on winter wheel set; save yourself the $200 and just keep an eye on your tire pressure.

Overall, these tires made driving through winter 2014 in SE Wisconsin a breeze. While I still had some difficulty if there was more than say, 3-4 inches of snow on the road, which I'll chalk up to the c riding really low to the ground, in smaller amounts and on icy roads I didn't have much trouble driving through it. With all the little snowfalls we got repeatedly, riding through this in the stock tires would have been a nightmare.

In fact I was more worried about other drivers hitting me, as I saw more than a couple of cars sliding around when the weather got bad. My mileage averaged in the low to mid 40's, which I can live with considering gas mileage sucks in the winter anyway and safety is more important than mileage when driving in winter weather.

 

I gotta ask: we're not thru summer yet in the US, right?

 

Nope, and for a lot of places, it feels like summer has yet to arrive lol.

That said, this info will come in handy every November/early December.

 

Next time, consider (cheaper) steel rims and don't even think about TPMS.