Michelin has high hopes for new-look X-Ice tires

NOTRE-DAME-DE-LA-MERCI, Quebec—When Michelin asked tire dealers and distributors what they wanted in the company's next winter tire, they said looks were everything.

The X-Ice Xi3, which debuted in 2012, was a very good tire—top ranked in its category with 4.5 out of 5 stars on TireRack.com—but they said it didn't look aggressive enough to sell in the showroom.

Though the focus group did say the new tire needed to maintain—and even improve upon—the performance of the X-Ice Xi3.

"Michelin listened to what they had to say and started with the look," said Sabrina Garofalo, a marketing manager at Michelin North America (Canada) Inc. "Then they brought in all of the engineering to maximize the performance."

What Michelin designed in the X-Ice Snow is a tire that looks the part, performs well and should give buyers an extra season of use, the company said.

When Michelin started designing the X-Ice Snow, they conducted focus groups with tire distributors, retailers and end users to get feedback for how the company could build a more complete snow tire.

Better bite, especially in deep snow; less noise on the highway; improved grip on ice; a longer tread life; and a look that draws customers in were among the top requests.

Tire dealers said the tire needed to look more aggressive than its predecessor, the X-Ice Xi3. The reason, they said, was because the sales window for winter tires in North America is so short—around eight weeks—the tire needs to stand out if it's going to sell.

Michelin North America Inc. unveiled the studless X-Ice Snow and the X-Ice North, a studded tire for Canada, at a media event in Saint-Sauveur, about 45 minutes north of Montreal on Feb. 26-28.

The X-Ice Snow eventually will be available in 123 sizes in North America. The X-Ice Snow tire replaces the X-Ice Xi3 and Latitude X-Ice Xi2 tire lines and will be available later this year in 82 sizes with speed ratings T and H for passenger vehicles, CUVs and SUVs using 14- to 22-inch rim diameters. An additional 41 sizes will be introduced in fall 2021, the company said.

The company added several new sizes, it said, mostly 18-inch and up rim diameters for SUV and CUV fitments.

Michelin said testing revealed that the X-Ice Snow tire features improved snow performance and braking as compared to the Xi3 and stops nearly 10 feet shorter on ice than a leading competitor—the Nokian Hakkappeliitta R3 SUV.

The tire will come with a 40,000-mile warranty, which the company believes should give users an extra season of use.

"The new Michelin X-Ice Snow tire is designed to give drivers peace of mind when driving in extreme winter conditions," said Sylvaine Cuniberti, Michelin Canada's marketing director. "We have an exceptional winter tire with a new tread design and innovative technologies, resulting in improved snow performance and leadership in ice braking.

"The Michelin X-Ice Snow provides drivers and passengers with long-lasting winter performance and continues to perform as an industry leader as it wears, while being covered by a segment-exclusive limited treadwear warranty."

Michelin did not disclose the price of the new tire, but indicated it will be slightly higher than that of the X-Ice Xi3.

X-Ice Snow design

To give the X-Ice Snow its more aggressive look, Michelin got rid of the large center channel of the X-Ice Xi3, employing, instead a center V-shaped tread pattern and wider grooves throughout the tire. Officials said shifting the voids allows the tire to better evacuate sludge and snow, which gives the driver more confidence, especially when changing lanes on a snowy highway.

The V-tread design and center sipes are angled, and the blocks are off-set to give an even footprint and reduce noise.

Two types of full-depth, interlocking 3-D sipes give an increased grip—or "claw effect," as the company calls it—on snow and ice, and for long-lasting biting edges, the company said. The tire features both notched sipes and variable thickness sipes that undulate throughout the tread block to give grip but maintain stiffness.

The sipes run through the tread blocks to 2/32 of an inch to maintain the same tread pattern—and performance—throughout the life of the tire.

The tire is made with Michelin's FlexIce 2 compound, which is an update of the compound used in the X-Ice Xi3. It's a full silica compound that stays flexible in freezing temperatures but firm in moderate temperatures, the company said. The company said the new compound reduces rolling resistance by 9 percent over the X-Ice Xi3.

Regional production

Michelin officials said that 85 percent of the North America volume will be produced in Canada.

"This tire will be produced by Canadians, for Canadians," one official said.

The company said that because the X-Ice Snow is a global tire, it was important to localize production to be more responsive to the needs of specific markets around the world.

The North American version will be produced at the Michelin plant in Pictou, Nova Scotia.

"It's a very nimble plant," a Michelin spokesperson said. "And we will be able to react quicker to changes in the market because of it."

The X-Ice Snow also will be produced in France, Germany, Hungary and Poland for the European market; China for the Asian market; and in Russia for the Eurasia market.

New stud in town

The X-Ice North, which has been available in Europe since 2018, will make its Canadian debut in 2020.

The biggest change from previous studded tires is the studs themselves. Utilizing its motorsports experience, Michelin based the design of the studs on the ones they use for their rally car tires. The more angled stud provides a deeper bite in the snow than traditional, flatter studs, giving the tire more traction, the company said. The tread and stud patterns were offset using a special algorithm to adjust the pattern to increase the tire's footprint.