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Review on MICHELIN X-Ice North 4 205/65 R16 99T winter by Velizar Iotchev ᠌
Satisfied with the purchase one hundred percent, I recommend the product for everyone.
Middle-of-the-road winter tires that perform really well. They retain their shape and rigidity when thawing, making them easy to maneuver and control. Low-temperature features and all-terrain performance were sacrificed in favor of a tougher compound and handling, making these models less suited for use in severe frosts than their predecessors.
Pros
- Superb performance in all weather conditions, especially in the snow. They're not too loud, they handle well on the road, and they don't sag in the heat (the sidewalls are pretty rigid even on the 65 profile, and the thrust wheel doesn't break in corners). On the XIN2, changing to winter tires from summer tires (a Michelin PS4 to a 55 profile with an even higher load index and a very rigid sidewall) was like going from a car to a bog. Although the grip is not as "anchor" as the 8 Hakkapelita's, the predictability of control is greatly improved; skidding does not occur suddenly as the lateral load increases, but rather the car begins to be somewhat dragged long before the breakdown into a skid. When driving on ice, it seems like you have coarse sandpaper instead of spikes on your tires; this gives you a wonderful sense of control over your vehicle's placement and its holding power.
Cons
- They "flatten" less and row less well on dirt or a yard covered with snow than the XIN2 do, because to the stiffer sidewalls. So-so directional stability in "track after a heavy snowfall" circumstances means you'll be continually needing to taxi, although on rolling snow, it slows down better than XIN2. The composition of this rubber raises serious concerns about its performance at -40 degrees.
