Review on MICHELIN X-Ice North 4 205/65 R16 99T winter by Petar Mihalev ᠌

Name: MICHELIN X-Ice North 4 205/65 R16 99T winter
Item: MICHELIN X-Ice North 4 205/65 R16 99T winter
Rating: 5

July 25, 2023

Beyond praise! The product definitely deserves your attention.

Middle-of-the-road winter tires that perform really well. They retain their shape and are easy to maneuver even after thawing, exhibiting predictable behavior on ice. It's evident that the decision was taken to prioritize a tougher compound and handling above low-temperature characteristics and all-terrain capability, making these tires less suited for use in severe frosts compared to earlier iterations of the range.

Pros

Very good winter and off-season performance on both dry and rainy roads. They're not too loud, they handle the road well (the sidewalls are pretty strong even on the 65 profile, and the push wheel doesn't break in bends), and they don't sag in the sun. Unlike the XIN2, changing to winter tires (from summer Michelin PS4s to winter Michelin PS5s, both of which have a 55 profile, even higher load index, and very stiff sidewall) does not feel 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 slowly dragged long before the breakdown into a skid. Position of the car and the margin of the hold feel fantastic on ice, as if the tires were not spiked but rather coarse sandpaper.

Cons

Because their sidewalls are stiffer than those of the XIN2, they "flatten" less and row less efficiently on soil or a yard covered in snow. So-so directional stability in "track after a heavy snowfall" circumstances means you'll be continuously taxiing, yet on rolling snow, it slows down better than XIN2. The nature of this rubber makes it difficult to predict how it would perform in temperatures as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit.