Winter Treads - Bridgestone Blizzak vs Michelin X-Ice

Blizzak tires are time-tested and proven. They just work. They'd be the snow tire of choice for me. I'm looking at the same package you are on TireRack. After tax and shipping, I'm looking at about $700 for the package. Not terrible, assuming I get 4 or 5 winters out of the set.

Many of our law enforcement vehicles around here run Blizzak tires year-round, and while I'm sure the performance is great, I'm guessing the high rolling resistance will reduce your FE. I don't know by how much...

 

My preference for snow tires has long been Nokians because they have fantastic traction and wear like iron, and that traction lasts all the way through the tread.

Blizzaks have also had a long reputation for losing their good grip very quickly, and being mushy and squirmy especially when warmer. They are actually designed as winter tires for only the first 60% tread depth. I would personally choose something else.

Despite my affinity for Nokians, I ended up with the x-ice 3 for the Prius because they were nearly 300 dollars cheaper for me all told, and as the PIP is a lease, I may not have the vehicle for more than 3 seasons. I still almost spent the extra money, but reading the Northern European reviews I was impressed with how much they liked them and at the level of their performance. The question will be how well they last - that's something nobody seems to do any controlled testing for.

 

Cost. The wheels will generally be paid for after 2 seasons or so. (mount and balance x4, twice a year at ~$60-80 each time).

Edit: It's also worth noting that the xi3's are LRR and the Blizzak's are not. Much of that cost difference will be paid back over the life of the tire.

 

reese2147 - I just read your first post again, and given your location and the number of miles you are doing, you might want to consider something like the Nokian WRG3 which is an 'all-season' winter tire. Nokian WRG3

I'd still treat it as a winter tire and rotate it off every spring, but this is a tire that is designed for people who drive lots of miles on winter roads that are wet or dry (as opposed to snow covered).

 

One thing to consider is that the local tire shop may not mount your winter tires on a set of steel wheels without TPMS, which from Tire Rack pricing is another chunk of change. Maybe you planned to get sensors though.

I live in an area where we may get nearly nothing in any given winter, but I like to be ready for ice more than anything. So the Nokian was an attractive idea. Unfortunately there is no option like Tire Rack for Nokian who will send me a set mounted /balanced on steel wheels without TPMS. I'd have to buy tires, buy wheels, and have someone local put the two together.

 

I have run blizzaks for 3 seasons now on my prius (with 17" wheels). I live in the Colorado high country and have torture tested the car and the tires to the max. Blizzards over Vail pass at >10,000ft, loveland pass at over 11,000ft and lots and lots of snow and ice. In fact just last week I drove from Colorado to LA through a massive blizzard in the Prius, for 500 miles I didn't see a white line on the road there was so much coverage. With all of this said, I have not had a single incident with my Blizzaks, they've kept my car, my dog and me safe, and going when range rovers were pulled off the road. With that said, the Blizzaks wear absolutely terribly, especially the two rear tires. My alignment is perfect, shocks are new, wheels are perfectly balanced, and they have been feathering and cupping like crazy. All the shops tell me my car is perfect and it must just be the way that tire interacts with the car. Not sure how much of this is true but all i know is I'm now going over to Michelin's, especially since they have a warranty. Also, the Blizzaks are TERRIBLY loud and soft under normal driving circumstances.

 

Our OEM tire is the 215/45R17. Through the winter months I swap them to 195/65R15 Michelin X-Ice(2). I recall one year, just after the swap, asking my wife how the X-Ice were doing. She basically had forgot they were on.

On the west coast our version of "the great white north" is more the great wet north. The X-Ice have done fine in the few snow episodes we've had, and are well behaved/quiet on bare roads.

I got the X-Ice mounted on Corolla steel rims, no tpms.

 

I had my winter Xice tires and wheels installed at Belle Tire last weekend. As usual, the TPMS light was blinking and then on solid starting on Sunday. They attempted to extinguish the light yesterday and told me it should go off within 20 miles. My wife is taking the car to the airport today to pick up her sister who will be staying with us for a few days (and using the Prius). We'll see if the light goes off. These are the factory 15" wheels with original sensors. The sensors work fine but the tire folks seem to have a problem reprogramming the car every spring and fall, as it usually takes a couple visits to get the light off.

 

I've had the original style Blizzaks and the X-Ice, and now have the General Arctic Max. Except for moderate conditions, I'd never get the Michelins ever again. The Blizzaks were awesome. A bit noisy. The Generals are about as good in snow, ice as the Blizzaks, but lower noise and better in the wet or slush. Another benefit is that they are cheaper.

The regular Nokian snows are great, but the ones that were all-season winter tires I had on my Corolla for 1 year. The break in period was awful, followed by truly the worst winter I've ever had on snows, with the exception of the XIce. I typically have to drive interstate which is not maintained well, and my drive can cover bare roads, ice, and deeper snow all in the same day.

As for the TPMS? I installed the new Generals on my factory wheels, and didn't pay anything extra for the sensors. I'll have to go out and look to see what they even did, no light at all.

 

The x-ice3 is an all new design and considered a radical improvement over the previous generations. In this year's big Finnish TM test they were rated the best studless tire. http://www.marathonauto.com/userfiles/file/Hakka%208%20and%20R%20review.pdf

 

I bought the X-Ice 2's when Tire Rack was closing them out in 2012- I used them last winter... they were excellent traction wise. Also, being low rolling resistance rated- I was getting comparable mpg with them as compared to the stock LRR all season tires on the PIP. If the X-Ice 3's are actually rated higher than the X-Ice 2's... they must be awesome tires.
As far as dedicated rims for the winter tires- I went that route. I like not having to practically destroy my tires and rims by swapping rubber from rim to rim 2x per year. And, the PIP does not come with a spare- dedicated winter tires on their own rims give me four on hand spares at any time of the year.

 

So you have extra sensors in the snow tires? Seems like a lot of anguish and hassle, still.

I nipped it in the bud: no sensors in the snow tires, from the get go. Love the little light: keeps the car a bit warmer through winter.

 

I bought new summer wheels with sensors, had my factory tires mounted on them, and had the winter tires mounted on the factory wheels. (everything 15") Belle Tire corporate enforces the federal regulation that if a car came from the factory with TPMS, they require new wheels to also have the sensors.

 

I had the X Ice 2. It was like driving a normal all-season, and felt just like one in the winter as well LOL. In Vermont or other snowy areas, it wasn't much fun. I note it had so-so grip and bad braking results.
I've seen so many "winners" in these snow tire tests that I've owned many of them. I've gone through snow in the Blizzaks that amazed me. Granted, it's a real tradition beast of a snow tire, and it's made for cold and snow and ice. I've found my Generals, same as the Gislaved's, to be as good as the Blizzaks in many areas, but not as noisy, and they wear fairly well.

For milder areas, with only occasional bad weather, I think the Michelin's would be great. I didn't want to go studded, so that really narrows the list some for here. It's hard to "retry" a brand when their previous generation failed me so bad.

Ideally, the past few winters would have allowed for taking them off and popping the summers on until something happened on the weather front. Getting too old for that

 

OK so my Blizzaks were worn almost completely down in the front, and my rears were ruined by sever cupping and feathering (tried troubleshooting this a million ways, seems like this is mainly just a problem of the prius?). Was really frustrating throwing out $300+ of tires when half of each tire still looked new. Anyhow, I've heard that the Blizzaks just wear quickly in general. Soooo I decided to throw on a new set of Nokian Hakkapellita R2's, supposed to be an amazing tire! Will update everyone on the results. Winter is in full swing here in Colorado.

 

Still no snow here, it really is the exception, not the norm. We're getting sub-zero (centigrade) temps overnight, that's a cold snap around here. But as is typical: it's cold when it's clear. And when precipitation comes temperature typically climbs far enough above zero that it falls as rain.

We do get snowed in, once in a long while

 

I got Michelin X-ice 3's from Tire Rack as a winter tire/wheel package.
I put them on the car just before Thanksgiving and drove to Cincinnati and back last week.
On dry pavement they were reasonably quiet, comfortable and well behaved.

Brand new tires and we got over 50 mpg on the trip.

So far, so happy!

I opted for TPMS sensors when I bought them and bought an appropriate device to introduce them to the car. No warning light problem.

 

If this helps.....
The X-Ice have a 6 Year / 40,000 Mile (when worn to 2/32" depth) Treadlife Warranty.
The Blizzaks have no Treadlife Warranty.