Michelin has launched the X-Ice Snow+ winter tire, a new and improved successor to the Michelin X-Ice Snow, for drivers facing ice, snow, slush and cold, wet roads, the company said Nov. 10.

"For more than 130 years, Michelin has continued to push the boundaries of innovation by improving our technologies to meet the needs of mobility across the globe. With the new Michelin X-Ice Snow+ tire, we have taken everything drivers loved about the previous generation tire and improved key areas. This new tire delivers excellent winter performance, longer-lasting durability and greater efficiency, giving drivers a dependable advantage when the weather is at its worst," said Omer Waysman, vice president of B2C marketing for Michelin North America, Inc.

Michelin calls the X-Ice Snow+ its best winter tire for optimizing braking across ice, snow, wet and dry conditions, citing its FLEX-ICE 3.0 tread compound. In third-party tests of 235/55R19 tires on Audi Q5 vehicles, using the predecessor X-Ice Snow SUV as a 100 percent reference, the X-Ice Snow+ recorded relative ratings of 103.8 percent for ice braking, 101.3 percent for snow braking, 113.8 percent for wet braking and 107.2 percent for dry braking, according to Michelin.

The company also says the tire lasts more than 33 percent longer than three leading competitors, equal to at least two more winter seasons. In an internal treadwear test of 205/55R16 tires on Toyota Corolla vehicles, Michelin estimated wear life was 41 percent longer than the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90, 33 percent longer than the Continental VikingContact 8 and 64 percent longer than the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5.

Michelin says a low energy loss compound helps the X-Ice Snow+ deliver more than 7 percent better efficiency than three leading competitors, a figure it ties to fuel use or EV range. In third-party ISO 28580 rolling resistance tests on 235/55R19 tires, the X-Ice Snow+ measured 6.2 kg/t, compared with 9.5 kg/t for the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2, 6.7 kg/t for the VikingContact 8 and 7.2 kg/t for the Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV, according to Michelin. The company also cites third-party snow acceleration tests on an Audi Q5 in the same 235/55R19 size, with the X-Ice Snow+ accelerating 6.3 percent faster than the Blizzak DM-V2, 5.4 percent faster than the VikingContact 8 and 8.3 percent faster than the Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV.

The tire uses Piano Acoustic Tuning Technology, which Michelin describes as a proprietary system that reduces road noise. It is built for CUVs, SUVs, pickups, sedans, hybrid and electric vehicles in 15- to 23-inch sizes. Michelin did not list pricing, a size count or an on-sale date in the announcement.

Michelin previously introduced the earlier X-Ice Snow generation. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America, Inc. has about 23,500 employees and operates 36 production facilities in the United States and Canada.

Tagged: FLEX-ICE 3.0

Michelin Launches X-Ice Snow+ Winter Tire With Longer Tread Life and Better Efficiency