Michelin introduces a new friction tire for the northern winter
The company Michelin has announced the release to the North American market of a new frictional winter tire of the Scandinavian type, Michelin X-Ice Snow+, which has the same pattern as the X-Ice Snow model, presented in 2020, and differs in an improved rubber compound composition.
The new compound has been named Flex-Ice 3.0, and testing by a third party has shown that braking efficiency - and therefore safety - has been increased in various winter conditions. The novelty was compared with Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV tires in size 235/55 R19, and according to the test results, the braking distance on ice and snow decreased by 3.8 and 1.3%, on dry asphalt by 7.2%, and the improvement was most significant on wet pavement - by 13.8%.
A comparison of Michelin X-Ice Snow+ with leading competitors - Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2, Continental VikingContact 8 and Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV - was also carried out, and, for example, in a traction test in deep snow, the superiority of the new tires was up to 8.3%. Michelin says that the tires are effective in such conditions, as well as on smooth ice, where they provide good lateral stability and handling due to reliable cross-linking.
The new Michelin tires have also significantly surpassed their competitors in terms of service life, which, according to the manufacturer, makes the purchase of a set more profitable. In addition, in cold weather, fuel consumption is reduced, and due to the rubber compound that reduces rolling resistance, X-Ice Snow tires can, according to the manufacturer, provide fuel savings or increase the range of an electric vehicle without compromising traction in winter conditions. In addition to all this, the tires are made using the patented Piano Acoustic Tuning Technology, which means that the tread pattern is optimized to reduce noise.
"When creating Michelin X-Ice Snow+, we took everything that drivers liked about the previous generation of tires and improved the key parameters," notes Omer Weizman, Vice President of B2C Marketing at Michelin in North America. - The new tire has excellent "winter" characteristics, increased resource and improved economy, reliably working in the most difficult weather conditions".
On the North American market, Michelin X-Ice Snow+ will be available for order from May 2026, and the lineup will include sizes with a diameter from 15 to 23 inches for passenger cars, crossovers, SUVs and pickups, including hybrids and electric vehicles.