Michelin Primacy MXM4 all-season tires (left); Michelin X-Ice Xi3 winter tires (right)
While longtime readers of Car and Driver know our stance on winter tires—if you live where it’s snowy and icy for a good chunk of the winter, get a set, full stop—there are nevertheless those drivers for whom the thought of installing them in place of a good set of all-seasons may seem like an insult to their driving abilities. After all, many who grew up in colder climates have spent years exercising and honing winter driving skills.
Recently, Michelin and Tire Rack invited us down to the Compton Family Ice Arena on the picturesque University of Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Indiana, to reinforce exactly why they’re important. What we found when we arrived were two all-wheel-drive Toyota RAV4s and two front-wheel-drive Toyota Camrys, with one of each model wearing standard Michelin Primacy MXM4 all-season tires and the other two vehicles wearing Michelin’s latest X-Ice Xi3 rubber. They flipped us the keys and said, “How about a drag race?”
Not ones to shy away from a little competition, we hopped in and gave it our best shot. Drag racing on an ice rink, whether with all-season or winter tires, is hilariously slow. However, it does illustrate perfectly the merits of winter tires. Not only does the winter tire provide better grip on takeoff, but also—perhaps more important—it can improve braking performance, which could help drivers on public roads avoid accidents when the going gets icy.
Where one usually notices the most benefit, however, is during cornering. In the all-wheel-drive RAV4s, the all-season tires lost grip almost immediately under even the lightest cornering loads, plowing over a set of orange cones that traced a corner for us before finally coming to a stop with the anti-lock brakes pulsing rapidly. The winter tires made a huge difference. The RAV4 simply made its turn without drama, missing all of the cones and safely reaching the other side of the rink.
Translating this experience to real life takes very little imagination. We rely on the grip provided by four small contact patches—each about the size of your hand—to keep cars in lanes and out of ditches no matter the weather conditions. Below 44 degrees, even all-season rubber compounds lose a large portion of their flexibility and therefore their available grip.
Winter tires are no new concept. The first patents filed for such a tire date back to 1921, but the Michelin engineers in attendance at the ice rink were quick to tell us how far the technology has advanced, pointing out the X-Ice winter tire’s improvements to the axial cuts in the tread blocks, called sipes, both angled and undulating, to increase snow, slush, and ice grip. Small holes called micropumps remove the microscopic layer of water from the road surface to improve contact and reduce risk of hydroplaning. Ice is slippery enough when it isn’t wet, right?
Bottom line: We’re big believers in the benefits of winter tires. Every single one of our long-term test cars—from our Mazda MX-5 Miata to our Range Rover diesel—wears winter rubber from approximately December through March. (A rough rule of thumb to follow for when it’s time to install your winter tires is when you can see your breath in the morning.) Our primary reason is simple: safety. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), inclement weather is involved in more than 681,000 traffic accidents per year in the United States and more than 2400 fatalities. It’s best to check your tire pressure and inspect your tire tread often, leave extra distance between your car and other vehicles, practice smooth driving to avoid unnecessary traction loss, and consider the appropriate tire for your environment. Preserve your investment in the winter—and your life and the lives of others—so you can enjoy your car to its fullest this spring when the snow melts, like we do.
No matter how good a driver you think you are, you’re better when you’re rolling on the right tires. That’s as true of summer performance tires as it is of winter rubber. When it’s your automotive baby—or perhaps your own actual baby—at risk, make the smart choice.
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