Hello guys, I know winter is coming so many people in the family are shopping for new tires. This post is for the driver who wants to drive safely and have fun in winter. I personally went through 3 sets of tires from Studless winter tires to UHP all-season tires on the twins. I want to share some insights on my experiences with three categories of tires for winter driving.
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Choosing the correct category of tires is the key, and far outweighs the specific model in the same category. There are three types of tires for winter driving: Winter/Snow tires, all-weather tires, and UHP all-season tires. I personally have tried Michelin X-Ice Snow for Studless Winter Tires, Michelin CC2 and Hankook 4S2 for All Weather Tires, and Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 for UHP All Season Tires. Your choice between these three categories depends on your personal circumstances and preferences.
Studless Winter Tires (Michelin X-Ice Snow）： This category of tires is your choice if you have a severe winter or planning on doing ski trips with unknown weather. Extremely strong snow/ice performance, very predictable when sliding, fun and safe tire to drive on snow/ice. You will be fine with these tires in any severe winter conditions, just don't try to drive the twins on icy steep inclines. The X-Ice snows are supremely quiet and comfortable, too. But they are not suitable for wandering around in a big city with a mild winter climate since they are weak on dry and wet roads. Hydroplaning resistance is pretty good, tho.
Dry Performance: 2/5
Steering feel: 2/5
Wet Performance: 2/5
Comfort: 5/5
Snow/Ice Performance: 5/5
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All Weather Tires with 3PMSF (Hankook 4S2, Michelin CC2): This category of tires is your choice if you have a mild to moderate winter or planning on doing ski trips with good weather. Very strong snow performance, acceptable on ice, far better than winter tires in dry and wet. I used the Hankook 4S2 for a full winter and they are not very far off from the X-ice Snow in terms of snow performance, on ice, however, is noticeably weaker.
Dry Performance: 3.5/5
Steering feel: 3/5
Cold Wet Performance: 4/5
Comfort: 4/5
Snow/Ice Performance: 4/5
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UHP All Season Tires (Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4): This Category of tires is your choice if you live in a mild winter climate with lots of rain. They are very good in dry and wet, offer good levels of comfort. The steering feel is not as good as the UHP Summers since they have extra siping that can cause block movement. Winter performance with these is nowhere near the two categories of tires above. Since our cars are lightweight RWD, this category of tires can only get traction if the tires can penetrate the snow and make contact with the ground. If there was a snowy incline or a ski resort parking lot with compact snow and ice, you would very likely get stuck.
Dry Performance: 4.5/5
Steering feel: 4/5
Cold Wet Performance: 4.5/5
Comfort: 3.5/5
Snow/Ice Performance: 2/5
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UHP Summer Tires (Michelin Pilot Sport 4): As you probably know, they are useless in snow.
Dry Performance: 5/5
Steering feel: 5/5
Cold Wet Performance: 3/5
Comfort: 3.5/5
Snow/Ice Performance: 0/5
Choosing the correct category of tires is the key, and far outweighs the specific model in the same category. There are three types of tires for winter driving: Winter/Snow tires, all-weather tires, and UHP all-season tires. I personally have tried Michelin X-Ice Snow for Studless Winter Tires, Michelin CC2 and Hankook 4S2 for All Weather Tires, and Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 for UHP All Season Tires. Your choice between these three categories depends on your personal circumstances and preferences.
Studless Winter Tires (Michelin X-Ice Snow）： This category of tires is your choice if you have a severe winter or planning on doing ski trips with unknown weather. Extremely strong snow/ice performance, very predictable when sliding, fun and safe tire to drive on snow/ice. You will be fine with these tires in any severe winter conditions, just don't try to drive the twins on icy steep inclines. The X-Ice snows are supremely quiet and comfortable, too. But they are not suitable for wandering around in a big city with a mild winter climate since they are weak on dry and wet roads. Hydroplaning resistance is pretty good, tho.
Dry Performance: 2/5
Steering feel: 2/5
Wet Performance: 2/5
Comfort: 5/5
Snow/Ice Performance: 5/5
All Weather Tires with 3PMSF (Hankook 4S2, Michelin CC2): This category of tires is your choice if you have a mild to moderate winter or planning on doing ski trips with good weather. Very strong snow performance, acceptable on ice, far better than winter tires in dry and wet. I used the Hankook 4S2 for a full winter and they are not very far off from the X-ice Snow in terms of snow performance, on ice, however, is noticeably weaker.
Dry Performance: 3.5/5
Steering feel: 3/5
Cold Wet Performance: 4/5
Comfort: 4/5
Snow/Ice Performance: 4/5
UHP All Season Tires (Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4): This Category of tires is your choice if you live in a mild winter climate with lots of rain. They are very good in dry and wet, offer good levels of comfort. The steering feel is not as good as the UHP Summers since they have extra siping that can cause block movement. Winter performance with these is nowhere near the two categories of tires above. Since our cars are lightweight RWD, this category of tires can only get traction if the tires can penetrate the snow and make contact with the ground. If there was a snowy incline or a ski resort parking lot with compact snow and ice, you would very likely get stuck.
Dry Performance: 4.5/5
Steering feel: 4/5
Cold Wet Performance: 4.5/5
Comfort: 3.5/5
Snow/Ice Performance: 2/5
UHP Summer Tires (Michelin Pilot Sport 4): As you probably know, they are useless in snow.
Dry Performance: 5/5
Steering feel: 5/5
Cold Wet Performance: 3/5
Comfort: 3.5/5
Snow/Ice Performance: 0/5
