i'm in the market for winter snow/ice tires. and i narrowed it down to the Bridgestone Blizzak Dm-v1 and the michelin x-ice xi2. The michelin's are rated higher by consumer reports and a bunch of other sites but there seems to be a lot more negative reviews. Anyone have any experience with these tires? and why do you think there are so many negative reviews compared to the blizzak? I'm very happy with the stock Michelins so that was where i was leaning until reading all the negative comments.

 

I had the Blizzak DM-Z1 on my RX-350 for 4 years during the winter seasons. They wore very good, but I think they were geared more to a "light truck" application, than a CUV. They worked great in the snow, but rode a little firm. This year for the RDX I bought Blizzak WS-70 tires. They work just as good in the snow, are not as noisy as the DM-Z1 tread design, and ride very smooth on the highway. The Michelin X-Ice tires on my neighbor's car seem to be just as good as the Blizzak's

 

I'm happy with my Xi2's so far. Only a couple thousand km's though.

 

I've owned both Blizzak and Michelin snow tires. The Blizzaks seemed to be a little bit better in snow and ice, but the Michelins drove better on dry and wet pavement and were sufficient in the snow and ice. This was about 10 years ago, so it might not be accurate today.

 

I would also check out the review on the Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT. Make sure they are the ICE WRT not the snow. I put these on my 13 RDX this year and I have been really impressed. I've had lots of snow and ice in Michigan this year to test them in. Great traction in the snow and ice and resonably quiet on dry pavement.

 

I have xi3s, and have been very happy. 1,500+ highway miles on snowy roads, handled it all very well. Plus is a 40k mileage warranty that is rare for snow tires.

 

thanks for the responses. i'll let you know what i decide and how they handle when i make my trip over the pass later this month. I'm leaning towards the Blizzaks because they are almost 200 dollars cheaper.

 

I've had 2 sets of Michelin x-ice xi2 tires and have nothing bad to say about them.
The thread title is very misleading as it is not in the Tires, Wheels & Suspension section

 

IMO you will be fine with either tire. Both have good reviews from Consumer Reports (CR).
I would put more weight behind CR's test conclusions versus one person's review because CR's testing compares a number of tires under similar if not identical conditions at the same time.
The other thing to remember is that the person giving the negative review (e.g. because they skidded 10 feet on ice) may actually have experienced a much worse sitiation (e.g they would have skidded for 20 feet) had a different tire been installed on the car.

 

my apologies, if there is a moderator, please move this to the appropriate section.

 

good point, i didn't even think of that.
also i guess the vehicle they are driving plays a part as well.
Thanks for the response.