Michelin X-Ice North 4 review
The Michelin X-Ice North 4 is widely regarded as a top-tier studded winter tire, offering class-leading traction on ice and packed snow. While users consistently praise its superior noise suppression and handling compared to competitors, long-term stud retention remains a point of contention for some owners.
Owners rate it 16.8 points higher than the instrumented road tests do — see the two score breakdowns below for where they disagree.
Two scoring systems, side by side
Owner scores come from reviews on retailer and review sites; road-test scores come from instrumented tests. Where they disagree, it is usually a discipline owners rarely push to the limit.
By owner reviews
85.2%By road tests
68.4%What owners like and dislike
Themes extracted from 11 owner reviews across retailers and review sites.
The Michelin X-Ice North 4 is widely regarded as a top-tier studded winter tire, offering class-leading traction on ice and packed snow. While users consistently praise its superior noise suppression and handling compared to competitors, long-term stud retention remains a point of contention for some owners.
Pros
- Exceptional grip and confidence on icy and snow-covered surfaces
- Significantly lower road noise compared to traditional studded winter tires
- High tread longevity and durability over multiple winter seasons
- Predictable handling and improved vehicle feedback in adverse conditions
Cons
- Inconsistent long-term stud retention reported by some users
- Slightly wallowy or vague handling feel on dry pavement
- Tendency to collect snow in the tread pattern at low speeds
- Reduced performance in deep, loose snow over hard-packed surfaces
Worth knowing
- Users noted that narrower tire dimensions can contribute to a wallowy feel on dry roads.
- Performance is highly regarded across diverse vehicle types, ranging from AWD sedans like the Kia Stinger to older, analog sports cars.
11 published test appearances
Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.
2025 Studded, Friction and European Winter tire Test · 235/45 R18
17th of 20
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2025 Friction and Studded Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
11th of 14
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 13th of 14 | |
| Wet Handling | 11th of 14 | |
| Dry Braking | 11th of 14 | |
| Snow Braking | 10th of 14 | |
| Snow Traction | 8th of 14 | |
| Ice Braking | 12th of 14 | |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 8th of 14 | |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 12th of 14 | |
| Ice Traction | 11th of 14 | |
| Subj. Noise | 8th of 14 |
2024 Studded tire Test · 225/45 R17
3rd of 8
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Handling | 8th of 8 | |
| Snow Traction | 2nd of 8 | |
| Snow Handling | 5th of 8 | |
| Ice Handling | 3rd of 8 | |
| Straight Aqua | 4th of 8 | |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 1st of 8 | |
| Noise | 3rd of 8 | |
| Ice Traction | 4th of 8 | |
| Fuel Consumption | 3rd of 8 |
The Best Studded / Friction Winter tires for 2024 · 225/50 R17
9th of 17
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2023 Studded tire Test · 225/45 R17
2nd of 8
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Handling | 6th of 8 | |
| Snow Traction | 2nd of 8 | |
| Snow Handling | 4th of 8 | |
| Ice Handling | 2nd of 8 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 7th of 8 | |
| Straight Aqua | 6th of 8 | |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 1st of 8 | |
| Subj. Comfort | 4th of 8 | |
| Noise | 7th of 8 | |
| Ice Traction | 1st of 8 |
2021 Nordic Studded Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
2nd of 8
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Handling | 8th of 8 | |
| Snow Traction | 2nd of 8 | |
| Snow Handling | 2nd of 8 | |
| Ice Handling | 2nd of 8 | |
| Noise | 8th of 8 | |
| Ice Traction | 2nd of 8 |
2021 Studless and Studded Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
5th of 16
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 15th of 16 | |
| Wet Handling | 15th of 16 | |
| Dry Braking | 4th of 16 | |
| Snow Braking | 4th of 16 | |
| Snow Traction | 6th of 16 | |
| Snow Handling | 1st of 16 | |
| Ice Braking | 3rd of 16 | |
| Ice Handling | 2nd of 16 | |
| Ice Traction | 3rd of 16 | |
| Subj. Noise | 8th of 16 | |
| Price | 15th of 16 |
2020 Studded Winter tire Test · 205/60 R16
1st of 8
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Handling | 8th of 8 | |
| Snow Traction | 2nd of 8 | |
| Snow Handling | 5th of 8 | |
| Ice Handling | 1st of 8 | |
| Straight Aqua | 8th of 8 | |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 1st of 8 | |
| Ice Traction | 1st of 8 | |
| Subj. Noise | 1st of 8 | |
| Fuel Consumption | 1st of 8 |
The Best Winter tires for 2020 · 205/55 R16
6th of 19
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2020 Nordic and Studded Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
1st of 20
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 5th of 20 | |
| Wet Handling | 20th of 20 | |
| Dry Braking | 2nd of 20 | |
| Snow Braking | 5th of 20 | |
| Snow Traction | 8th of 20 | |
| Snow Handling | 9th of 20 | |
| Ice Braking | 2nd of 20 | |
| Ice Handling | 1st of 20 | |
| Ice Traction | 1st of 20 | |
| Subj. Noise | 19th of 20 |
2019 Studded Winter tire Test · 225/50 R17
2nd of 8
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 6th of 8 | |
| Wet Handling | 7th of 8 | |
| Dry Braking | 4th of 8 | |
| Snow Braking | 3rd of 8 | |
| Snow Traction | 3rd of 8 | |
| Snow Handling | 3rd of 8 | |
| Ice Braking | 2nd of 8 | |
| Ice Handling | 3rd of 8 | |
| Straight Aqua | 6th of 8 | |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 1st of 8 | |
| Ice Traction | 3rd of 8 |