Best for Harsh Winters

Top studless tires get great grip on ice and snow

Studless snow tires have traditionally flunked the severe Scandinavian tests, slipping and sliding all over the ice- and snow-packed tracks near the Arctic Circle. But one popular snow tire impresses nearly every expert who tests it: the Michelin X-Ice Xi2 (*Est. $95).

The secret is the tiny vertical tunnels in the Xi2's tread blocks, says John Mahler, the Toronto Star's tire expert. They provide an escape route for the film of water that forms on ice when a car drives on it, so the tires can actually get a grip on the bare ice. Sipes (tiny cuts) in the Xi2's rubber further enhance grip, and its many-edged tread helps it chew through snow.

The result? Top marks on ice and snow in test after test in Scandinavia, Canada and the U.S. The Michelin X-Ice Xi2 also drives more quietly than other winter tires, and with less rolling resistance, so you'll get better gas mileage, say experts at Norway's Motor magazine and the Swedish auto magazine Vi Bilagare.

Canada's APA calls the X-Ice Xi2 "one of the best performers on ice," although its reviewers did originally wonder how durable this shallow-treaded tire would be. However, more than 140 owners with a winter's worth of driving under their belts give the Xi2 the highest possible rating of "superior" for treadwear in reviews at TireRack.com -- and "excellent" or "superior" ratings in every other category, too, including wet- and dry-road performance, snow and ice grip, and overall comfort. It's TireRack.com customers' favorite studless ice-and-snow tire, beating the Bridgestone Blizzak WS60 (*Est. $80) and Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice (*Est. $80).

Experts at TireRack.com agreed. In a head-to-head test conducted there in 2008, the Michelin Xi2 winter tire beat both the Bridgestone Blizzak WS60 and the Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice, as well as former critics' favorite Nokian Hakkapeliitta Rsi (*Est. $100). In 2009, TireRack.com experts prefer the Blizzak WS60, calling it "the best tire for the worst conditions." However, although the Blizzak WS60 still makes a few experts' "best snow tire" lists, it no longer impresses most experts and users as much as the Michelin X-Ice Xi2 does.

If the X-Ice Xi2 has an Achilles' heel, it's wet-road grip. Experts at Motor magazine and customers at TireRack.com say the Xi2 handles wet roads well. However, other reviews -- including those at Vi Bilagare and Sweden's Auto Motor & Sport magazine -- say the Xi2 does a mediocre to poor job on wet roads, with longer braking distances and more hydroplaning than some other severe winter tires. The Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3 (*Est. $105) handles wet and dry roads much better in tests, although it's not quite as good as the Michelin on snow and ice. Performance winter tires (discussed in a separate section) are another good bet if your winters are mild.

Critics have usually ignored rolling resistance for snow and ice tires, reasoning that winter tire shoppers are more worried about safety than gas mileage. That has changed, thanks to high gas prices and demands for lower carbon emissions, especially in Europe. Sweden's Teknikens Varld and Aftonbladet as well as Norway's Motor magazine all test for rolling resistance, as does ConsumerReports.org.

Nokian makes a winter tire specifically designed for low rolling resistance and better gas mileage, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R (*Est. $110). Nokian claims it can save one-fifth of a gallon of gas per 100 miles, compared with a standard all-season tire. More importantly, most reviews say, the Hakkapeliitta R is a good winter tire when it comes to performance. It handles ice, snow and the "moose test" (which simulates an emergency swerve to avoid hitting a moose in the road) capably at Teknikens Varld, Vi Bilagare, Motor and Auto Motor & Sport. Like the Michelin X-Ice Xi2, wet pavement is its downfall; the Hakkapeliitta R has problems with hydroplaning and wet braking in tests. Aftonbladet calls this second-place tire "a much worse choice than the Michelin."

As for rolling resistance, the Hakkapeliitta R does, in fact, score better than any winter tire in Aftonbladet's and Teknikens Varld's evaluation. In other tests, the Hakkapeliitta R shares that honor with several other tires, including the Michelin X-Ice Xi2, Yokohama Ice Guard ig20 (*Est. $140) and Toyo Observe G-02 Plus (*Est. $85). Like most other dedicated winter tires, the Yokohama and Toyo handle snow and ice well in tests, but they falter on wet and dry pavement, and some testers find them very noisy.

Budget snow tire from General performs like pricey tires

The least expensive tire recommended by experts, the General Altimax Arctic (*Est. $65), is also one of the best performers in tests. Although experts find the General's ice grip doesn't quite measure up to the Michelin X-Ice Xi2's, it still earns good ratings.

"An inexpensive tire that works above its price category," says John Mahler at the Toronto Star, naming the Altimax Arctic one of his top 10 snow tires for 2009-2010. "Since Continental Tire took over General, quality is no longer a concern."

The Altimax Arctic is a studdable tire -- the favorite studdable winter tire among customers at TireRack.com, although several owners say it gets great traction even without the studs' assistance. Like most severe winter tires, the General Altimax Arctic brakes and handles fairly poorly on dry roads. It performs better on wet roads than most winter tires, however, including the top-rated Michelin X-Ice Xi2. According to reviews, the General gets better ice traction than the studdable Firestone Winterforce (*Est. $60), another top-selling inexpensive snow tire.