[AX3]

It snowed here yesterday and the roads were grease. My X3 is new to me and when I got it I looked at the tires and thought they were not that great but was told they had over 70% tread left. Didn't think much of it. Drove down the road yesterday and it is the worst ride I ever had on snow. I could not make a turn, stop, and could barely keep it on the road by going less than 20 mph. I found out that I have summer tires on it, Bridgestone Potenza. So I need winter tires OR all season tires. I am leaning to winter tires cause when you need good grip in the snow it's not worth it to compromise. The question is what brand do I get? I'm looking at Michelin X-ICE X13. Anyone have these on their X3?

[alpwhite46]

I have always used Bridgestone WS-80 - overall amazing tires... they are good at everything.

[Commerce]

I have the studless Nokian Hakkapeliitta, unbelievable grip in snow and ice

[atarivers]

I think I would probably go for all weather performance tires and use them year round. I would also check the manufacture date on those Potenza tires. The risk of blowouts increases greatly if they are 5 or more years old. If you don't need the storage space, you could keep one of the Potenzas in the cargo area as a spare and cut the cost of tires in half by avoiding the run flats. I didn't but it's an option.

[analogue]

Consensus around here for non-studded seems to be one of these three:

Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2
Blizzak WS80
Michelin X-ICE XI3


I'm running Hakka R2s right now on an X4 since I maintain a dedicated set of winters. I think they are excellent winters. Be aware they are only rated for 106 mph.

I've used Blizzaks in the past on an X6 and was happy with them but sold that car before I got through half of the tread.

I've used Dunlop S3 Wintersports and they are decent.

I've used Pirelli Sottozero once and would never again.

I've never tried Michelin X-ICE, but read they can be a good choice over the other two if you have more days with cold dry roads than snow and ice.

[cadman50]

Originally Posted by analogue

Consensus around here for non-studded seems to be one of these three:

Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2
Blizzak WS80
Michelin X-ICE XI3


I'm running Hakka R2s right now on an X4 since I maintain a dedicated set of winters. I think they are excellent winters. Be aware they are only rated for 106 mph.

I've used Blizzaks in the past on an X6 and was happy with them but sold that car before I got through half of the tread.

I've used Dunlop S3 Wintersports and they are decent.

I've used Pirelli Sottozero once and would never again.

I've never tried Michelin X-ICE, but read they can be a good choice over the other two if you have more days with cold dry roads than snow and ice.

I agree with the Hakka R2's! Have had them for 4 winters and about to get another set. I drive over 5000 miles on highways during the winter and then alot of driving up and down mountains in potentially heavy snow. I want the best winter tire and the R2's have given me superb grip. Unfortunately the highway driving wears them down more quickly but they ride nice up to 90mph. I know they have a speed rating of 106mph but I'm not going to ever get there.

[AX3]

After looking a some brands I decided on the Michelin X-Ice X13. Have an appointment in two days to get them installed. They have a good rating and Michelin has always been a good tire. I would have gone with the Nokian but they are just to expensive. As it is the Michelins cost more than I wanted to spend but I need snow tires so Michelins it is. I'll let you know how they work out.

[barcelona]

X3 ice highly rated. I love my HakkaR2. My 5th set of Hakkas, wish they made more sizes.

[alpwhite46]

Originally Posted by atarivers

I think I would probably go for all weather performance tires and use them year round. I would also check the manufacture date on those Potenza tires. The risk of blowouts increases greatly if they are 5 or more years old. If you don't need the storage space, you could keep one of the Potenzas in the cargo area as a spare and cut the cost of tires in half by avoiding the run flats. I didn't but it's an option.

Huge difference between winter tires and all weather... can't even compare

[beats]

I love my WS80's on the X3. It's amazing in the snow.

[TEF]

I live in a snow belt and have always used winter tires. In the past, Blizzak was considered the gold standard, but so many of the larger manufacturers now have similar rubber compounds for cold-weather driving. Of course, some are better than others, but these marginal differences come at a cost. In short, any brand-name winter tire is better than an all-season one, so find a reasonably priced one that fits your X3 and you'll be pleased. Having once lived in your area (Manchester), much of your winter driving will be on dry pavement, so don't spend a fortune on tires designed for Finnish winters. Take a look at what Tirerack offers for tires in your size and I'll bet any of these will be a huge improvement over the OE Pirelli's.

[cadman50]

Originally Posted by AX3

After looking a some brands I decided on the Michelin X-Ice X13. Have an appointment in two days to get them installed. They have a good rating and Michelin has always been a good tire. I would have gone with the Nokian but they are just to expensive. As it is the Michelins cost more than I wanted to spend but I need snow tires so Michelins it is. I'll let you know how they work out.

I decided on the Michellin X-Ice as well. I was going to get the R2's again but they are so darn expensive as a run flat. I'm going to go non-runflat this time. I like the specs and reviews of the X-Ice. Plus if I need a tire replacement I think my chances of getting an X-Ice are better than getting a non-runflat R2. The price difference isn't that much between the R2 and X-Ice though. I have AAA plus so that should help since I don't have a spare.

[atarivers]

That is too bad for me. I will probably wind up having to get a set of winter tires because I had to move to a snowier area. Oh well, ka-ching. I guess the silver lining is my all weather tires will last twice as long since won't be using them half the year.

Originally Posted by alpwhite46

Huge difference between winter tires and all weather... can't even compare

[jmedarts]

Hi - fellow CT resident here. I have had really good results with Nokian WR all season tires, and plan to put them on my X3 when the brand new conti all seasons it came with wear out. My wife has them on her Acura MDX, it feels like it can climb trees with them. Also used them on my 2000 540 as winter tires with no issues (RWD, 300 ftlb tourque, 6 speed). My brother runs a fleet of RWD Ford Econoline vans as school buses, uses the WR with great results and clued me in to them. I also used full blown winter Hakkas on the 540 and a 335 I had. Hakkas are great winter tires, but the WR series are better in the wet, in the dry, make less road noise, and last a bit longer than the full on Hakka's. I wasn't able to note a difference in snow performance, though I do not doubt there is one. It's really hard to compare directly because every storm around here is a bit different, isnt it? To me if I've never had an issue with RWD and WR tires, the combo of Xdrive and WR will be awesome, it certainly is on my wife's MDX.

[AX3]

The Michelins are on the car. We had a little snow here this morning and the tires gripped real well. They seem to drive better than the run flats I had on dry pavement. I went with winter tires cause the tires I took off will still be good in the spring plus I am a strong believer in winter tires. IT'S WINTER! The roads can get real bad and you need every advantage you can get in a bad situation. With no spare I also bought a small pack of "Slime" with a small compressor. Got AAA too. With any luck I'll never need them. When we get some real snow I'll post how they go in it. Too soon I'm afraid.

[E90705]

Dunlop winter tires on E65 squared wheels and tires. 245/50/18.

Snow/winter tires do make a difference than all-seasons tires. only if you have to deal with snowy winters.

My dealer SA said they look perfect for a dedicated winter setup.

[Merlin82]

I was lucky enough that the previous owner of mine had a seperate set of winter tires and wheels. Sadly the Pirellis on them were pretty much at the end of their life so I just put a set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2's on and Im very glad i did. They ride so much nicer than the Pirelli run flats, its like a whole new vehicle again. It also has me sold on ditching the run flats in the summer since i got new wheels and need tires for them anyways. The only downside is that the weather has been really nice ever since i got the nokians on, so i havent really needed to test them besides the glare ice in my back alley.