Michelin X-Ice North 4

Name: Michelin X-Ice North 4
Brand: Michelin
Rating: 84 (11 reviews)

Premium Touring Winter Tested by Tyre Reviews

A standout studded Nordic winter tyre that feels almost unbeatable on ice and very strong on snow, while staying impressively civilised for noise. Its compromises show most clearly on wet, bare tarmac and in efficiency.

The quick answer

Owners say 84% from 13 owner reviews 92% would buy again Read the reviews

Tests say 3^rd average finish across 13 independent tests · 3 wins Latest: P3 of 7 · Studded Winter Tyres · 2026 See every test

Strengths & weaknesses Ice, Snow Value, Wet Relative to its rivals across every test we hold

Built from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold for this tyre - the evidence is all further down the page. Data updated November 2026.

13owner reviews
132,767miles driven
13professional tests

3 photos

Tyre Reviews Score

Michelin X-Ice North 4

8.6/10

Better than 80% of studded winter tyres

High Confidence
11 tests
13 owner reviews

Scores of the 38 studded winter tyres we have tested

How this score is built

Source	Better than	Weight
Independent tests11 tests · 5 publications · 2019-2026	80%	100%
Owner reviewsToo few rated tyres in its group to rank them yet	–	0%
Combined	80%	8.6

A fixed curve turns the combined figure into the 0 to 10 score, so roughly the top 10% of a group score 9 or more.

Category by category

How it compares with other studded winter tyres in each area, and how much each area counts. 50 is the middle of the group.

Category	Better than	Weight	Tests
SnowBraking, traction and handling on snow	78%	31%	11
IceBraking, traction and handling on ice	87%	30%	11
WetBraking, handling and aquaplaning in the wet	24%	18%	11
DryBraking and handling on dry roads	60%	9%	10
ValueWear, efficiency and cost	52%	7%	6
ComfortNoise and ride comfort	55%	5%	10

By discipline

The same results grouped by what the tyre was doing. They are not counted a second time.

TractionEvery traction test, on any surface	88%	9
BrakingEvery braking test, on any surface	77%	9
HandlingEvery handling test, on any surface	77%	11

Confidence

Limited
Medium
High

Its own test results decide 97% of the test figure. The other 3% is the average for its group, and it shrinks as more tests arrive.

High needs at least 3 tests, with its own results deciding 90% or more. Medium needs 2 tests and 70%. Anything less is Limited: expect the number to move as tests arrive.

The tests behind it

Only measured results count. A test that published its placings alone is listed, but not scored.

2026 2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter Tyre Test Teknikens Värld · 235/45 R18 · Studded Winter Tyres P3 / 7
2026 2026 Vi Bilagare Studded Tyre Test Vi Bilagare · 215/65 R17 P3 / 8
2025 2025 Studded, Friction and European Winter Tyre Test Teknikens Värld · 235/45 R18 · Studded Winter Tyres P5 / 8
2025 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test Tekniikan Maailma · 205/55 R16 · Studded Winter Tyres P4 / 7
2024 2024 Studded Tyre Test Vi Bilagare · 225/45 R17 P3 / 8
2024 The Best Studded / Friction Winter Tyres for 2024 Teknikens Värld · 225/50 R17 · Studded Winter Tyres P3 / 6 Placing only

Show all 13 tests

2023 2023 Studded Tyre Test Vi Bilagare · 225/45 R17 P2 / 8
2021 2021 Nordic Studded Winter Tyre Test Moottori · 205/55 R16 P2 / 8
2021 2021 Studless and Studded Winter Tyre Test Teknikens Värld · 205/55 R16 · Studded Winter Tyres P3 / 9
2020 2020 Studded Winter Tyre Test Vi Bilagare · 205/60 R16 P1 / 8
2020 The Best Winter Tyres for 2020 Tyre Reviews · 205/55 R16 P1 / 19 Placing only
2020 2020 Nordic and Studded Winter Tyre Test Test World · 205/55 R16 · Studded Winter Tyres P1 / 6
2019 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test Vi Bilagare · 225/50 R17 P2 / 8

All Tests

View Test Results

Tested 13 times by independent publications, the Michelin X Ice North 4 has taken 3 test wins with an average finish of 3rd.

13 Tests

3 Test Wins

3^rd Average

1^st Best

5^th Worst

Finishing position in each test

The latest test

2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter Tyre Test P3 of 7Studded Winter Tyres

The Michelin X-Ice North 4 finished third of the seven studded tyres. It is a consistent studded tyre on ice and snow, but its bare-road braking is well short of the best.

Strong: Subj. Road Score, Subj. Wet Handling, Subj. Ice Handling, Dry Lane Change, Subj. Comfort Weak: Straight Aqua Winner: Pirelli Ice Zero 2

Every independent test of the Michelin X Ice North 4, newest first
Year	Test	Result	Award
2026	2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter Tyre TestTeknikens Värld · 235/45 R18	P3 / 7Studded Winter Tyres
2026	2026 Vi Bilagare Studded Tyre TestVi Bilagare · 215/65 R17	P3 / 8
2025	2025 Studded, Friction and European Winter Tyre TestTeknikens Värld · 235/45 R18	P5 / 8Studded Winter Tyres
2025	2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre TestTekniikan Maailma · 205/55 R16	P4 / 7Studded Winter Tyres
2024	2024 Studded Tyre TestVi Bilagare · 225/45 R17	P3 / 8
2024	The Best Studded / Friction Winter Tyres for 2024Teknikens Värld · 225/50 R17	P3 / 6Studded Winter Tyres
2023	2023 Studded Tyre TestVi Bilagare · 225/45 R17	P2 / 8
2021	2021 Nordic Studded Winter Tyre TestMoottori · 205/55 R16	P2 / 8
2021	2021 Studless and Studded Winter Tyre TestTeknikens Värld · 205/55 R16	P3 / 9Studded Winter Tyres
2020	2020 Studded Winter Tyre TestVi Bilagare · 205/60 R16	P1 / 8
2020	The Best Winter Tyres for 2020Tyre Reviews · 205/55 R16	P1 / 19	Tested by Tyre Reviews
2020	2020 Nordic and Studded Winter Tyre TestTest World · 205/55 R16	P1 / 6Studded Winter Tyres
2019	2019 Studded Winter Tyre TestVi Bilagare · 225/50 R17	P2 / 8

On the full record: Record by discipline Head-to-head record Every published verdict

Videos

10 of the BEST Winter Tires for 2020

185-315Width35-70Profile15-23Rim2018First On Market

US ratingsUTQG grade and the maker's mileage warranty

Not gradedUTQG grade10.5/32"Tread depth (new)

Also known asXIN4

Frequently Asked Questions

How good is the Michelin X-Ice North 4 in the wet?

Across the 9 wet-braking tests it has featured in, the Michelin X-Ice North 4 stops 3.2% longer than premium rivals, 0.3% longer than mid-range rivals and 2.7% longer than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews wet score of 24/100, and owners rate it 7.2/10 in the wet from 13 reviews.

How good is the Michelin X-Ice North 4 in the dry?

Across the 9 dry-braking tests it has featured in, the Michelin X-Ice North 4 stops 0.1% shorter than premium rivals, 0.1% longer than mid-range rivals and 0.3% shorter than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews dry score of 60/100, and owners rate it 7.6/10 in the dry from 13 reviews.

How good is the Michelin X-Ice North 4 in the snow?

Across the 9 snow-braking tests it has featured in, the Michelin X-Ice North 4 stops 0.2% shorter than premium rivals, 0.5% shorter than mid-range rivals and 2% shorter than budget rivals. Across the 9 snow-traction tests, it is 1.2% better than premium rivals, 1.4% better than mid-range rivals and 4% better than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews snow score of 78/100, and owners rate it 9.2/10 in the snow from 13 reviews.

How good is the Michelin X-Ice North 4 on ice?

Across the 9 ice-braking tests it has featured in, the Michelin X-Ice North 4 stops 10.7% shorter than premium rivals, 12.8% shorter than mid-range rivals and 23.3% shorter than budget rivals. Across the 9 ice-traction tests, it is 14.6% better than premium rivals, 19.3% better than mid-range rivals and 28.3% better than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews ice score of 87/100, and owners rate it 9.8/10 on ice from 13 reviews.

How fuel efficient is the Michelin X-Ice North 4?

Across the 1 test measuring rolling resistance, the Michelin X-Ice North 4's rolling resistance is 1.5% higher than premium rivals, 4.4% higher than mid-range rivals and 3.8% higher than budget rivals.

More questions about the Michelin X-Ice North 4 (4)

What do owners say about the Michelin X-Ice North 4?

Across 13 owner ratings the Michelin X-Ice North 4 averages 84%. Owners rate Ice Grip highest at 9.8 out of 10 and Wet Grip lowest at 7.2. 4 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 100% of owners score it 70% or better.

How comfortable and quiet are the Michelin X-Ice North 4?

Owners rate the Michelin X-Ice North 4 8.2 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 11 reviews.

How well do the Michelin X-Ice North 4 wear, according to owners?

Owners rate the Michelin X-Ice North 4 8.8 out of 10 for wear across 11 reviews. 4 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 5,000 miles.

Would owners buy the Michelin X-Ice North 4 again?

92% of owners say they would buy the Michelin X-Ice North 4 again, based on the 13 owner reviews that answered the question. 69% of them gave it the highest possible answer.

Owner Questions

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Michelin X-Ice North 4 Owner Reviews

Review this tyre

What owners say summarised from 9 reviews

Drivers rate the Michelin X Ice North 4 very highly overall, most often praising outstanding traction and braking on ice and snow along with impressively low road noise for a studded tyre. Several reviews also highlight confident handling/feedback and generally strong longevity, with some users reporting long tread life and good stud seating after proper break-in. A smaller minority note trade-offs such as weaker grip on wet/dry pavement and occasional stud loss or faster wear later in the tyre's life.

What owners mention most counted across 11 reviews

Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.

Owner ratings averaged from 13 ratings

Owner score 84%
Ice Grip 98%
Snow Grip 92%
Wear 88%
Comfort 82%
Handling 81%
Dry Grip 76%
Road Feedback 75%
Wet Grip 72%

Featured reviews

Most helpful 83%

“Coming from Finland, a country of winter snow and studs. Have these on two cars - 2007 Focus Cabrio - 1998 996 C2 In most winnter conditions amazing grip level. However, two shortcomings. 1) The modern light studs do...”

Ford Focus mk2
6 miles

Read full review → 903 found this helpful

Longest term 94%

“Great tyres, bought new for winter 2021-2022.impressed by the lack of noise from studs on clear pavement. Used them on my WV Passat, and tread life is extremely high, went trough 32 000 miles. The first 25 000 miles...”

Volkswagen Passat B8 1.8 TSI RLine 180PS
32,000 miles

Read full review → 93 found this helpful

All 11 Michelin X-Ice North 4 reviews

Score spread across 11 written reviews

Sort by

miles

78%

Member November 6, 2026

Mid-Life

Volkswagen ID4
255/50 R19
746 miles

I live in the middle parts of Sweden and have been using the Michelin X ice north 4 on my VW ID.4 GTX for one winter. It’s not my first time using these tyres, I had them on my Volvo XC60 before that.

It is a good tyre with good handling in the cold, snow or ice is no problem. It has a lot more studds than typical, giving it a firm grip in winter conditions. But in the dry and wet, early winter and early spring, it struggles. The noice in the dry, especilly on an ev is grueling.

It is not very Eco or efficent as you can notice it gripping on and lacking a bit in rolling.

I’m selling the car and will not buy this tyre for my next car. But if I would buy a new tire for my Scoda Octavia I would by this.

78%

Kristjan J October 21, 2026

Initial Impressions

BMW 328i
185/65 R15
5,000 miles

Very good on ice - probably one of the very best. But I wouldn't buy them if most of the driving is on wet or dry roads. The amount of studs in them contributes to a great amount of noise, but in return you'll get very good grip on ice. I have used them mostly on ice tracks with 3 different cars and the speed and grip you can get with these is on another level. Probably only comparable to Bridgestone Blizzak Spike 3, but these have longer studs and lose studs easily. Compared to the Blizzaks, straight line grip is not as good, but generally they perform exceptionally well. Have no comparison to newer tyres.
Snow grip is also really good. On dry and wet, feels a little spongy as you would expect from a winter tyre. Haven't really driven them much on the road.
My experience is purely based on RWD cars: 1990 BMW 318i; 1995 BMW 328i; 2004 Smart Roadster. Used the same size with all of them.

94%

Dzincca February 25, 2026

End of Life

Volkswagen Passat B8 1.8 TSI RLine 180PS
215/60 R16
32,000 miles

Great tyres, bought new for winter 2021-2022.impressed by the lack of noise from studs on clear pavement. Used them on my WV Passat, and tread life is extremely high, went trough 32 000 miles. The first 25 000 miles only polished away just 1,5mm and took 4 winter seasons, but this winter after 10 000 miles I lost 4mm. And because they are now on the legal limit, will change them. I had similar experiences with Michelin x-ice north3, where the first mm holded extremely long, and after 20 000 miles they started to loose tread us other soft Nordic compound tyres. Now decided to try the Nokian Hakapelita 10.

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81%

Member October 24, 2025

Toyota Matrix (Corolla wagon) FWD
205/55 R16
15 miles
A Combination of Roads
Average

Bought these three winters ago. First impressions were excellent with quiet highway and excellent traction. However, at end of the first season we noticed the front tires lost a lot of studs and submitted a warranty claim. Got the front two replaced (prorated of of course). The second winter season was short due to warranty replacement but we did loose studs on older tires. Third winter we lost studs on all 4 tires. One tire is missing 54 studs, and other tire 40 studs and the newer tires are missing 18 and 9 studs. We maybe have 20,000 km on the newer tires and max 30,000 km on all of them. These are installed on base Toyota matrix so not a power house car. We also have a van with Hakkepeleta tires (8 and before and now 10’s) for years and never have a studs loss issues. My recommendation is go with Nordman or Hakkepeleta. I love Michelin tires but they haven’t figures out the studs part. Hope these make this season then switching to Nokian.

83%

Member March 22, 2024

Ford Focus mk2
225/45 R18
6 miles
A Combination of Roads
Average

Coming from Finland, a country of winter snow and studs. Have these on two cars
- 2007 Focus Cabrio
- 1998 996 C2

In most winnter conditions amazing grip level. However, two shortcomings. 1) The modern light studs do not penetrate well if there is loose snow on top of hard snor/icy surface. Obviously this has more to do with regulations rather than the tyre brand and model. 2) These modern silica tyres seem to collect a layer of snow in slow speeds, say below 30..40 km/h . Both these properties make the tyres a bit Jekyll and Hyde. At best it gives enormous amount of grip but then you come on loose snow and you think you are driving very slow - and suddenly you have absolutely no grip. I wish we could still have the longer studs. I can tell it is not nice to get the impression of good grip for some 50 km (0.3 < muu < 0.5) and then in an open place wind has collected snow on the hard snow surface and a deer runs into your lights and you find absolutely no grip at all (like muu = 0.05). Fortunately I had my insurances. I dont think this would have happened with the old style big block, long heavy stud Hakkapeliittas. Those would have not given the level of grip on the 50 km stretch but they would have lost pretty much nothing coming to the loose snow.

What impresses me is the strong stud base. The cavity seems wrapped with a very strong compound and the studs seem to not come off at all. The construction of the tyre seems very good for winter purposes, not too stiff nor too soft side wall. Subjectively I think I would prefer a sharper shoulder but that is more like an image in my head rather than supported by my driving experience.

If I was to develop this tyre I would look into the slow speed attached snow layer phenomenom - perhaps on all the silica tyres. I also would like to try something like raised tread on the lines of studs to get the modern studs penetrate better the loose snow on top of the hard.

I know one problem with the winter tyre testing is that the tracks are always similar to get good comparability. But in real life the surfaces vary much more in winter conditions and a good winter tyre should even the grip levels to predictable. As good as the X-Ice 4 is it is not the most predictable tyre. Fortunately you can learn to predict the places where you will loose the grip. I find this all more of a result of rather compromized regulations than tyre makes development work.

89%

Member October 24, 2023

Ford Focus
215/55 R17
Mostly Town
Average

The best I have tried in winter conditions. Fantastic grip on ice and snow, comfortable ride and the studs seem to last much longer than on others I have owned. Going into the 5th winter of mostly urban driving in Reykjavik I can see that most of the studs have come loose now so they will be disappearing soon. I used to run Goodyear ultra grip ice arctic on my cars before, but the ride was rougher and noisier, the studs would be long gone by now and they did not have as much grip on snow and ice. The Goodyears had a better grip in the wet at high speeds though.

82%

Member April 22, 2023

Volkswagen 2019 Golf Variant 1.5 TSI
205/55 R16
17,000 miles
A Combination of Roads
Average

Very good tyres, on par with Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8, or even better when they were new. Maybe a bit faster wearing compared to Hakka8, but definitely better than Continental IceContact2. Of course these are not summer tyres, so my scoring is compared to other winter tyres.

86%

Member April 9, 2023

Audi 80 B4
195/60 R15
5,000 miles
A Combination of Roads
Spirited

This tire was bought for my old analogue awd car for use partially on road and ice track and it has been phenomenal. It made a twitchy and understeery car much more direct and leaning towards oversteer in a very preferable manner both in thems of controllability and for road feedback. My tires are quite narrow and has a bit of a wallowy feel on dry road. The width also dictates the feel of the tire in the wet, but is very much as expected from any studded tire in this dimmension. It made my car feel much more communicative in low friction enviorements

76%

Member December 4, 2022

Kia Motors GT limited AWD
225/45 R18
18,000 miles
A Combination of Roads
Spirited

I've had the North4 studded tire for 3 winters ( 20-25 000 Km) in Manitoba Canada on a 2018 Kia Stinger GT limited AWD. They have never let me down, starting and stopping driving normal, is like driving in summer, but with some light tiktac clacking from the studs. The road noise is much better than any other studded tire due to advances in technology. I can feel a certain amount of slippage in rain and dry concrete, but on snow and ice ( and that's 90% of the roads here in winter) they dig in like claws. I drive in sport mode and it splits my power 80/20 to the back, and have the best control I have ever had in very bad conditions. The tires surpass my every exception and will be purchased again!

91%

Member October 19, 2022

BMW 520d M Sport
245/45 R18
20,000 miles
A Combination of Roads
Average

This is by far the best Winter Tyre i have ever used. Compared to its competitors its miles better. The grip is outstanding, and the overall performance is perfect. I would never choose another Tyre, unless its he next generation.

91%

Member February 11, 2021

Toyota Corolla E140
205/55 R16 T
A Combination of Roads
Spirited

Uncompromising grip on all types of winter surfaces. Out of competition on the ice tracks. Very low noise level, audible only at low speeds when driving on a clean road. With these tires, it is very difficult to achieve ABS actuation. Perfectly copes with leaving the track. After running-in in compliance with the manufacturer's recommendations, the studs took their position and after 15,000 km remain in place. I recommend to buy, the best studded tire.

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Michelin X-Ice North 4

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Michelin X-Ice North 4

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Michelin X-Ice North 4

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Michelin X-Ice North 4 Owner Reviews

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All 11 Michelin X-Ice North 4 reviews

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