Michelin Primacy MXM4 all-season tires (left); Michelin X-Ice Xi3 winter tires (right)
While longtime readers of Car and Driver know our stance on winter tires?if you live where it?s snowy and icy for a good chunk of the winter, get a set, full stop?there are nevertheless those drivers for whom the thought of installing them in place of a good set of all-seasons may seem like an insult to their driving abilities. After all, many who grew up in colder climates have spent years exercising and honing winter driving skills.
Recently, Michelin and Tire Rack invited us down to the Compton Family Ice Arena on the picturesque University of Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Indiana, to reinforce exactly why they?re important. What we found when we arrived were two all-wheel-drive Toyota RAV4s and two front-wheel-drive Toyota Camrys, with one of each model wearing standard Michelin Primacy MXM4 all-season tires and the other two vehicles wearing Michelin?s latest X-Ice Xi3 rubber. They flipped us the keys and said, ?How about a drag race"? Not ones to shy away from a little competition, we hopped in and gave it our best shot. Drag racing on an ice rink, whether with all-season or winter tires, is hilariously slow. However, it does illustrate perfectly the merits of winter tires. Not only does the winter tire provide better grip on takeoff, but also?perhaps more important?it can improve braking performance, which could help drivers on public roads avoid accidents when the g...