Michelin X-Ice Xi3 snow tires
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,141
Likes: 1,293
From: Southern US
2010 E550, 273 Engine: 2012 S550, 278 Engine
All season tires perform in cold as well as they are made to do it. Nokian WRG3 is a so called all season tire but outperforms many winter tires in a test. They stay soft in cold.
And regardless of winter or all season Nokian usually gives way more miles from the tires compared to some well known big name tires.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,506
Likes: 66
From: Sidney, BC
2009 SLK55 AMG. & 2022 GLA250 4Matic
Sure, you cannot turn as well but there are some decent all-season tires that perform well judging from my experience in New England Winter driving (and judging from reviews and surveys). I'd rather have good all-seasons than Winter tires that perform poorly in wet and dry weather conditions at above-freezing temperatures which occur a significant percentage of the time.
I drove for 46 yrs. in a similar environment in Ontario and whether a RWD or a 4WD car those tires do not have the ability to grip the road because the compound is harder.
An AS tire has a durometer of 25-30 on average which has an operating range of 41F - 95F. A winter tire will have a durometer of 20 and optimally operates down to 5F. Between 41 and 5 there is a heck of a drop off in performance on an AS tire. Even on a 2 WD, running just 2 snow tires on the rear gives away steering ability.
I clearly remember having this debate with the service manager when I got my first W124 in 1987. He shrugged and said I could follow a customer who also was saying he didn't need them and two days later couldn't steer out of slide on his 3 seasons, hit a curb hard and had a bill of about $3000 for parts and labour to fix the damage.
I sort of took his advice.
As noted in my post earlier, the softer winter compound is better on very wet roads and dry when the temp low. When there is standing water on the road a winter tire is much better than a 3 season.
The other problem is that too many folks run their AS's too long and when it snows look out.
Had I not had 4 matic and good rubber along with all the other MB systems, I would have had a head on last winter because a guy coming down a hill couldn't manage the curve and crossed over. I saw his car in town later that day and he wasn't far off the wear bars.
Winter is not a time to compromise your safety, the safety of others on the road and a good set of winter rubber is cheap insurance in my view.
Just sayin'.
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 34
Likes: 4
From: Wisconsin
2015 E400 Coupe, and 2011 E350 Sedan
Blizzak are the best snow tire. I've used them for the last 15 years in the worst Canadian and Wisconsin snow storms and they are amazing. Check the you tube video of all the snow tires being tested for acceleration and braking on a ice rink... Blizzak out performs every other tire in every test. Thus their highest price they command. I have WS80 on my E350 and it goes through snow like a 4-wheel drive truck.
MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Verdad Gallardo
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping
Verdad Gallardo
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used
Verdad Gallardo
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 746
Likes: 26
None
Blizzak are the best snow tire. I've used them for the last 15 years in the worst Canadian and Wisconsin snow storms and they are amazing. Check the you tube video of all the snow tires being tested for acceleration and braking on a ice rink... Blizzak out performs every other tire in every test. Thus their highest price they command. I have WS80 on my E350 and it goes through snow like a 4-wheel drive truck.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,141
Likes: 1,293
From: Southern US
2010 E550, 273 Engine: 2012 S550, 278 Engine
Blizzak are the best snow tire. I've used them for the last 15 years in the worst Canadian and Wisconsin snow storms and they are amazing. Check the you tube video of all the snow tires being tested for acceleration and braking on a ice rink... Blizzak out performs every other tire in every test. Thus their highest price they command. I have WS80 on my E350 and it goes through snow like a 4-wheel drive truck.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,141
Likes: 1,293
From: Southern US
2010 E550, 273 Engine: 2012 S550, 278 Engine
When was this comparison done?
Nokian has not made the R in a couple of years now. The winter tire model now is 8 and perhaps 7 is also still available.
The multi season one is WR3.
If this is a true recent comparison they compared the flag ship tires from other makers to Nokian already discontinued model.
Super Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 703
Likes: 68
From: Boston Area
2021 Mojave Silver E450, 2024 Black on Black Jaguar F-pace P400, 2011 335d (RIP), 2010 E350 (sold)
When was this comparison done?
Nokian has not made the R in a couple of years now. The winter tire model now is 8 and perhaps 7 is also still available.
The multi season one is WR3.
If this is a true recent comparison they compared the flag ship tires from other makers to Nokian already discontinued model.
Nokian has not made the R in a couple of years now. The winter tire model now is 8 and perhaps 7 is also still available.
The multi season one is WR3.
If this is a true recent comparison they compared the flag ship tires from other makers to Nokian already discontinued model.
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 746
Likes: 26
None
This comparison is a year old. Consumers Reports places the WR G3 in the performance winter category, rather than the "pure" winter category.
The WR G3 is their best rated performance winter tire.
The WR G3 is their best rated performance winter tire.
Last edited by looney100; Dec 25, 2014 at 11:36 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,141
Likes: 1,293
From: Southern US
2010 E550, 273 Engine: 2012 S550, 278 Engine
My intention was to bring out the fact that The Michelin Xi3 might not be the best winter tire you can buy.
Doing research in the net around this I find that Nokian is doing very bad job with advertising. Worse yet, it seems they have gone with very few dealers and try to keep it to themselves. (Reminds me of Sony trying to keep Beta to themselves and the world around developed VHS that put Sony Beta out of the business although it was by far better system to have at the time).
Tire Rack is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, tire sellers on the N.A. especially thru internet and Nokian should have teamed up with them but they probably are too small for that. It is so "funny" to see all the Tire Rack winter tire testing of all winter tires but none of the tests include Nokian tires. Obvious reason is that they do not want a tire in a test that would win the test but they do not sell it.
Luckily to some people who know the tires they can buy them for pricing today. If Tire Rack would sell them and test and find them even better than the best they now sell the Nokians would cost even more.
And the best part of this all for me is that I can by their superior summer tires cheaper than Michelins or Continentals, which the Nokian Zline outperforms in every way. But for this you need to read some German tire testing reports.
And the tire noise alone is just awesome improvement compared to Continental and Pirelli.
Last edited by Arrie; Dec 26, 2014 at 05:15 PM.
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 746
Likes: 26
None
Tire Rack - Which Tire is Best When Winter Weather is at its Worst? - YouTube
Consumer reports is biased and based on random opinions - not facts. This is an unbiased real world TEST on ice.
Consumer reports is biased and based on random opinions - not facts. This is an unbiased real world TEST on ice.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,367
Likes: 3
From: MA
'24 Porsche Macan
You are probably right on that but I cancelled my subscription long ago because every time I went to consult it, all I ever found was old news, about products long discontinued or otherwise on their way out. That was my experience anyway.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,141
Likes: 1,293
From: Southern US
2010 E550, 273 Engine: 2012 S550, 278 Engine
Tire Rack - Which Tire is Best When Winter Weather is at its Worst? - YouTube
F
Consumer reports is biased and based on random opinions - not facts. This is an unbiased real world TEST on ice.
F
Consumer reports is biased and based on random opinions - not facts. This is an unbiased real world TEST on ice.
I think it is extremely biased when it has only four tire brands on it. And again, where is Nokian? Not good enough to test for tire rack?
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 34
Likes: 4
From: Wisconsin
2015 E400 Coupe, and 2011 E350 Sedan
They carry 21 brands of tires - I'm sure they have nothing personal against Nokian - perhaps they don't deal with them because Nokian has some dealer specific agreements?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,141
Likes: 1,293
From: Southern US
2010 E550, 273 Engine: 2012 S550, 278 Engine
It seem almost impossible to find winter tire tests that include Michelin, Bridgestone and Nokian tires but I found one from last year. This is an European tire test and it does not have the Nokian WRG3 in it as it does not have the Bridgestone's latest model either. But it has the Michelin Xi3.
Based on the information that I have found in the net for the Nokian WRG3 I can say it is far better tire compared to the R2 in handling on wet and dry pavement. It is not a winter tire as it is an all season tire but it outperforms a lot of winter tires in the tests.
Below link takes you to the test posted on Marathon Auto net site, which I believe is a tire dealer in Michigan.
http://www.marathonauto.com/userfile...R%20review.pdf
Based on the information that I have found in the net for the Nokian WRG3 I can say it is far better tire compared to the R2 in handling on wet and dry pavement. It is not a winter tire as it is an all season tire but it outperforms a lot of winter tires in the tests.
Below link takes you to the test posted on Marathon Auto net site, which I believe is a tire dealer in Michigan.
http://www.marathonauto.com/userfile...R%20review.pdf
Last edited by Arrie; Dec 28, 2014 at 09:50 AM.
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 34
Likes: 4
From: Wisconsin
2015 E400 Coupe, and 2011 E350 Sedan
I'm from Wisconsin, I'm an Electrical Engineer - I'm not a tire salesman, nor am i brand loyal to ANYTHING. If a better car or tire comes out tomorrow I'm buying it. What I can tell you is this: On our roads, there are a ton of bridges; covered in ice. We frequently have to drive through slush, 3-4 inches of snow, etc... before plows come. My Blizzaks have worked flawlessly on 3 different cars: Benz E350, Honda Civic, and Ford Freestar mini-van. Each car with Blizzaks went through any condition thrown at it. With a heavier vehicle like an E-Class I can plow through snow better than I ever could in my Suburban in 4-wheel drive. For me, these are the best tires on ICE. Which is by far the most critical point in winter driving. I need assurance that I can go, and more importantly STOP - quickly if need be. The Blizzaks have never let me down in over 10 years of using them.
Relative to this video above those are STUDDED tires. Tires with studs are illegal on passenger cars in my state, and I'm pretty sure in most others as they damage the roads.
The video I posted previously was regular non studded tires performing on an ice rink with simple test of acceleration and stopping distance.
Relative to this video above those are STUDDED tires. Tires with studs are illegal on passenger cars in my state, and I'm pretty sure in most others as they damage the roads.
The video I posted previously was regular non studded tires performing on an ice rink with simple test of acceleration and stopping distance.
Last edited by Gregg11_C300; Dec 28, 2014 at 03:37 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,367
Likes: 3
From: MA
'24 Porsche Macan
I'm from Wisconsin, I'm an Electrical Engineer - I'm not a tire salesman, nor am i brand loyal to ANYTHING. If a better car or tire comes out tomorrow I'm buying it. What I can tell you is this: On our roads, there are a ton of bridges; covered in ice. We frequently have to drive through slush, 3-4 inches of snow, etc... before plows come. My Blizzaks have worked flawlessly on 3 different cars: Benz E350, Honda Civic, and Ford Freestar mini-van. Each car with Blizzaks went through any condition thrown at it. With a heavier vehicle like an E-Class I can plow through snow better than I ever could in my Suburban in 4-wheel drive. For me, these are the best tires on ICE. Which is by far the most critical point in winter driving. I need assurance that I can go, and more importantly STOP - quickly if need be. The Blizzaks have never let me down in over 10 years of using them.
Relative to this video above those are STUDDED tires. Tires with studs are illegal on passenger cars in my state, and I'm pretty sure in most others as they damage the roads.
The video I posted previously was regular non studded tires performing on an ice rink with simple test of acceleration and stopping distance.
Relative to this video above those are STUDDED tires. Tires with studs are illegal on passenger cars in my state, and I'm pretty sure in most others as they damage the roads.
The video I posted previously was regular non studded tires performing on an ice rink with simple test of acceleration and stopping distance.
)
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 34
Likes: 4
From: Wisconsin
2015 E400 Coupe, and 2011 E350 Sedan
I put my snow tires on my OEM rims, it only costs $50 to swap them so you can swap quite a few times before you can justify new rims. I haven't had any issues with salt damaging my wheels yet. I am however fairly diligent with getting my cars frequently washed in winter to keep the salt off.
