Michelin X-Ice Xi2 vs Toyo Observe G-02 Plus

[evileddie]

I went with the Toyo's and am pretty happy with them so far...(although I haven't really tested them).

Went to a local dealer, got them installed in 30 minutues with rebate form in hand...

[mmorriso]

winter boots installed yesterday, 16" LE refinished alloys with matching lug nuts and 215/65/16 Toyo Observe G02 rubber.  no harsh weather in the forecast yet. sorry about the barrel distortion in 1st picture.  noticed some positive camber up font, alignment probably a good idea.  could use a new intermediate steering shaft as well.  it never ends.  the Yoko AVID TRZ treads looked new after 5000+km and the 10 spoke XLE rims were stamped MADE IN CANADA, EH! 

anyone have troube finding the complete DOT number on the Toyos?  There seems to be only a partial number on the one side.

happy and safe winter driving!

[Nathan@1010tires]

10 spoke XLE rims were stamped MADE IN CANADA, EH! 

anyone have troube finding the complete DOT number on the Toyos?  There seems to be only a partial number on the one side.

As far as I know all Toyota alloys made for North American are made right by us, on Annacis Island in Delta, BC.

The date stamp is only on one side of the tire, at the end of the DOT. Either check another tire or if they purposely put them all to the inside which some shops do, you'll have to crawl under there with a flashlight.

[Art]

On my Toyo Observe G-02 tires the complete DOT number is always on the side with the yellow valve stem alignment circle.  The DOT C X L F molded info is on both sides of the tire.  The additional stamped 95K2307 (in my case) number is only on the alignment circle side.  Since they are directional you can see the full DOT on outside of 2 tires (including the pictured one above) and on the other 2 tires you will have to crawl underneath or remove them.

[mmorriso]

^thanks Art.  found 2 stamped on the outside with 3009 last 4 digits, nice and new.  next time i feel like crawling under the van i'll check the other two.

[DKaz]

D'oh mine's 2809, 2 weeks older than yours. Lol.

[webcou]

Can anyone suggest a good winter tire for a 2006 Ford Fusion?  Tire size is R17 and Ford suggests Michelin Tires but I've been reading everyone's experiences and am totally confused as to what I should actually buy.  My Auto Service Centre suggests MaxTrek but I see they are made in China and not generally well thought of.  We live in Montreal and need the tires to cope with city conditions (snow, slush and ice) and some long-distance highway driving.  We were thinking of getting tires and rims but have no idea where to go or what to buy. Would appreciate any practical input.  Thanx.  webcou

[mmorriso]

webcou

presumably your stock size is 225/50/17 so you should be able to drop the size to 205/60/16 or 215/60/16 (less expensive tires and rims) if you choose dedicated 16" rims.  you can call your Ford dealer to confirm.  these are popular sizes so you sould have lots to choose from (pending availability).  the Michelin xicexi2 should serve you well, although you may find better value from the Toyo observe g-o2 plus or Dunlop graspic ds-3.  Bridgestone blizzak ws-60 is another top premium choice.  some less expensive alternatives are General altimax arctic, Hankook ipike w409 and Goodyear (Canadian Tire) nordic.  there are many resources online for reviews.  a reputable tire shop in montreal would be a valuble resource, perhaps someone here can recommend one.  starting a new thread like "winter tires-ford fusion montreal" might be more useful.  how many km you drive in the winter and how long you plan on keeping the vehicle may be contributing factors to your decision.  lots of manufacturer rebates on now as well.

other sizes that might work for you: 215/55/16, 225/55/16, Toyo Observe Garit KX are availble in those sizes among others.

happy shopping!

[DKaz]

For starters, get a set of 16" steel wheels, 17" winter tires are expensive and remounting/balancing is expensive. Changing over complete wheel and tire sets is cheap or even free if you do it yourself.

There are so many choices out there. Is ice the main concern and is Montreal usually good at clearing snow right away? The Michelin X-Ice Xi2 is a great ice tire and decent enough on snow. Will you be trekking more through snow but still need good ice traction? Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60, Yokohama Ice Guard iG20, Toyo Observe G-02 Plus, or BF Goodrich Winter Slalom KSI are for you. Need hardcore snow traction and ice not as big of a concern? General Altimax Arctics, Gislaved Nord*Frost 5s, Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5s or Rs are for you. Are you a spirited driver who cares more about taking advantage of wet/dry pavement while maintaining decent snow traction? Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25, Michelin Pilon Alpin, and Dunlop SP Winter Sports are for you. Many many choices out there.

FYI quite a few of us, myself included, chose the Toyo Observe G-02 Plus. I paid $913 out the door for 205/60R16 with steel wheels. 205/60R16 is compatible with your Fusion.

[random006]

webcou,

Firstly, welcome to the forum.  It's a good, if slightly crazy at times, place to be.

Secondly, definitely get a dedicated set of rims.

Thirdly, going down a size, at least in terms of width, might afford you a better grip.  You can indeed save money by dropping a size in terms of radius but it might raise other questions.  I'll have to bow to the tire gurus here.  If you are not at all sure about quality of the lesser known brands, stick with the main brands (Yokohama, Michelin, Toyo, Bridgestone (Blizzak)).  I don't think you can go wrong with those.  The shop you finally pick will help you there.

Speaking of shops, I use Alignements Desjardins on de Maisonneuve Blvd. West.  They are quite good but they are only one of several in the area (NDG, either on de Maisonneuve or St. Jacques).


Hope this helps!

[davidy]

Remember to check the load rating of your stock tires (see driver's side door label). MINUS sizing (ie. dropping at least one nominal size) may lower your load rating.

Dave

[blur911]

here are many resources online for reviews.  a reputable tire shop in montreal would be a valuble resource, perhaps someone here can recommend one. 

Talon Tire.
I've never actually been there, but have bought quite a few race tires from them.  I understand they have a good rep.

[DKaz]

Drove up to Mt. Seymour not too long ago when they got some fresh snow, so far so good.

[Noobee]

I know someone who did the same...and they did so on all seasons (Nexen Brand too)! 

[PMREdmonton]

My wife has the X-Ice1s on the AWD 2007 Santa Fe and we do pretty well in that car up here in Edmonton.

For my newer RWD car I went for the XIce2s.  I did find during the one wet snowfall that we had at moderate temperatures a couple of weeks ago that I was doing better but not incredibly better than most of the guys in All-Seasons.

However, with the last cold snowfall at -25, I was moving way better than everyone else on the road - all-season or winter, awd or fwd.  I could also practically stop on a dime.

This is the weather that I bought the ice tires for.  The treachery here in Edmonton is from the snow falls when it is -20 to -35C.  Then they mostly scrape the roads and add gravel so it is like you are driving on some ice most of the rest of the year.  I am very happy with my tires but that may not be true from some of you in warmer and snowier climates.

[DKaz]

Interesting, I would've assumed that Edmonton would be more biased to snow tires than ice tires. How did the tires fare when Edmonton became the second coldest place on Earth?

My Toyo Observe G-02 Plus passed the first snowfall with flying colours. Mind you it was only a few inches of snow but I was quite pleased. No uphill could stop or downhill could not stop my car.

[KptKrunch]

Need to revive this old thread. So, after a full winter, those that bought the Toyo's, are you happy? I'm getting a new set for my new vehicle, my geolanders will be sold with my Pathfinder. I've narrowed it down to the Toyo Observe GO2 and the Yokohama Ice Guard I/G 20s

Leaning toward the Toyo's as it looks like I can get an extra season out of them and they're a little less. Wondering though how those 'walnut shells' work on ice. Just by looking at it I'm sure it's a great deep snow tire.

[Shnak]

I've had those Toyo's on my Sportage for 4 winters now and I'll use them one last winter. I've been very happy with them. They're not quite as good in the snow as some Kuhmo's I had on a previous car, but very happy nonetheless. A bit noisy compared to the Kuhmo's, but acceptable for a SUV. I'd say we have put about 25,000 kms on them so far, maybe a bit more. I might be able to stretch them out to another winter after this coming one, but either way, I'd be happy with 5 winters.

With all that said, I kind of made up my mind to give the Yokohama IG20 a try for my Sonata rather than going with the Toyo's again... I've read that the Yoko's have better snow performance and are much quieter while having similar thread life than the Toyo's. Then again, I've been recommended the Hankook W409 Winter i*Pike and after reading on those a bit, I'm again confused on which ones I want to go with!

[KptKrunch]

Then again, I've been recommended the Hankook W409 Winter i*Pike and after reading on those a bit, I'm again confused on which ones I want to go with!

Yeah, I hear ya there. I think the problem here is with all the technoloy available today there really is no bad choice. Anytime I've read anything negative about any of these tires (Toyo's, Yoko, Blizzak, Hankook, etc.) is by people who like to drive 'spiritedly' in the winter (the negative reviews almost always come from people with luxury 'sporty' cars).

I was happy with the Yoko Geo's on my Pathfinder. I found them very quiet as compared to what some reviewers said about them. A bit 'squishy' on the hwy but what good snow tire isn't? If a snow tire is not squishy, then it's not the best in snow (and ice). There's so many good ones out there it's making my head spin

[mmorriso]

happy with the toyo's on my sienna.  very high quality tire.  didn't put many kms on them.  they stayed soft in the coldest temperatures as they are supposed to do.  i ended up choosing Blizzak ws-60 for my protege5 since they were more readily available in the size i needed.  i was amazed at how quiet they are, even quieter than my michelin pilot exalto all season tires.

happy shopping!