Yaris in SNOW ... how should you drive?

[Scubaru Steve]

Originally Posted by A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby

snow tires make all the difference

a full on winter tire with the mountain snowflake symbol is the only way to go in winter.

I got Michelin X Ice Xi2 and they truly do allow the Yaris
to climb steep snow covered hills, and make corners safely, unbelievably well.
it went from 'I never want to drive this in the snow' to 'this car is unstoppable in snow'



The X Ice also doesn't howl on the highway, like other studless snows.
It is the best snow tire for what I do. short weekday commutes on steep
drumlins, and long trips up the interstate on weekends.

any current studless snow tire will be like night and day on the Yaris.

if you want MAX possible grip, get something with chunky blocks like the original
Blizzak LM50. If you want excellent snow and ice grip but less howl on highway, get the
Michelin X Ice or the newer Blizzak with a similar tread like WS60 or WS70


*if you want to stick with an M+S tire that does OK in snow, Michelin makes the
best M+S tire hands down. They actually last long in summer and have real grip
in winter to some extent.

im sorry, i have to disagree with a few points. the m+s aka all season, there are a few tires that are way ahead of Michelin. there are currently 2 all weather tires on the market, the leader is actually the Nokian WRG2, winter rated all season tire that will give the same winter performance as the Xi2, and it is made to be driven year round. a new one also arrived this year which is the Hankook Optimo 4s.

one thing that Michelin doesn't advertise is that their Xi2 is actually an entry level winter tire. they are for the person that rather drive on good winter days and want a quiet winter tire. In my area we need something a lot more aggressive. but in the end they are much better then an all season.