Michelin X Tour A/S T+H Review: Honest Assessment of a Reliable Costco Exclusive Tire

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After Bridgestone, the tire company Michelin is the world’s second-largest manufacturer of tires, with a tiny lead over Goodyear. Naturally, the French company produces and manufactures a large quantity of tires, which can be used on virtually every vehicle that has ever traversed the surface of the Earth.

The X Tour A/S T+H is one of the dozen different passenger-car tires that Michelin has available. However, there is a possibility that you will not be able to locate this all-season touring tire at well-known online merchants such as Tire Rack. There’s a good reason for that—Costco is the only place that sells it.

Therefore, does this indicate that Michelin designed a tire with Costco in mind specifically? The answer is no, of course. Creating a new tire from scratch is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor. In addition, as I mentioned before, Michelin currently has a dozen different types of tires for passenger cars in its product line, including all-season touring tires.

As a result, it is likely a far simpler and less expensive choice to duplicate the design of existing items. Michelin did exactly that in this case. The fact that the X Tour A/S T+H and the Defender T+H are indistinguishable in any way should be brought to everyone’s attention here.

If the tire is the same, then why does Michelin sell it under two separate brand names? It’s undoubtedly a contract with Costco, which wants to brag about having special tires created only for its members, and Costco wants to make that happen. Although it may give the impression that you will be participating in something more significant, in reality, you will be using the same tire as the vast majority of drivers of passenger cars in North America.

Having said that, drawing inspiration from the Defender T+H is not at all anything that should be considered a negative. The standard touring all-season tire offered by Michelin is one of the most successful products available in its market segment. On the other hand, one should always anticipate that from a tire bearing the Michelin name and insignia on the sidewall.

The Michelin X Tour is offered in a wide variety of popular sizes, ranging from a wheel diameter of 15 inches all the way up to a wheel diameter of 17 inches. These measurements are suitable for compact automobiles like the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic, as well as minivans, mid-size sedans, and even some coupes and crossovers.

Despite this, Michelin sells the Defender T+H in an even wider range of sizes, including wheels with a lower diameter of 14 inches and wheels with a bigger diameter of 18 inches.

Now that we’ve established that, let’s take a look at the characteristics that Michelin included in the X Tour tire that make it a practical choice for drivers (spoiler alert: the tire has the same characteristics and design as the Defender T+H).

After that, you will be able to read my comprehensive evaluation of the Michelin X Tour A/S T+H, in which I will discuss the performance of the tire on dry and wet roads, as well as the grip in snow, the durability, and the comfort.

What are the features of the Michelin X Tour A/S T+H?

Michelin notes that the X Tour A/S is a tire that was designed to provide long treadlife, all-season safety, and a smooth and quiet ride on their website. These characteristics are typical of high-end touring tires, so there is nothing extraordinary about the fact that they are present here.

Michelin employed an enhanced all-season tread compound to accomplish these goals. The new iteration of this compound focuses on providing even better wear characteristics and a longer lifespan than its predecessor did. The substance also has a high silica concentration, which helps to improve traction when used on surfaces that are damp.

An asymmetric tread design is constructed using the rubber compound and is molded into an asymmetric tread pattern. The goal of this design is to improve ride quality and reduce road noise. Additionally, the tread pattern incorporates the IntelliSipe technology, which places sipes in the tread blocks of the tire that are arranged in a zigzag pattern. These sipes produce more biting edges than wavy or straight sipes, which not only increases grip and braking in snow, but also assists when driving in wet weather.

Michelin’s tires include four large circumferential grooves that run the length of the tread to improve the tire’s performance in wet conditions. Even in conditions of extremely heavy precipitation, the likelihood of hydroplaning is decreased as a result of the grooves’ ability to direct water into the lateral notches.

Michelin’s MaxTouch Construction technology, which helps distribute the forces of the tire more uniformly over the contact patch, was applied so that the company could further improve the tread wear of its products. Because of this, there is less of a risk that the tires will wear in uneven patterns, which results in a longer treadlife.

In the meantime, Michelin has ensured that every car equipped with the X Tour will experience an improvement in its fuel economy. Because the tire is constructed with specialist materials, it has a lower rolling resistance, which, in turn, can help you save money on fuel over time.

The X Tour utilizes a conventional internal design pattern that is typical of touring all-season tires. It has two wide steel belts that are reinforced by a single ply of polyamide for improved responsiveness. Additionally, the body casing is constructed out of two layers of material for enhanced ride quality.

What are the maintenance indicators?

The X Tour from Michelin is equipped with the standard TWIs, which stand for tread wear indicators. These indicators make it easier for the driver to keep track of how much tread is still there on the tire.

Without adequate tread depth, a tire won’t be able to evacuate water effectively, hence these signs are absolutely necessary for ensuring passenger safety. This results in hydroplaning, which is dangerous for the vehicle since it compromises its stability. In addition, if the tire does not have a sufficient amount of tread depth, it will not be able to give usable grip on snow.

The X Tour has a minimum tread depth of 2/32 inches at all times. At this point, Michelin and the relevant authorities declare that the tire is no longer able to function properly on wet surfaces. When something like this occurs, you should immediately get a whole new pair of tires for the vehicle.

Using the TWIs, fortunately, it is simple to determine whether or not your tire still has sufficient tread left. These are thin rubber bars that are built into the circumferential treads of the tire. When a tire is brand new, this recess is not present in the treads.

As the tread is worn down, the bars become more obvious to the viewer. The bars will be totally flush with the surface when the tread depth reaches 2/32 of an inch.

At least on the Michelin X Tour, we won’t have to worry about that happening anytime soon. The extraordinary treadlife of this tire has been proven both by owners and by the exceptional guarantee that comes with it. The treadwear warranty that is provided by Michelin is among the best in the touring category, and it is good for 80,000 km.

How does it behave on a dry tarmac?

To begin, I would like to bring to your attention the fact that the X Tour is a conventional all-season touring tire. This indicates that it is not intended for high-speed driving or extremely sharp turns at high speeds. Because of this, whenever I have something positive to say about a tire, I will refer to it in the context of the touring category.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, we can talk about how the X Tour offers some of the best handling characteristics of any vehicle in its class. In spite of its focus on comfort, the X Tour tire provides a respectable level of responsiveness and outstanding grip in the corners.

Both the traction for acceleration and the braking distances are good, and they are among the shortest that can be found in the category of all-season touring vehicles.

When it comes to the overall quality of the driving experience, the X Tour is among the most proficient touring all-season tires now available on the market.

How is it over wet and slippery roads?

The X Tour maintains its impressive performance even when driving on wet roads thanks to the deep tread pattern and finely developed sipes. In this regard, however, some of the X Tour’s rivals provide a little superior experience, although the X Tour is still quite suitable for on-the-job use.

The tire provides sufficient traction on wet terrain, it handles turns without causing any problems, and it has a short stopping distance. Additionally, the resistance to hydroplaning in heavy weather is noteworthy, and the tire does not readily lose traction when driving. The stopping distances are also among the best in the category when it comes to scenarios where there is a lot of rain.

To summarize, the X Tour, much like other Michelin tires, is a fantastic option for daily driving in environments where there is a high likelihood of encountering wet roads.

With that being said, how is it on snowy roads?

The X Tour is not a walk in the park during the winter months. You may anticipate good traction in light snow because to the zig-zag sipes, and you can also expect adequate braking distances thanks to how short they are.

On the other hand, the opposition has just lately introduced touring all-season tires that are even better over snow, and some of them even work over ice.

Consequently, the X Tour A/S performs admirably well in those conditions; although, to tell you the truth, I had higher expectations given the price.

Is it suitable for off-road driving?

Although it is possible to install a set of X Tour tires on certain crossovers, these tires are not the best option for driving off-road by a long shot. It is possible to operate it over hardpacked ground for shorter distances; however, you should exercise caution if the surfaces are wet because it is possible that you will become trapped.

In addition, the X Tour is not protected from cuts and chips, and extended exposure to sharp objects may easily cause damage to the tire if it is exposed for a long enough period of time.

Is it comfortable and refined?

Michelin performed an excellent job of lowering the amount of noise generated by the road. In point of fact, this touring all-season tire is one of the quietest options now available. Additionally, the X Tour has a very good ride quality, both on the highway and on a variety of different terrains.

Should I buy the Michelin X Tour A/S T+H?

Given that this model and the Defender T+H are virtually indistinguishable from one another, it is imperative that you compare the prices of the two. Simply get the tire that is currently selling at the lowest price.

When compared to other premium competitors, the Honda X Tour is a very affordable option. The tire does not have any major drawbacks, and what’s more significant is that it performs well in day-to-day activities.

Having said that, you may have a very comparable experience with tires that are far less expensive, such as the Continental TrueContact Tour. In addition, the price difference is not inconsequential; the TrueContact Tour is approximately twenty percent less expensive in a number of aspects.