Kumho WinterCraft Ice vs Michelin X Ice North 4

Test Results

Independent comparison tyre tests are the best source of data to get tyre information from, and the good news is there have been three tests which compare both tyres directly!

While it might look like the Michelin X Ice North 4 is better than the Kumho WinterCraft Ice purely based on the higher number of test wins, tyres are very complicated objects which means where one tyre is better than the other can be more important in real world use.

Let's look at how the two tyres compare across multiple tyre test categories.

Key Strengths

Kumho WinterCraft Ice

• Strong straight-line ice grip in braking/traction in some tests
• Lower purchase price versus premium rivals
• Slight fuel consumption advantage in one test
• Calm behavior on snow at moderate speeds

Michelin X Ice North 4

• Consistently higher overall rankings (3/3 tests)
• Shorter braking on dry, wet, snow, and often ice
• Better wet and snow handling with stable rear behavior
• Significantly better comfort and lower noise

Real World Driver Reviews

Tyre Reviews also collects real world driver reviews for the Kumho WinterCraft Ice and Michelin X Ice North 4.

In total the Kumho WinterCraft Ice has been reviewed 2 times and drivers have given the tyre 68% overall.

The Michelin X Ice North 4 has been reviewed 10 times and drivers have given the tyre 84% overall.

This means in real world driving, people prefer the Michelin X Ice North 4.

Conclusion

Michelin's X-Ice North 4 is the more rounded, reliable winter performer: shorter dry and wet stops, better wet and snow handling, strong ice capability, and substantially superior comfort and noise. Its weaknesses are moderate-sluggish steering feel and ordinary asphalt behavior-but they don't outweigh its safety edge.

Kumho's WinterCraft Ice shows flashes on ice (notably braking/traction in some tests) and costs less, but its severe noise/comfort issues and poorer wet/asphalt control limit real-world appeal. Choose Michelin for broad Nordic winter use, safety priority, and daily refinement. Consider Kumho only if budget is tight and you primarily drive slow-speed, straight-line icy routes where its stud bite can pay off.

Key Differences

• Overall results: Michelin ahead in all shared tests (positions: 5/20 vs 6/20; 4/14 vs 7/14; 3/16 vs 8/16)
• Wet safety: Michelin stops shorter (e.g., 37.8 m vs 40.8 m wet braking, +7.35% advantage) and handles quicker
• Snow performance: Michelin consistently edges braking/traction/handling (e.g., snow braking 50.1 m vs 51 m; handling leads in two tests)
• Ice profile: Mixed-Kumho wins some straight-line ice tests (e.g., 33.1 m vs 37.7 m braking; traction 4.7 s vs 5.1 s), while Michelin excels in others (e.g., 38.8 m vs 42.2 m ice braking in 2021) and often handles better
• Comfort/noise: Major gap-Michelin rated much quieter and more compliant; Kumho criticized for extreme stud noise and jittery ride
• Value vs. refinement: Kumho cheaper (~38% in 2021 sample) and slightly more frugal once, but Michelin offers stronger safety breadth and daily usability

Overall Winner: Michelin X Ice North 4

Based on the tyre test data and user reviews we have in our database, the Michelin X Ice North 4 has demonstrated better overall performance in this comparison. However, as you can see from the spider diagram above, each tyre has its own strengths which should be considered in your final tyre buying choice.

Similar Comparisons

Looking for more tyre comparisons? Here are other direct comparisons involving these tyres:

Kumho WinterCraft Ice Top Comparisons

No other comparisons available for this tyre.

Michelin X Ice North 4 Top Comparisons

Michelin X Ice North 4 VS Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10

Hankook Winter i pike RS2 VS Michelin X Ice North 4

Michelin X Ice North 4 VS Michelin X Ice Snow

View All Michelin X Ice North 4 Comparisons

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Footnote

This page has been developed using tyre industry testing best practices. This means we are only comparing tests which have had both tyres in the same test.

Why is this important? Tyre testing is heavily affected by things like surface grip levels and surface temperature, which means you can only compare values from the same day. During a tyre test external condition changes are calculated into the overall results, but it is not possible to calculate this between tyre tests performed on different days or at different locations.

As a result you will see other tests on Tyre Reviews which feature both the %s and %s, but as they weren't conducted on the same day, the results are not comparable.

Lots of other websites do this sort of tyre comparison, Tyre Reviews doesn't.