Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 vs Michelin X Ice North 4
The data shows a clear split in priorities: Michelin consistently delivers class-leading ice performance, while Falken trades ultimate winter grip for better comfort, lower noise, and marginally better economy and dry/wet braking in milder conditions. If your winter drives swing between glassy ice and mixed asphalt, the choice hinges on which compromise you can live with.
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 two tests which compare both tyres directly!
| Tyre | Test Wins | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Michelin X Ice North 4 | two |
While it might look like the Michelin X Ice North 4 is better than the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 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
- Lower noise and better comfort (9/10 noise; comfort lead in R18 test)
- Slightly better dry and wet braking (e.g., 30.8 m dry; 37.5 m wet)
- Marginally better fuel use (≈0.4% advantage in R18 test)
- Predictable on-limit behavior with stable rear on ice
- Class-leading ice performance (−21% ice braking distance; +29% ice traction)
- Better wet/aquaplaning balance (faster wet handling and higher straight aqua speed)
- Good stability in extremes despite slow steering
- Consistent top-5 overall results in both tests
Dry Braking
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 was better during one dry braking tests. On average the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 stopped the vehicle in 4.05% less distance than the Michelin X Ice North 4.
Best In Dry Braking: Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1
See how the Dry Braking winner was calculated >>
Subj. Dry Handling
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during one subj. dry handling tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 scored 12.5% more points than the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1.
Best In Subj. Dry Handling: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Subj. Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Braking
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 was better during one wet braking tests. On average the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 stopped the vehicle in 0.79% less distance than the Michelin X Ice North 4.
Best In Wet Braking: Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1
See how the Wet Braking winner was calculated >>
Wet Handling [s]
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during one wet handling [s] tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 was 0.24% faster around a wet lap than the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1.
Best In Wet Handling [s]: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Subj. Wet Handling
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during one subj. wet handling tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 scored 7.69% more points than the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1.
Best In Subj. Wet Handling: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Subj. Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Straight Aqua
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during one straight aqua tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 floated at a 1.76% higher speed than the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1.
Best In Straight Aqua: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Straight Aqua winner was calculated >>
Snow Braking
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during one snow braking tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 stopped the vehicle in 0.4% less distance than the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1.
Best In Snow Braking: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Snow Braking winner was calculated >>
Snow Traction
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 and Michelin X Ice North 4 performed equally well in snow traction tests.
Best In Snow Traction: Both tyres performed equally well
See how the Snow Traction winner was calculated >>
Subj. Snow Handling
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 and Michelin X Ice North 4 performed equally well in subj. snow handling tests.
Best In Subj. Snow Handling: Both tyres performed equally well
See how the Subj. Snow Handling winner was calculated >>
Ice Braking
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during one ice braking tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 stopped the vehicle 21.29% shorter than the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1.
Best In Ice Braking: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Ice Braking winner was calculated >>
Ice Traction
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during one ice traction tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 accelerated 29.17% faster than the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1.
Best In Ice Traction: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Ice Traction winner was calculated >>
Subj. Ice Handling
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during one subj. ice handling tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 scored 14.29% more points than the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1.
Best In Subj. Ice Handling: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Subj. Ice Handling winner was calculated >>
Subj. Comfort
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 was better during one subj. comfort tests. On average the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 scored 28.57% more points than the Michelin X Ice North 4.
Best In Subj. Comfort: Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1
See how the Subj. Comfort winner was calculated >>
Subj. Noise
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 was better during one subj. noise tests. On average the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 scored 22.22% more points than the Michelin X Ice North 4.
Best In Subj. Noise: Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1
See how the Subj. Noise winner was calculated >>
Fuel Consumption
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 was better during one fuel consumption tests. On average the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 used 0.33% less fuel than the Michelin X Ice North 4.
Best In Fuel Consumption: Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1
See how the Fuel Consumption winner was calculated >>
Real World Driver Reviews
Tyre Reviews also collects real world driver reviews for the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 and Michelin X Ice North 4.
In total the Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 has been reviewed 0 times and drivers have given the tyre 0% 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.
View all Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 driver reviews >>
Conclusion
Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 appeals to drivers spending more time on clear or wet winter asphalt with only occasional ice. It stops a touch shorter in dry and wet, rides quieter and more comfortably, and sips marginally less fuel. However, on true ice it can't match Michelin's safety margin. Value-wise, Falken makes sense if pricing is favorable and ice exposure is limited; otherwise, Michelin's superior ice security justifies its premium. The practical takeaway: choose Michelin for maximum ice assurance; pick Falken for calmer, quieter mixed-winter commuting with rare ice encounters.
Key Differences
- Ice safety margin strongly favors Michelin (37.7 m vs 47.9 m ice braking; 5.1 s vs 7.2 s traction)
- Falken is quieter and comfier (subjective wins in noise/comfort)
- Falken edges dry and wet braking by small but repeatable margins
- Michelin steers more imprecisely on asphalt; Falken also slow/imprecise but less understeer-prone per feedback
- Michelin slightly better in wet handling and aquaplaning resilience
- Fuel economy leans to Falken (minor advantage observed)
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:
Falken Winterpeak F Snow 1 Top Comparisons
No other comparisons available for this tyre.
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.