xc90 sliding in light snow
 

Hello guys,

My wife just called me and complained that her 04 XC90 has slipped again in light snow. Her XC90 has Michelin tires that have just been replaced Feb. this year. They are the same as the original Michelins. She said she noticed that lately her XC90 has been sliding in light snow. What could be the reason for loosing traction? Do I need to buy her winter tires to get the right grip on the road? She's losing her confidence driving it bec. of her recent experiences.

Any advise would be highly appreciated. Thank you

RE: xc90 sliding in light snow
 

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Can you further identify which Michelin's you have on the XC90? From my (very simple to do) research, I have found that Michelin makes a whole range of tires, and even in the Pilot Series there are 12 different types to choose from, including ones called Sport. You can make up your own mind on how those might perform in snowy and slushy road conditions.

We happen to have the Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 which is an all season mud and snow Luxury ride tire. It handles well in snow (we had 88" in Detroit last season, never a problem once), and got 65K miles out of the set that came from thefactory. I bought an identical set because they treated us so well, and I shopped the price for a good deal, got them for $135. each on a special at Discount Tire.

Some others here blackball the Michelins citing poor tire life or cost, but again, with the HX MXM4 series we have not had any of the problems others have complained about.

Let us know which specific tires you have, and good luck with your XC90!

bmb.

RE: xc90 sliding in light snow
 

She has Michelin 4x4 Synchrone.

RE: xc90 sliding in light snow
 

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the Synchrone. If any of the other XC90 folks here had experiences with that model they would have chimed in by now.

You may want to speak with your local tire outlet(s) to get their opinion about the Synchrone and it's suitability for winter driving. Also, does the tire have anM+Son it which would indicate its for mud and snow? That might also be aclue. Worst case would be to research it on Michelin's website to see what their intended purpose for that tire is.

Another factor could bethe mileage on the tires, depending on how much its been driven since February when they were replaced. Some folks here have shared experiences with some Michelins where they only got 20-25K miles on a set.

Sorry I couldn't be more help...

bmb