Fitted michelin crossclimates last weekend and....errr...

[moonloops]

..seriously WTF are these tyres made from?

Over the last few days it has been very cold and very wet. Why is the wet grip of these tyres making the same as driving my car on summer pilot 4's in August?

I've not been hooning around on them, just leaving everyone else on the road in my mirrors

That said, the real test will be on icy surfaces, snow is a given..

p.s. I did drive on these tyres when it was 8 degrees outside and they didn't explode

 

[Riva811]

I believe they only have an advantage with temperatures below 5C and ice

Sent from my H8116 using Tapatalk

 

[moonloops]

I believe they only have an advantage with temperatures below 5C and ice

Sent from my H8116 using Tapatalk

Fake news !

New rubber compound
In order to enable the best handling characteristics in all seasons, the MICHELIN CrossClimate has a new rubber compound. It improves grip in all weathers and on the EU tyre label the tyre gets the best value "A" in the wet grip. Its rolling resistance was optimised so that the related fuel consumption is low and reaches at least a "B-C" rating at the fuel efficiency category on the EU tyre label in all sizes. The slats in the V-shaped profile of the MICHELIN CrossClimate were arranged so that the braking distance is better in dry conditions as well as the snow traction. The chamfered tread block edges conducive to it, too. The modern tread design also extends the tyre life as it wears off evenly.

 

[classiccarzone]

Sooo how does it get its grip in the ice?

 

[BTB 500]

Fake news !

The slats in the V-shaped profile of the MICHELIN CrossClimate were arranged so that the braking distance is better in dry conditions

Better than what? Previous CrossClimates? Winter tyres in general? Summer tyres? Racing slicks?

 

[BTB 500]

Sooo how does it get its grip in the ice?

Magic. Of course everyone else is still using pesky studs.

 

[moonloops]

Sooo how does it get its grip in the ice?

They mix the rubber with unicorn tears ??

No idea, I had full winter tyres a few years back and they coped with ice no problem.

 

[classiccarzone]

They mix the rubber with unicorn tears ??

No idea, I had full winter tyres a few years back and they coped with ice no problem.

Must be magic

 

[grober]

Michelin Cross Climate vs Winter and All-season tyres

 

[AltonAnt]

I bought Crossclimates after checking the reviews.
They are generally better in the wet than nearly all summer and winter tyres, better in snow than all summer and some winters and still decent in the summer. They are a no brainer if you live in the South IMO.

They are not that great in aquaplaning tests though and have been edged out of the top all-season tests by the Continental - All-season tyre test 2018/2019: Results by category

 

[BTB 500]

Michelin Cross Climate vs Winter and All-season tyres

The key question though is how grip compares with normal tyres on dry roads (when you will typically be driving the fastest). The title looked hopeful ...

Dry and wet tests
We first sampled the Cross Climate on roads surrounding and on the French Alps earlier in the year. After equipping a Volkswagen Golf with Cross Climates, we were able to directly compare the tyre with conventional summer/winter/all-season in a series of controlled tests.

The first was wet braking. Braking from 62mph, we stopped some 5.3 metres shorter than conventional all-seasons could manage. Impressive.

The next test involved cornering on a wet road. While we didn’t have equipment to accurately measure lateral G fitted, the car was noticeably better at maintaining its line around corners than when wearing summer rubber. Understeer was significantly reduced on the Cross Climates.

The final test was to ascend a snow-covered ramp. While the Cross Climates couldn’t offer the bite of proper snow tyres, traction was mighty impressive if one used smooth, gentle throttle applications. In fact, the Cross Climates matched the all-seasons we tested. The summer rubber couldn’t even drag the car forward one-inch.

So which of those was a test in the dry then?

 

[Riva811]

I wonder how they fair against the good gear assymetrics on the wet which aren't winter nor cross season.

Sent from my H8116 using Tapatalk

 

[moonloops]

I wonder how they fair against the good gear assymetrics on the wet which aren't winter nor cross season.

Sent from my H8116 using Tapatalk

They are MUCH better in the wet than the Michelin Pilot sports were that I just replaced the crossclimates with.

 

[BTB 500]

They are not that great in aquaplaning tests though and have been edged out of the top all-season tests by the Continental - All-season tyre test 2018/2019: Results by category

Interesting to note in those results that the summer tyre performed best in virtually all of the tests apart from snow e.g.

-straight aquaplane
-curved aquaplane
-wet braking
-wet handing
-wet circle
-dry braking
-dry handling

How does that square with earlier comments about the perceived advantage of CrossClimates in the wet?

In the overall results the summer tyre scored higher than ALL the all season tyres.

 

[moonloops]

Interesting to note in those results that the summer tyre performed best in virtually all of the tests apart from snow e.g.

-straight aquaplane
-curved aquaplane
-wet braking
-wet handing
-wet circle
-dry braking
-dry handling

How does that square with earlier comments about the perceived advantage of CrossClimates in the wet?

In the overall results the summer tyre scored higher than ALL the all season tyres.

It maybe because it is cold and wet at the moment i.e 4 to 5 degrees C.

I'll I know is pulling out of a junction fairly gently With the Pilot sports did kick in a bit of traction control. With the cross climates I gave it a bit more beans than normal and zero traction control kicked in.

 

[BTB 500]

It's 12.6 C here at the moment

I assume the Auto Express testing was done somewhere fairly cold for the snow sections?

 

[Rory]

I put All Season's on mine a few years ago and ended up with Kumho KH21's on the rear and Vredestein Quatrac 3's on the front - no All Season tyre available at the time had both the front and rear sizes (staggered set-up) in the correct speed rating and load index.

They've been absolutely fine in terms of ride, handling, noise and wear. They inspire a lot of confidence in very wet conditions. I haven't really tested them in snow.

 

[Will]

Often consumers compare whatever brand new tyres they’ve just fitted to the worn out/several years old ones they’ve just removed, naturally old tyres with low tread are going to perform poorly.

All tyres are a compromise to some degree, I get the whole winter tyre thing but the cynic in me says the tyre companies are probably pleased to be selling more sets with more people now having a second set for cold weather

Cross climates are probably good for late autumn and early spring but I doubt they’re ever going to match summer tyres in warm dry weather or winter tyres for the snow.

3 sets?

 

[rf065]

the cynic in me says the tyre companies are probably pleased to be selling more sets with more people now having a second set for cold weather

That doesn't stack up though, using a set of winter tyres means your summer tyres last a lot longer timewise at least and are replaced less frequently. As for the winters, I get at least 4 to 5 years out of the rears and about 8 years on the fronts as they are only on for probably 3 months per year. I'm buying tyres less frequently than I was using summers all year.

 

[Riva811]

Summer all around unless you will experience a lot of snow

Often consumers compare whatever brand new tyres they’ve just fitted to the worn out/several years old ones they’ve just removed, naturally old tyres with low tread are going to perform poorly.

All tyres are a compromise to some degree, I get the whole winter tyre thing but the cynic in me says the tyre companies are probably pleased to be selling more sets with more people now having a second set for cold weather

Cross climates are probably good for late autumn and early spring but I doubt they’re ever going to match summer tyres in warm dry weather or winter tyres for the snow.

3 sets?

Sent from my H8116 using Tapatalk