Technical Michelin CrossClimate +

[Alexiloki]

Hey all,

As some know, I tend to run winter tyres at this time of year. Unfortunately a few months back when I went to order some new ones as mine were well worn, the Michelin Alpins I normally have were on back order, Pirelli’s were well over £100 each and the budgets were still £60 odd plus. So I had a change of plan, and I ordered a full set of Michelin Crossclimate Pluses. These have been on my car now for 5k and they have been through mud, ice, hot weather and the rather heavy 14cm of snow and ice we have had in the past week. So I think I can give a fair assessment for any one who has considered them.

Firstly wear has been fantastic. In 5k I have lost 1.3mm of tread so plenty of life left. Apart from one none repairable puncture and replacement last week, they have performed just like the typical Michelin, aka hard wearing!

Wet grip is good, not top tier sport Tyre good but easily on par with the Energy Saver +. Dry handling has been spot on, easily on par subjectively with the Conti Premium Contact 5 that I’ve been running before.

As for the most important bit for all seasons.....snow, ice and mud. Snow traction has been fantastic, not quite as sharp as the Michelin Alpins that I’ve had on before, little more numb and light but did what I asked of them with ease. They have easily took me up the 28% snow covered gradient to my house, the deep mud on the family farm and haven’t struggled once, including volunteer driving NHS staff to work in the heavy snow we have had.

Honestly when it comes to tyres it takes a lot to impress me, but they have managed it. The high purchase price (£101 fitted) is well balanced out by being very hard wearing without excessive compromises which is a big problem with traditional all seasons, so if anybody wants a Tyre they can rely on in any weather they have my vote! So here a little bit of feedback for you guys and gals.

 

[jamesd84]

Totally agree with everything you're saying there. I had a non repairable puncture on the standard conti cross contact winters, typically on a Sunday when only kwik fit was open, they only had the cross climate+ in stock in 185 65 (which was £100 a set cheaper than the 175).
I wasn't expecting too much with them being basically a summer compound but they have performed admirably over the ice and snow we've had and they're much quieter than the contis

 

[Alexiloki]

Totally agree with everything you're saying there. I had a non repairable puncture on the standard conti cross contact winters, typically on a Sunday when only kwik fit was open, they only had the cross climate+ in stock in 185 65 (which was £100 a set cheaper than the 175).
I wasn't expecting too much with them being basically a summer compound but they have performed admirably over the ice and snow we've had and they're much quieter than the contis

Agreed. I had Goodyear Vector 4 seasons gen 2 on my MG ZS weekend motor and while everybody rated them highly, I found them to be good in the wet, fantastic in the snow but utterly rubbish in the dry. Very floaty, Understeer galore and a big increase in stopping distance over the summers they replaced. They were binned this year and now it’s sat on Crossclimate + too and the difference is night and day. To the teams who designed them, I would happily shake their hands as they did a great job.

 

[babbo_umbro]

Agreed. I had Goodyear Vector 4 seasons gen 2 on my MG ZS weekend motor and while everybody rated them highly, I found them to be good in the wet, fantastic in the snow but utterly rubbish in the dry. Very floaty, Understeer galore and a big increase in stopping distance over the summers they replaced. They were binned this year and now it’s sat on Crossclimate + too and the difference is night and day. To the teams who designed them, I would happily shake their hands as they did a great job.

That's interesting - I have the Goodyears and I'd say they're better all round than the original equipment Contis, with one of their most notable improvements stopping - and to a lesser extent cornering - in the dry.

 

[Alexiloki]

That's interesting - I have the Goodyears and I'd say they're better all round than the original equipment Contis, with one of their most notable improvements stopping - and to a lesser extent cornering - in the dry.

I think sometimes it can be very car dependant, on the MG they were appalling! One of the owners club guys thought there was something wrong with it when he drove it. However I never drove them on the Panda, but your not the first to say that a Tyre which has been reviewed as being a little meh in the dry are a little better than the OEM Conti Winters.

 

[murphyv310]

Hi.
The Panda has turned 23,000 miles today and I'm on the original boots. The fronts are on 4mm in the middle area of the tread and a little less on the outer and inner. I think the previous owner could have run them a little low on pressure.
I did notice today on the rather damp and salty roads that on a quick take away how easy it was to spin the front wheels, and on one instance the revs went way up, no ice about though just the greasy effect with damp and salt.
I have found over the years some compounds are better than others in this scenario, I used Barums for a while and found they were good. I wonder if these Michelin tyres would be a better bet than the OE Goodyear, I particularly don't like spinning the front wheels as it does the tyres no good as well as the suspension/steering.

 

[Alexiloki]

Hi.
The Panda has turned 23,000 miles today and I'm on the original boots. The fronts are on 4mm in the middle area of the tread and a little less on the outer and inner. I think the previous owner could have run them a little low on pressure.
I did notice today on the rather damp and salty roads that on a quick take away how easy it was to spin the front wheels, and on one instance the revs went way up, no ice about though just the greasy effect with damp and salt.
I have found over the years some compounds are better than others in this scenario, I used Barums for a while and found they were good. I wonder if these Michelin tyres would be a better bet than the OE Goodyear, I particularly don't like spinning the front wheels as it does the tyres no good as well as the suspension/steering.

I think they have a good shot at being a improvement, especially when Fiat in their infinite wisdom, specced a E rated wet grip Goodyear as the OEM fit tyre for most sub models of panda.....most likely on cost grounds but none the less!

 

[gar074]

That's interesting - I have the Goodyears and I'd say they're better all round than the original equipment Contis, with one of their most notable improvements stopping - and to a lesser extent cornering - in the dry.

I have the Goodyear Vector 4seasons too - I find them fine in the dry, albeit a bit prone to tyre squeal on roundabouts. If the Michelins are even better in the dry, and as good as the Goodyears in other conditions, they must be bl**dy brilliant!

 

[Alexiloki]

I have the Goodyear Vector 4seasons too - I find them fine in the dry, albeit a bit prone to tyre squeal on roundabouts. If the Michelins are even better in the dry, and as good as the Goodyears in other conditions, they must be bl**dy brilliant!

Personally I think they are brilliant [emoji106] if they can get me through snow and ice in Scotland, 12 hours on the road driving stranded doctors and nurses to work, mud plugging on the farm and still last a estimated 20k miles then I can’t argue for a second, especially when they are 85% as good as my Michelin Alpin 5’s without the effort of changing over each season. Win win I’d say.

 

[Mercky]

20k? I’m on about 33k on my Goodyear efficient grips that came with the car, I’d say they’re good for another 3 or 4k

 

[murphyv310]

23, 000 and still 4mm on the majority of the tyre would certainly last well over 30, 000 miles to the legal limit but at that level no tyre is good in the wet. I normally change them at 2.5mm or more if I feel safety is compromised.

 

[gar074]

My Goodyear 4Seasons now have 28k miles on them, and there's still plenty of tread left.

 

[The Pretender]

The Normal "Cross climate' is better then the "CC Plus".

 

[gar074]

The Normal "Cross climate' is better then the "CC Plus".

In what respects?

 

[The Pretender]

In what respects?

Dry grip.
Wet grip.
Handling.
Comfort.

 

[The Pretender]

The only difference between the normal and plus is the compound that delivers more mileage, and less drop-off between new to worn.

In simple themes it is made with harder rubber, wet label has gone from A to B.

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/What-changed-with-the-new-Michelin-CrossClimate-Plus.htm

 

[The Pretender]

This would be my choice if i would choose all season tires, not a Michelin fan.

 

[The Panda Nut]

There is some info in Auto Express on the Cross climate. It is supposed to be a summer tyre that still performs in winter. I have just put two on our... Perodua Myvi and they seem fairly good. There is no longer any danger of the back overtaking the front any more.

Auto express did say that the Cross climates have a lower score on deep water aqua planing than some others, and I can confirm this is a weakness as they are definitely less good than the other tyres we run on various cars. Its not a massive issue but is noticeable.

Traction is however very good and its suggested in A-E that you get nearly 90% of the grip of a winter tyre on damp, wet and snowy / icy roads. Again I think this is an accurate representation as they did perform well on icy roads.

Overall they seem to do OK and I am pleased with them as the car is Doing 1 350 mile return trip each week and I do to want to get stuck when motoring without Pandatonio. These tyres are I believe 175 60 14 and cost £72 each which is not too bad at all.

 

[sawman]

bit of a thread resurrection, but how are you lot finding the cross climates over a longer period of time?

our 2017 500 1.2s is going to need new fronts in the not too distant future, and I am thinking about the added benefits of crossclimates for the winter, I would probably go for uniroyal rainsports otherwise

 

[The Panda Nut]

Have these on our Prod wah. They seem fine except a slight weakness in the wet. Auto express scores support this. A worse performance for wet cornering aquaplaning. After c10K I have no issues other than road noise is noticeable on smooth surfaces. I would buy more.