Michelin CrossClimate + All Season tyres in snow

[Speedbird]

I have a 2.0 TDI 184 FR ST with Michelin Crossclimate + All season tyres fitted. They are marketed as a summer tyre with winter capabilities, and having been using them for 2 years, I can confirm they are brilliant in summer.

This morning we have had some pretty decent snow here (3-4 inches) and I had to do my essential weekly shop. So I took the car via a place I know where there's a steep hill entrance and it would be fresh snow. The video doesn't do justice to the hill, but I went up it a few times, including stopping on the hill, then restarting. The tyres were faultless. Absolutely no wheel spin, loss of grip or traction, no struggles whatsoever.

The shopping trip was about 15 miles of mostly untreated snowy roads, some compacted snow and ice and quite a few hills. Absolutely no problems whatsoever, and I passed quite a few cars who were struggling or stranded.

I have previously had a 4 wheel drive Ford Kuga with all season Pirelli tyres, and the Leon is just as sure footed in the snow as that was.

So for anyone considering winters or all seasons, I would recommend these Michelins. They genuinely are fit and forget all year round.

 

[silverbawz]

i had them on my previous car only complaint was the road noise

 

[Mr Pig]

We've used winter tyres for years and I don't understand why more people don't do it. When there is snow on the ground, the Leon with summer tyres stays parked up as it's frankly dangerous. First time I tried to use it I couldn't even get it out of the garden.

Gave up and took the other car which has winter tyres on it. Drove straight out of the garden no problem! I've you've never driven on winter tyres you have no idea how capable they are. You can do emergency stops on snow, and it works! I'd take a FWD car with winter tyres over a 4WD on summers any day.

Where I would disagree is in using all-season tyres. Don't get me wrong, I think they're better than summer tyres all year round but it's still a compromise. If you don't have the space to store another set of wheels or expect to change your car type within the next year or two, fair enough but otherwise I think full winters are better.

Cost:
If you can use them for at least three or more years, winter tyres save you money! We've used our set for four years now and, because the tread on winter tyres is so deep to begin with, the tread is still good. The set cost about £400 and I recon I could sell them just now for maybe £100? So the tyres have cost say £75 a year. This in itself is acceptable but what people forget is that while your winter tyres are on, your summer tyres are not getting used. So the saving on wear means they last longer, almost twice as long! The winter tyres would effectively cost nothing extra to run but the extra tread depth means they actually save money.

Performance:
Full winters work even better in the winter than all-season tyres do. Summer tyres work better in the summer than winter or all-season. So using winter and summer tyres gives the best performance all year round. Both winter and all-season tyres use softer rubber than summer tyres so, while their summer performance isn't too bad, they wear much faster in summer than summer tyres do.

Also:
Winter knocks the crap out of alloy wheels! All the salt and grit on the roads, pot holes are worse and you're more likely to hit them as it's dark all the time. Two years ago I hit a really bad hole with the steel winter wheels on. What a bang! dented the wheel. Would've totaled an alloy, maybe two. So with winter wheels on you keep your nice alloys tucked up safe and sound through the bad weather.

So yeah, no brainer as far as I'm concerned.

 

['& Son' managed]

Still waiting for any snow to turn-up here on the south coast, but the Vredestein Quatrac 5's, (All Season 205/55) I had put on
the Golf have so far performed very well in both warmer and the recent cold weather. I chose the Vred Q5's over Crossclimates
as reviews suggested they offered better steering feel/dry handling poise, (important to me) if not quite as good in other areas.

Agree in general with Mr Pig's points above, but I'm now trying the 'All-Season' route instead of my previous dedicated summer/winter
tyre system mainly because we get minimal amounts of actual snow. Also I'm using easy-clean 5 fat spoke wheels in preference to the
fancy-looking, but diamond-cut, 20-spoke and heavier items, (with underwhelming Michelin Eco Saver tyres) that the car came with.

 

[Mr Pig]

I'm now trying the 'All-Season' route instead of my previous dedicated summer/winter tyre system mainly because we get minimal amounts of actual snow.

It's totally dependent on your circumstances. In Scotland it's cold enough for long enough to justify winter tyres, on that car anyway. The other car only does about 3K miles a year so doesn't justify winters. I just don't take it out in the snow.

 

[BigJase88]

I have Bridgestone All Weather A005’s, wish i had went for the Michelin Cross Climates

 

[Fishbowlhead]

Was going to get some and sadly not available for 19inch wheels, in the end I didn’t bother as the other all season just don’t stack up as well against the Michelin's.

 

[Mr Pig]

Was going to get some and sadly not available for 19inch wheels

I wouldn't want them on wheels that big anyway. Can't you use 18''?

 

['& Son' managed]

CrossClimates are available in the UK in 19" sizes, but not as many as some others. They are normally among the most expensive
of All-Season tyres not surprisingly, given Michelin's long-held place as a premium brand.
Although quite a game-changer for Michelin and rightly get many rave reviews on forums, (also were heavily advertised, raising
awareness) they are certainly not the only top-level choice for All-Seasons, as various tyre reviews have demonstrated in test results.

I chose the Q5's in preference as they rated higher in terms of dry handling and were close enough in other areas, but other options
from Continental, Goodyear, Bridgestone e.t.c. also had various advantages. For sure CC's are great all-rounders, but so are the better
ones of the other options available.

 

[KXL]

Probably a very random comment, but I noticed that Crossclimates have a pattern like a V that 'digs' into the snow. What happens when you need to reverse up a hill in the snow? Does it still grip with the 'reversed' tread or it spins?

 

[redlinemike]

I have Bridgestone All Weather A005’s, wish i had went for the Michelin Cross Climates

have a set of the bridgestone all weather A005 Evo's on my cupra 4drive, been very impressed so far compared to the pirelli pzeros that were on it

 

[BigJase88]

have a set of the bridgestone all weather A005 Evo's on my cupra 4drive, been very impressed so far compared to the pirelli pzeros that were on it

I notice a lack of initial grip in damp conditions, like they struggle to bite.
On a FWD car though so would be better on 4WD

 

[RUM4MO]

Probably a very random comment, but I noticed that Crossclimates have a pattern like a V that 'digs' into the snow. What happens when you need to reverse up a hill in the snow? Does it still grip with the 'reversed' tread or it spins?

Well, my wife's 2015 Polo uses 15" Michelin Alpins in winter, which have V grooves, and our driveway is quite steep - and these tyres work very well reversing up on frost, compacted snow or snow - the only thing that stops them and I'd guess every other winter or all-season tyre, is when the sun partly thaws the top of compacted snow, and turns it into ice over night and even worse ice with icy water flowing over it during the day! So using a spade to chop up that ice then a snow shifter to get it off the driveway sorted things out until the next fall of snow.

My own car is an S4 so has four wheel drive and it also gets its wheels and tyres swopped over in wintertime, but it is dark blue pearl painted, so cleaning it takes more time in winter, so it tends to sleep in the garage!

 

[Mr Pig]

.. the Vredestein Quatrac 5's, (All Season 205/55) I had put on
the Golf have so far performed very well...

Just an opinion on Vredestein tyres in general.

Years ago I used to run them. They always did well in reviews, particularly wet grip, and they performed well. I found a bulge in the sidewall of a tyre that wasn't all that old. Put it down to one of those things.

A few years later I had a vibration which I tracked down to a tyre. Took ages to figure that out! Thought it was bearing or something. Turned out the carcass of the tyre had twisted, not something I even knew was possible.

So two structural problems from the same brand of tyre when I've never had any issues like this from any other tyre. So I called it a day and I don't use them any more. Could be isolated and freak occurrences but keep an eye on them. The sidewall bulge was on the inside, I only saw it by chance.

 

[Seriously?]

Just an opinion on Vredestein tyres in general.

Years ago I used to run them. They always did well in reviews, particularly wet grip, and they performed well. I found a bulge in the sidewall of a tyre that wasn't all that old. Put it down to one of those things.

A few years later I had a vibration which I tracked down to a tyre. Took ages to figure that out! Thought it was bearing or something. Turned out the carcass of the tyre had twisted, not something I even knew was possible.

So two structural problems from the same brand of tyre when I've never had any issues like this from any other tyre. So I called it a day and I don't use them any more. Could be isolated and freak occurrences but keep an eye on them. The sidewall bulge was on the inside, I only saw it by chance.

I have to say in my time of ownership of my old 3 Series Touring, I had 2 pairs of Vred Ultrac Sessanta on it and never had a problem; they wore well, performed decently and even looked quite nice

 

[Mr Pig]

I have to say in my time of ownership of my old 3 Series Touring, I had 2 pairs of Vred Ultrac Sessanta on it and never had a problem; they wore well, performed decently and even looked quite nice

Yeah, I like them fine, it was summer tyres I had, but two faulty tyres in the space of a couple of years put me off.

 

[black_sheep]

So two structural problems from the same brand of tyre when I've never had any issues like this from any other tyre. So I called it a day and I don't use them any more. Could be isolated and freak occurrences but keep an eye on them. The sidewall bulge was on the inside, I only saw it by chance.

I would put this down to coincidence. In my 20+ years experience, tyre damage is usually as a direct result of:

- poor fitting techniques (damage to sidewall during fitment)
- operation induced damage (striking curbs, potholes, off-road driving eg rocks slashing tyre walls, damaged/incorrect suspension geometry, incorrect inflation, directional tyres fitted to the wrong axle)
- environmental factors (ageing, exposure to UV, high power jet washing)

...Rather than a particular brand of tyre. I’ve run their tyres (winter and summer) without any issues.

 

[Tell]

I went over to Crossclimate last year on 19" Ateca 4Drive. No noticeable additional road noise. Still waiting for snow in our micro climate in the West of Wales. . I had been researching 19" ones for a bit but eventually they started to make them.

With pictures:

What did you and your ateca do today?

The Leon side is so much more active and a they have a few regular posts. This and pictures of your Leon’s. Should be a be good way of seeing what the others get up to etc. Standard snow foam shot Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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