18" CX-9 Wheel Tire Options

[Snaab508]

Hey guys - I have a 21 Touring with the 18" wheels. My stock Yokos are at 24K and not going to last much longer - they're already very loose in heavy rain and were never great in the snow. I'm in the Northeast and need a decent all season that will last way longer than the stock tires, but also don't want to lose any of the great handling characteristics. There don't look to be a ton of well-rated options in this 255/60/18 size.

Are the Michelin CrossClimate 2's the default / best option at this point? I see Bridgestone Alenza AS Ultra, but not too many reviews on it, and some mixed reviews on the Vredestein Quadtrack Pro. Anyone riding on these in the 18s? Thoughts on them? I'm fine waiting a month or so until Costco has a deal if needed.

 

[potownrob]

if you run them in the winter too, i'd try to stick to grand touring or touring tires or similar. i'll let the others tell you about the michelins and other tires. i personally have been loving my general altimax rt45 tires i got last fall. great wet (including snow) and dry traction, very good supposed treadlife (and when i had them rotated this spring w/ my oil change, they didn't want to rotate them since there was almost no detectable wear even after 7000+ miles - i had them rotate them anyway), and decent ride and handling. the handling is not as good as a higher performance tire, but it's not bad, and i'll take the great wet and dry traction (and treadlife) over amazing handling. from what i've heard, the continental crosscontact lx tires have better ride, treadlife and possibly better handling (despite being touring tires). their snow traction might not be as good though (based on reviews of the tire; haven't read a direct comparison to the generals). continental is the premium brand above mid-level general (like michelin is to bf goodrich).

 

[PTguy]

There is a relatively new unofficial tire category called All Weather tires. These are All Seasons with the snow severe service rating, the 3-peak mountain snowflake symbol. These will give better snow traction that a typical All Season, but not the ice traction of a real winter tire.
Start here: TireRack All Weather 255/60-18
And here: TireRack SUV 255/60-18
Yes, the Michelin CrossClimate2 is the pick o' the litter.

For my 20", if I was buying tires now, I'd consider the new Pirelli all-weather tires. Alas, they aren't made in the 18" size yet.

 

[Agape_365]

I am pleased with the discovery AT3 so far, heavy rain, mud did well havent had the opportunity to try snow yet

 

[PTguy]

I think you mean the Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S...fits our 20" wheels but not our 18" wheels. The AT2 4S is All-Weather. The other AT3 models don't fit either 18" or 20" CX-9 wheels. The AT3 line is more of an on-road/off-road combination tire..."A specially-designed 5-rib all-terrain pattern provides impressive off-road driving capability and improved wet/dry traction."

 

[potownrob]

OP wants a good handling tire - do any of those AT (or AW) tires have good handling characteristics?

 

[Snaab508]

The tread pattern on the Michelin CrossClimate2s is pretty aggressive - like the snow tires I used to run on my Saab - so that might have been my initial hesitation. But, the TireRack test results seem to indicate they are up there in handling, braking, and traction. Costco only sells 4 all seasons in this size, this looks to be the best option they have.