Michelin Cross Climate

[pcardoza]

Has anyone put a set of these on their CX5? Opinion?

I know some have noted the traction specs as inferior, but reading reviews on Tirerack.com reflects loads of glowing reviews.......

2019 GTR

 

[kdaug]

Has anyone put a set of these on their CX5? Opinion?

I know some have noted the traction specs as inferior, but reading reviews on Tirerack.com reflects loads of glowing reviews.......

2019 GTR

My local COSTCO sales rep suggested the Cross Climates to me but then one of their tire tech's suggested I avoid them as he has heard that they have a bit of a harsh ride and aren't that quiet. A poster on another CX-5 thread has said that they have a B traction rating which is not acceptable for such an expensive tire. I don't need any improved winter/snow traction as I run separate winter tires anyways, so, after some research I have narrowed my next all season choice down to the Continental Cross Contact LX25, as recommended by many forum posters, unless Michelin comes out with another tire between now and late summer.

 

[trevorjk]

You might've seen this video on YouTube. I like his videos and he did a good job describing the tire. In the video he also mentions that the B traction rating is an older test where the tire is held stationary (not turning) and pulled to see the traction. He explains that nowadays systems like ABS breaking prevent this situation from happening, but I guess it's not impossible to happen.

Link:

I'm also deciding between the Michelin cross climate 2 and the cross contact lx25. Haven't decided yet, but I'm leaning towards the Michelin.

 

[markjenn]

Both the CC and the LX25 are good choices, but from what I've read the CC has a low-pitched "growl" associated with that wild tread pattern that could be annoying. If you want a smoother, quieter tire, I'd go with the LX25 and if you want something with more aggressive ride/handling and don't mind the noise, go with the CC.

- Mark

 

[yrwei52]

⋯ A poster on another CX-5 thread has said that they have a B traction rating which is not acceptable for such an expensive tire. I don't need any improved winter/snow traction as I run separate winter tires anyways,

Traction rating of UTQG has nothing to do with winter / snow traction. It’s only dealing with wet surface.

Traction Grades​

UTQG Traction Grades are based on the tire's straight line wet coefficient of traction as the tire skids across the specified test surfaces. The UTQG traction test does not evaluate dry braking, dry cornering, wet cornering, or high speed hydroplaning resistance.

The Traction Grade is determined by installing properly inflated test tires on the instrumented axle of a "skid trailer." The skid trailer is pulled behind a truck at a constant 40 mph over wet asphalt and wet concrete test surfaces. Its brakes are momentarily locked and the axle sensors measure the tire's coefficient of friction (braking g forces) as it slides. Since this test evaluates a sliding tire at a constant 40 mph, it places more emphasis on the tire's tread compound and less emphasis on its tread design.

In 1997, the UTQG Traction Grades were revised to provide a new category of AA for the highest performing tires in addition to the earlier A, B and C grades. Previously the A grade had been the highest available and was awarded to tires that offered wet coefficients of traction above 0.47 g on asphalt and 0.35 g on concrete. Today the grades and their traction coefficients are as follows:

Traction Grades	Asphalt g-Force	Concrete g-Force
AA	Above 0.54	0.38
A	Above 0.47	0.35
B	Above 0.38	0.26
C	Less Than 0.38	0.26

 

[The ManLaw]

On tireracks site, loads of people have lost mpgs, enough to make me pass over them for my crv. What it came down to for me was yes, the CCs have amazing reviews for the snow, but I chose pirelis instead so I wouldn't suffer mileage.

 

[kdaug]

Traction rating of UTQG has nothing to do with winter / snow traction. It’s only dealing with wet surface.

Yes, I do understand that the B rating on the tire refers to none snowy road traction. It is the slightly more aggressive tread design that Michelin has used to aid the CC2 in improved snow traction, making what they claim to be a true 4 season tire. This will also make it less quiet than most "regular" all seasons. I don't need this feature in an all season as I run separate winters. Therein lies the tradeoff, which I don't care for, as Michelin have tried to make a true 4 season tire with the CC2.

 

[cz5gt]

Yes. I also think the pattern of the crossclimate2 is targetting winter conditions.
Its pattern is similar to the winter champion Michelin Alpin So no surprise there.

I wouldnt put the Cross climate in the case that you have winter tires or dont need winter tires.
Stick with the LX25 or get a proper summer tire if you have separate winter tires.

 

[kdaug]

Yes. I also think the pattern of the crossclimate2 is targetting winter conditions.
Its pattern is similar to the winter champion Michelin Alpin So no surprise there.

I wouldnt put the Cross climate in the case that you have winter tires or dont need winter tires.
Stick with the LX25 or get a proper summer tire if you have separate winter tires.

Yep...the LX25's are still my first choice at the moment. While true "summer" tires may seem an obvious choice by some for my mostly 3 season needs I hear that they tend to have a lower tread life as I suspect that have a softer rubber compound to get that extra grip sportier vehicles want.

I have run Michelin's for years and most recently had the Premier LTX's on my previous CX-5. I absolutely loved the way they performed. Many users of this tire found that they wore our more quickly than they would like. Fortunately I made mind last for years as I don't put on a lot of miles anyway, and I put on winters every year as well. COSTCO no longer carry them but I live in hope that Michelin will update that tire in the near future to give me another option.

 

[yrwei52]

⋯ I have run Michelin's for years and most recently had the Premier LTX's on my previous CX-5. ⋯ COSTCO no longer carry them but I live in hope that Michelin will update that tire in the near future to give me another option.

Tire Rack has listed Michelin Premier LTX as close-out item. Looks like LTX is done for its short product life apparently affected by its shortcomings with high price.

 

[kdaug]

Tire Rack has listed Michelin Premier LTX as close-out item. Looks like LTX is done for its short product life apparently affected by its shortcomings with high price.

Is there such a thing as a cheap Michelin??

 

[yrwei52]

Is there such a thing as a cheap Michelin??

Definitely not! But if car owners paid high price and didn’t get high quality they expected, they complain. And the product may get removed after the short market life. I used to get only Michelin tires. But after 2 blowouts on Michelin’s and they refused to do anything to repair the damage, I started to look for other tire brands with good quality but lower price.

 

[Mazdiod2]

Is there such a thing as a cheap Michelin??

I bought some Michelin tires at Wal-Mart years ago that were pretty cheap. Harmony was the model.

 

[kdaug]

Definitely not! But if car owners paid high price and didn’t get high quality they expected, they complain. And the product may get removed after the short market life. I used to get only Michelin tires. But after 2 blowouts on Michelin’s and they refused to do anything to repair the damage, I started to look for other tire brands with good quality but lower price.

I have been buying my Michelin tires at COSTCO for the past 15 years or so as I've had really good service with them. I guess one of the downsides is their limited choice of tires particularly in the 225/55/19 size and V speed rating for all seasons. Although they carry some H rated Pirellis with positive reviews I have stayed away from them as the Pirelli tire label says not to install tires that are a lower speed rating than that recommended by the manufacturer. So, unless Michelin comes out with a new tire I like later this year I may have to jump ship and get some Conti Lx25's from someone else.

 

[cz5gt]

our 19" 225 55 size is weird. Not very popular which means low quantity.
Except the cx5 there are only a very small number of other vehicles with that funky size.
The new models Michelin released in 19" 225 55 are the Primacy AS Tour (they did reduce the price on those recently) and the summer only Pilot 4 suv (already cheaper than all seasons).
Most likely we would be stuck with those options for now.. but time will tell.

I am curious, if you are leaning toward Michelin then why dont you like the Primacy as an option?
its pattern is more summer-ish even though its all season. Has excellent water and dry surface traction, quiet and is a very good tire for the CX5. -'oem tire' on some luxury models.

 

[yrwei52]

our 19" 225 55 size is weird. Not very popular which means low quantity.
Except the cx5 there are only a very small number of other vehicles with that funky size.
The new models Michelin released in 19" 225 55 are the Primacy AS Tour (they did reduce the price on those recently) and the summer only Pilot 4 suv (already cheaper than all seasons).
Most likely we would be stuck with those options for now.. but time will tell.

I am curious, if you are leaning toward Michelin then why dont you like the Primacy as an option?
its pattern is more summer-ish even though its all season. Has excellent water and dry surface traction, quiet and is a very good tire for the CX5. -'oem tire' on some luxury models.

“540 A A” UTQG.

Best All-Season Michelin 225/55R19 Tires?

 

[pcardoza]

So I had the CC's installed yesterday morning. First impression is VERY positive. I did about 20 highway and 20 backroad miles this morning.

I'd say they are easily as quiet, or more quiet, than the OE Toyos they replaced (very worn). They feel like they handle great, although I'm no boy-racer! On top of that I love the aggressive look they add to the CX.

My cost, including 6.25% MASS sales tax was $1,071, all in. Includes free rotation every 6k miles.

Looks like lots of rain coming on Sunday, so I'll see how they handle in the wet then. Hopefully, no more chances to check them out in the snow this spring! ;-)

 

[trevorjk]

So I had the CC's installed yesterday morning. First impression is VERY positive. I did about 20 highway and 20 backroad miles this morning.

I'd say they are easily as quiet, or more quiet, than the OE Toyos they replaced (very worn). They feel like they handle great, although I'm no boy-racer! On top of that I love the aggressive look they add to the CX.

My cost, including 6.25% MASS sales tax was $1,071, all in. Includes free rotation every 6k miles.

Looks like lots of rain coming on Sunday, so I'll see how they handle in the wet then. Hopefully, no more chances to check them out in the snow this spring! ;-)

Good to hear that they are not any more noisy than the OE Toyos. I am okay with the noise from the OE Toyos.

There are a lot of reviews online and quotes from installers at stores saying that the CC's are noisy tires.

 

[pcardoza]

We had some heavy rain here Sunday and I made a 40mi round trip in the middle of it. The CC's performed very nicely both on the highway and backroads that had a lot of standing water. So far, I have no negatives to report on these tires. We'll see how they perform over time.

 

[ruthrj]

I also installed the Michelin Cross Climate 2 tires on my ‘13 CX-5 (17” wheels) a couple of weeks ago. My Goodyear ComforTred Assurance tires with about 5 years and 55k miles were having very poor traction for the last several thousand miles (even though they had another year of tread left).

My initial impression is very positive. They are extremely quiet and I haven’t heard the growl/whine below 25 mph that I read in reviews. I like how they track very straight. I think the tread pattern tends to pull the wheel toward center vs a traditional tread pattern. It makes the steering feel a little numb on the highway, but I prefer that to more frequent adjustments (reducing fatigue).

The dry traction is excellent. I’ve gunned it on the way up my curvy mountain drive and it doesn’t lose grip. I haven’t had much wet weather to test them in which is the real reason I got them. That same drive home can be hazardous when the road is damp. My last trip up with my old Goodyear tires sucked when the road was wet. It was actually a struggle trying to accelerate at all on inclines without the front wheels spinning (my CX5 is 2WD). I’ll report back on that.

I also like the 3 peak rating. This year we had a couple light snowfalls in northern AL. There might be 2 or 3 days a year where there is a little snow on the mountain so I feel a bit safer with these if I had to drive in it. I would have gone with something cheaper like the Continental LX25 if not for the location of our home. The drive up is always shaded and gets very slick with rain, and the random snowfall we might get.

Gas mileage is unchanged for me with the Cross Climate 2. I’m still getting 30+ mpg on my daily commute. I love the look too. They look kind of aggressive and stand out vs a regular tire. I had to give the car a wash this last weekend because the tires looked so good on it LOL!