Our two-year-long test and review of the Michelin CrossClimate2 all-weather tire conclude on a positive note.
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Testing note: This story is not a paid promotion. The tires tested were provided at no cost by the manufacturer, but mounting was paid for by the author. Two years ago, we kicked off a long-term test and review of the then-new Michelin CrossClimate2 all-weather tire. The claim to fame of the CrossClimate2 is that it offers much better winter performance than an all-season touring tire, but with no downsides. Based on our years of testing on a 2018 Mazda CX-5, we can confirm that this tire is all it's cracked up to be and more. Here is a quick list of all our prior test updates:
Long-term Test of Michelin CrossClimate2 All-Weather Tires - Initial Impressions
Second Update Here Third Update Here
Michelin CrossClimate2 Tire Owner Reports - Outstanding Winter Traction Watch the Michelin CrossClimate2 Tire Tackle Ice-Slick Roads
Michelin CrossClimate2 - Our Opinion After Two Years of Testing Our testing in real-world New England driving confirms all of the promises Michelin makes about this tire, and also all of the praise heaped on this tire by owners on social media. The Michelin CrossClimate2 Tire walks the walk.
Wet Weather Testing Results The deep grooves of the CrossClimate2 tires solved one concern we had with the touring tires the CX-5 came with - highway puddles. The new tires not only have better wet-weather grip in the rain, but they also seem to eliminate hydroplaning concerns.
MPG Changes Noted The vehicle gained approximately 0.5 MPG after we switched to the CrossClimate2 tires. We were careful to record our mileage before the test began, and during the 22,000 miles we drove, the average went from 26.8 MPG up to 27.3 MPG. The EPA Combined estimate for this vehicle is 26 MPG. Therefore, there is no fuel economy penalty in comparison to the OEM all-season touring tires Mazda mounts when new. In fact, a bit of mileage is gained by switching to the CrossClimate2 tires.
Cabin Noise The biggest downside to winter tires is that they are louder than all-season tires. In the case of the Bridgestone Blizzaks we use on another crossover in our fleet, they are so loud we cannot wait to remove them in spring. The CrossClimate2 tires have no added tire noise after two years. They are like a normal all-season tire with regard to sound levels.
One Word Of Caution: Avoid the Direction Wheel Trap If You Own A VW ID.4 Or Any Vehicle With Mis-Matched Tire Sizes
Some Test Facts and Figures We have taken careful note of all the facts and figures during our testing. Below is the data dump: Tire Size 225/55-19 UTQG: 640 B A Miles When Mounted: 34,605 Miles After 2 Years of Testing: 56,351 Total Miles Covered In 24 Months Of Testing: 21,746 Approximate Remaining Tread 7.1mm Tire Rack Price When Mounted $221.99 Tire Rack Price Today $258.99 Treadwear Warranty Duration 60,000 Miles Vehicle MPG Recorded for 2,500 Miles Prior to Mounting 26.8 MPG MPG After 22,000 Miles of Testing 27.3 MPG EPA Combined MPG Estimate For Vehicle 26 MPG
Final Verdict - Michelin CrossClimate2 Tires After two years of use, we can report that the Michelin CrossClimate2 tire changes the landscape for many vehicle owners. No longer are winter tires needed for snowy commuting and normal winter driving. You can ditch your winter rubber for good and just use these tires. There is no downside. Noise levels are not increased, they handle great, they seem to last as long as any other all-season tire we have owned, and our mileage went up when using them. If you live where winters are harsh and want to quit using winter rubber for normal winter driving, the Michelin CrossClimate2 tire is the solution you have been waiting for. Images of Michelin CrossClimate2 tire by John Goreham.
Hey Wait! Don't miss our 31K mile update here.
John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his ten years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can follow John on Twitter, and TikTok @ToknCars, and view his credentials at Linkedin
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This tire is on a Subaru
This tire is on a Subaru Forester. Only one problem, on icy roads they just do not work. The car is all over the place . The Subaru slides all the time . You have to slow down to 25mph in order to control the car. Other than that it,s a pretty good tire
Thank you for adding this
Thank you for adding this comment. Indeed, the only real solution for ice is a winter compound and studs. Even with my winter Blizzaks on my Subaru ice requires very slow going.
No, it isn’t the tire. It’s …
No, it isn’t the tire. It’s the Subaru. Outback is the worst car on ice I have encountered in 55 years of driving. Lane assist is off, VDC off is next. I’m talking early 70’s in a BMW with regular radials worked better and I’m talking the same stretch of road in worse conditions.
Regardless of tires, given…
Regardless of tires, given the right conditions you will slide on ice. Only thing that works the best are studded tires, but they are crap on dry pavement.
Gotta admit that my set on a
Gotta admit that my set on a Volvo XC60 through 3 seasons have been fine for highway and suburban driving. In November the snows began and the Michelins had to come off and Nokian Hakkapelitta snow tires were installed. The Michelins do not like ice and slush. The Nokians and my Blizzaks (Tahoe) are superior when traction matters.
I've owned Nokian
I've owned Nokian Hakkapelitta snow tire once on my previous 2002 BMW 540 with sport packages and staggered summer tire setup but switched to a winter rim and Nokian setup in New York around December switching back in April because of summer tire intolerance to colder temperatures(wife wasn't a fan of storing my summer tires in the house LOL), but I have to say without a doubt the Fins know exactly what they're doing with snow tires(and why wouldn't they isn't it snowing most of the time there?!) as this tire was every bit as good on snow and ice as my summer tires were to dry pavement, absolutely phenomenal and couldn't recommend them enough for a rear wheel drive in winter!! Aggressive style driver
I put these tires on my 2019
I put these tires on my 2019 Lexus NX hybrid this past November. I had about 40000 mile on the OEM tires. The CrossClimates were great in the Connecticut winter. The only downside to the tires is that my MPG contrary to your review has actually dropped by about 1.5 MPG.
I have had these Cross
I have had these Cross Climate tires mounted on my CX-5 for about 3 years now. I also immediately noticed a reduction in mileage of at least 1.5 mpg. Otherwise the tires seem fine for normal driving.
Does a 4-season tire like
Does a 4-season tire like this qualify for the winter tire insurance discount? I’m thinking no, but would love to know.
Is the discount based on the
Is the discount based on the tires having the Three Peak Mountain Winter SnowFlake(TPMWSF) symbol? If it does depend on that symbol and rating then some of the Michelin Cross Climate directional treaded tires do have that TPMWSF symbol and rating.
"The deep grooves of the
"The deep grooves of the CrossClimate2 tires solved one concern we had with the touring tires the CX-5 came with - highway puddles. The new tires not only have better wet-weather grip in the rain, but they also seem to eliminate hydroplaning concerns."
This conclusion is totally false for my 235x40x18s with less that 10K miles. I was hoping this would have been true, but not so for me on my 2019 WW 7.5 GTI. They will glide over to another lane, at highway speeds, if I'm not attentive. I really wanted them to be as good as their conclusion, but I've wanted to be rid of them because they are not.
My concern when we retired
My concern when we retired and moved to SouthWestFlorida was the rain, at time a lot of rain. In NYC and traveling to work in Long Island, it was snow and ice. Many cars and always Michelins, the best.
I bought these tires because of the tread pattern when they were first offered and they have not disappointed.
The CC2 is over-rated by the
The CC2 is over-rated by the internet. While they are good after the plows come, they are horrible if you're going through deeper wet snow before the plows come. It's too easy to loose traction (I can get 3-wheels spinning on my AWD hybrid SUV), until the tires spin the snow underneath to create enough packed snow to get traction. That's the downside of a tread blocks that emphasizes dry road grip, though the blocks are narrow, they are too long to dig through the denser snow to reach pavement.
maybe my expectations were too high, since I had Nokian All-weather tires before, which were literally a central European winter tire "adapted" for the US/Canada market as "All-weather", and since the internet claims these tires are legendary status for all-weather, I expected more, but came out disappointed.
Also missing in the article, even though you have enough miles, the siping pattern is good enough for tire testing, but soon after it starts to wear, gone is the stepped siping in the center area and the full length shoulder sipe becomes a 3/4 long sipe (and you can see it on one of the pictures).
The relatively new ALL
The relatively new ALL WEATHER tire category was basically created to allow motor vehicle fleet owners to end the seasonal switching between SUMMER and WINTER tires. It's mostly WINTER tires with changed tread compounds that provide the minimum acceleration NEEDED in the minimum light/mild snow conditions that the 3PMWSF test requires. For example look at the Firestone directional treaded WINTER tires and the directional treaded Firestone ALL WEATHER tires. The tread patterns are almost the same, but the ALL WEATHER tires have a significantly different tread material that has a higher probability of surviving SUMMER driving temperatures. IF you're going to be driving in snow conditions outside of the test parameters then you need significantly better dedicated winter weather tires.
We live on Canada’s west
We live on Canada’s west coast, so we don’t get the extreme cold weather of other areas in winter, but at times we do get significant snowfall, which is usually gone in a few days. We put the CrossClimates on our Toyota Venza instead of the more expensive alternating of summer and winter tires, and these are amazing. They are as quiet as a summer tire, great in snow and rain, with a very smooth ride and a long tread life. Michelin has nailed it. We love them! Perhaps the best tire we’ve ever had.
I'm about 1 years in on my
I'm about 1 years in on my cross climates and I love them, dry corners, wet corners, rain all good, glad I got them.
Mark @Aamco transmission of Santa Clarita, Ca.
I've had them in my Sienna
I've had them in my Sienna van for almost 60k miles and the ride experience and traction have been exceptional in all conditions. my only gripe is I had to replace one and repair 2 due to punctures which is WAY too many in my opinion. I've never experienced a tire that picked up puntures this regularly.
Great tires! I've been
Great tires! I've been running Michelins for a year and love these. Just as good as x ice on snow but grippy and smooth like a summer tire.
I wish I could say the same
I wish I could say the same about my efficiency which has dropped at least 10% from the OEM tires on our Chevy Bolt. Even after 5,000 miles, it's still bad. About the same as running winter tires year round. They do handle great in the winter.
Forgot to mention that in
Forgot to mention that in Canada winter tires are mandatory. All winter tires must have the "snow triangle" image. Toronto Canada is now following suite as it is one of the last few remaining cities where snow tires are allowed (new rule begins winter 23-24.
I am looking at these
I am looking at these Michelin Crossclimates to replace a set of summer only tires. I appreciate all the comments, suggestions, pros and cons. With respect only, I wanted to clarify each Canadian Provice maintains their own regulations regarding winter tires and currently in Ontario, Canada there is no law making it mandatory to use winter tires. There are certain cities, such as Toronto, which have their own by-laws regarding Private Transportation Companies (Lyft, Uber) but these regulations do not apply to personal motor vehicles. That said, I cannot speak to future rules or regulations… Only those I was able to locate through provincial websites and “The Official Ministry of Transportation (MTO) Driver’s Handbook.” Again, with all respect, I only wanted to clarify what I found through Provincial and Municipal websites.
I am looking at these
I am looking at these Michelin Crossclimates to replace a set of summer only tires. I appreciate all the comments, suggestions, pros and cons. With respect only, I wanted to clarify each Canadian Provice maintains their own regulations regarding winter tires and currently in Ontario, Canada there is no law making it mandatory to use winter tires. There are certain cities, such as Toronto, which have their own by-laws regarding Private Transportation Companies (Lyft, Uber) but these regulations do not apply to personal motor vehicles. That said, I cannot speak to future rules or regulations… Only those I was able to locate through provincial websites and “The Official Ministry of Transportation (MTO) Driver’s Handbook.” Again, with all respect, I only wanted to clarify what I found through Provincial and Municipal websites.
Winter tires are not…
Winter tires are not mandatory in Canada. It depends on the province you drive in. Here in Ontario, they are not mandatory. However, in Quebec they are. Not sure about the other provinces and territories.
Our thanks to all who took
Our thanks to all who took the time to create a comment. Your real-world insights are helpful to shoppers.
I've had the Crossclimate2's…
I've had the Crossclimate2's on my 2017 BMW 328d for 85,000 miles now. They're still going strong as certified by passing the annual state inspection just this morning.