Cross Climate 2 Snow Performance

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I had a chance over the last week to drive my All Track equipped with Michelin Cross Climate 2 tires in snow about 6-7" deep on some unplowed roads. I was very impressed with the performance as they pulled me right along with no wheel spin and allowed me to start from a stop in the snow with no trouble at all. I had one fairly steep hill that was unplowed and i was able to go up with no issues. On turns, if I went too fast, I could feel them lose traction as the car would start to slide sideways just a bit but that was easily remedied by slowing down. I continue to be be very impressed with these tires on dry , wet and snowy roads. For those of you looking for a great all around tire that you can leave on year around, this tire cannot be beat in my opinion.
 
if you truely need SNOW tyres by them not all season but winter tyres as they begin to harden at 45 degrees, BUT their MIGHT be options with some newer options that tout better snow performance + REMEMBER narrower tyres perform BETTER in snow regardless of style. using 4 SNOW tyres on my 2001 JETTA i never got stuck + quite often passed struggling 4 wd + awd vehiles without REAL winter tyres
 
At least my friends that I recommend to put that on their car's have good performance on Chicago winter's.I'm still on winter tires user,maybe will use it for 3 season motoring on mine one day.One said I don't need to switch over if is winter tires,these all weather tires will do the job for them.
 
I was happy with them last year in winter conditions on a 2015 Pilot. Not a single complaint about the tires even price point as they are excellent all around .
 
In my parts (Metro Vancouver) I most frequently see both Nokian WRG4s and Michelin CrossClimate2s. Both are neck-neck it seems.
 
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I had a chance over the last week to drive my All Track equipped with Michelin Cross Climate 2 tires in snow about 6-7" deep on some unplowed roads. I was very impressed with the performance as they pulled me right along with no wheel spin and allowed me to start from a stop in the snow with no trouble at all. I had one fairly steep hill that was unplowed and i was able to go up with no issues. On turns, if I went too fast, I could feel them lose traction as the car would start to slide sideways just a bit but that was easily remedied by slowing down. I continue to be be very impressed with these tires on dry , wet and snowy roads. For those of you looking for a great all around tire that you can leave on year around, this tire cannot be beat in my opinion.
In my parts (Metro Vancouver) I most frequently see both Nokian WRG4s and Michelin CrossClimate2s. Both are neck-neck it seems.

It seems as though Costco is pushing CrossClimate's like no other. I walked by the tire center this past weekend and they had stacks of them everywhere. I'm seeing them a ton coming through my shop as well. I get that it must be a good tire, but how on earth can it compare to the WRG4 for example?

The CrossClimate has almost zero siping, it's directional, it more or less looks like it was designed to do nothing by prevent hydroplaning. Nothing about it's tread design would indicate "snow and ice" ability.

Then there's the WRG4: heavy siping, asymmetrical tread vs. directional, things like that. I've had plenty of personal experience with both tires, and I have yet to find the CrossClimate line to be anything more than average.
 
Bet the (relatively) cheap Toyo GSI-6 winter tires on my Corolla ($68 each) do just as well in snow & ice as the Cross Climates-good winter tread compound is the answer (walnut shells in the Tokyo’s).
 
It seems as though Costco is pushing CrossClimate's like no other. I walked by the tire center this past weekend and they had stacks of them everywhere. I'm seeing them a ton coming through my shop as well. I get that it must be a good tire, but how on earth can it compare to the WRG4 for example?

The CrossClimate has almost zero siping, it's directional, it more or less looks like it was designed to do nothing by prevent hydroplaning. Nothing about it's tread design would indicate "snow and ice" ability.

Then there's the WRG4: heavy siping, asymmetrical tread vs. directional, things like that. I've had plenty of personal experience with both tires, and I have yet to find the CrossClimate line to be anything more than average.
interesting. No issues with unplowed roads in northern lower MI with up to 14" of snow. Ice traction was good. Icy i94, no issues always felt I had traction. Everyone has a different experience. Would buy again in a heartbeat.
 
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Bet the (relatively) cheap Toyo GSI-6 winter tires on my Corolla ($68 each) do just as well in snow & ice as the Cross Climates-good winter tread compound is the answer (walnut shells in the Tokyo’s).

I installed 2 sets of those on family member's rides this season due to the ridiculous value. My girlfriend's 2006 Spectra got a set, as did my sister's 2010 Soul. I've now driven the Spectra a half dozen times since installation, and they are STUNNING value.
 
It seems as though Costco is pushing CrossClimate's like no other. I walked by the tire center this past weekend and they had stacks of them everywhere. I'm seeing them a ton coming through my shop as well. I get that it must be a good tire, but how on earth can it compare to the WRG4 for example?

The CrossClimate has almost zero siping, it's directional, it more or less looks like it was designed to do nothing by prevent hydroplaning. Nothing about it's tread design would indicate "snow and ice" ability.

Then there's the WRG4: heavy siping, asymmetrical tread vs. directional, things like that. I've had plenty of personal experience with both tires, and I have yet to find the CrossClimate line to be anything more than average.
Siping will definitely get you places. But admittedly, there's wizardry going on at Michelin for sure when it comes to tire compounds. The PSAS4 for instance, who would have thought it can be pretty good in the snow (not as good as the CC2+ of course) but pretty close to a dedicated summer in hot temps and still be an all-season tire?
 
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It seems as though Costco is pushing CrossClimate's like no other. I walked by the tire center this past weekend and they had stacks of them everywhere. I'm seeing them a ton coming through my shop as well. I get that it must be a good tire, but how on earth can it compare to the WRG4 for example?

The CrossClimate has almost zero siping, it's directional, it more or less looks like it was designed to do nothing by prevent hydroplaning. Nothing about it's tread design would indicate "snow and ice" ability.

Then there's the WRG4: heavy siping, asymmetrical tread vs. directional, things like that. I've had plenty of personal experience with both tires, and I have yet to find the CrossClimate line to be anything more than average.
Never heard of the WRG4, probably because it's for "coupes and sedans" and I don't own any of those. Looks like a decent tire though.
 
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I was happy in 1-2 ft snow on a 2015 Pilot with CC2. Hope they last.

Nokian work well but always chop and turn into noisy tractor tires.
 
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I had my RWD Lexus out on ice in CC2s last week. We had 1/8” ice on the pavement with 1/2” snow over that. It shut the area down pretty effectively. There were a number of cars off the road with bent wheels or more. I watched a few slide down the road. theres no need for snow tires here … this is all-season territory,… err. this is all-season, all terrain, and mud terrain territory - that’s better. Coming from snow/ice experience from TN and MD, the CC2s may be the best A/S I’ve had on snow-covered ice. Very predictable, even when they come loose - and they hold well before they come loose. They are also hands-down the best wet pavement tire I’ve driven.

where they trade off performance is in lateral grip. My wife never notices the way she drives, but in the RWD Lexus, the rear will kick out without too much prodding if you get on it. Most of the time I rather like it as it’s easy to control and almost gives the car another element of fun … but not always. You can’t fly into a hard merge half-awake - they simply don’t hold lateral Gs like a normal A/S.
 
I was happy with them last year in winter conditions on a 2015 Pilot. Not a single complaint about the tires even price point as they are excellent all around .
Great to know! I wanted them for my 2015 Pilot but they were on a 1 month back order no with December fast approaching I did not want to chance it. I will definitely get them though. Thanks for the real world Pilot review👍
 
For those of you looking for a great all around tire that you can leave on year around, this tire cannot be beat in my opinion
I agree with you in regards to being on year round. I've been hearing good things about them, thank you for the detailed review.

A small side note since this is winter and a winter thread if I may..

In terms of "winter only" though, I feel the Blizzak DM-V2 is #1 for me in snow. This tire defies physics, and it removes many of the dangers of snow and ice. Sheer braking performance on hard packed snow and ice is incredible and this is where the money gets spent...avoiding accidents in these conditions. I rarely use 4WD with these tires.

I've used the Michelin X-Ice and while a very good tire, the Blizzaks win in traction and braking.
 
It seems as though Costco is pushing CrossClimate's like no other. I walked by the tire center this past weekend and they had stacks of them everywhere. I'm seeing them a ton coming through my shop as well. I get that it must be a good tire, but how on earth can it compare to the WRG4 for example?

The CrossClimate has almost zero siping, it's directional, it more or less looks like it was designed to do nothing by prevent hydroplaning. Nothing about it's tread design would indicate "snow and ice" ability.

Then there's the WRG4: heavy siping, asymmetrical tread vs. directional, things like that. I've had plenty of personal experience with both tires, and I have yet to find the CrossClimate line to be anything more than average.
You need to watch YouTube videos about CC2s. Testing shows they rival the traction capabilities of dedicated winter tires.
 

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