How are the Cross Climates in deep snow?
- Thread starter i6pwr
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Absolutely amazing in deep snow. Have them on my 2011 Forester and can drive through 12 inches of deep snow and hardly even notice it. Course some of that is my Subaru AWD.
Probably better than the Defender, not as good as the Blizzaks, so somewhere in between.
Is your Yukon 4WD?
Is your Yukon 4WD?
AWD unfortunately...but can't complain. Just have to be careful with used tires with regards to wear.
I think they are better for rain than substantial snow. Also a directional tire so that will alter your tire rotation pattern over a non directional tire. With that said if the price is right not a bad tire by any means and they do carry the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) rating.
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ok, so not 2WD/RWD
Since you have AWD, the CC2 might be acceptable for light to moderate amounts of snow. Obviously if yours was 2WD then no, but in your case they *might* work.
And if they end up not being sufficient, you can always go back to real winter tires. You might also want to consider a set of chains or snow socks.
Only Audi and Subaru are that picky with used tires and wear.
I have driven my All Track several times through 8-10" of snow with the CC tires. No problems at all. Great traction.
No such thing as an AWD Yukon, it's either 4X4 or 2WD.ok, so not 2WD/RWD
Since you have AWD, the CC2 might be acceptable for light to moderate amounts of snow. Obviously if yours was 2WD then no, but in your case they *might* work.
And if they end up not being sufficient, you can always go back to real winter tires. You might also want to consider a set of chains or snow socks.
Only Audi and Subaru are that picky with used tires and wear.
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define deep snow. 6-8" no issues depending on what kind of snow..powder probably go thru a bunch....heavy wet or crusty snow not as much...they have been stellar on my Mazda cx5. I would think on a Yukon or any full size SUV they would be great...only limiting factor is if you end up getting so much snow you end up turtled......I think we all have different ideas of what deep snow is.
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Son just replaced his OEM tires with CrossClimate 2 on a RAV4 Prime hybrid for this winter. He pulled the trigger when they were on sale at Costco. Has been a substantial amount of snow here in Michigan this season and he is very pleased with their performance so far. I vacillate between the Michelin and the Continental, having had very good experience with the DWS 06 on regular cars. At Tire Rack the Michelins are designated a Touring Tire while the Continentals fall into the High-Performance category. My understanding is the Michelins may be a shade more comfortable while for more spirited driving the Continentals may be better. Both are very good in the snow for an all-season tire. Will probably replace the OEM run flat Pirellis with Michelins when the time comes on a Merc GLC300 4Matic SUV, unless something better comes to market.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
I once read on BMW forum how DWS06+ are really good in snow and, paraphrasing, “i drove 80mph through 6” of snow in Minneapolis.”
I have DWS06 for summer and parts of spring and fall. Yes they move in snow, but it is far from being good tire in snow.
So yeah, get some momentum and CC2 will go through deep snow, same like some aggressive AT tire does.
But as it has been said thousands times, name of the game is stopping and handling.
I have DWS06 for summer and parts of spring and fall. Yes they move in snow, but it is far from being good tire in snow.
So yeah, get some momentum and CC2 will go through deep snow, same like some aggressive AT tire does.
But as it has been said thousands times, name of the game is stopping and handling.
If serious about driving in deep snow you will need a dedicated set of snow tires, as I have in winter on the BMW. For the amount of snow here in SE Michigan, I have found the Falken EuroWinter 439 to work well. I know there are better winter tires, but for me they have been fine and great value on both a rear-wheel-drive BMW 3 series and previously a Porsche.
Lots of reviews to research and compare....Blizaks included, as you had suggested. Worthwhile time spent.
Lots of reviews to research and compare....Blizaks included, as you had suggested. Worthwhile time spent.
My neighbor owns the local Big O tire store. I asked him about how Cross Climate 2 tires compare. He said that his customers that have bought them absolutely love them. They are definitely a big upgrade in snow and ice traction over even the best of All Season tires. But he said that they still fall short of a leading Winter tire, such as a Blizzak or Xice.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
They definitely fall short. However, I am glad people buy these all weather tires as there is no way they will buy two sets of tires. So any improvement on snow, makes me feel better driving around them. I see all weather tires become super popular here, mostly with folks who were running all season tires as “they just stay home when it snows.” Which, of course, never happens. The roads are less dangerous with these tires.
I ran the CC2's on my 23 Lexus GX 460 last winter. I was very impressed with the winter traction, but what really stood out was how well they handle the dry roads. I am running Blizzak DM-V2 this winter and honestly, I will probably go back to the CC2's when I make time to swap out the winter wheel/tire set. I may sell the winter set and never go back to a dedicated winter tire.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
DM-V2 is particularly bad in dry. Since GX460 is, to put it mildly, dynamically challenged, tires make big difference.
But DM-V2 is also particularly good in deep stuff, and when things get really bad.
