Better all season or winter tires? The test of the Michelin Crossclimate 2 SUV

Michelin presented the Crossclimate 2 SUVs at the “road test” with an event at the Porsche Experience Center, the home of four-wheeled fun that we saw at its inauguration in September 2021.

The track in Franciacorta was not a random choice: in addition to an off-road route, also useful for testing the traction of an All Season (or “four seasons”) which on some SUVs is also an original equipment proposal, the track includes a part with the classic handling exercises and a “pistino with zero grip “ which simulates a journey on ice.

Perhaps it will be of interest to a few, but it is always a good food for thought to call into question the numbers of the market Italian tires where Michelin analyzes the period 2015 – 2021 and shows how the winter cars have lost 14% (despite having reached the maximum peak in 2018) with one exception: in the world of high-end and higher segments (SUVs and wheels from 18 “and up), there has been a growth.

The All Seasonson the other hand, they have capitalized on an objective growth in technical performance (more or less across all brands) and have become so reliable as to conquer practically anyone: in the same period under examination they have achieved a growth of + 180%losing ground to the pandemic, but getting back on track as soon as the traffic restrictions were lifted.

I’ve always been a winter type and every winter the family cars underwent the ritual of changing the set of tires on dedicated rims, a useful practice for those who want to simplify operations, have enough space in the garage and do not mind taking up to an hour to carry out the operation . With very cold winters and lots of snow, the performance of winter tires does not compete, this is undeniable.

My old Juke has overcome heavy snowfall and a few sheets of ice without problems during various business trips in Italy and Europe, and all without being able to rely on four-wheel drive: you know the 4×4 SUVs that get stuck on the side of the road uphill? They almost certainly ride in the summers thinking they can count on all-wheel drive and forgetting that without tire grip there is no 4×4 that can handle it.

Over the years, however, I realized that the average temperatures began to rise, the winters were less rigid and with less snow, and the few situations in which a winter would have given its best, with a lot of snow or with temperatures below the ” limit threshold “of 7 degrees, were no longer such as to justify a second set of tires, the commitment to replace them and a second set of rims.

So with the switch to the Model 3, all-wheel drive, I decided to do what I promised never to do: spend a winter without winter keeping the summer and the chains on board, as per law. Crazy? Not completely: it was the winter of 2021, we were all still uncertain about how far we could really travel with the pandemic, my original equipment Michelin Pilot Sport they were (and still are after almost 28,000 km) good tires and saving money didn’t hurt. A question of risk / benefit ratio therefore.

Winter has passed, there have not been many trips (here is one from the 3rd to the 12th) and I have seen the mountain on three occasions, all faced without problems and (almost) without snow. I do not deny, however, that I missed a winter: cheerful bends with so much cold or wet often forced the intervention of the four-wheel drive together with the electronic controls, and fortunately I had good summers that do not fare badly in the wet.

In short, psychologically I could not get used to not having the right shoes, and instinctively I drove as if I had winter, only to remember that I had not made the change this season.

The most critical week, and the one that most of all made me miss the winter, was that of March 7, 2022. The temperature graph shows the moments of driving under the yellow line of 7.5 °, a trip to several stops in Europe for various events (the BMW i4 test, the plenary session on batteries in the European Parliament and a Hyundai test on the snow), in which the winter would find themselves in their ideal territory.

There are many moments for a week, but not too many in absolute terms if we look at the cold season as a whole.

The lighting came after the dynamic presentation of the Crossclimate 2 SUV. Evolution of an already existing range (this, the “non-SUV” version), which today covers almost all sizes, the new tires convinced me in the practical test divided between track and road. The low-grip “pistino”, a particular type of completely smooth asphalt that is very close to the reactions of the car on ice, I had already ridden at the end of May with a summer-wheeled, rear-wheel drive Porsche.

On that occasion, the goal was fun, looking for the tail and the loss of grip, and it was therefore even more impressive, thanks to the fresh memory of that event, to notice how the four seasons of Michelin have transformed a track to ” zero grip “in an absolutely passable road. For comparison, the ice has turned into something equivalent to wet asphalt, and all by changing just the tires.

Obviously, the Q5 TFSI-e used for the test is different from a sports car. On the one hand, it can count on four-wheel drive, but it should be noted that four-wheel drive helps you in the traction phase, not in the release phase. And with the Crossclimate 2 SUV, even the release returned very honest, predictable and sincere reactions. On the other hand, however, the Q5 has the disadvantage compared to a Porsche of being an SUV which therefore has to make the tires work harder to compensate for a high wheel set-up.

It is not uncommon for me to choose something after trying it for a review and while noticing its flaws (my smartphone, my computer, my car …) and it will be the same for the decision to give up the winter to switch to the All Season which, in the case of Michelin, are also 3PMSF, an acronym that translates into the certainty of being able to circulate throughout Europe in winter without violating the regulations.

To convince me in the decision, then, also the good performance of the rubber, both evidenced by the label (this is how it reads), and verified by various independent tests of the TUV Sud (braking and traction tests) and Dektra (durability tests) .

Michelin claims a longer lifespan, and I know from private experience that The French* (asterisk explained in the box below) are the best at maintaining safety performance even at the end of their life, while others are excellent when new and exponentially decay well before the 2 mm limit.

A curiosity perhaps known to few: Michelin is today the main tire manufacturer in Italy. We are not talking only in terms of tires actually made in Italy, Cuneo is one of the factories of excellence in all of Europe, but also of Italian workers employed. In short, there is more Italy in a French brand than in an Italian one …

In addition, the label speaks of B in noise, and actually the first test confirmed excellent acoustic performance, appreciated in general and even more fundamental for those who have an electric or Plug-In SUV. Seeing a four-season tire that has evolved so much that it reaches the same noise level as the summer Pilot Sport 4 (original equipment), is further confirmation of how different today’s “M + S” tires are compared to those of the early days, and how much invisible technology there is and is the result of research into compounds, carcasses and carvings. And this is a discourse that, in general, applies to all the main manufacturers of high-end tires, excluding the “Chinese guys” on duty.

With the arrival of Crossclimate 2 SUV the range of All Season Michelin (or four seasons) becomes practically universal: the Crossclimate 2 SUVs exist from 17 “to 20”, the Crossclimate 2 for cars range from 14 “to 23” and the coverage it is 99% of the cars. Going into the detail of the novelty (Crossclimate 2 SUV), the label marks A, B or C for fuel consumption (clearly depends on the size), B in terms of grip in the wet, B in terms of noise and sports the 3pmsf logo .

With regard to the technical innovations, work has been done to extend the mileage: + 20% compared to the previous model. In short, the Crossclimate 2 SUVs promise to go further and, even approaching the limit, they still maintain a high level of performance in terms of safety.

The compound further increases the content of silica and carbon black, the architecture works to reduce consumption by distributing forces better and more evenly (SUVs are certainly not “kind” to rubber in acceleration, braking and steering) and the design is responsible for maintaining the draining capacity throughout the life cycle.

In short, are the All Seasons perfect? Absolutely no. Tires four seasons are better than winter in the snow? No but as I said a few paragraphs above, the defects of this type are evident if the compared to “pure winter”. But Michelin asks us a question to help us choose, and unknowingly it’s the same one I asked myself in the last cold season during that experiment of giving up the winter.

So I propose it to you again quoting them: do you drive frequently in places with harsh winters, with lots of snowfalls or with so many days with the temperature below 7 degrees, a famous watershed between winter and summer? If the answer is yes, then better choose the winter ones. If the answer is no, the All Seasons are now mature and performing, not only for those who never leave the city with the exception of the ski holiday, but also for those who, like me, travel often and in different situations.