Michelin CrossClimate 2: the new benchmark among All Season tyres

Curiously, when Michelin launched the first generation of CrossClimate tyres back in 2015, it pursued a commercial strategy that tried to take an independent path from the All Season tyres, which at that time did not yet enjoy much acceptance.

In an attempt to also distance itself from winter tyres, for a while Michelin insisted that its revolutionary CrossClimate was not an All Season tyre but a summer tyre with winter certification. A definition that, in the end, applies to any All Season tyre on the market. They are tyres with the 3PMSF marking and the three-peak mountain with the snowflake inside, which endorses their use in snow, even when winter tyres are mandatory.

But with a segment that has grown at a rate of 19% per year since 2015, Michelin fully entered the All Season “wheel”, launching the CrossClimate+, the CrossClimate SUV and even the Agilis CrossClimate for light commercial vehicles. And its CrossClimate range is marketed as such, which is what it really is: a magnificent tyre for all seasons.

I can confirm it, after many kilometres with the CrossClimates, from the first international presentation to the press in 2015 on the snowy roads of Switzerland to the various test cars equipped with these tyres… and currently also on my own car.

New technologies to last more kilometres with better performance

Aesthetically, the new Michelin CrossClimate2 are not very different from the generation they replace. It retains that distinctive tread pattern with a “V” shape or spike-like blocks, which sets it apart from the conventional design of other All Season tyres and makes it easily recognisable.

Now these rubber blocks are somewhat more streamlined on the part closest to the tread surface, due to the widening of the channels to better evacuate water. Bevelled angles are also added to the blocks to optimise the contact area with the asphalt, improving dry braking.

And although the previous CrossClimates perform wonderfully in snow, performance on this surface improves thanks to wavy-design sipes. There are also changes in the rubber compound, with more silica and carbon black, seeking to improve performance in any weather condition.

The result is that, according to Michelin, tests certified by independent bodies place the new CrossClimate 2 as number 1 against its competitors in dry road braking, or on snow, as well as in traction on snow. It is also number 1 in wet road braking when the tyre is used down to the legal tread depth.

These kinds of tests are common among tyre manufacturers, who turn to bodies such as TÜV SÜD or Dekra to certify comparative tests. And on this occasion the “rivals” chosen were the very best among All Season tyres, such as the Continental AllSeasonContact, the GoodYear Vector 4 Seasons Gen-3, the Bridgestone Weather Control A005 EVO or the Pirelli Cinturato AllSeason Plus.

Michelin CrossClimate 2 image gallery