What does Oppo think about CrossClimate?

"Jayvincent" (jayvincent)
10/28/2020 at 21:59 • Filed to: tires, Michelin

be ca use this is the craziest tread pattern I’ve seen in a long time! The reviews sound promising, but there’s not many with wet/dry/snow comparisons. What does OPPO think? quoting from TireRack.com:

he CrossClimate² features Michelin’s Thermal Adaptive all-season tread compound molded into a V-Formation directional tread design engineered to deliver dry, wet and wintertime performance. Michelin utilized their PIANO Noise Reduction Tuning which employs advanced tread pattern modeling that helps tune out airborne noise by augmenting tread element geometry and timing variation. Longitudinal dry grip is promoted by the center portion of the tread, with blocks that align with fore and aft forces, increasing uninterrupted block area contact when accelerating or decelerating. Braking traction is further enhanced by V Ramp chamfers molded into the leading and trailing edges of the blocks that increase contact with the road surface under load. Further outboard, the shoulder blocks begin to align laterally with the tread, helping increase cornering forces and control. 3D SipeLock technology integrated into the tread, supports block rigidity for confident handling while also increasing traction in inclement weather. The steep angles designed into the tread pattern help channel water away from the contact patch, increasing hydroplaning resistance without the need for circumferential grooves. This grooveless pattern evens out load forces to benefit wear characteristics, while creating more biting area for wintertime traction. Snow performance is further enhanced by the Thermal Adaptive Tread compound, ensuring the tire remains flexible at lower temperatures for increased snow traction sufficient to receive the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol.

Screenshot: TireRack ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

DISCUSSION (22)

Jayvincent > Jayvincent
10/28/2020 at 22:08

PIANO Noise Reduction Tuning? really, this is a thing?

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Jayvincent
10/28/2020 at 22:10

I mean I tuned my piano recently, but it’s still loud.

dogisbadob > Jayvincent
10/28/2020 at 22:13

Just tap the keys slightly :p

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Jayvincent
10/28/2020 at 22:15

Seems like a lot do words to say “copied Goodyear Tripletreads”

For Sweden > Jayvincent
10/28/2020 at 22:15

The CrossClimate+ does not come in the size of my Volvo’s wheels, so I purchased the Goodyear Weathertech instead. They work decently well in snow.

That doesn’t answer your question.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Jayvincent
10/28/2020 at 22:36

I noticed a neighbor down the street has them. That tread pattern really stands out. I don't know them well enough to ask them about the tires (and I never see them outside).

Cash Rewards > Jayvincent
10/28/2020 at 22:38

Ive had the same reaction. If you're looking at these, I think there's a good set of bf Goodrich maybe, that's rated well? I keep wanting to replace the tires on my wife's pilot, as the factory ones suck hard. But last year was a easy winter, this year no travel. Tires on are borrow time and they know it

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > Jayvincent
10/28/2020 at 23:01

So I don’t really mind this new breed of All Weather tires but they still have consequences of being the “Jack of all trades” tires, where they can do everything, just not as well compared to dedicated tires.

All Seasons (3 seasons) will likely have one or more of the following advantages: be quieter, last longer, better fuel economy, comparable dry performance, and aren’t unidirectional.

And while these carry the 3 peak snowflake this is the fine print from the bottom of the Canadian Michelin page:

*While the MICHELIN® CrossClimate®2 tire meets the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC) requirements and has the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake marking, it is not designed for extreme winter road conditions like ice; the use of four winter tire is recommended for optimal performance.

So if you constantly are dealing with snow on the ground and below freezing conditions for a good portion of the year a winter set is still very much advisable.

As these are rated for ~60,000mi (100,000km) of mileage I would imagine that they are going to be better with regards to the general All Season in terms of compound softness near freezing however this will sacrifice grip compared with a winter tire at that level.

So who is the tire for?

It depends on your situation. I would be okay with people running this tire around Vancouver if they want with the moderate climate. For 50 weeks of the year it’s acceptable and adequate, especially in the current conditions of 50-40F temperatures and more precipitation. The 2 weeks it drops with arctic outflow and goes snowfall it will suffice, but you’re mainly looking to the tread design to save you and not the compound in the snow and cold wet pavement. If it’s a light 1-2cm dusting and the salt trucks are out and the road isn’t heavily covered it’s fine. If it’s mixed with an offshore system and covers or drops well below freezing, well that morning commute is going to be a little more dicey, but not as bad as the people on the 3 Seasons.

Personal Opinion:

I still would rather run the 2 sets: 3 seasons and winters. Having a winter tire makes life so much less stressful and dangerous when it does snow and the performance is still very good in temperatures from (10-0C) 50-32F, wet or dry. It’s more money but I really put priority on control during snow covered roads as it’s significantly the most dangerous time on the road by a wide margin.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Jayvincent
10/28/2020 at 23:21

Depending on where you live, why not just get the Nokian WR G4s? I have a summer and winter set for my car (Blizzaks), but the winter set wears really fast when it’s warmer (a frequent occurrence here), so my next “winter” set will be all-weathers since I rarely have to deal with real snow or ice here (usually all I need is tires good enough to get home, then I probably won’t leave until it goes away). The true winters are overkill for me and don’t have enough temperature range in common with my summers to make the swapping decision easy like it was when I lived in the Rockies (where I ran no-seasons, which could deal with the random early-summer storms and winters when it was consistently close to freezing or below).

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Jayvincent
10/29/2020 at 00:07

Never heard of em. They look cool tho. I of believe that directional is the way to go for snow tires.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Jayvincent
10/29/2020 at 07:06

Michelin makes good tires

BigBlock440 > Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com
10/29/2020 at 07:41

Why compromise with all-seasons if you’re using winter tires anyway? Why not summers? Most all seasons are pliable down to the mid-teens before they start getting hard, and if they’re a decent all-season, will have better performance than a winter tire in that temperature range on non-snow covered roads.

Long_Voyager94 > Jayvincent
10/29/2020 at 07:52

I’d save the money and get these instead: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=General&tireModel=AltiMAX+Arctic+12&partnum=36TR8AA12XL

Captain of the Enterprise > Jayvincent
10/29/2020 at 08:08

I saw those last time I was tire shopping. I didn’t buy them. My thought was that there would be more than one company doing it if it worked so well. I also worry about road noise since the tread is so different. But again I’ve never used them so maybe they’re great.

onlytwowheels > Jayvincent
10/29/2020 at 09:31

Kinja'd!!!

Mrs Twowheels likes these Firestone WeatherG rip tires that were installed on her Subaru Crosstrek.

https://www.firestonetire.com/tire/weathergrip/235-60r18

The Michelins should be a fine tire too .

dogisbadob > Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com
10/29/2020 at 10:17

the 3-peak all-season tires aren’t all directional. Toyo, Nokian, Vredestein, and Goodyear make non-directional 3-peak all-season tires.

While they’re not as good as real winter tires, they will be better in it than normal all-season no-season tires.

Some Canadian provinces require a 3-peak tire in the winter. This tire allows them to use only one tire year round and comply with the law. Other people in the snow might like them because they don’t have the means to store a separate set of tires and wheels off-season.

While no state requires winter tires down here, I think they’re still worth it over “regular all season” tires if you actually need all-season tires.

Colorado would be a good place for 3-peak all-seasons to use outside the winter (winter tires are probably a must there). In the fall, spring, or possibly even the summer, they can go from 75 to snow in a few hours.

All weather tires are per fect for most of the east coast

dropthatclutch > Jayvincent
10/29/2020 at 10:26

A friend just showed me these yesterday. Looks wild. Sounds like marketing jargon.

For Sweden > Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com
10/29/2020 at 11:31

This tire is for the person who lives in Vancouver and wants to occasionally drive to Whistler without changing their tires before every trip.

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > BigBlock440
10/29/2020 at 15:15

At this time I was running 3 season all year until 2 years ago and I haven’t needed to swap them out yet although they’re getting older now. The car is my secondary vehicle most of the year and gets 1/2 the mileage as the bike.

It’s a consideration for next swap but I contend with the factors that the factory tire size is 195/55-R16 which is a limited tire choice, temperature really don’t get that hot in summer, and i t’s a beater Corolla so not exactly something clubsport either .

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > dogisbadob
10/29/2020 at 17:04

My absolute believe is that if the province has a legislated mandatory winter tire periods then the drives should be on a winter set and not trying to year round these. I don’t recommend All Weather year round for any other part of Canada except for driving around GVRD and the lower half of Vancouver Island. Every part of this country [including Vancouver and Victoria] is in the temperature threshold for winter tire usage between mid-Nov to mid-Mar. The Feds could mandate winters during that period and literally the only people in this country that would have a tantrum are the idiots here on the BC South Coast who still believe they’re “snow tires”.

So I agree with For Sweden in regards that this is the tire that you can run the coastal routes on occasion and comply with winter tire regulations for certain BC highways. Going past Hope or Whistler into the interior with the mountains and up north? I completely disagree. I would not recommend these be used for highways like the Coquihalla (and like highways in Colorado), that highway wrecks many people each year who are on winter tires.

I know what they’re trying to make an actual All Season tire for moderate climates but I would always recommend a winter set if you know you’re going to have a few weeks of snow to drive in every year and deal with sub freezing.

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > Jayvincent
10/29/2020 at 21:20

I don’t know about those specifically ( aside from the weird look) but I can tell you that the Nokian WRG4 is a fantastic all weather tire. Put a set on my Sequoia last year and they are nice and quiet, performs well and are pretty close to the Blizzaks on my other cars in snow and ice with much better dry performance than the Blizzaks. That’s here in New Hampshire, where we get real winter conditions . I like them so much that I just bought another set for the Tacoma I just bought. Absolutely great tires.

Spasoje > Jayvincent
10/29/2020 at 23:33

If they’re anything like my Nokian WRs, I'm all for them.