In the UK, we experience every sort of winter driving condition. Heavy snow in 2012, the cold and wet winter of 2014, to the mild and warm winter of 2015, the UK really is an unpredictable climate.

This has lead us to start recommending "all season" tires as the correct tire to fit in the winter. All season tires offer approximately 85% of a summer tires performance in the dry and wet, and 85% of a winter tires performance the snow which gives them a slightly better operating window for the UK than a full winter. While this balance of qualities is the best compromise currently available, the ideal tire for the UK tire market is a tire which offers 99% of a summer tires performance in the dry and wet, yet still offers the ability to perform in snow and ice for those few days a year we see adverse conditions. The good news is, Michelin claim to have done exactly that with the new Michelin CrossClimate.

Not wanting the new Michelin CrossClimate to have an easy time, we tested the new Michelin against some class leading tires. The summer tire was represented by the Michelin Energy Saver+, the winter tire was the Michelin Alpin A5 and the all season tire the test winning Goodyear Vector 4Seasons. During initial testing, we conducted dry braking, wet handling and snow traction tests.

 

During general driving the Michelin CrossClimate felt a lot more like a "normal" tire than the all season and winter, with sharper steering response, more direct braking and better steering feel. This was really highlighted during dry braking, where the bite and braking distance was almost identical when compared to the summer tire, and much stronger than the all season and winter tires.

 

During wet handling the Michelin CrossClimate equaled, if not bettered the summer tire, and while it felt a little numb at the limit compared to the summer, it provided a more progressive nature and had more grip and feel than the all season and winter tires, which felt weak and numb on the wet circle.

 

The snow traction test was limited to an uphill start, but it once again proved Michelin's claims that it performed as well as a full winter tire in snow traction, and was many many times better than a summer.

 

The Michelin CrossClimate really is a game changer. There is a compromise, and the compromise is is weaker snow and ice handling but this is fine for the the UK climate. The Michelin CrossClimate offers the same wear and noise characteristics as the class leading Michelin Energy Saver+, and offers identical safety characteristics as full summer and full winter tires in dry, wet and snow traction and braking. It also has the advantage of being "3 peak" marked, which means the tire is legal in any country this requires a winter tire to be used.

 

If you want to drive on one tire year round, the Michelin CrossClimate really is the tire to use.

 

Keep an eye on Tire Reviews for more information on the CrossClimate - in the near future we'll be publishing a technical report about how the tire manages to blend these qualities into a single package!

 

The new Michelin CrossClimate will be available in May in a range of 23 sizes to fit wheel sizes from 15 to 17 inches and has the european label score "A" in wet grip and "C" in rolling resistance in the majority of the sizes. More sizes coming in 2016.