Michelin Cross Climate

[colin79666]

I've toyed with the idea of winter tyres for years but I don't do a high mileage and I don't commute by car so in the end have never bothered with the expense. Looking recently are replacement options for the CT200h 215/45 R17 W 87 tyres on the oem wheels I've noticed that Michelin Cross Climate tyres are now available in 215/45 R17 W 91 XL size. Cross Climates get great reviews and seem to be idea for the kind of usage pattern I have (low mileage with very occasional snow in winter).

Has anyone else experimented with these on a CT200h? I note they are of a higher load capacity than the stock tyres and while perfectly legal I'm a little concerned they might cause different handling/a harder ride?

[rayaans]

Not on a CT but on a Golf - they feel great in terms of handling. I dont know what the Golf would have rode like with normal tyres on though. Id say itll make a little bit of a difference to the ride but not much if any to the handling.

Go for them, everyone I know who has them love them!

[Silversalmon]

I have them on my Merc, they made a great impression after the original Bridgestones, much quieter and a definitely improved ride, I'll fit them to the CT when my tyres are finished. 

[200h]

i have them on my IS and the grip in the wet is good ,when the auris hybrid we have needs tyres

it will be cross climates i get for that car.without thinking,

on the CT without trc OFF button every bit of extra grip will help you in winter times

[colin79666]

Thanks for the positive responses. Well Costco have my car now to fit them. Will report back once they have had a chance to bed in. 

[-Rich-]

On ‎17‎/‎09‎/‎2016 at 3:35 PM, colin79666 said:

Thanks for the positive responses. Well Costco have my car now to fit them. Will report back once they have had a chance to bed in. 

How much were they from Costco?

[colin79666]

1 hour ago, -Rich- said:

How much were they from Costco?

£465.55 for 4 including fitting. Ever slightly cheaper than Blackcircles and Costco had them there and there with an shopping voucher offer (now ended) too. 

Going well so far. Initial impression in the first 50 miles is quieter than the Yokohamas and a little change to the ride but not too bad just slightly firmer like pumping up your bicycle tyres another 5 psi. Taking it easy the first 100 miles or so so not done any hard braking or cornering yet. Time will tell and the colder weather in the next few months should prove interesting. 

[200h]

my feeling exactly the yokohamas are a noisy tyre,the ride issue is probably due to the tyre always being flat

across the tread so the side walls maybe firmer, just wait until the road is wet put your foot down the

tyres just grip grip grip

[-Rich-]

15 hours ago, colin79666 said:

£465.55 for 4 including fitting. Ever slightly cheaper than Blackcircles and Costco had them there and there with an shopping voucher offer (now ended) too. 

Going well so far. Initial impression in the first 50 miles is quieter than the Yokohamas and a little change to the ride but not too bad just slightly firmer like pumping up your bicycle tyres another 5 psi. Taking it easy the first 100 miles or so so not done any hard braking or cornering yet. Time will tell and the colder weather in the next few months should prove interesting. 

Thanks, it's a shame Costco isn't that much cheaper. I could buy dedicated mid range summer and winter tyres for not much more money.

I've been using winter tyres for a few years now and the last few have been fairly mild but I have read a hybrid can be a little more tricky to drive in snow and ice?

I am a big fan of Uniroyal tyres, which are around £70 each and would use those in the summer months on the 17s. Then get smaller wheels (16s) and some winter tyres for similar money.

I'll be interested to see how you get on with them over winter and what the wear rate is like.

[200h]

don't forget to have a 4 wheel alignment check done after getting your tyres changed as you dont

want to be wearing them out prematurely, i use kwik fit as they have the hunter wheel alignment system

which is the same as lexus and for £109 can have the alignment adjusted up to 8 times in a 2 year

period without further charges go to lexus and you'll pay £90 for a 1 time only adjustment.

[colin79666]

A wee update 3 weeks on and after about 500 miles.

With the onset of a few sub 7 degree C mornings I've certainly begun to notice how these tyres are working better than their regular summer counterparts. It really is like driving on rails in comparison! The initial harder ride feel has either soften up as the tyres have bedded in or I've simply got used to it as I can't say I notice it now.

Only had 1 really wet session with them so can't really say I've done enough of that to come to an opinion but no complains so far 

Just waiting on some snow now. 

[-Rich-]

Thanks for the update, I noticed Costco now let you book tyres online so you can see prices etc.

If the CT hadn't of come with new tyres I probably would've got these. It's a shame the 17s use a 215/45 profile, tyres in this size are pretty expensive, especially compared to the 16s.

[colin79666]

Time for another update 

Over 1000 miles done now on the cross climates. Performing very well in all conditions including a dusting of snow earlier in the week. Come February I'll be using the car to commute so the mileage will ramp up considerably, giving more important to me in wear rate which seems ok so far. 

Given the different these tyres make I'm beginning to think these should be a factory option on all new cars for the UK market. All seasons are standard in many US states but they typically compromise quite a bit on dry braking/handling so not so appropriate for most of the UK but the latest Mitchelin Cross Climate and Goodyear Vector All seasons seems to be more summer balanced which is ideal for these parts. 

[tayaste]

On 20/09/2016 at 6:59 PM, 200h said:

don't forget to have a 4 wheel alignment check done after getting your tyres changed as you dont

want to be wearing them out prematurely, i use kwik fit as they have the hunter wheel alignment system

which is the same as lexus and for £109 can have the alignment adjusted up to 8 times in a 2 year

period without further charges go to lexus and you'll pay £90 for a 1 time only adjustment.

Mark. which Kwik Fit is this? Do they still have this offer? And do they do a good job of the alignment? (being Kwik Fit).

It seems to be an incredibly good price, they'd get sick of seeing me with my LR.

[200h]

if was in ellesmere port but it was a one day relaunch event ,i only needed 2 tyres at the time but went for 4

have a look if any of your local kwikfit branches are having the outlets updated with the new shop front

as these will be the branches that have the 1 day offer it will be advertised outside the branch before the event starts.

the alignment system this branch uses is the same equipment that lexus uses its called hunter hawkeye

wheel alignment system and its absolutely spot on.

[tayaste]

Thanks, I know the hunter alignment well as I have it done a few times a year. I'll keep my eye out as it'll save me a fortune, usually costs me between £40-60 a throw 

[200h]

you can go into kwikfit and pay £109 for the 8 times in a 2 year period for the wheel alignment

on the hunter tracking system i have paid this for my partners car, the only difference being

with the offer i paid £54.50 for my car.

[rayaans]

17 hours ago, 200h said:

you can go into kwikfit and pay £109 for the 8 times in a 2 year period for the wheel alignment

on the hunter tracking system i have paid this for my partners car, the only difference being

with the offer i paid £54.50 for my car.

That's a good deal for cars which need frequent alignment

The thing is, ive had my car for 5 years and the alignment is still bang on

[200h]

even if you just have 4 wheel alignment checked and adjusted  once a year which in itself is good practise

then you have already started to save money as the four wheel alignment is priced at £89 i think

for a 1 time check and adjustment, like any other insurance policy its there if you need it if you dont need it

then you have had the re-assurance no future costs would be incurred.

 

 

[Jedimaster65]

Hi folks!

 

I am a total newbie here, - this is my very first post!

 

i just got a 200h yesterday as a company car, fitted with brand new Michelin  cross climates.

 

Sadly I have no experience to offer of the car before but it strikes me that the ride isn't as firm and fierce as I had expected from various other accounts and I suspect the tyres are a factor. They felt good in deepish water on the motorway too.

[Rem]

Hi all,  thanks for your comments on this thread.  I'm a noob here too (just got my CT200H yesterday / 2013 model).   I've inspected my tyres and reckon quite soon I'll replace all four.  These Michelin's come up as a good choice on most websites and I just wanted to check.  Are they technically an all season tyre?

 

i don't think I drive enough to be changing with the seasons!

[colin79666]

50 minutes ago, Rem said:

Hi all,  thanks for your comments on this thread.  I'm a noob here too (just got my CT200H yesterday / 2013 model).   I've inspected my tyres and reckon quite soon I'll replace all four.  These Michelin's come up as a good choice on most websites and I just wanted to check.  Are they technically an all season tyre?

 

i don't think I drive enough to be changing with the seasons!

Good choice of car 

Yes these are all seasons but with a starting point of a summer tyre with some winter capabilities where as most all seasons start with a winter design and change the compound to survive hotter temperatures. 

These are perfect for most of the UK where you just need a summer tyre that can cope a bit better in the colder months and not be a total liability if it snows. 

[capese21]

Wheel alignment does not need adjusting very often if at all. My last car was 14 years old and it never required it. I know because it drove straight & true and all 4 tyres wore evenly.

One time I clipped the kerb quite hard enough to burst the tyre. Even then I just renewed the tyre and nothing in the alignment changed.

Every time I had new tyres the fitter offered to check it and I declined.  imho the last thing you want is a Kwickfit youth messing with the geometry settings.  I would think twice before buying tyres from them.  

If it aint broke don't fix it!

My tyre choice is Uniroyal Rainsport 3. Just had 4 fitted. The ride is more comfortable then the Dunlop sport maxx they replaced. I was tempted by cross climates but not had any snow here this year and I doubt we will now.  £240 more than the Uniroyals which have a higher rated wet grip. Goodyear Asymmetric 3 are another good choice imho.

Ed

[rayaans]

4 hours ago, capese21 said:

Wheel alignment does not need adjusting very often if at all. My last car was 14 years old and it never required it. I know because it drove straight & true and all 4 tyres wore evenly.

One time I clipped the kerb quite hard enough to burst the tyre. Even then I just renewed the tyre and nothing in the alignment changed.

Every time I had new tyres the fitter offered to check it and I declined.  imho the last thing you want is a Kwickfit youth messing with the geometry settings.  I would think twice before buying tyres from them.  

If it aint broke don't fix it!

My tyre choice is Uniroyal Rainsport 3. Just had 4 fitted. The ride is more comfortable then the Dunlop sport maxx they replaced. I was tempted by cross climates but not had any snow here this year and I doubt we will now.  £240 more than the Uniroyals which have a higher rated wet grip. Goodyear Asymmetric 3 are another good choice imho.

Ed

Completely agree with you Ed!

My RX is pushing on 5 years old this June and its not needed an alignment. It runs straight and there is no pulling. I regularly - well as regularly as I can be bothered to - check the tyres (every 1k mile roughly) just for any early signs of inner/outer edge wear.

Same thing with the RX300 I had before. It was 8 years old and I only got it aligned once but that was genuinely due to outer edge wear. My wife's Merc was also aligned towards the end of a 10 year ownership after some outer edge wear.

Only 7 months ago, I bought my 21 year old his first car from auction - a 2006 VW Polo. As it was bought from auction I decided I should get it fully checked out and went to my local indy who advised new tyres and 4 wheel alignment due to inner edge wear. Now this was on a 10 year old car. 

On a side note - his rear tyres need replacing and turns out Kwik Fit mobile fitting is cheapest. I'll give them a go I think as the car likely needs replacing in the summer (he's already bored of it and its rather basic - no remote central locking or Traction control but worst of all, it plays CDs and has no USB/aux input!!)

 

[colin79666]

Right time for another update. 10 months and nearly 6k miles since I had a set fitted. I changed jobs earlier this year am now using the car to commute to work, doubling my annual mileage.

Tread depths are 5-6mm on the front and 6-7mm at the rear so wearing ok but not as hard wearing as you might expect from Michelin. Looks like I will get through this winter and will need to change at least 2 come next summer when I'll hit around 16k miles on them. Performance in the warmer months has been excellent, every bit as good as the Yokohama summer tyres that were on the car this time last year. Wet handling is particularity good so it seems they are living up to their year round suitability claims unlike traditional all season tyres which, while better than winter tyres, don't perform that well in warm dry weather.

I see that Michelin have now launches a 2nd gen of this tyre, dubbed Cross Climate + which is designed to improve grip as the tyre wears. It will be interesting to see how they perform this winter when the tread is down to 4-5mm.