Michelin CrossClimate still the best?

[BartLexusFan]

Just finished Full Service and MOT at Lexus and front tyres are getting close to legal limit so now is a good time to change. Lexus Stockport offered Bridgestones for £160/pt but I'd rather go with something myself. After extended search in my beloved LOC forum, I can see that Cross climates seem to be "the King", and they're also rated at 69db vs next ones down in the list Goodyear Vector4seasons Gen 3. The price on National Tyres is £165 for Ms vs £151 on Good years, but at the same time 3db difference (69db vs 72db) is quite significant (2db difference is like twice as loud as it's a logarhytmic scale), so each db down on such big tyres should make a difference, but these are just numbers what do you guys think? Any other suggestions for 235/55/19? I have to admit that going from GS450h/GS300/LS430 road noise in the cabin of 3RX450 is a bit more "present", but that's also due to the vehicle height and overall shape, so cutting a db here and there might help.

[ColinBarber]

Michelin CrossClimates are excellent.

Take noise ratings with a pinch of salt though - it is measured as sound at the kerb, not inside and some manufacturers deliberately design their tyres to direct noise away from the kerb and into the vehicle to obtain a good rating. It is also measured on road surfaces that don't represent the majority of UK roads, and a tyre that is quiet on one type of surface doesn't mean it will be on another.

FYI, 3 dB is double not 2 dB.

[Martin J]

Still very happy with the CrossClimates I put on nearly 3 years ago. As well as the noise and ride benefits compared with the original Bridgestones, they're wearing very well too. 

[BartLexusFan]

Yes 3db, typo my bad. Thanks Colin, that is a great explanation. Now because my rear tyres are in good condition, I was thinking about doing just fronts, and here's another puzzle. On 4WD/AWD/sAWD cars it's recommended to do all 4 always isn't it? But our RXes are front biased, and they're separate from the front being powered by petrol + electric  and the back being powered by just the electric motor isn't it? So is it safe to do just front in 3RX?

[Herbie]

Yes, it's safe to do just the fronts as the RX isn't a 4WD/AWD in the traditional sense so it's not a problem.

I've got Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen 2 all round on mine and noise is really not an issue, very quiet. However, full transparency and all that, I have to say that I'm a huge music lover and always have the radio or other media playing so maybe I'm just not noticing it.

[Phil xxkr]

Just keep an eye on Costco, being American sometimes have great Goodyear deals. 👍

[LenT]

1 hour ago, Phil xxkr said:

Just keep an eye on Costco, being American sometimes have great Goodyear deals. 👍

Costco currently has a £100 off a set of Michelin CC+ until 28th March!!  

We have them on our Suzuki 4x4 and they are excellent.  I would have had them on the IS250 but my 18” wheels are two different sizes, fore and aft - of which Michelin only do one.  But along came the Goodyear Asymmetric 5 which has also proved to be an excellent choice.

Of course what is described as an All Season tyre may not suit everyone.

[Phil xxkr]

Sounds like a great deal especially with the strength of the Costco guarantees. I have Goodyear Asym 3's on my Jaguar Xkr and they have been/are brilliant. Come the time I will have no hesitation in buying same for my RX450H which are currently £110 at Oponeo. 

[LenT]

8 minutes ago, Phil xxkr said:

Sounds like a great deal especially with the strength of the Costco guarantees...

And the service!

Some years ago I ordered a set of Michelins under offer for my Honda Accord.  Costco didn’t have them in stock but ordered them from Michelin and gave me a delivery date.  Twice they then called me to say that Michelin had delayed delivery.

When Costco were finally able to call me to arrange fitting they gave me an additional discount that matched the original offer, for the inconvenience.

Of course, first you have to be a member.

[ColinBarber]

Costco regularly have deals on Michelins. If you are a member then it is certainly worth waiting for one of their offers.

If you just want new front tyres you need to be prepared to swap them over yourself after you have them fitted as Costco will only fit new tyres to the rear.

[Normski]

May be worth checking out ATS. They're doing a promo on Michelins:

https://www.atseuromaster.co.uk/consumer/special-offers/michelin-promotion

[flookyk]

31 minutes ago, ColinBarber said:

Costco regularly have deals on Michelins. If you are a member then it is certainly worth waiting for one of their offers.

If you just want new front tyres you need to be prepared to swap them over yourself after you have them fitted as Costco will only fit new tyres to the rear.

Why would Costco only fit tyres to the rear of what is primarily a front wheel drive car?

[ColinBarber]

7 minutes ago, flookyk said:

Why would Costco only fit tyres to the rear of what is primarily a front wheel drive car?

It is generally recommended across the industry that new tyres should go on the rear as loss of grip on the rear is harder to control than on the front. Costco take it to an extreme and refuse not to do this - if your front tyres are low they are happy to replace those and swap the rears over for you but they won't let you leave with the new tyres being fitted to the front (unless you have staggered tyre sizes so the front/rears cannot be rotated).

[Phil xxkr]

And if you bought 4? Seems odd policy but then they are American! As to ATS they start out at higher price point and the discount is in amazon vouchers which is fine if you use the service. I have just bought a Faraday key case from amazon and it looks OK. 

[XK140]

Can someone answer a question about Michelin cross climate and other all season tyres.

I notice that the Michelin ones are rated “B” for wet grip,as are most all season ones,whereas nearly all premium summer tyres, and most mid range ones,gain an “A” rating for wet grip.

My simple logic tells me it should be the opposite !

[nicnac]

1 hour ago, XK140 said:

Can someone answer a question about Michelin cross climate and other all season tyres.

I notice that the Michelin ones are rated “B” for wet grip,as are most all season ones,whereas nearly all premium summer tyres, and most mid range ones,gain an “A” rating for wet grip.

My simple logic tells me it should be the opposite !

I dont know where that comes from , but the tyres are brilliant in the wet , dry , and as I found out this year superb in snow 

[Burroo 67]

I have just put 2 Cross Climates on the front of my 400H on 3rd February for £251.20 through Kwik-Fit who had a deal for 15% off plus a free set of earbuds.  Best tyres out there for the price.

[LenT]

3 hours ago, Burroo 67 said:

I have just put 2 Cross Climates on the front of my 400H on 3rd February for £251.20 through Kwik-Fit who had a deal for 15% off plus a free set of earbuds.

Strange offer to associate with tyres.  In my experience Michelins are not that noisy. 😊

[Jaga]

What about Goodyear EfficientGrip SUV or EfficientGrip 2 SUV?

[Grumps]

Be aware that mixing summer / winter / all season tyres on a car is going to cause you potential problems as it changes the handling dynamics of a car. There are numerous articles out there if you google mixing different tyres. One that I came up with that highlights this point-

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/Thinking-about-fitting-just-two-all-season-or-winter-tyres.htm

[PCM]

6 minutes ago, Grumps said:

Be aware that mixing summer / winter / all season tyres on a car is going to cause you potential problems as it changes the handling dynamics of a car. There are numerous articles out there if you google mixing different tyres. One that I came up with that highlights this point-

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/Thinking-about-fitting-just-two-all-season-or-winter-tyres.htm

+1

I would always replace all 4 with the same type.

Love my MCC's!

[ColinBarber]

15 hours ago, XK140 said:

Can someone answer a question about Michelin cross climate and other all season tyres.

I notice that the Michelin ones are rated “B” for wet grip,as are most all season ones,whereas nearly all premium summer tyres, and most mid range ones,gain an “A” rating for wet grip.

My simple logic tells me it should be the opposite !

Michelin CC are a combination of summer and winter tyres and are therefore a compromise between the two. Due to the fact they are designed to operate in light snow the tread pattern doesn't move as much water as a good summer tyre on a full wet test above 8 deg C.

[ColinBarber]

15 hours ago, Phil xxkr said:

And if you bought 4? Seems odd policy but then they are American!

Not a problem if they are all the same age. They don't allow newer tyres on the front.

[LenT]

1 hour ago, Grumps said:

Be aware that mixing summer / winter / all season tyres on a car is going to cause you potential problems as it changes the handling dynamics of a car. There are numerous articles out there if you google mixing different tyres. One that I came up with that highlights this point-

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/Thinking-about-fitting-just-two-all-season-or-winter-tyres.htm

An unarguable point, I would have thought.  And yet even on this site populated by the more discerning members of the motoring fraternity, I have come across posters announcing their plans to mix tyre types and brands.  Sometimes it’s to replace just one or two as funds permit.  Now I suspect this has been a contentious point before.  And it’s also the case that in most instances that driver will suffer no consequences- unless such a mix is an MOT fail, of course.

But accidents are about the unexpected and that’s when the differences will make the difference!

Like others here, I suspect, I grew up when tyres were cross ply and had tubes inside them.  And then, in 1946 (long before I was driving) it was Michelin, no less, who introduced the radial tyre.  And so gave motorists the opportunity to mix cross ply and radials and have an entirely new kind of accident.

I wonder if the people who try to save money by mixing tyres would also countenance fitting cheap brake pads of dubious origin to make a small saving?  

One thought about the video.  I would have been interested if the tyres had then been swapped on the axles to illustrate what, if any, difference that would make.

 

.

[nicnac]

https://alltyretests.com/michelin-crossclimate-plus/

 

I think you can take a lot of tyre tests with a pinch of salt ..................no pun intended !.......... you change one of the parameters of test by a very small amount and everything changes . Its the old engineering problem of the infinitely variable , variables. You can make anything look good or bad depending what your agenda is.

all season are a compromise as are all  tyre related issues . But if you encounter conditions below 7 deg C its a no brainer to use them or winter tyres in winter. .