Initial Review of Michelin CrossClimate 2’
Here are my two-week-in thoughts. I am comparing them to the Yokohama Avid GTs that came with our R4P. As we have an XSE, our tires are 235/55/19’s.
Advantages: Yokohama Avid GT’:
1.Front tire spinning is less as the Michelins hook up better. IF you enjoy spinning your front tires, this could be a negative for you. If you like better acceleration, more efficient use of the car’s power with that same amount of power getting better tire pavement grip, perhaps the Michelins would reduce Car and Driver’s R4P obtained 0 to 60 time from 5.4 seconds to 5.3 seconds.
Testing done by both TireRack.com and Jason Fenske (aka “Engineering Explained,”) both conclude that the Michelin CrossClimate 2s are really good tires for SUV. If you do not yet know Jason’s YT channel, he is one of the professional car reviewers — and also a career automotive engineer. Here’s Jason’s review of the Michelin CC 2s, tires he bought with his own money for his own vehicle after his prior comparative tire research:
My Summary Based On Early Driving:
I am very happy I made the tire change. This mod improved the R4P quite a bit in my opinion. It was worth $850 to me (all in) to start again with much better and safer tires than what came with the vehicle. Being able to take corners at a “moderate plus” or faster speed and not be concerned as to whether we will now stay in our lane, always results in a more relaxing, more fun drive.
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As always, opinions can vary.
IMO, the CrossClimate 2s also look better lol.
Here are my two-week-in thoughts. I am comparing them to the Yokohama Avid GTs that came with our R4P. As we have an XSE, our tires are 235/55/19’s.
Advantages: Yokohama Avid GT’:
- A small amount quieter: Not much but a little amount. The Michelins have a tiny bit of what TireRack calls is white noise. TireRack does not find that white noise objectionable in the slightest; neither do I — especially since my wife and I find our R4P’s with its laminated front door glass to be a fairly quiet vehicle.
- Better fuel mileage: Impossible for me to tell how much so but my initial guess (purely that) is that my 42 mile all electric range just dropped to around perhaps 41 or 40 miles. ICE MPG drops too; again a guess, perhaps being reduced by about a 1/2 to 1 mile per gallon. Yet, the CC 2 tires are part of Michelin’s “green family” of tires, so only time will tell. But if that kind of a reduction, would that be important? Each of us will have to decide that for themselves.
1.Front tire spinning is less as the Michelins hook up better. IF you enjoy spinning your front tires, this could be a negative for you. If you like better acceleration, more efficient use of the car’s power with that same amount of power getting better tire pavement grip, perhaps the Michelins would reduce Car and Driver’s R4P obtained 0 to 60 time from 5.4 seconds to 5.3 seconds.
- Vehicle “roll” when cornering. This was not changed due to the tire change (the weight has to go somewhere given the suspension, steering, and other components Toyota created for it).
- Acceleration is better due to less tire spin on dry pavement. There is even less Michelin tire spinning comparatively when the pavement is wet. This latter difference is considerable IMO; independent tire testers have commented on good the CC 2s are in the wet.
- Most importantly to me, for my only initial complaint about our new R4P is that steering precision with the Avid GTs was poor (something noted in many auto-media written and video reviewers and by many of you). Whereas IMO that Avid GT steering wheel “play” was about 1/4” without any change in direction even on a straight, smooth, flat road, it seems as if this has been reduced 50% with our new tires e.g, resulting in more-enjoyable, more-precise steering with the CC 2s. The one place I notice it in the most positively was at the same speed for both tires, was the with the Avid GTs the R4P wandered outwardly during a significant curve — toward the outer edge of the pavement, especially by the time you were 3/4 of the way through that curve. However now when I concentrate fully with the CC 2s on the same dry pavement, I am now able to take a serious curve at a moderate speed as the new tires “take a set” and kept the vehicle in the center of the lane when I wanted it that way; or if I wished to take corners differently, instead taking thar corner “sports car style” of clipping the apex and deliberately, progressively unwinding the steering toward the end of that curve. In either case the CCs were more steering precise. Today I realized that on a straight good road with almost no other vehicles around me, I was relaxedly driving with one hand on the wheel.
- As a result of enhanced steering feel, I am liking its handling more. It “carves” corners more precisely — but again it is not, nor will never be a sports car. If you precision drive your car and set it up correctly at the beginning of a curve, it will stay where you are wanting it to throughout the whole curve unless you are of course going too fast for conditions.
- Tire wear: Again no ability for me to personally determine, but the CC 2s have a 640 UTQG mileage rating compared to the Avid GTs 280.
- The CC 2’s are severe snow (three mountain peak) rated; the Avid GTs sure are not.
Testing done by both TireRack.com and Jason Fenske (aka “Engineering Explained,”) both conclude that the Michelin CrossClimate 2s are really good tires for SUV. If you do not yet know Jason’s YT channel, he is one of the professional car reviewers — and also a career automotive engineer. Here’s Jason’s review of the Michelin CC 2s, tires he bought with his own money for his own vehicle after his prior comparative tire research:
My Summary Based On Early Driving:
I am very happy I made the tire change. This mod improved the R4P quite a bit in my opinion. It was worth $850 to me (all in) to start again with much better and safer tires than what came with the vehicle. Being able to take corners at a “moderate plus” or faster speed and not be concerned as to whether we will now stay in our lane, always results in a more relaxing, more fun drive.
As always, opinions can vary.
IMO, the CrossClimate 2s also look better lol.
