What do you think of your cross climate tyres “in snow”?

[Pilatus]

I wanting to find out if cross climate tyres do give more grip and better braking in snow and icy conditions. Have been using winter tyres but thinking they are over kill for the amount of times we get snow on the Cotswolds. Don’t get me wrong winter tyres really do work but loose their gripping power at a great tread depth than a conventional tyre is still legal.
As the set I have are getting to the above stage I am considering Crossclimate type tyres.
Any feedback appreciated.

 

[Qman]

I had Michelin cross climate tyres on a Golf. When there was snow I could go up hills where other cars were spinning and could stop easier, I would definitely recommend them.

 

[ACEngineering]

I wanting to find out if cross climate tyres do give more grip and better braking in snow and icy conditions. Have been using winter tyres but thinking they are over kill for the amount of times we get snow on the Cotswolds. Don’t get me wrong winter tyres really do work but loose their gripping power at a great tread depth than a conventional tyre is still legal.
As the set I have are getting to the above stage I am considering Crossclimate type tyres.
Any feedback appreciated.

Ran them on the old van and now got them on the new van, Never really had snow though which is typical once you fit them

Cross climate 3.5ton van tyres are a very diffferent tread pattern to the car ones though. I have them on all year round and they dont seem to wear any faster than a normal tyre. The van type DO LOVE to pick up tarmac chippings/plannings in the treads though which i hate but otherwise there are no down sides to them.

 

[Brisel]

I'm a bit of a petrolhead, so have looked into this.

Mrs B has a set of winter tyres for her 1 Series BMW thanks to eBay (sold by a BMW dealer having traded a customer car in on summer wheels & tyres). She does a lot of miles for work, some of which is in the Dales. I'm also happy to spend an hour in November & March changing them over & have space away from daylight to store the wheels.

Winter tyres will work better than "summer" i.e. standard tyres below 7oC. They are not just for snow, but for, er, winter and all the conditions that come with it - cold, ice/snow and most of all, water. Winter tyres have more grooves and deeper ones than summers to channel water/slush through. They also have more small grooves in the treads with the idea that they can move more which generates heat and therefore grip. They are also made of a softer compound that works better at lower temperatures.

Not all sizes are available for winters & cross climates. The wife's winters are 16" rims but the summers are 17"

Cross climates are a halfway design incorporating more of the above than normal tyres yet will be harder than winters and therefore last longer in summer temperatures at the cost of some low temperature traction. These are a good compromise if you don't want the hassle of swapping over twice a year.

Downsides?

• Time taken to swap over. Some are happy to pay a tyre fitter to physically swap tyres in the same rims, others have a spare set of rims so they can just swap wheels over.
• Harder to source (limited supply - don't even think of ordering them in a cold snap!)
• A bit less grip in hot weather
• Faster wear in summer
• A limit to top speed, normally only an issue in cars over 130mph
• You will be able to stop & go in snow/ice but the moron behind you on summers will not be able to stop and either rear end you or block the road in the first place!

Alternatives?

• Snow chains - expensive, slow to fit and you are really limited on speed. Put your foot down and you will destroy your wheel arches very quickly...
• Snow socks - very short lifespan but will get you home in extremis. Halfords linky

 

[Magnus Oyke]

I've got Bridgestone A005 on my car, they are winter tyres with the snowflake and mountain on the side. They're not full on alpine tyres, but are much better for most of the year. Whether or not it's worth going for a more snow bias tyre for the amount of snow we get is for you to decide, if you absolutely have to get out then it's probably a yes. Will you leave them on all year of have another set of tyres? My Bridgestones are a lot better in the cold and wet than the Michelin Energy tyres it came with, but not quite so good when the roads are warm and the fuel consumption did go up a couple of MPG's.

 

[yoki]

I've been running them since they came on the market. Their sales reps had them before they were launched and the guy I knew had been in some pretty tricky conditions with them in the highlands and he was well chuffed with them.

Probably not as good as a full-blown snow tyre, but streets ahead of summer tyres.

I ran them all year round until my brother-in-law gave me a full set of Michelin summer tyres so I swap between the two but only because I can. Cross-climates are perfectly serviceable as an all-year tyre in the UK.

 

[Highland Mule]

Sottozero on Mrs HM’s 4WD BMW, Conti Wintercontact on my 2WD Volvo. Wouldn’t run summer tyres again. I tend to do few enough miles that they stay on all year and do a couple of winters and maybe three summers now. When I was doing more I ran two sets of wheels.

Harder to source (limited supply - don't even think of ordering them in a cold snap!)

Try Mytyres.co.uk - they seemed to have them ex Germany when others didn’t. Work a bit like Black circles so get them delivered and fitted locally.

 

[BuskhillFarm]

Is there as much difference between winter tyres brand to brand like the summer tyres? I’d like a set for my car but seems like it’d be a grand or more for rims and tyres. I’ve had Bridgestone summer tyres which are poor in anything remotely slippy where Michelin summers would go anywhere in the snow, albeit had lots of flats and they wore very quickly compareds to Bridgestone.

 

[linga]

Got Falken Allseason on the Outback.
Excellent on snow and fine in summer too

 

[Magnus Oyke]

Is there as much difference between winter tyres brand to brand like the summer tyres? I’d like a set for my car but seems like it’d be a grand or more for rims and tyres. I’ve had Bridgestone summer tyres which are poor in anything remotely slippy where Michelin summers would go anywhere in the snow, albeit had lots of flats and they wore very quickly compareds to Bridgestone.

There is a difference, basically, different amounts of compromise between ice, snow, wet weather, cold weather and summer weather grip. My Bridgestones weren't any more expensive than any other tyresand I leave them on all year

 

[yoki]

Is there as much difference between winter tyres brand to brand like the summer tyres? I’d like a set for my car but seems like it’d be a grand or more for rims and tyres. I’ve had Bridgestone summer tyres which are poor in anything remotely slippy where Michelin summers would go anywhere in the snow, albeit had lots of flats and they wore very quickly compareds to Bridgestone.

Can't really comment on car tyres between brands as I've only run Michelin for the past number of years.

If you want to get in to motorcycle tyres though, I'm your man!

 

[Bwcho]

I'm running Michelin Crossclimates+ and they're excellent tyres. I'd highly recommend them to you.
I've only driven them on snow for approx 15 miles on an old un-gritted mountainside road (more like a track) in freezing conditions and they were faultless. Have had 25k miles out of the fronts but having to change them early because of the tracking and wearing on the inside shoulders. They've still got 3.5-4mm tread left. I haven't measured the tread on the rears but they look excellent. Previous Goodyear Efficient Grip summer tyres on the front struggled doing 14k miles. Only complaint is that they've got one or two cracks and cuts, which may or may not be down to the compound.
I'm considering putting Michelin Agilis Crossclimates (van tyres) on next to see if they'd be a bit tougher to deal with all the potholes.
Out of interest, has anybody put van tyres on a car for this reason?

 

[Nhtvt170]

Got Michelin Cross climates all round on a Golf, 30,000 miles or so out of the fronts, more out of the backs, pretty good on some unexpected Gloucestershire snow on Birdlip last year, kept me moving when others weren’t. I’m happy with that!

 

[suffolksmallholder]

With the madness and crowded roads the best tyres are on your vehicle right now if it says in the shed during a snowfall.
Personally I stay at home and leave all the hoo-ha and disasters to be filmed by other folk way more daring than I, then y’all can see it on tiktok or youtube to much sucking through teeth; ooooh mrs, well I never, fancy that, as yet another Audi on 255/30-19 tyres ploughs into a Transit or kerb.

Gone are the days of some fun below 30MPH in winter time pre 2000, everything has become a do or die situation.
If you live in town then even walking on the pavement is a danger because of cut-backs
If you are going to feed livestock you certainly aren’t going to be using your beemer, eh!and at least you won’t have to go out on the public highway.

To answer the OP’s Q then I’d certainly have good tread on whichever tyres are currently on my daily ride and then go from there. I don’t think there’s a tyre panacea but a ‘winter’ tyre type could be fitted to the drive wheels to get you home but beware of all the hoo-ha, and get home as safely as possible, please.
SS

 

[Highland Mule]

With the madness and crowded roads the best tyres are on your vehicle right now if it says in the shed during a snowfall.

I expect to have white on the roads for around 8 weeks every winter. Should I just hibernate then? Can’t see I relish relying on Tesco to deliver fresh food to me with their vans.

There’s already been periods with the slow gates shut this winter, fwiw.

 

[suffolksmallholder]

I expect to have white on the roads for around 8 weeks every winter. Should I just hibernate then? Can’t see I relish relying on Tesco to deliver fresh food to me with their vans.

There’s already been periods with the slow gates shut this winter, fwiw.

If it is for two months then perhaps a dedicated vehicle would be more and better suited. An old Hilux c£3000 which is a useful rather than useless motor!
SS

 

[Highland Mule]

If it is for two months then perhaps a dedicated vehicle would be more and better suited. An old Hilux c£3000 which is a useful rather than useless motor!
SS

Or I can just run winter tyres on my car, which is both more comfortable and better performing in winter than a Hilux.

 

[Magnus Oyke]

If it is for two months then perhaps a dedicated vehicle would be more and better suited. An old Hilux c£3000 which is a useful rather than useless motor!
SS

4wd helps you go, it doesn't help stop or change direction. Pickups normally have off road bias tyres on them, farm pickups will at any rate. Then you have a heavier and higher vehicle that doesn't have very good road handling on slippery roads. A small, light front wheel drive car on winter tyres would be much more suitable

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Or I can just run winter tyres on my car, which is both more comfortable and better performing in winter than a Hilux.

Ok a set of wheels to be changed. I’m not going to contradict you, simply looking at practicalities.
I have always had a 4x4 as a stand-by for bad winters but if things get really bad then the stay-at-home option is always there.
We have a months food in store if worst comes to worst. Why risk it?

I still have my Aunts loss in mind when she lost her husband in the winter of 1947 when he went to look after his flock and never returned
SS

 

[suffolksmallholder]

4wd helps you go, it doesn't help stop or change direction. Pickups normally have off road bias tyres on them, farm pickups will at any rate. Then you have a heavier and higher vehicle that doesn't have very good road handling on slippery roads. A small, light front wheel drive car on winter tyres would be much more suitable

Absolutely. Been there, done that. My little Skoda is great in snow up to a point then I simply want not to bother and be at home. Simples.