Michelin‘s tread pattern may look a little silly at first glance, but it’s also established itself as the default choice for anyone who wants a versatile all-season or all-weather tire. Like basically every other Michelin, the CrossClimate2 isn’t cheap, but in addition to offering outstanding performance in all sorts of inclement weather, it will also likely last longer than a lot of less-expensive tires. If you live in an area where changing seasons and changing weather are a regular concern, you really can’t go wrong putting CrossClimate2s on your vehicle. But while you can’t go wrong with the CrossClimate2, is it still the best all-weather tire that you can buy?
To figure that out, our friend Jonathan Benson at Tyre Reviews grabbed a set of CrossClimate2s, as well as all-weather tires from six other competitors including Bridgestone, Goodyear, Nokian, and Toyo. Then it was off to the test track to run each set of tires through not only snow and ice testing but also on both wet and dry pavement. Benson also made sure to evaluate comfort levels and take value into account, as well. So at the end of the day, which tire came out on top? Well, that partly depends on what kinds of inclement weather you encounter most frequently. After all, if it rarely snows where you live, the best tire for you is probably going to be a little different than it is for someone who does.
Unfortunately for the Toyo Celsius 2, no matter how you play around with the weighting, it just isn’t a great choice unless your only priority is getting an all-weather tire on your car for the lowest possible price. The Firestone WeatherGrip came out slightly ahead of the Toyo but is arguably the better one to buy if you’re looking for less expensive all-weathers. The Bridgestone WeatherPeak, meanwhile, was supposed to be a true CrossClimate2 competitor but didn’t fully live up to the hype, in part because of how long it took to bring the test vehicle to a stop in dry conditions. As for the Nokian Remedy, it proved to be the best snow performer and did great in the hydroplaning test, but its braking performance also fell short.
The Pirelli Scorpion WeatherActive and Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady 2, meanwhile, came out practically tied, with the Pirelli offering the best comfort and ice performance, while the Goodyear excels in both dry and wet performance. So if you’re trying to choose between the two, it really depends on where you live. For those of you keeping track, that means, once again, the Michelin CrossClimate2 came out on top as the best all-weather tire in the competition. They’re expensive and aren’t as comfortable as the Pirellis, but according to Benson, they’re still the clear winners.
As we saw in this recent all-season tire comparison test, it’s also possible you may want to look at the Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 and the Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 for great all-around tires, but if you’re looking specifically for all-weather performance, the Michelin CrossClimate2 is still the tire to beat.
