Better all season or winter tires? The test of the Michelin Crossclimate 2 SUV

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Michelin presented at the & quot; road test & quot; the Crossclimate 2 SUVs with an event at the Porsche Experience Center, the home of four-wheeled fun that we saw at its inauguration in September 2021.

The track in Franciacorta is not; it was a random choice: in addition to an off-road route, it was also useful for testing motor skills; of an All Season (or & quot; four seasons & quot;) that on some SUVs & egrave; also an original equipment proposal, the track includes a part with the classic handling exercises and a & quot; zero grip pistino & quot; which simulates a journey on ice.

GIVE THE NUMBERS

WHY? CHOOSE ALL SEASON I have always been a winter type and every winter the family cars underwent the ritual of changing the set of tires on dedicated rims, a useful practice for those who want to simplify operations, have enough space in the garage and do not mind taking up to an hour to complete the # 39; operation. With very cold winters and lots of snow, the performance of winter tires does not beat, this is; undeniable.

My old Juke has overcome heavy snowfall and a few sheets of ice without problems during various business trips in Italy and Europe, and all without being able to rely on four-wheel drive: you know the 4×4 SUVs that get stuck on the side of the road uphill? Almost certainly they mount summers thinking they can count on four-wheel drive and forgetting that without tire grip there is no; 4×4 that takes.

Over the years, however, I realized that the average temperatures began to rise, the winters were less rigid and with less snow, and the few situations in which a winter would have given the best, with a lot of snow or temperatures below the & quot; limit threshold & quot; of the 7 degrees, they were no more & ugrave; such as to justify a second set of tires, the commitment to replace them and a second set of rims.

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What is with the switch to Model 3, all-wheel drive, I decided to do what I promised myself never to do : spend a winter without winter, keeping the summers and chains on board, as per law. Crazy? Not completely: it was the winter of 2021, we were all still unsure how far the pandemic could really travel, my original equipment Michelin Pilot Sports were (and still are after almost 28,000 km) of the excellent tires and saving did not hurt. A question of risk/benefit ratio therefore.

Winter is past, there were not many trips (here is one from 3 & deg; to 12 & deg;) and I have seen the mountain on three occasions, all faced without problems and (almost) without snow. I do not deny for & ograve; of having missed a winter: cheerful hairpin bends with so much cold or wet often forced the intervention of the four-wheel drive together with the electronic controls, and fortunately I had some good summers that do not fare badly in the wet.

In short, psychologically I couldn't get used to not having the right shoes, and instinctively I drove as if I had winter, only to remember that I hadn't made the change this season.


There are many moments for a week, but not too many in absolute terms if we look at the cold season as a whole.

MICHELIN CROSSCLIMATE 2 SUV (AND MORE)

Obviously, the Q5 TFSI-e used for the test is; different from a sports one. On the one hand it can & ograve; count on four-wheel drive, but it should be noted that four-wheel drive helps you in the traction phase, not in the release phase. And with the Crossclimate 2 SUV, even the release returned very honest, predictable and sincere reactions. On the other hand, however, the Q5 has the disadvantage compared to a Porsche of being an SUV which therefore has to work harder. tires to compensate for a high wheel trim.

It is not uncommon for me to choose something after trying it for a review and while noticing its flaws (my smartphone, my computer, my car …) and it will be; so & igrave; also for the decision to give up the winter to move to the All Seasons which, in the case of Michelin, are also 3PMSF, an acronym that translates into the certainty of being able to circulate in winter throughout Europe without violating the regulations.


To convince me in the decision, then, also the good performance of the rubber, both testified by the label (this is how it reads), and verified by several independent tests of the TUV Sud (braking and traction tests) and of Dektra (tests of duration).

Michelin declares a longer duration, and I know from private experience that the French * (asterisk explained in the box below) are the best at maintaining safety performance even at the end of their life, while others are excellent when new and exponentially decay well before the 2 mm limit.

Curiosity & agrave; perhaps known to a few: Michelin & egrave; today the main tire manufacturer in Italy. We are not talking only in terms of tires actually made in Italy, Cuneo & egrave; one of the factories of excellence in all of Europe, but also of Italian workers employed. In short, there is more Italy in a French brand than in an Italian one …

Furthermore, the label speaks of B in noise, and actually the first test confirmed excellent acoustic performance, appreciated in general and even more so; essential for those who have an electric or plug-in SUV. Seeing a four-season tire that you & egrave; evolved so much that it reached the same noise level; of the Pilot Sport 4 summer (those of original equipment), & egrave; further confirmation of how different the & quot; M + S & quot; tires are today compared to those of the early days, and how much invisible technology there is and is the result of research into compounds, carcasses and carvings. And this is; a speech that, in general, applies to all the main manufacturers of high-end tires, excluding the & quot; cinesoni & quot; on duty.

THE NUMBERS OF CROSSCLIMATE 2 SUV

In short, are all seasons perfect? Absolutely not . The tires four seasons are better than winter in the snow? No, but as I said a few paragraphs above, the defects of this type are evident if compared to the & quot; pure winter & quot; . For & ograve; Michelin asks us a question to help us choose, and unknowingly & egrave; the same one I did in the last cold season during that experiment of renouncing the winter.

So I propose it to you again quoting them: drive frequently in places with harsh winters, with lots of snow or with lots of snow. days with the temperature below 7 degrees, the famous watershed between winter and summer? If the answer is; yes, then better choose the winter ones. If the answer is; no, the All Seasons are now mature and performing, not only for those who never leave the city; with the exception of the white week, but also for those who, like me, travel often and in different situations.

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