Michelin CrossClimate 2's in the Snow

[@ibs5080]

One key thing to bear in mind when venturing out in these conditions is that no matter how much grip you have, someone else could still slide into you. As Ashley said, if you don't have to drive in these conditions, don't.

[@15bit62]

Which is why many countries require everyone to change to winter tyres

[@ibs5080]

@15bit62 Exactly that yes, plus they have a more stringent "minimum tread depth" requirement. Often 3 mm minimum versus the UK at 1.6 mm

[@15bit62]

@@ibs5080 Yes, 3mm on winter tyres usually. Or more technically - snowflake symbol and 3mm on tyres being driven in these conditions. You can drive your winter tyres in summer down to 1.6mm legally.

[@humphreychiu]

Exactly my sentiment. I had the CC tyres and I was stuck on the road because other idiots were going no where with worn summer tyre! Then I saw a work van making on to slushy main road and their tyres are absolutely bald! If they were behind my car they can easily crash into me! At that point I decided to just head back, not worth mingling with other idiots.

[@frogsplorer]

They don’t even need to crash into you to be a problem; they can just block roads

[@R-y-4]

10:47 just a note when transitioning from a wet/dry surface to snow, your winter tyres wont have full grip at this point. There are 2 ways that winter or all seasons give you better grip. One is by having a softer compound that doesn't harden as much with cold temps, so the rubber stays more malleable for dry and wet driving. But when driving on snow, its actually the snow getting stuck to the tyre and building up that provides the grip. Snow has more traction against snow then rubber does. When you go from a wet section of road onto snow, the tyre doesn't have any build-up on it, so your grip against the snow will be marginally better then summer tyres but wont be working at their full potential until the snow builds up on them again.

[@TextuRePro]

I picked up a set of these tyres back in 2022 for my FWD Audi A3 and didn't think much of them until it snowed one day. Had to drive up to Tesco and saw a car in a ditch, two cars struggling to get uphill, and a lorry with its hazard lights on. I was about to call these folks amateurs. But then I came back and had to move the Mrs.'s car, which had standard mid-level summer tyres. I was blown away by the difference. Those tyres I bought were absolutely amazing in the snow!

[@PedroConejo1939]

I wouldn't feel confident on summer tyres nowadays, not after knowing the difference.

[@stevenrix7024]

A better test would have been for Ashley to drive a car with and without the special tyres around the same route…

[@studogskoff5034]

I had the perfect test when I had them on my VW Caddy. Going home one evening and another VW Caddy got stuck on a little hill just near my home. He reversed down out of the way and then my Caddy sailed up no problem.

[@johnathanpearson3203]

I use Goodyear vector 4 seasons bargain price only 65 quid fitted each. Used to run cross climate on my old car without ABS and the cross climate was amazing.

[@graemewalker1267]

As with everything, you get what you pay for and it's definitely a false economy to potentially put your life in the hands of cheap tyres. I use Bridgestone Weather Control and the car behaves really well in fairly significant falls of snow.

[@blower1]

The main difference with all season tyres, including cross climates vs a summer tyre is the cold weather performance, not just the 'snow' performance. The CrossClimates will perform far better than the majority of summer tyres in temperatures below 10c and especially below 5c. This will be better performance in the dry and wet - the rubber stays more compliant at the lower temperatures and will give you more grip both in braking and cornering performance. So they're not just for snow, at low temperatures they are a far better tyre to have all round vs any summer tyre.

[@AndyC2_]

1000% right 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Finally someone who knows what they are talking about

[@DavidEmeryVirtechs]

I always put Michelin Cross Climates on my cars and have done since around 2018. We have two 4wd cars - a BMW with X-drive and a twin-motor Tesla - and while we would always avoid driving in snow whenever possible, if we DO have to go out the confidence the tyres give us is amazing. It is SO much less stressful when you know you can keep going and, just as importantly, stop and corner! As others have commented, they're not just great in snowy conditions; on autumn and winter roads you can feel the extra grip at all times.

[@dave900ssred]

Hi Ashley, Welcome to the club, been using Cross Climate then Cross Climate 2 tyres for years on both my ADI car and my personal car all year; their operating temperature range is fine even in the 'hot' south east. Fully agree with your warning of nit travelling by car if you don't need to. Would add a 'hazard awareness' reminder that whilst you have 'all season' tyres fitted it won't prevent other vehicles from sliding into you😮 Happy Driving 😃

[@RicardoPetrazzi]

Very encouraging results. I'm very choosey about tyres on both my car and mountain bike. It's amazing how many people still don't give enough importance to tyres, especially when it's only contact between you and the road. And, yes, I've noticed how way so decide it's fine to cut corners even more in these conditions.

[@markjwilcox]

I have run on both Winter tyres and All Season tyres over a number of years. In my experience snow like you were driving through on the video is better driven on with dedicated Winter tyres rather than All Season tyres. I used to have Continental TS 860 Winter tyres from November through to March and standard Summer tyres the rest of the year. On my journeys in freezing and snowy conditions driving over the Cotswolds from south Wales to Oxfordshire, the Winters saved me from a few incidents. However, during the non- snowy weather, which is more what we get in the south, I found the steering and stopping grip quite bad. Having learned of the Michelin Crossclimate 2, I changed to just having them on all year round and it’s been a game changer. No more booking into the garage to have them changed twice a year and totally acceptable grip in any weather, as long as you do slow for snowy and icy conditions. As you said, they move the boundaries but you can’t change physics. I’m glad you like them too.

[@dutchhondarebel]

Yeah, for the kind of weather we get in western Europe, the few days of snow and unpredictable weather, are in my opinion not worth dedicated winters. Can have a day or two of snow followed by a 5c+ dry sunny day.

[@danielbizo7775]

All season compounds have rapidly evolved in recent years. The Michelin Cross Climate 2 set in the video can closely match many winter tyres in these conditions when it comes to traction and breaking, simply because it's more of a mixed condition (moderately cold, mix or wet and snow) not truly winter (deep cold, purely snow and ice). Every other manufacturers update the compounds, tread designs. Tyre Reviews is an excellent source, and good entertainment too. There is not much point to winters in the UK, all seasons should be promoted as standard. But lack of understanding of tyres means without legislation it will never happen.

[@kenbrown2808]

when I was young, I ran summer and winters tires. now that I'm older, I run high quality snow rated all season tires - in a climate very similar to the UK.

[@jameskole3584]

Another comment mentioned certain winter tyres rely on picking up the snow on the tread to make them the most effective. I don't know much about the tech / mechanics behind winter tyrers, but that could be why they weren't very useful outside of snowy conditions.

[@SirIdot]

All season tyres are bad in the summer and bad in the winter. I'd never drive on anything but studded tires in the winter, but I don't live in the UK.

[@ItzThexSmithyy]

They're just great tyres. Perfect for the UK in my opinion as they're still great in the rain but can also deal with some occasional winter snow and ice that we get. We don't really get enough snow to justify winter tyres so these are the next best alternative. I just wish they did these in my tyre size!

[@jameskole3584]

While a lot of people say to start in a higher gear, I saw on a youtube video that as long as you are gentle with the gas, it won't make much difference and it might be better for the car than trying to force it to start from stationary in second gear. I've put that to the test when I had to drive in the snow and found that to be true. On one occasion managed to get myself up a slip road in first gear where other cars with similar wheels and tyres to me had become stuck. All I did was make sure the car in front of me got a bit further ahead so I could keep my momentum and get to the top without stopping. It was very slow, and wasn't necessarily easy, but with a bit of gentle effort got the job done.

[@Kenjh71]

The main hazard in such conditions is not you controlling your car, but all the people on summer tires. For the occasional clearing of snow the jacket sleeve is more than good enough, unless you wear suede or some sponge material. Back home in the north of Norway people keep a brush/scraper in the car, and the procedure is: start the car, turn to full heat and defrost setting, get out and brush/scrape ice. Take your time, the car is warming up. Remember to clear the lights and license plates, to avoid undesired attention from the police. Kick the front tire, to clear snow from your shoes. Drove off and as Ashley did, do a grip test. Brake hard, and accelerate hard to get an idea of how much grip you have. Keep checking during the ride (when safe!). But even with all my winter driving experience, when it snows here in Brussels I prefere to keep the car parked. (see the first sentence)

[@smilerbob]

Thank you for highlighting the cornering at 10:32. I have witnessed drivers come from a clear gritted road into an ungritted sideroad and knocking the front wheel hard off the kerb. Always look at the road you are turning into and not assuming it is like the road you are turning off Also watch out for dual carriageways that are 70mph and clear but then the exits can be rural untreated roads. Bit of a shock sometimes to feel the car go straight with the wheels pointing left!

[@phillwainewright4221]

Nothing to do with tyres, but ... What a faff to adjust your heating. I just turn a knob. All that looking at the screen, selecting the right menu and so on is positively unsafe if you need to do it while driving. In my car, I don't need to take my eyes off the road for a second.

[@ashley_neal]

You can use voice control.

[@markwright3161]

@@ashley_neal To bring it even closer to using a mobile phone... Thinking about what you're saying and about speaking clear enough for it to pick it up correctly, then reading the screen like a text message to ensure it heard you correctly. Even if that isn't the case for you, and you're able to just let it screw up and then find a safe place to stop while it does whatever it does in the meantime, you should know what the average driver is like, and the half that are worse than them.

[@squarepegfb]

Ordered mine yesterday so thank you for validating my choice!

[@Jack-c2d8w]

I still can't believe it's legal in Britain to drive with summer tyres in this weather. In Norway there are heavy fines and possible prison sentences for not using winter or spiked tyres during the winter time.

[@gustavmeyrink_2.0]

In Germany you must use winter tyres from November to March.

[@15bit62]

The prison sentence would only be if you caused a major accident i think. Mostly it's a painful fine and possibly points on your license. And in the event of an accident probably license suspension and the insurance company refusing to pay fully for the damage to your car.

[@Jack-c2d8w]

@@15bit62 I concur 😊

[@Taylor40667]

On average we see 2/3 days of “snow” a year, bit different to Norway But in the cold conditions icy roads they do make a difference winter tires

[@tjampman]

Same in Denmark - no requirement for winter tyres. No mountains and maybe snow a few times a year. But most people do change over once temp drop down around 5-10 degr C, or use all-season tyres Though they are talking about changing the rules once in a while.

[@Tibialstone7]

I love your videos so much mate. You are honestly doing a massive service to our roads and the standard of drivers out there. Thank you Ash and Happy New Year!

[@travis-bickle-84]

We use the commercial vehicle Agilis CrossClimate (as opposed to the passenger car CrossClimate 2) on our fleet of taxis all year round (even on the smaller cars, as well as the minibuses). Not only do they perform better in the snow/ice/wet than the CrossClimate 2, but because of the increased load rating and ply count they're also more pothole/curbing and puncture resistant. We operate in a rural area which can be badly affected by snow and ice (and also crater-like potholes) so they've been a godsend! We haven't had a single puncture or blowout since we transitioned to them a few years ago. They do have more road noise at motorway speeds however.

[@ResevoirGod]

Goodyear all season tyres have made a huge difference to my RWD car this winter. Gives you so much more confidence

[@thetreadtrader7565]

Recently retyred after over fifty years in tyre trade. The majority of my customers just want the cheapest tyres, always refreshing when a customer, like yourself, asked my opinion on what would be the best fitment for them. With social media and internet in general a few would turn up that thought they knew better, but that’s life. With adverse road conditions, like recent snow fall, many cars that end up in ditches are shod with the budget tyres, they got what they payed for. My car, Toyota RAV4 is fitted with cross climates. My good lady’s sporty car not, she uses mine in adverse weather. Good video, maybe a few viewers will follow your advice.

[@15bit62]

Many years ago i changed both tyres on my sportsbike at the same time and made a passing comment about all the tyres available being quite expensive. He looked me in the eye and asked "Would you really want to put cheap tyres on this?". Which i felt was a very good point.

[@ffotograffydd]

I’ve always found it strange that people skimp on tyres, it’s the only part of the car actually in contact with the road. It must have been very frustrating for you.

[@wrightwoodwork]

Cheap tyres ain't always the best value later down the line

[@petehiggins33]

retyred 😁

[@thetreadtrader7565]

@ seemed an appropriate spelling for me👍

[@alexwilson5136]

I'm running on Goodyear Vector 4season tyres and travelling through snowy, icy and wet conditions quite a bit. I'm in the West of Scotland, so it's expected we have bad weather. I've had the tyres for the last year and can honestly say I've lost grip only once when i hit some black ice going around a tight blind bend on a section of newly resurfaced road. The car was quick to recover, though, and i was never in danger of crossing into oncoming traffic or ending up in a ditch. I honestly can't imagine ever going back to 'normal' tyres now.

[@emdentec]

I’ve got the same tyres on my Subaru and I’m also completely blown away with how they perform in this weather (I’m in Leeds). I’ve tried to get the car to break traction on an icy road and it just won’t, it’s unbelievable.

[@ibs5080]

@@emdentec Curious to ask which model of Subaru you have? Outback, Forester or XV for example? I think they are great cars and I'm very surprised how few Subaru's one sees on UK roads. In Washington State USA for example, it's almost as though every other car is a Subaru Outback. How's the Subaru dealership network here in the UK?

[@Rroff2]

Something to remember though is all-seasons are not ice tyres, though they do better than summer tyres on ice, on proper ice even proper winter tyres will struggle. I've mixed feelings with my CrossClimate 2s - on regular passenger cars pretty decent in normal conditions but on heavier vehicles especially bigger SUVs and pickups they are a bit soft, can struggle with torque, a slight tendency to tramlining and can be vague with rapid direction changes i.e. if you turn off a road left and then immediately want to take a right turn they can be vague turning into the right.

[@callumbirks]

Had to replace the tires that came with my car recently and decided to get Continental AllSeasonContact 2. Glad I chose those, over standard tires, with this recent snow & ice we've had. Grip is much better in the wet, and while I didn't test the old tires in icy or snowy conditions, I can say these tires have performed great.

[@richardeifler2510]

As someone who used to have winter tyres (as we drove in Germany where they're law in winter months) and switched between summer/winter depending on the season, I can vouch that winter tyres are the bees knees in snow. As I don't drive much anymore, I have all seasons and they're perfect. Give me lots of confidence in the snow and can't see me switching away from them.

[@davidquinn5906]

When I first got a set of, not full winter, but all season tyres they happened to arrive on the day the snow came down. Drove in on summers and back with the all seasons so it was a chance to directly compare them. In general on summers you had to tippy-toe along to avoid breaking traction, while on the all seasons you had to make a deliberate effort to make them slip.

[@festivitycat]

Had CrossClimate 2 tyres on my Mini for a couple of years now up here in Scotland, been very pleased with them.

[@lawrenceholden5716]

I put these on a Punto and was amazed, felt I could go anywhere in winter, whilst driving carefully and could feel increased grip all year. I had them fitted all round on a Mercedes C class afterwards, not the cheapest but a sound investment for the extra money. One thing to remember is change the spare at the same time, a tyre specialist told me that with their unique tread pattern and compound, had to be same both sides of car front or rear. Also no tyres deal with ice so careful defensive driving is needed as always.

[@15bit62]

That's not strictly true about ice. You can get grip on ice with metal studs, but they are basically illegal outside Scandinavia. The Nordic spec studless winter tyres also give a surprising amount of grip on ice. For sure not a lot in absolute terms, but probably 10-20x what you get with summer tyres, which enough to maintain control and stop at sensible speeds.

[@Brauschemann]

It's always worth mentioning when driving in conditions like this to allow the engine to heat up so that the automatic choke is off. If driving up a snowy slope, particularly in a reasonably powerful car with the auto choke still on, it may well over rev giving wheel spin even without the accelerator being pressed. I struggled to get up a hill a few years ago purely because I had no control over how much my engine was over revving due to the choke still being on.

[@blower1]

Modern petrol cars have not had a 'choke', automatic or otherwise for decades (pre 2000).....not since the carburettor days before engines transitioned to electronic solenoid injectors, servo throttle bodies, O2 sensors, cam & crank position sensors, drive by wire accelerator pedals etc A/F ratio is tightly controlled by the ECU at all times along with constant monitoring of the above sensors. The engine RPM is tightly controlled by the ECU and it cannot 'over-rev' without the accelerator being pressed. There is a cold start sequence which often overlaps intake and exhaust valve opening to rapidly warm up the engine combined with a higher A/F ratio but this is not akin to an automatic choke by any means and again is under ECU control. Usually this cold start sequence runs for less than 30 seconds anyway.

[@dutchhondarebel]

Been using them for a few years, excellent for the few days of snow a year and good for all the other types of weather.

[@waynenunn897]

I agree with your over confidence comment. I've been using Continental winter tyres for years and they are so good in these conditions I do have to remind myself at times that I'm actually driving on snow! I might try these cross climates the next time i have to replace my winter tyres - to avoid the slight inconvenience of changing my wheels over twice a year.

[@mathewthomas1164]

Had the cross climate tyres on for two days and they are absolutely fantastic

[@jacob1121]

Chose a "Higher gear" is just something they say to help new drivers, as long as you drive like there is an egg under the pedals you should be fine if you have decent tyres. The larger tread doesn't just help with snow it is also excellent at preventing aquaplaning and increases grip in muddy conditions as well. There is a reason we do 3mm minimum tread depth in Sweden during the winter.

[@davidbrough2822]

I bought a Suzuki Virara (front wheel drive) in December 2023 and got stuck in snow in January. (Not CrossClimate) As a result, I decided in fit Michelin CrossClimate 2. They aren't the cheapest of tyres, but well well worth it. I would highly recommend them. I also would echo not going out in snow unless you have to, but if you have too, these are brilliant tyres.

[@rob_lightbody]

I've got the same tyres on my golf GTi. I'm in the west of Scotland and they're just essential. We get weeks and weeks and weeks with the temperature around freezing and they're miles better than a summer tyre, even before the snow comes

[@harrisonhealey1679]

I’m surprised that manufacturers don’t fit these as factory fit especially for the UK climate.

[@douglasreid699]

manufacturers dont care about putting expensive tyres on a vehicle, they put an average tyre on it, that they have a deal with a tyre manufacturer to supply to all new cars, to save money. only if you ask for a certain type of tyre to be fitted as new do they change the tyres before the sale. i bought a new motorbike in 2021, usually in the past i got 5k to 6k miles out of the rear tyre, by 3500 miles the Dunlops on the bike as standard was done and reading reviews they were the worst tyre for that motorbike, advice was to have Bridgestone or Michelin tyres fitted before picking the bike up.

[@ffotograffydd]

I watched a review of the Subaru Crosstrek from a year or so ago and the guy said it came with the CrossClimate2 as standard, I’m assuming that’s still the case. It’s strange that other cars don’t, especially AWD vehicles. They could add the additional cost to the price of the car and I doubt people would even notice.

[@MarkLeabon]

I have 2 sets of wheels for both my motorhome and car. Summer tyres and winter tyres. Full winters rather than cross climate though. Amazing difference. Been to the Alps and Norway in the winter with these tyres. One thing I always hear is that we only get a couple of days snow so it's not worth it but winter tyres are better when wet and below 7C which we get a lot in a UK winter.

[@Teasuti]

That old saying largely depends on the tyre itself. Modern tyres see a bit of shift in market segment and performance. With the four seasons growing in popularity, the dedicated winter tyres gain even more bias towards the below freezing temperatures and snowy/icy conditions. On cold & wet roads a premium 4S will outperform a full fledged winter tyre. In fact a nordic winter tyre performs rather poorly at 7°C. Modern winter tyres, nordic winter tyres work best below freezing temperatures. Above zero degrees we have better options nowadays. For mild climates like the southern parts of UK it's gonna be a set of summer and four season really, instead of summer and winter. Or just leave on the 4S all year around. Summer tyres take over in performance above 15°C compared to the ones like the Cross Climate 2. With this being said the new guideline is: Summer tyres outperform everything at >15°C. 4S will outperform the summer and winter tyres in the transition weather at 0-15°C on wet roads. Winter tyres take over at below 0°C. Of course the temperatures are not hard limits, there's always a decline in the performance/temperature graph once you pass these points.

[@MarkLeabon]

@Teasuti I agree with most of that. I don't have Nordic winter tyres . I have Michelin and Continental European winter tyres. I agree that 4s and summer are probably best for the UK and that 4s are catching up fast. I don't agree that winter tyres perform poorly at 7c , the opposite is true. Although I have european rather than Nordic.

[@paul0gb]

I worked a season as a transfer driver in the french alps and was amazed by winter tyres. I always now have cross climate tyres in the uk . They arent full winter tyres but for the uk I think they are perfect. I do feel like they become softer in the summer though.

[@Kaiser-ks3yq]

Though I'd mention some things; 5:30 Having confidence in tyres, leading to increased speed is likely for many people, but good tyres (including Michelins) will give enough feeling of slip through the steering at lower speeds to discourage accelerating to greater speeds. 6:00 You seem to be tunnel visioned on the car infront (understandably to be fair), but in snow I like to have a look both ways when advancing through a green light, as people are likely to be unable to stop before a red light in the snow. 7:00 People always take lazy lines around sharp corners (as you mention in many other videos) the difference in the snow is, usually people blindly cut across from the left, but in the snow people are likely to understeer coming in from the right, and slide right into you, if you're ready on the throttle you might need to pull forwards to avoid a collision. 10:35 Traction sampling (via braking as earlier, or cornering as at the timestamp) is a great practice in the snow, but I would advise the following; when cornering to sample traction, the car will likely understeer or "push on" but could potentially oversteer or "spin" if the front are on a portion of road with less grip, and it's much more difficult to react to oversteer. Also you only think you know how much grip you have, and if it turns out to be unusually slippery, using your method of having just a little too much speed for the corner, could potentially be MUCH too much speed for the corner, and you understeer into the kerb, what I do (and reccomend anyone with a front wheel drive car do aswell) is go round the corner at a speed which is either as fast as you think you can go WITHOUT sliding, or slightly below (10-20% below the speed you guess-timate you'll slide at) so worst case scenario you can bail out and miss the kerb, but if you choose to commit, you nail the throttle mid corner, and the front will break free, and you can feel how much grip the car has. Best part about this method is assuming you have an open differential, you'll actually get a slight underestimate of the grip level, which is much safer than having an overestimate. 12:25 Check out Tyre Reviews channel on all season tyres, what's great is he mentions if a tyre is prone to understeer, which since you're a driving instructor, and you've said you don't enjoy spirited driving much anymore, I strongly reccomend, as choosing an oversteery tyre could mean teaching a student in the snow goes very wrong indeed, luckily enough most Michelins are prone to understeer, including your's, but Michelins like Pilot Sport 4S, and Pilot Sport Cup 2 are oversteery, with the 4S not having enough feel to make someone realise they need to slow down 13:13 I've got them on my car, but only on the back right corner at the minute, as I had them only on the front to help with steering and braking, I was going to replace the rear with them too, and then I found out I had a misaligned front left wheel, even though I had got it aligned previously, so I spent about 5 alignments worth of money and got all the equipment to align them myself, which I strongly reccomend to anyone who's mechanically inclinded. But long story short I put the two identical tyres on the front, they have less grip than either of the rear tyres I've got, and personally prefer the feel of having symmetry on the front than rear, (and they are cheaper tyres, so putting them on the front hopefully will lead to a safe understeer bias), the worn out front left got replaced by the full size spare I've got in the boot (exact same type/size of wheel as on the other 3 corners, not a spacesaver, and tyre was recently produced so no dryrot etc)

[@ibs5080]

At around 9:10 & again at 12:51, since here in the UK most junctions are controlled via a Give Way, you are legally allowed to emerge from a side street whilst still rolling, as Ashley did. In Canada and USA those types of junctions (intersections) are virtually always controlled via a Stop sign. Which means you can't legally keep moving (as Ashley legally did at this UK junction). Even in snow, going uphill and with no visible traffic on the main road, legally in North America, you'd still have to come to a complete stop...and try to get going again.

[@Jack-c2d8w]

Haha that's madness! So you could potentially be forced to create greater risk by rolling/sliding back down a hill at an intersection? 🤯

[@ibs5080]

@Jack-c2d8w Welcome To North American Stop sign intersections!

[@PedroConejo1939]

In northern Germany, in heavy snow, people would ignore red traffic lights (and others expected it) if it kept the traffic from getting stuck. This was 40 years ago, so things may have changed.

[@ibs5080]

@@PedroConejo1939 Interesting to hear. I lived in Germany from 1988 to 93 before immigrating to Canada. I don't recall that practice, though I totally believe you. I was in south west Germany in the state of Baden-Wuerttenburg so maybe this was a regional thing in the North

[@PedroConejo1939]

@@ibs5080 This was Flensburg in 81/82. It wasn't every junction, all the time, but on those on a hill where pulling off would be difficult to impossible. Also, despite the pavements being cleared. (by law), pedestrians on the hill - this was Angelburger Str, where I lived - would just get behind the cars and give them a shove up the hill. All very co-operative.

[@IANREA]

I have had cross climates on since 2017, and in that winter going to and from hospital on a regular basis, I was really pleased. They have worn well.

[@bofor3948]

Only had my cross climates fitted in December so as yet no snow here in my neck of the woods in Kent to check them out. Happy with them in normal and wet weather so far. Notice you passed a number of part view clearers on your trip. The drivers that amaze me are the ones that leave 4" of snow on their roof and then get caught out at a busy junction when it slumps down over the windscreen. Not just the screens. The roof and bonnet please.

[@marksapollo]

I have a Fiesta ST Mk 7, and I will be fitting these tyres to my car I think. I had ti drive it in snow back from work once, I had the standard Bridgestone Potenza tyres on it, it was quite literally one of the most scary and nerve racking things I have never done in my life. I was sweating when I got back home. But these New Cross Climate ones seem very good.

[@Argiers]

From my experience, the main compromise with all season/winter tyres is that they are not great at clearing standing water. Simply put, the most efficient tread pattern to do this are wide longitudinal grooves found in summer tyres, as opposed to the transverse grooves with sipes that you will find in all season/winter tyres. But by adjusting your driving style accordingly, they are still the best year-round option in my opinion.

[@KXXULADavidOC]

We got heavyish snow here aswell for the first time in years, didn't have to drive anywhere so didn't, I just have normal tires but cross climate ones are something I will look into when I need to next change tires. Everything looks so beautiful in the snow and its lovely seeing the Christmas stuff on the houses along with the snow

[@hypergolic8468]

I've run Cross Climates virtually since they came out, and in winter in northern Europe they are the ticket*. As others say, we can often go between snow and warm rapidly, and we can have many days where the road surface temperature is at freezing or close to it, when summer tyre compounds are not working, and all season tyres do a great job (within limits) deling with that shifting temperature band. *If you go into Europe many countries require at this time of year an M+S marking on the tyre - you can chance it, but if you block a road and the Police come and see see you're on summer tyres you'll be getting a fine. The M+S standard is from the 70's and is now superseded by the harder to achieve Three Peak Mountain Snowflake, and that is the standard to look for on new tyres.

[@sageserpent-open]

If you're going down this road (rimshot) of using all-season tyres instead of switching between summer and winter sets - or just driving on summer tyres and hoping for the best like most do, make sure you get the ones with the Three Peaks symbol (not just the Mud & Snow symbol).

[@vernoncox9598]

I've had cross climates on my VW passat 4motion (240bhp) for a few years now. I cannot fault them. So good all round in any weather. When I first had them fitted it snowed a few weeks later so I was off out to see what they could do. I found some snow covered lanes with no ruts and I was so impressed, fully in control and very predictable although you have to realise confidence has to to controlled because there is a limit and I didn't want to find it! I tried a hill start, no sliping. Absolutly the right choice as very little price difference to other premium tyres and the added bonus of higher mileage from them.

[@duckydashcam751]

I had put Bridgestone All Seasons on my car in late November and came back from Scotland with the weather as is. No slipping at all, slight loss of grip on one or two parts where water came across the roads but nothing that worried me in my 2WD Ford Kuga. Glad I didn't have summer tyres on, makes all the difference.

[@FangPaw]

My wife has been using Crossclimates on her 1-litre Ford Fiesta for several years. The only issue I'd report is surprising high tyre wear. No issues with grip in snowy conditions. Driving 3-litre diesel BMWs in hilly North Yorkshire, I've been using winter tyres for the last 15 years. The difference is night and day. Unlike when I was using summer tyres in winter, I've never been stuck, or even had any issues. Even accelerating quite hard in a 335D (300+bhp, AWD) on snow (on an empty wide road) resulted only in a palpable transfer of power to the front axle, with no loss of traction. Being as Crossclimates are available for my current car (BMW i4), I asked my (independent) performance tyre specialist if they would recommend them over dedicated winter tyres. Their advice was to go for the dedicated winter tyres and enjoy the better fuel economy, grip and noise reduction in summer of the Hankook performance tyres especially developed for the i4.

[@craigevans6156]

I live near Aberdeen, our winters can be very cold even without snow, so I have a set of winter wheels for both our cars with proper winter tyres. ❄️❄️❄️

[@nathan-cu7hk]

I use Michelin Primacy 4 tires all around, and they’re great, even in the snow. I did hit a patch of black ice and lost a bit of grip, but nothing major. Rule #1: never cheap out on tires-they could save your life. While these are technically summer tires and not designed specifically for this kind of weather, they’ve held up surprisingly well considering their intended purpose might have a look at the CrossClimate when they need replacing

[@AndyC2_]

I went from Primacy to CC2s and I’ve never looked back Can’t say they are any better in the summer, nor are they worse, but the confidence they give in winter, even just in low temperatures is second to none. I hope you get them next !!

[@MarkReading]

I've got CrossClimate1's on my Skoda Yeti and find them brilliant so I already know that when these need changing, I'll be getting the new CC2's fitted.

[@philsteele7151]

Had some on for about two years, they are the dogs danglies, got to work every day this week, they are good for shifting water as well.

[@issigonis975]

I found with my Nokian All Weathers it was best to switch the snow setting on as it solved the traction control kicking in. Saw a few 4x4s forgetting that they might get moving better but were over confident and found they were sliding when stopping. One guy found he kept going when stopping at a roundabout but fortunately the other driver on it was crawling. They forget four wheel breaking on summer tyres put them in the same group as anyone else with summer tyres.

[@pengujedi4559]

Its always funny to see the amount of snow that concerns the british as a Canadian. Very rarely do thing shut down because of snow. Ive needed to put chains on a few times with snow tires just to get out of my neighbourhood, plowing snow with my bumper, snow from the ground flying over the windshield. still expected to get to work on time. Its also illegal not to remove the snow from your roof because of the risk of it shifting onto your windshield or on an already clear road.

[@ibs5080]

One thing I like about my 2009 Ford Focus is the fact that it DOESN'T have such a large screen!

[@khalidacosta7133]

What do you do then? Stick your phone onto the windscreen and squint at it like most people do? Oh wait, you don't like screens. You use a paper map?

[@ibs5080]

@khalidacosta7133 After market sat nav using a friction pad, mounted high up on the dashboard. Phone mounted in the vent and used as a GPS speedometer for when I'm not using my sat nav.

[@SimplySpooky24]

​@khalidacosta7133 why do you seem so offended that he doesn't like big screens? 😂

[@khalidacosta7133]

@@SimplySpooky24 I'm offended by people who are offended by something they already have. Case in point here... OP literally shoved a big screen on there....

[@markwright3161]

@@khalidacosta7133 A screen with a singular purpose, a GPS that's only a GPS. It's not a radio, heater controls, etc, as well, all crammed in submenus. It will always show the map when they want to look at the map. It won't remove or cover the map because you need to change the menu to turn up the volume of a weather report on the radio or turn on the demister or change the temperature of the cabin. If they want to change the temp, turn on a demister, or adjust the volume, there's something tactile to twiddle without taking their eyes off the road.

[@jamesgreer3251]

I agree with you, some drivers may have too much confidence in cross climate tyres, I have had them for years and I won't go back to ordinary tyres again, a bit more expensive but they really do hold the road in all conditions, and I don't know why manufacturers don't give you them as an optional extra, from Scotland so we do need them a little bit more up here.

[@joebloggs3629]

I have tried over the years on my personal 2wd vehicles, BF Goodrich all seasons, the original CrossClimates, and they were very good. I have also tried GoodYear vector 4 seasons and they weren't bad but not as good as the Michelins and now I'm on Pirelli Cinturato's SF 3s and wet handling is vastly better than all I have tried previously and they have coped as good as the CrossClimates in the recent snow in the UK.

[@nigelcox1451]

I used to swap summer and winter tyres twice a year, the dedicated winters were incredible. But, both sets gently age hardened, long before they were worn significantly. Threw away two half-worn sets for some all-seasons, very happy so far.

[@AndyPerry1972]

Glad to see this as I've just ordered a set, for our weather now but mainly because we are driving to Norway in April for Easter. Good to know that they will cope as winter comes to an end in Norway. I'm told that the worst is over then but may still be some snow and ice

[@matthewthorp4727]

Got these tyres on my mk8 fiesta st and im loving them - definitely a marked step from the pilot supersports that it came with for this time of year, when I 1st had the car with those tyres on in snowy conditions it was almost undriveable in certain circumstances, with the cross climate 2’s I’ve yet to get stuck! Very glad I made the decision to get these for the winter months👍

[@RicardoPetrazzi]

It's all about smooth steady consistence of speed and movement in those conditions.

[@kenbrown2808]

also, keep in mind, in slushy snow, you have the potential of hydroplaning (metric = aquaplaning) on the wet slush.

[@oscartaylor8834]

For the next tyre, tyrereviews suggest the new Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 as class leader for wet and dry conditions for an all season tyre, with as good ice traction, and still highly rated for rolling resistance, noise and snow. Definitely a youtube channel and website to check out though, they do some great tests!

[@ashley_neal]

I spoke to Jonathan recently about a different subject. I always watch @tyrereviews. Important info!

[@oscartaylor8834]

@@ashley_neal 100%, its not understood by enough people about how tyres make up a large part of a cars driveability! And so many cheap out - I work in an automotive engineering consultancy, and all I'll say is all but 1 person has either Michelin, Continental, Goodyear, Bridgestone or Pirelli tyres fitted, even on cars where the value of the tyres is probably over 1/4 the value of the car being driven...

[@michaelbroderick6830]

Had cooper m/s nearly 15 years ago, while up in Scotland. They were fantastic and totally justified, as we were in the countryside a lot, with heavy snow and then it changing to mush. The snow was heavy in 2010 and the ice stayed around until April. It handled it extremely well. Typical driving conditions for the rest of the year wouldn't justify those m/s tyres, so I think that's where all season tyres come in to play and you have the m/s tyres stored for the rest of the year. It all comes down to where you live and work and what type of roads you use.

[@iambenmitchell]

One of the best things about my Tesla in this weather is the instant heat from the heatpump, and I have it on a schedule. Waking up to my car already at 23° and fully defrosted 🔥

[@1hd3szfgrdm13]

Testing for grip (safely) at the start of a journey is really important, it's something I do often when it's cold and/or damp. Better find out there's an issue at 5mph and not at 70mph on the motorway.

[@BrokenNinja]

Put some on my tesla model 3 just before christmas and very glad I did, have had no troubles driving in the snow and ice, noticed they give a lot less traction in the dry than my summer tyres I had but do their designed job pretty well

[@grahambonner508]

When I had a company car I used full winter tyres, these were excellent in the cold wet and snow but had more road noise and a speed restriction. Now, I'm retired, I use budget summer tyres, when it snows I walk.

[@pugboat]

I used to drive up the A9 to the north of Scotland every weekend for 2 years in a FWD saloon fitted with Continental WinterContacts. Some extreme conditions and never struggled once, plenty of stuck 4x4's.

[@paul756uk2]

Starting off in 2nd gear and being in the highest gear possible is helpful in these conditions.

[@mikeilkycook6832]

Been using these for years on my Yeti 4x4. On my third set now. IMO worth paying the extra for the peace of mind in all conditions.

[@Rapscallion2009]

I always use all season tyres. They're the best compromise for the UK's changeable weather.

[@BrightonandHoveActually]

I have taken my car on skiing trips with all season tyres and generally found them to be fine. I have used snow chains but they are a faff to put on even in the warm let alone in cold wet dirty snow and you have to get out an remove them again as soon as you reach tarmac. My current car cannot even take snow chains but I carry a pair of Autosocks. Even before I got this car I used them in preference to the chains as they are so much easier to fit and remove, are much lighter than chains and, although they get dirty, you can put them in the washing machine! I would be interested to see Ashley trying a pair and see what he thinks.

[@ryansellar9149]

It's not just performance in the snow either though it's the softer rubber compound being better in the cold weather for grip. Summer tyres in freezing winter conditions can be like a hard plastic bottle on asphalt

[@glynsmith3034]

Had crossclimates on my cars for the last 6 or so years. Seriously impressed by them. Haven’t noticed that much poor performance in summer conditions, but I don’t usually drive that aggressively.

[@roylec]

Hands up if you want a ride in Ashley’s focus on a snowy day.

[@ibs5080]

One key part of driving in these conditions is that (with exceptions) it's often better to follow the tyre tracks that others have made, which may differ slightly from the normal road position. Within reason obviously.

[@partians]

I disagree, I find it better to try and drive on untouched snow as the tyre tread as something to grip, tyre tracks will be compacted and could resolve to black ice, and unless you have spikes, all seasons will not grip on ice.

[@roberttaylor7462]

This is the first year that I have used the Michelin Cross Climates and my reactions are similar to yours however the tyre I have is a higher 60 profile with a curved V-shaped tread, yes I have lost a bit of traction with over exuberant right pedal but have had no issues stopping so no ABS has activated so far.

[@dafyddrhobert2414]

I have a full set on order and will have them fitted as soon as I can get to the garage, snowed in all week. They will be very useful in the Cambrian Mountains if I'm caught out. I never drive in the snow up here as it's too dangerous on steep inclines and single-track roads. But, if I'm caught out by snow coming early, I will be better prepared to get home.

[@Bladebars]

I've been fitting winter/all season tyres for the last 10 years and it just makes cold weather and snow a non-event

[@HunterSol]

I had Hankook Kinergy 4S all seasons on my Seat Leon FR and they really were great, I only really got to experience them in slush and freezing rain but they were definitely much better in the colder temps than the Goodyear Asy 4/5's (I cant remember which) that I had on it before. They inspired a lot of confidence, and I didnt get any sliding in icier and colder temps like I did occasionally in the summer tyres. Moved onto an M340i Touring now with Bridgestone summer tyres, as soon as they need changing I'll be putting Crossclimate 2's on, unfortunately I dont seem to have many options with all seasons with the staggered wheel setup it has, and Crossclimates are the only ones available on to match all 4 corners!

[@Danceup-dh6kn]

Tyres were replaced with primacy 4 all round last month. Very good grip when I had to swerve an object on the motorway. Don't skimp on tyres folks.

[@leewatson8129]

When I have the storage, I had Conti Winter tyres on a second set of rims, and they were a brilliant tyre for all the winter season, even on ice.

[@CaptainCodeman]

We're in Canada and have these "tires" (it finally doesn't look weird spelling it like that!). They work great, even in *proper* snow (feet deep) plus when it's solid and packed down (we drive on top of it). Also saves needing to swap between winter and summer wheels twice per year. Crocodile Dundee voice "that ain't snow ..."

[@ibs5080]

@@CaptainCodeman Greetings from a fellow Canuck. I'm British as well as Canadian. Currently in Canterbury UK, other home is Vancouver BC. 🇨🇦

[@CaptainCodeman]

​@@ibs5080 Hi, we're similar - I'm originally from Manchester and my wife is from Wales, we're now in Calgary, AB :)

[@320iSTWEdition]

Just bought a set of Michelin Cross Climate 2 a few weeks ago for my new car. I can confirm the performance in the wet and on partially frozen sleet. They are very good in these substandard conditions. And even in the dry they are quite good. They are expensive though..... but worth every penny in my opinion.

[@meeowoo6969]

Literally just bought these yesterday and now your video comes up

[@glynjarvis5775]

Running cross climates on our Tesla model Y, just spent 2 weeks driving in the alps on snow, they’re brilliant, especially when in “off road mode”. Got as far as a LR Defender on winters when going up a mountain track.

[@Dudleymiddleton]

It has been much colder this year than the same time last year and we're not used to it! Don't go out there if you really don't want to!

[@CJDL1982]

Had Cross Climates for a few years on a previous car, great tyres, but I did feel they lacked a bit in general wet weather. Put Continental AllSeason Contact tyres on this year, spot on so far, and feel much better in wet weather.

[@Roadrunner45]

Today I am going to have 4 fitted to my Ford Kuga. Mk3. Since new I have done 1800 miles on Continental Eco s. And I can’t wait to throw them off . Had Cross Climate 2 fitted to my last 2 cars and cannot wait for this next set. Best tyre for up here in the Pennines.

[@Kromaatikse]

Here in Finland, winter tyres are mandatory when the weather conditions demand them, which is effectively for several months of the year. Your "cross-climate" tyres would be classified here as a "friction tyre" which meets the legal definition of a winter tyre and would be suitable for part of the season. Most people here, however, fit tyres with ice studs in them for the winter, since ice of various kinds is a major hazard on some days, especially during the spring thaw. It's not rare to see roads that are literally a sheet of glare ice from one side to the other, and you won't get anywhere on friction tyres. Since it's the middle of winter, I've had my winter tyres on my bicycle for some time now. They have ice studs - without them, I wouldn't be able to ride with any kind of confidence in freezing conditions unless the road was completely dry. I still have to watch out for ice ruts, since this type of tyre can't easily climb out of them in the parallel direction. In winter, I also try to avoid the edge camber of the road, especially in particular areas where there's more camber than usual. But with these, I can get to the shops and back - a 24km round trip - and usually not fall over in the process.

[@issigonis975]

I used the Nokian version of this cross climates type of tyre and they fit the kind of winters here. If we had a climate like in Finland no doubt studied tyres are a must. Having family the other side of your border, yes the closed one, they use the same as you and traffic moves normally. Only the insane would have only summer tyres. The cross climates are a compromise that few even bother with here hence this posting. Get some snow and the traffic stops here so even if you had studded Nokian tyres, in any sort of busy traffic you would be stuck with everyone else because pretty much everyone is on summer tyres.

[@JCTsFascinatingHobbies]

I used to do a fair amount of driving, so swapped to a dedicated set of winters from November through to April. These days, I run a set of Crossclimate 2s on my G31 530d and a set of Nexen All Seasons (still triple peak rated) on my 2001 N16 Almera. I had the opportunity to test out the Nexens on the Almera. They made the snow a bit of a non event. I've been running season appropriate tyres for 14 years now, I don't think I could go back to just running summers all year round.

[@TheVicar]

If you are going to skid into a kerb, then straighten your wheels up to hit the kerb If you skid into a kerb with the wheels turned, then you snap your wheels off sideways as the suspension won't come into play

[@GrahamPearce-ib9om]

Ashley, as you are driving out, the tyre tracks in the snow at the various intersections indicate massive corner cutting. Drivers obviously can’t see the road markings under the snow but surely should envision where they are and drive according to them?

[@Harrod200]

I looked at getting a set of cheap steel wheels (so if I do have a slip and kerb it, I'm not hurting the alloys) and having winter tyres put on them and swapping the wheels over completely in winter, but on further research the winter tyres I was looking at were less effective than the regular summers I had above 7 degrees so I didn't bother as temperatures even in winter weren't really breaching that for most of the time. If winters trend colder and wetter, then I'll definitely look at it again.

[@MarkLeabon]

The average temperature in the United Kingdom in December is between 2°C and 7°C (36°F and 45°F). Where are you in the uk?

[@ricequackers]

The Sottozero winters I have on my car do perform better in proper snow, but it looks likes all-seasons like this are good enough for the relatively small quantities that England (particularly southern England) gets. In Scotland, especially beyond the lowlands I do think winters should be mandatory. Proper AWD also helps a lot when moving off and in the bends. But the biggest risk to me is everyone else driving on summers.

[@cmartin_ok]

Why don't more manufacturers fit heated windscreens? In winter they're a huge benefit for most Ford drivers

[@MrDexxx]

I have always ensured I had winter tyres on front rather than cross/all weather given the area I am in. We had triple the depth snow in your video on that Sunday. My mileage has reduced quite a lot in recent years so now I just leave the winters on all year rather than swapping them out and as cross climate seem to be the same cost as summer when they’re replaced it will be with cross climate too for a little extra rear grip. I’ve yet to get stuck anywhere (Golf fully electric) but it is about driving to road conditions and still treating the roads as hazardous with these tyres on and not assuming you can drive in reasonable clear weather days.

[@brianfunt2619]

Literally just got CrossClimate 2s fitted before it snowed and was able to drive around no problem, they're great. Definitely was able to drive up slopes and stop going down slopes where my previous summer tyres wouldn't have had a chance. FWD car

[@guyomalley2430]

I've had Cross Climate1/2 SUVs on my 2008 CR-V for 5 years and they are brilliant, live on a hilltop that often gets snow even when the nearest town is clear and they make such a difference to the ones that were on it when I got it

[@nirrec]

I've had these tyres for four years now, only get used during winter months on a second set of rims so a fews weeks each year... we'll worth having and they've still go plenty of tread