I mentioned earlier that the LEC needed two new tyres and I was considering the Crossclimate instead of sticking with Primacy 3. I checked all four today and found that the rear pair, while they have a bit left on them, are at 3mm or so. The fronts are OK in the middle but worn on the edges, a consequence of the MB pressure regime and not having been rotated front-to-rear as they should have been.
There are other factors too: our long, full-load annual road trip to France is looming, and I'd rather not have to explain marginal tyres, even Michelins, to les flics. But more pressingly still, the post-referendum collapse of the pound against the dollar means tyre prices are going up. My Crossclimates were about £96 when I first looked; they're above £100 now and that'll increase as existing stock gets used up and has to be replaced using raw materials bought in dollars. The first Primacy 3s I bought for this car were £135 and we could be back there before long. Thank you; you know who you are.
So, might as well get them all done. I expect there'll be very little to say about them, but if I think of anything I can put it here.
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I've not ordered mine yet... Getting the cam belt replaced when I return from daggo land late July. With 137k miles on the clock I thought that needed doing first....Sod's law it would snap after putting on a full set of X Climates and wouldn't be worth repairing.
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Want to say, Ford cambelts used to be anyway, 100,000 mile change. Do you know if yours has been done?
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These types of tyre do seem to be the way to go, especially in this country. Michelin were first with their CrossClimate, but when i needed tyres Goodyear had just brought out the Vector 4Seasons.
Reviews such as this one rated the Michelins higher, but not much, so the Goodyears scored (for me) because they a) wore better, and b) when i bought them, were about £12 per tyre cheaper. My guess was that the Goodyears used harder rubber (and have a very similar tread pattern)
www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2016-GF-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm
Just looked at this article, and it's clear that the goalposts have been moved, still, i'm happy with what i've got.
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WDB - costco are currently doing their buy 4 Michelin tyres get fifty quid off.
I'm always told they are competitive anyway, so might save you a couple of quid
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>> These types of tyre do seem to be the way to go, especially in this
>> country. Michelin were first with their CrossClimate, but when i needed tyres Goodyear had just
>> brought out the Vector 4Seasons.
>>
Doesn't matter but surely that's the wrong way around? The Goodyear's have been available for years - indeed the Gen2 was introduced last year. The Michelin's are much more recent and still only available in a very limited range of sizes - a few more are about to be released, as well as an SUV version of the tyre.
I put the CrossClimate's on daughter's fairly basic Golf mk 6 last year. I did wonder about them being XL only, but ride and noise are fine.
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I put Michelin Alpins onto the 330 about 5 years ago when the tread depth on the Kumhos became marginal. There was still lots of tread on them when I sold it earlier this year and 30k+ miles later. They had the snow flake symbol, quiet running, plenty of grip in all conditions, and brilliant on our snowy rural N Yorkshire days. Rated to 155mph + to meet insurance requirements, and cost me almost £900 fitted.
The X Climates are positively dirt cheap at only £282 fitted for a set of 4 via Black Circles
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Have a look at the Nokian Weatherproof too. It is CAA rated.
www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Nokian/WeatherProof.htm
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Not sure if that's meant for me, Shiny, but if so I'm strictly a Michelin man (!) so it was just a case of whether to stick with the model I know or to go for the Crossclimates. Tyres ordered now; I'll find out for certain on Friday.
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I somehow imagined you taller and slimmer than that..
Whether it's relevant or not I don't know, but every Merc I've had came from the factory with continental tyres... Though, they'll be out of the question now anyway :p.
Dunlop anyone?
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Fitted some Michelin nylon crossplies (recommended) to the front axle of my R Type Bentley. They squealed beautifully on sharp bends and that wore them out quite quickly.
Oh damn, I thought not for the first or last time. As usual it was too late.
I had a rough Spade friend at the time who said not really admiringly that my driving was that of a 'rude boy'. He was right but I didn't recognize it at the time.
I did like that motor. Pity I couldn't afford it.
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...came from the factory with Continental tyres...
Yes. I didn't get mine from the factory but I've never taken too much notice of who that month's preferred supplier may have been. The long-running S60 came on Pirelli P6000s, while the Toyota Verso had something by Dunlop; both improved noticeably once they had Primacy HPs instead, especially in terms of directional stability and steering feel. Michelin tyres - certainly the premium ranges - just seem to work, and since I don't get to try before I buy, I'm inclined to stick with what I trust.
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My old one came with and I continued to fit Contis, but the new one has Pirelli P Zeros. Can't feel much ( any ) difference in truth.
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>> but the new one has Pirelli P Zeros.
....aah - kerb-finders..........
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According to my family tread, a relative of my Farroad/AutoGrip/Frun-One ditch finders
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>> ....aah - kerb-finders..........
Asterisks, lots of asterisks !
Well, four of them anyway, followed by off...
;-)
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A general question - I would never put summer tyres on one axle and winter tyres on the other, but has anyone got views on running summer tyres on one axle, all-season tyres (like the Crossclimates or Kleber Quadraxers) on the other?
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I won't, through choice, ever use different tyres front and rear. That is, they should be the same make and pattern, and in a similar state of wear.
For years, I have been in the habit of wearing them out evenly and replacing them all at once.
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It's what I was planning to do until I reasoned that it made sense to replace all four. The new Crossclimates would have gone on the rear (RWD Mercedes, of course, but it's good practice on any car and what I've always done) and the remaining Primacy 3s moved to the front. Since it's summer now and both tyres are rated suitable for warm-weather use, I wouldn't see that as a problem for now. I should emphasize that the Crossclimate is the only tyre of this type I've considered.
With colder weather in the autumn, a grip differential might develop, but probably as much to do with tread depth as tyre type, and safely biased towards the rear. By then, in my case at least, I'd expect the front tyres to be ready to change too. But I wouldn't be happy with different types in severe winter weather, so I'd aim to ensure the transition period was in the warmer months.
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According to HJ, a big advocate of cross climates, you should not mix them.
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I fitted Crossclimates to the V70 a while ago.
Initial grip from a standing start was exceptionally better than the Michelin HP Primacy tyres the car came with, so less scrabble from a quick get away which was good. I have always rated the HP's on every other car I have had.
Road noise with the Crossclimates was good until they have got about 1/2 way worn, at which point now on any fast bends there is a 'wooshing' noise from the tyres.
Pressures are OK, and it is the only niggle I have with them. It can be a little wearing over time though...
In all other respects I am very happy with them.
I shopped around and the best deal at the time was with Black Circles with a local company taking the delivery and fitting them.
Wear rate seems good, and I much prefer to know I have decent grip in all weathers, and will probably stick with them in future depending on whether another tyre company offers a decent all year round alternative that is not a compromise either in winter or summer.
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>> The new Crossclimates would have gone on the rear (RWD Mercedes, of
>> course, but it's good practice on any car and what I've always done) and the
>> remaining Primacy 3s moved to the front.
Mercedes put the cat amongst the pidgeons a few years ago when they said (in car handbooks of the time) that their ESP was so good you might as well put new tyres on the front and get some benefit from improved steering performance.
In practice you might have found tyre fitters reluctant to mix them. I had a battle with Costco when buying a pair of fronts - they tried to swap front to rear despite them being different sizes. They then refused to to fit new tyres to the front despite the rears being 5mm (and same model of tyre). Took the intervention of the store manager and me signing a waiver to get it sorted.
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I got goodyear all season gen 2 fitted at the front and goodyear eagle f1 assymetric fitted on the rear, on my civic 2009 2.2.
The goodyear tyres have a lot more grip and traction than the chinese infinty tyres i had, the only issue was when the snow came the front gripped but the back which were summer tyres slid when you turning on the corner so care was taken to drive on the corners slowly, this remain applicable when it snowed.
Its best to have all season on 4 axles if you are travelling in snow, but as for other driving conditions the vector 4 seasons are roughly 85 percent as good as the best summer tyre and winter tyres in terms of fuel efficency grip tyre life and noise.
When the front needed changing i was mulling over michelin crossclimates or goodyear vector 4 seasons gen 2 i chose the gen 2 as having better grip in the snow
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Summer tyres on the back and all seasons on the front? That will be interesting if we actually get any snow. Watch out for the back overtaking the front.
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May be why we don't see Sajid very often - it takes him till July to stop spinning.
};---)
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They're on and they seem good. First impressions were of improved ride comfort over the very poor A-road surfaces of southern Buckinghamshire. I know the A4155 well (as will Commerdriver) and these tyres seem to transmit fewer vibrations to the cabin than did the Primacy 3s before. (This in spite of being rated 99W XL rather than the previous 95W.) No noticeable penalty in steering feel either - not that Mercedes steering has much feel to lose.
Up to the M40 and full speed and there's just a hint of a whoosh on motorway surfaces, but only noticeable with the radio off. Noise otherwise seems consistent with the 69dB ratings for both this and the Primacy: much the same. The LEC is a quiet car, and these tyres don't spoil that.
What I really like is the straight-line stability at speed; the car feels very solid indeed, and (subjectively perhaps) seems to have tamed the typically Mercedes drift to the left if I release the wheel.
In other words, then, they do seem to be the equal of the Primacy as a warm-weather tyre, at least in terms of performance on dry roads. I'll have to wait for some rain - shouldn't be long - to see how they cope with that, and wait a bit longer for frost and snow to see whether I really do get the full winter effect. For the moment, though, this feels like a good decision.
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I put Kleber Quadraxers on my Altea when I had it and was very disappointed when we had our one day of snow, that it really struggled to get up an incline from a standing start.
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Yes, but aren't those neither-fish-nor-fornication compromise tyres? The Crossclimates are supposed to be as good in the warm as regular warm-weather tyres and yet qualify as true winter tyres too. Remains to be seen, of course, but the tests I've read have them outperforming everything but true, dedicated winter tyres in the cold.
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IIRC they were snowflake marked
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>> IIRC they were snowflake marked
>>
Yes they are - got them on the front of my Merc. Never tested them in snow but they do inspire a lot of confidence in cold wet weather.
My wife had a Jazz with Michelin Alpin full winter tyres and the one day we had snow a few years ago I wasn't that impressed although maybe I was expecting too much. The car had performed faultlessy through the 2009 & 10 winters with its original Dunlop SP2030 summer tyres fitted - although that's clearly a very soft tyre as they didn't last long.
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After the belt, tensioner & water pump were replaced last weekend I have now ordered a full set of XClimates courtesy of Black Circles. £286 for 205/55 R16, fully fitted etc at a tyre merchant some 15 miles away. As per usual they will take some bedding in, but I expect a huge difference in grip, and traction in the wet, from the currently fitted 3 brands of Chinese ditchfinders.
Should a replacement vehicle ( the Focus is a short term replacement) suddenly appear, I might just sell the '11 plate Focus c/o WBAC and refit the 4 almost new ditchfinders & recoup some ££ on the XClimates.
There may even be someone on here who wants to buy either it or them?
Next job is to hopefully get the SatNav working with a new SD card from my trade contact... I suspect it won't be that simple.
Well what did you expect for £2300!
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Same size as mine then - I just priced them up at costco and they came in at a couple of quid less than yours - given I'm told they are always ultra competitive for tyres I think you got a good deal.
I'll need 4 new tyres in the next few months so will be interested to hear how you get on. Currently I have Dunlop .....blue response I think
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I put 205/55R16 Cross Climate's on daughter's Golf last year.
Not much to say - ride, noise and "handling" (it's a cooking Golf) are fine. I was a little bothered that CC's only come in XL and wondered if that might affect ride but it's not noticeable. As last winter was very mild they haven't yet been tested in properly slippery conditions.
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Problem for winters and all seasons - how do they compare against summers when they are down to say 3 mm?
I put my Klebers on one autumn and had no snow at all. Were still on the car the following winter but wasnt impressed with them in the snow. But they had probably done about 20k in that time.
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Kept my Vredestein Wintrac Xtremes on for two years now. No probs summer or winter and would buy again.
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Michelin Crossclimate: in for a penny... - legacylad
