Owners rate the Michelin CrossClimate Plus highly overall (82% average), most often praising its confident wet grip and strong snow traction, backed up by notably long tread life. Many also find it comfortable and generally quiet on the motorway, with dry grip and braking described as very secure for an all-season tire. The main caveat is winter extremes: ice performance is more mixed, and a small minority report that grip can drop off as the tire wears.
What owners mention most counted across 109 reviews
Fitted these to my 2006 audi S3 in November ready for the cold morning commutes . Superb tires in my opinion, handles like a normal summer tire but grips well in snow and slush. Just need the mindset that this isn't a winter tire but a summer tire that has better winter grip and all will be OK. I live above Holmfirth and have had no problems with the ice or snow this December, I just drive a bit slower than I would on full winters. I know the quattro on my audi helps but with these tires on it just feels secure any weather.
I live in Cumbria, where we have steep hills and get lots of wet weather, and some snow. I drive a Fiat Doblo 1.9jtd with narrow (by modern standards) 185/65/15 tires.
For the last 40 years, on a variety of cars, I have changed from summer to winter tires according to season. This means I can get around whatever the road and weather conditions, and don't need an expensive 4x4. This is the best solution, if affordable.
However, this autumn, I bought a full set of Michelin Cross Climate+ for around £70 per tire.
In normal conditions, whether wet or dry, I have found the CC+ to be very similar to my previous, good-quality, summer tires. They are quiet and give a good ride. Fuel consumption has not been affected. They also handle well and allow more accurate steering through high-speed bends than the winter tires I have previously used (normally Vredestein or Yokohama). Braking has been good, in both wet and dry, and in sub-7degree temperatures, when winter tires come into their own..
However, the acid test came yesterday - how do they perform in snow and slush? We had between 4 and 6-inches of fresh snow, which then thawed to the usual slippery mush.
Compared to winter tires, the CC+ gave reasonable grip and enabled me to drive safely up hill and down dale - conditions weren't extreme (by Cumbrian standards), and the tires coped well. I felt they became somewhat less secure latterly, as the snow melted.
The only downside comes when braking - they take much longer to come to a halt than winter tires, and lock up more quickly. So more care is needed, and I will have to drive more slowly in these conditions.
Overall, though, many people should find these tires a good compromise, especially if they live in areas where snow is rare.
It is too early to tell how long these tires will last, (no obvious wear after 5,000 miles), and whether their good characteristics will continue (as Michelin claims), throughout their lives.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
I am writing this after about 600 miles with the new CrossClimates+. They replaced a set of Pirelli Zero Rossos that gave the car a distinct performance edge and I hesitated on whether to get the CC's as the 170bhp diesel 4x4 Yeti suited the edgy feel of the Pirellis. So far I feel comfortable and the car is less loud. It grips as well in the wet and dry. I haven't taken them to the edge yet but generally they do feel a bit more 'ordinary'. What I have noticed is a definite increase in fuel consumption. I am a habitual driver of a 125 mile (Motorway A&B road) journey twice weekly and it has definitely fallen by about 5-6%. If I am able I will update this review after say 5000miles
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Just had these fitted and driven on snow and ice over the last couple of weeks. I have a very steep drive that normally causes loss of traction at the slightest sign of snow or ice. The CrossClimate plus felt like driving on a dry road and showed no sign of traction loss either up or down. So confident on them I had to keep reminding myself of the road conditions. In a word Fantastic!. Would highly recommend.
Bought these at end of summer so have had chance to test in variety of temperatures (-5 to 20C) & variety of road conditions, including ice/snow covered roads in rural Aberdeenshire. So far, faultless. In addition, they are quieter at motorway cruising speed than the summer Bridgestones they replaced. Have noticed no deterioration in cornering or feedback.
Oh my, what a great tire. I've driven on Michelin Pilots, Conti, and Avon winter tires on my Merc E class estate, and the Cross Climate beats them all. It's quiet, grippy, and fun to drive in Snow. It's changed my car for the better, and I won't be buying any other tire ever again!
As I live in the Scottish Highlands, I usually use seasonal tires - Dunlop SportMax RT in Summer & Dunlop WinterSport 3D in Winter on my Audi A4. The performance of my dedicated seasonal tires was very good but was getting rather fed up of having to change tires twice a year so decided to buy 4 corners of the highly rated Micheline CrossClimate+ in 225/40/18 to see what all the hoo-haa was about.
I bought the tires back in October when it was still fairy mild and have used them for about 2000 miles in pretty much all weather conditions: dry/mild, wet,ice and heavy snow. My overall impression is that they are very, very good and on a par with my dedicated seasonal tires for all weather conditions except heavy snow. In heavy snow they were struggling with more than 2 inches of snow whereas the Dunlop WinterSport 3D's would easily cope with up to 4-5 inches of snow. However despite where I live, heavy snow isn't that common in Winter, we usually get no more than an inch or two so I will keep using them despite their deficiencies in snow.
Noise-wise, they are extremely quiet, on a par with my Dunlops which were quiet. They are also very comforatble despite my tire size of 225/40/R18.
Can't accurately describe wear on them as I've only head them for 2k miles but when i checked the tread depth a few days ago, they were still 7mm so I'm expecting them to last a long time.
Overall very pleased with them, I think the days of having to change tires twice a year are finally over for me...this is coming from someone living in North Scotland!
90%
Member
Nissan
205/55 R16 H
400 miles
Mostly Country Roads
Average
The steering has definitely got stiffer and more responsive with these tires. 3rd day with them was in snow and that has continued over the last few days including morning ice driving. I'll review again after a few thousand miles, but so far do good
Bought the Crossclimate plus tires recently to replace Nokian Weatherproof (as the side walls were cracking) and these feel like they have more grip. The Nokians felt a little greasy in the wet. I have just tested the crossclimate plus in the snow, slush and ice and they performed excellent. Not the slightest bit of slipping or traction control kicking in. So far impressed with them.
This is my first impression after a few hundred miles on the CrossClimate Plus tires. Compared to the Michelin Energy tires I used to have on my Peugeot 208 grip in the dry and wet seem equal. Handling seems a tat sharper. Also the tires seems to absorb uneven roads a bit more comfortabel. I can 't judge wear and snow performance yet. For now I'm more than satisfied.
Replaced Michelin Primacy 3 205/55R17 95V XL, with CrossClimate+, car is VW Golf Alltrack DSG (estate)
Large reduction in road noise, and the noise is of a different character, with less of the annoying 'drone' frequencies. Also a very noticeable improvement in small-bump response, such as potholes and sunken drain covers (epidemic of both round here) - the Primacy 3 thumped and jarred noticeably, the CrossClimate is more like I'd expect for this profile tire, even allowing for its XL load rating.
Running at 34 psi (bit below VW's insanely-high recommended 38 psi 'comfort' and 42 psi 'normal'). No fuel consumption penalty, no noticeable adverse effect on handling or feedback - but then I don't drive at the ragged edge of grip, but more like a normal, sensible human, using some mechanical sympathy.
These tires have made my car much more enjoyable to drive, and I get the added bonus of all-season tires for the cold weather. Totally recommended - would buy again.
Best steering feel ever ! This is the first summer tire with winter snowflake according to Michelin and beeing like that you don't expect such a sport handling. This are brend new tyers so I can comment only dry handling which is fantastic!
