My father bought some 255/35 R20 CrossClimate 3 Sport tires to replace some identical sized CrossClimate 2 tires (which are no longer available in this size). These are to go on his 8.5J alloys. All OEM as per manufacturer specifications. He bought them through BlackCircles and used their recommended local fitter.
These V3 Sport tires are very different from the V2, and very narrow in the contact patch. I measured the width of the contact patch at around 195mm maximum. On an 8.5J rim this means the sidewalls very visibly lean in towards the middle, basically they are "stretched" as per the questionable fashion statement. It also leaves the rim very exposed, with zero protection.
He queried this with BlackCircles, who said to go back to the original fitter to check. He took the wheel off, checked it was 8.5J, basically said every thing was OK as per specifications, fitted correctly, good to go. My father still wasn't happy, BlackCircles said to take the wheel to a different fitter on their books for a second opinion, this guy repeated the exercise and said all was correct.
I raised this with Michelin customer service, asking them the direct question if this tire labelled 255 wide was intended to have a contact patch only around 75% of that width, giving the stretched appearance and no rim protection. On request, I supplied pictures to them. This was their answer:
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The Technical Department informed us that Michelin is not aware of any manufacturing defects related to the 255/35 R20 97Y XL TL CROSSCLIMATE 3 SPORT (CAI: 876446). This tire has been engineered to safely fit and seal correctly on rim widths of 8.5J, 9J, 9.5J, and 10J.
All Michelin tires distributed within the European market are manufactured in accordance with the tolerances specified by the European Tire and Rim Technical Organization (ETRTO) and meet all relevant regulatory standards, including UNECE Regulation No. 30, which governs tire construction, performance, and marking. Compliance with these standards is evidenced by the ‘E’ mark approval number displayed on the tire sidewall. For this specific tire, the approval number is E20223414.
In some cases, replacement tires that differ from the vehicle’s original factory-fitted tires may exhibit slight variations in characteristics or appearance. Nonetheless, as long as the tire size, Load Index, and Speed Index conform to the vehicle manufacturer’s specifications, the tire is considered suitable for use on the vehicle.
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Basically everyone is saying there is nothing wrong with this tire, it conforms to specifications and type approval. On that basis it looks like my father is stuck with them until he wears them out.
It may be a good tire, but I think prospective buyers should be aware what this tire **might** look like on their car. I'm not saying that all CC3S will look this way, it might depend on specific sizes, but this combination of 255/35 R20 on an 8.5J rim looks particularly bad and prone to being scratched up.
Buyers beware. Also note that Michelin think that from their answer above, that this 255/35 tire could be fitted to a 10J alloy. That would look absolutely ridiculous.
You might think that my father ordered the wrong size tire, or the alloy isn't 8.5J, or the wheels are staggered and the rears are wider than the fronts. You'll have to take my word for it that this has all been checked, and double checked, and everything is correct. It's just that the tire looks absolutely ridiculous and doesn't even appear to sit on the rim correctly. But we're assured by 2 tire fitters, BlackCircles and Michelin, that it's all OK.
