Writing about the
Michelin CrossClimate 3 given
92% (205-55-16)
Driving on
a combination of roads for 200
average miles
Excellent comfort; low noise, assured handling. I’m a car enthusiast and I always buy premium tires. I follow the various online video tests for tires. Must be a middle-aged thing! Across a range cars I currently own I have various full sets of summer and winter tires (Michelin ecos, Michelin primacys, original crossclimates, continental winter contacts, Goddyear Eagle asymmetric, Dunlop sports, mid-range Falkens……..the list goes on). I’ve just put the crossclimate 3 onto my daily driver and I’m hugely impressed. Firstly these tires felt great as soon as I left the tire fitters. I usually find tires require some bedding-in time, but these felt sharp from the go. Secondly, the comfort levels are very high. Thirdly, they are much quieter than expected: essentially no different to the Michelin summer tires I had on previously, perhaps even quieter at lower speeds, which surprised me. Very quiet on SMA motorway surfaces. A tad noisier on asphalt higher speed roads but again comparable to other tires I use. I normally run separate summer and winter tires but if these perform well in winter (only time will tell, but crossclimates historically are renowned for having top snow performance), then I may well be swapping all my cars over to CrossClimate 3's in due course. Handling in the current hot summer period is very assured: a tad softer than my Michelin and Goodyear eagle asymetric summer tires that I use cross my other cars, but turn-in remains very precise and grip when powering through bends is high. They are just a tad firmer than my continental winter tires. Overall I am exceptionally pleased as these latest CrossClimates offer a really lovely balance between handling and comfort, with winter performance benefits yet little-to-no trade-off. Michelin are clearly putting a lot of engineer time into Crossclimates now, and it shows. Yes, they are slightly comfort biased, but dry handling remains really sharp and I'll take that comfort bias any day on UK roads. If you don't run summer and winter tires then these are an absolute no brainer. To be honest, they are a bit of a no-brainer regardless. Hope this helps any decision making.