Michelin CrossClimate2 Tire Owner Reports – Exceptional Winter Traction

Torque News is currently carrying out a long-term test of Michelin CrossClimate2 all-season tires classified as winter. Unlike most all-season tires, the CrossClimate2 has achieved the Tri-Peak Mountain Snowflake Seal for winter traction capability. Although this tire is approved for winter, it is perfectly comfortable in all seasons and seems to have no drawbacks. We asked Toyota RAV4 Prime, RAV4 Hybrid, and Mazda CX-5 owners to tell Torque News how the tires behave for them in harsh winter conditions. Here is what they told us.

Before we get into the thick of it, let’s draw your attention to the results of the previous test report below. If you want to learn more about noise, tread wear, comfort, handling, wet weather traction, and fuel economy, previous reviews have it all.

Long-term test of Michelin CrossClimate2 all-season tires – First impressions
Second update here
Third update here
Fourth update here

Mazda CX-5 Owners – “Perfect”
The first owner of these tires we spoke to is Hande Tuncer, part-time employee of Torque News. She had the chance to test drive the CX-5 fitted with CrossClimate2 tires in an icy mix of about six inches of snow and sleet last week. It was the first time she had used the tires in winter. “No slipping at all. Perfect. ” She’s a woman of few words, but what she says is a pretty solid summary. I went out the same day in another vehicle. It was a real challenge and those with “normal” tires were falling and skidding all over our area.

We asked other CX-5 owners at the FB Club if this model could agree with Hande. Member JJ reports, “They are excellent.” CHY members reports, “I have CC2s. No problem in 2-3 “of snow.

RAV4 Prime Owners – Universal Positive Reports
We took a deeper dive into the performance of the CrossClimate2 with a RAV4 Prime PHEV owner named Ed. W. He provided the top image for our story. Here is a Q&A that helps detail his experiences with Michelin CrossClimate2 tires in severe winter conditions.
Q: Please tell us about the vehicle you recently had Michelin CrossClimate2 tires on.
Ed: 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime XSE with all packages

Q: Where did you get the tires, who installed them, what did you pay for and what did you do with the tires that came with the vehicle?
Ed: Purchased online at Discount Tire Direct. Discount Tire (local office) installed them for $ 20 / tire. I paid $ 732 for a set of 4 tires. Then add $ 80 for local installation. I kept the original tires that came with the car for later use.

Q: What tires came out of the RAV4 Prime? How many kilometers had they driven and what were your general impressions of them?
Ed: Yokohama Avid GT 19 ”, They had about 12K on them when I took them off. Just an “OK” tire. Very noisy in slightly aggressive turns. TERRIBLE in the snow and the rain.

Q: Why did you choose to switch to Michelin CrossClimate2 tires? What were you trying to improve that the original tires were not ideal for?
Ed: Triple Peak rated all-season winter tires are required for certain roads I travel on. I really wanted better snow handling and the ability to NOT handle the chains when visiting California which requires 4WD and snow tires when the passes are covered in snow.

Q: Tell us how the first impressions were. Driving comfort, road holding, ambient noise, all other characteristics.
Ed: Completely blown away! I still don’t really understand how an all-season tire can have a triple snow rating and be as efficient as the stock tires that have an energy rating. I haven’t lost any notable autonomy with the Michelin cars. Wet and snow traction is exceptional.

Q: Since you have driven in certain snow conditions, please give us as much detail as possible about your impressions and comparisons.
Ed: I recently moved to a snowy area (Reno, NV) and have only one season to compare it to the stock RAV4 tires and a set of Bridgestone Blizzak, a dedicated snow tire I had mounted on my 2018 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV van. The Blizzaks were amazing. Really makes the van into a tank. But the limited lifespan and the need to mount / remove the tires every snow season was far from ideal. Also, the fact that if you got to your sunny destination with your snow tires on it meant they wore out even sooner which is not good.

Michelin CC2 tires are not as good as Blizzaks in snow, but I would say they are about 80% as good as a dedicated snow tire. Combine that with the all-season capability and a 50K tread wear warranty, it’s pretty amazing in my book. I always feel like these tires are made from unobtainium.

The biggest difference I noticed for the CC2 over the stock and the Blizzaks was the pull out. The Blizzaks did better on ice than the CC2s. The CC2 was superior to the original Yokohama in all respects on the ice. So really the CC2 in my opinion is the ultimate tire without compromise. I loved them so much that I just put a set on my 2019 Chevy Volt PHEV.

Reviews from fellow RAV4 Prime owners
Two other owners provided detailed comments mirroring what Ed said, but owner MT reported losing about 5 miles of range from EVs (possibly due to reduced range in winter in general. ?). does not quite match the dedicated winter tires, but has shown a significant improvement over the standard all season tire set supplied with the vehicle.

Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
A Facebook member of the RAV4 Hybrid Club GY provided this information about Michelin CrossClimate2 tires: “I had the CC2s installed on my 2021 RAV4 Hybrid XSE at the end of December. Immediately I noticed that they felt much more planted and connected to the road. I finally got a chance to drive them through the snow last Friday (I’m in the Boston area too) and they performed perfectly. No slip or slip. No driving problem on snow-cleared roads. I was impressed with their performance. These tires replaced my OEM Michelin Primacy with only 3,700 miles. These tires seemed to float on the road and were very squirrel in the rain and snow. I am 100% satisfied with my CrossClimate2. They are quiet, smooth and I am much more confident with these tires on my car.

Consumer Reports rates the Michelin CrossClimate2 tires Excellent on snow and Good for braking on ice (stopping). Tire Rack rates the CrossClimate2 tire as 9.3 for light snow traction, 9.0 for deep snow traction, and 8.8 for ice traction.

Torque News would like to thank the many owners who offered to help with our story and Ed W in particular. If you own the Micheline CrossClimate2 tires and have any winter driving experiences to share, please post them in our comments section below. If you could note the make and model of your car, we would be grateful.

Image used with permission from Ed W.

John goreham is a longtime member of the New England Motor Press Association and a salvage engineer. John’s interest in electric vehicles dates back to 1990 when he designed the thermal control system for an electric vehicle battery as part of a college team. After graduating in Mechanical Engineering, John completed a marketing program at Northeastern University and worked with manufacturers of automotive components, in the semiconductor industry, and in biotechnology. In addition to Torque News, John’s work has been featured in dozens of US media outlets and he provides reviews for numerous vehicle shopping sites. You can follow John on TikTok @ToknCars, on Twitter, and see his credentials on Linkedin

Reissue. If you would like to reuse this content, please contact Torque News for terms and conditions.