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I've been thinking about these CrossClimates for a few months. Almost all the editorials on them seem to be rehashed puff-pieces from Michelin so I was somewhat sceptical. And the petrol head forums are like here for hifi. You know, deeply nerdy!
I have a car in France which I use regularly in the Pyrenees - a Peugeot Partner. Up until last year, I'd always just used standard summer tyres and used snow chains in the winter mountains. But last year, a chain broke at night and wrapped itself round the hub and brake disk. It was a horrible job having to jack the car up on snow at night in freezing conditions. Luckily the chain hadn't damaged the brakes or brake line but it was an hour of nasty work which I didn't want to repeat. So on my return home, I searched through the breakers' network sites and found a set of four steel wheels for €60 and promptly fitted ContiWinterContacts.
I was blown away by how incredibly good they are. They feel a bit different on dry roads - softer, but probably the same as summer tyres in summer. And you can feel they grip better in the cold and wet. They feel more "gritty" somehow. But it's in the snow where they come into their own. I haven't had to use chains since. On cold dry snow, they grip extraordinarily well. You can brake really quite hard without even a hint of ABS. They will slip and slide on slush over ice but even studded snow tyres will do that sometimes.
This revelation got me thinking about my UK car, a 307 estate. We like to think of the UK as having very variable weather. But in reality it's actually very mild compared to most other places, especially in southern England. Not too hot, not too cold, a bit of rain, occasional ice and snow. The range isn't much, it's just somewhat unpredictable.
But still, I hate tiptoeing round the country back roads where many of my clients are when we do get a bit of snow and ice. If it snows, I can barely get my car out of my drive on its summer Michelins. And it's hardly any incline at all. Having now used proper winter tyres, I am very conscious that the tyres I have are not fit for purpose in winter conditions.
So I looked into all season tyres. I was not impressed by the reviews, it being quite obvious that even the best ones were a major compromise in most conditions, dry summer grip in particular. Dedicated winter tyres for Hampshire seemed like overkill and storage is a problem. So, like most people, I sort of gave up until winter came around again. Not there has been much winter here so far, not of the cold variety at least.
But I then read a couple of reviews about the CrossClimates and later the Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen 2. Not the previous Goodyears as they were traditional all seasons tyres. These 2nd generation tyres are more like the CrossClimates in that they are summer tyres that do a pretty decent job in the winter. Of course most of the reviews were rehashed PR but there are a few nuggets out there from the likes of AutoBild that seem to point to a genuinely new type of tyre that behaves pretty much like the summer equivalent in grip, noise and wear but that can actually cope with colder conditions and snow.
Sounds ideal. So I ordered four of the Michelins from Black Circles and will have them fitted next week. I will try to come back with an initial overview soon and then a more detailed review later. |
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Author: bluevortex
25-11-2019 00:06:08