All season tyres

[Leighb]

I have been advised that all 4 tyres need replacing. Fronts getting close to limit and rears “perished and cracked” altho’ 5mm tread.
I am thinking of getting All season tyres and had Michelin Cross Climate on a previous car, are these still good performers or are there better choices?
Car is a Yeti 2017, tyres 225 x 50 17.

 

[Alfie168]

The Michelins always score very highly, but they cost. I've got Goodyear Vector4 Gen 2 four seasons tyres on my Octavia 4x4...same transmission setup as your Yeti. They are excellent tyres and usefully cheaper than Michelins.

 

[Sandy]

What antifoul are you using and can you suggest the best anchor for this car?

 

[Leighb]

Apologies this should have gone in the Lounge! Can mods move please?

What antifoul are you using and can you suggest the best anchor for this car?

??

 

[Leighb]

The Michelins always score very highly, but they cost. I've got Goodyear Vector4 Gen 2 four seasons tyres on my Octavia 4x4...same transmission setup as your Yeti. They are excellent tyres and usefully cheaper than Michelins.

Thanks, my Yeti is 2 wheel drive, and is the petrol 1.2 version.

 

[flaming]

 

[RivalRedwing]

Cross Climate are a great tyre for all seasons, I've never regretted buying a set. They seem to come in three versions these days and occasionally Michelin have a special offer associated with them (£20 per tyre off as I recall)

 

[dunedin]

Another positive vote for Michelin Cross climate tyres.

 

[Alfie168]

I use mine for towing my yacht so perficly appropriyate for ye buttlescutt....etc ?

 

[TwoFish]

Have the same on my van, well assuming that the commercial Cross Climates are similar to the car versions. Very pleased with them. Not the cheapest, but I get big mileages out of them. And anyway, tyres are the last thing I'd skimp on vehicle-wise.

 

[Gumpy]

I use Nexen N-blue on my Yeti, cheaper than CC
Nexen N blue 4 Season. Only £ 118.²⁹
Have yet to find anything better.
Last Saturday across the edge of Exmoor they were superb in the snow

Mine is an overpowered 4x4 Diesel Yeti

 

[SaltyC]

Apologies this should have gone in the Lounge! Can mods move please?

??

No No No. Just thinking of cross climates on my rear wheel drive Auto. At 36000 miles.
Wife's Mini, 12 year old on original Michelin tyres at 43000 miles so have to be better value?

 

[ChromeDome]

Really depends on your needs, location, roads condition etc. And budget.

Be aware when reading tests - the big manufacturers are paying customers (ads) to magazines. The big manufacturers own/control most of the smaller brands and will make sure you pay for what you get.

My philosophy is that summer tyres are no good during winter, winter tyres are no good during summer and All year tyres are no good all year.
But that reflects my requirements, driving mostly in Scandinavia and Northern Germany.

I have wheel sets for summer (fitted with 245/45-18 Goodyear F1 SealTech) and winter (235/50-17 Continental Winter Contact 860) and am happy.
Money wise, apart from the first investment, the balance is at zero because using one set saves the other.

Swapping twice a year and changing oil+filter at the same interval

 

[KevinV]

ATS have crossclimates on offer at the moment - I paid £379 for a full set on our passat. I prefer a full-on snow tyre for the winter, but they're an excellent compromise for this country in my opinion. The new ones are definitely better in the snow than the first generation.

 

[Adios]

My philosophy is that summer tyres are no good during winter, winter tyres are no good during summer and All year tyres are no good all year.

Another vote for cross climates though when I bought my first set they were just released, got a promotional berghuas jacket free with a set of 4. Massive difference. Future sets I've not noticed such a difference in grip but I might have just got used to them. Anyway they seem to work fantastically well all year. Sure I remember seeing their being said to be ideal for around 10 degrees and wet which is english weather at any time of year. But do not seem adversely effected by the heat wave or very cold weather. Well worth the money

 

[Adios]

The new ones are definitely better in the snow than the first generation.

ha well there you go. I thought the later ones seemed perhaps less soft compound, slightly less grip in wet but can't say for snow. I wondered if they changed the compound slightly after getting all the good reviews with the initial perhaps more expensive compound. Cynical like that

 

[dunedin]

My philosophy is that summer tyres are no good during winter, winter tyres are no good during summer and All year tyres are no good all year.
But that reflects my requirements, driving mostly in Scandinavia and Northern Germany.

Not my experience in the UK (and that is very different from some parts of Scandinavia where extensive and extended snow coverage and use studded tyres, which would be a non starter in the UK).
Winter and cross climate tyres are massively better than summer tyres in cold weather (generally below about 8C) not just snow. I suspect my full on winter wheels and tyres are slightly better than the cross climates on wife’s car, but only very marginal. The only reason I have the winter wheels is that the summer wheels are too wide.

Most drivers are pushing the limits of summer tyres in cold weather let alone snow. On the other hand, few sane drivers are anywhere near the limits in summer on dry roads. Hence nobody would notice any loss using cross climates in summer, and probably not winters either (though if driven with enthusiasm, the softer winters will wear a bit more). Certainly I have never noticed any loss of cornering agility on the winter tyres in hot weather on my BMW - indeed the extra compliance helps on bad roads.

The big hassle with winter tyres is the cost and potentially tyre damage swapping on and off twice a year - possible £200 or so per annum. Winter wheels more expensive up front, but much cheaper and quicker to swap (£50 per annum in my case) and don’t damage the wheels and tyres being changed every 6 months.

Hence to my mind
- live in south and never go out in cold weather - summer all year
- car with wide wheels and drive all year round - swap to narrower winter wheels and tyres from Nov to April
- car on modest wheels used all year round - cross climates

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Winter tyres have slightly softer rubber. No disadvantage driving in summer but can wear faster but not by that much. As a climber I know soft rubber is king if you need grip, and as an ex motorbiker we used to love Avon Tyres with their softer rubber

All season tyres have better grip and cost more but not by that much relative to your real running costs. Slightly more road noise due to more pronounced tread and no doubt wear a bit faster, but a great advantage in muddy boatyards and trailer stores in having "grip" in the wet. I have no great opinion on brand as those available for my van at 2.5T are limited because of its commercial weight so happy to have any brand

 

[ChromeDome]

Agree that swapping tyres (on same wheels) is costly, even more so on rims with TPM sensors as they can be damaged in the process.

2 complete sets makes it free for me to DIY swap, actually doing so on both cars while checking suspension, brakes and doing oil service.

 

[Frogmogman]

For the last 20 years I have had winter tyres mounted on their own rims, which have been swapped over with the summer ones in autumn and back in spring. The best ones IMO have been Michelin Pilot Alpin and Pirelli Sottozero. I have a garage full of wheel and tyre sets for vehicles I no longer own (as well as for the three I do). My wife complains that it looks like a kwik fit depot.

This year, I have sold my ski flat and officially hung up my skis, following a subdural hematoma I suffered in a ski accident. (Yes, I was wearing a helmet). As I will no longer be regularly driving up snowy mountains, I had some Michelin Cross Climate fitted to my new Volvo V60, rather than going the whole winter tyres thing. I’ll be interested to see how I get on with them.

I’m sticking with the full-on winter Pirellis on my Mercedes SLC; with rear wheel drive and quite wide tyres, it would start sliding around if you just showed it a photo of a snowflake.