Given
90%
while driving a
BMW M240i
(225/40 R18 W) on
mostly country roads
for 1,000
average miles
I bought the CrossClimate Plus as a winter only tyre having spent last winter scrabbling around on the standard fitment Michelin Pilot Supersport summer tyres. I'll obviously be switching back to the Supersports for the summer so don't take this as a true "All Season" review but my reasons for going Crossclimates for winter over a full winter tyre is a) living down south so we don't see a lot of snow, and b) having had them previously Ive got a real aversion to the way winter tyres have a soft vague feeling in all conditions due to the flexibility of the blocks. Weather down here in Southern England over the past month has ranged from mild days in the low teens centigrade both wet and dry right down to -3c on a couple of mornings plus one particular night when it rained then cleared leaving greasy damp roads barely above freezing. No snow to test them in yet but I think I've now driven in the majority of normal southern winter weather and in all conditions they've been excellent so far.
They obviously don't have the carcass or block stiffness of the Supersport so the tyre does feel a little softer generally, but a bit of additional comfort (plus less road noise) isnt a bad thing in winter and thankfully there's certainly none of the vagueness or floaty block feeling I was desperate to avoid from previous expreriences on full winter tyres. They grip well when cornering and traction is excellent despite chosing a square setup with the same size tyres both ends so a narrower 225/40-18 on the rear of a 340bhp car. Things like pulling sharply out of damp or wet junctions is no longer the nervous will it grip or will it spin up event that it used to be on the Supersports, plus the annoying suspension knock/thump from cold rubber tyre blocks skipping over tarmac when reversing with some steering lock on has gone completely which is a bonus. I actually think when compared against the Supersport the usual 7c crossover rule of thumb does a slight disservice to the CrossClimate as they seem to grip better in every condition below about 10c and by the time it gets towards zero they're in another league. Standing water performance also seems fine despite what some of the reviews suggest, they might not be as good as some but I've driven some very wet roads recently through standing water at reasonable speeds and they've always felt secure (better than the Supersport anyway!). To sum up, obviously we need some snow before I'll be 100% certain I made the right winter tyre choice but so far I'm very impressed.