Michelin CrossClimate2

[CoLeafer]

Just installed Michelin CrossClimate2 on my 2019 SL Plus yesterday. My initial impressions after 30 miles:

Much grippier! I was concerned about the winter handling of the stock Michelins as they had minimal grip and too much "play" at center (which I initially thought was over-boosted PS as it appeared the car has little road feel) and the car appeared to not track well on the freeway. I didn't feel very confident for the upcoming Colorado winter season on stock.

Leaving the lot I could immediately feel the difference in the grip and significantly less steering wheel play (yes more pronounced as brand new).

The stock are rated V but I decided to get the H since they were cheaper, H speed rating is 130 and they would have more flex for a more comfortable ride.

The ride did seem "better" / more comfortable. The well controlled buttoned down ride of the Leaf is my favorite feature and now its just a bit better for me. Also seems to track better on the freeway. I inflated to 40psi.

I paid $630 installed using the recent Costco $150 off sale to match at DT. As you can probably tell getting max mileage / efficiency is not my primary concern although important. I anticipate a min 10% range loss based on prior posts here.

Overall: very happy with my Leaf (after bad initial problem). However, I wish Nissan didn't cheap out on certain components, especially the exterior door handles which I feel are going to break every time I open the door. It's the first and daily "contact" an owner will have with their car.

 

[jjeff]

Yes the Crossclimate tires are great for winter use(winter tire rated having the snow-peak icon on the tire) but the nice part is they don't have to be taken off in the summer, they are rated for 60k miles even in the summer. I have the original Crossclimate tires on my work van and they run rings around the OEM Continental tires it had before. On my van I also noticed how much quieter they were than the OEM tires. As I'm not too happy with how my aftermarket Ecopia + tires handle in the winter, CrossClimate 2 tires will be my next Leaf tires for sure.
Not sure if they are cheaper in MN but just Thursday I got a price at my local Costco for 4 CrossClimate 2 tires for my Leaf(16") and with the $150 off(starting Nov 21 and running about a month? the out the door including MN sales tax would be $560, about $100 more than what I paid Costco for 4 Ecopia +'s a couple of years back but worth it for our MN winters.
Note that while the door handles on a Leaf seem real cheap the handles themselves don't seem to break but I have had the cheap plastic cover that goes over the handle pop lose at least a couple of times. Of all things, the only thing holding it to the actual handle is a couple of inch long pieces of double-faced tape! Geez, can you get much cheaper Nissan :roll: I'm currently using some 5-minute epoxy, and knock on wood it hasn't separated in over a year.

 

[countryleaf]

Thank you for the post on these tires. Yeah, I have noticed that the OEM tires on our '19 SL Plus have low traction especially when the road is wet (which, around here will be that way 90%+ of the time now until May!). I will definitely look into these when I am ready to get new tires.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I own the wheels and x-Ice snows on them I'm using now on my car, otherwise I'd be interested in these as well, for the new SV Plus.

 

[flydiver]

These look a LOT like the old Aquatread, retired a good while back. One of the best tires I've ever had on any car. I was terribly disappointed when it was removed from the line.
As cars have changed, and myself with it, there are 2 variables that I am curious about with these; noise and LRR. I how have a Leaf and a Prius. The Leaf is VERY quiet, and I love that. It's a 2014 so getting reasonable distance on a charge is a criteria I never had before.
The Prius is the 'long distance' car, or for hauling stuff. It's poorly insulated and subject to a lot of road noise. A QUIET tire has become very important for this car, along with decent LRR.
Be interested in feedback on those criteria. Picking out a tire is pretty complicated with all the variable that go into the selection.

 

[jjeff]

I own the wheels and x-Ice snows on them I'm using now on my car, otherwise I'd be interested in these as well, for the new SV Plus.

Yes X-ice's are probably the best for snow/ice, that or any dedicated snows but it's really nice not having to pay the $120+ every year to swap tires, guess if you have spare rims you'd save quite a bit over several years. Truthfully on our '12 Leaf as we drive it less than 6k/year I just left the X-ice's on last summer as I figured even if they wore out twice as fast as the summer tires it came with, it would still be hard to justify the $120 it would have cost me to take them off in the spring and then put back on in the fall and having driven them for a full summer, I can't really tell if they wore out much. Note Costco does the swap for $40 or $80 a year(if you purchased the tires there) but as I purchased the snows at a regular tire shop their cost was $60/$120 a year for a full swap.

flydiver-The CrossClimate's were worlds quieter than the Continental tires that were on my work van but then again maybe they were very bad and the CrossClimate's are just quieter compared to those. Guess I'll know how they compare to the Ecopia's in a few years but maybe until then, someone else has a good comparison to the OEM Leaf tires.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Truthfully on our '12 Leaf as we drive it less than 6k/year I just left the X-ice's on last summer as I figured even if they wore out twice as fast as the summer tires it came with, it would still be hard to justify the $120 it would have cost me to take them off in the spring and then put back on in the fall and having driven them for a full summer, I can't really tell if they wore out much.

I left mine on too for this last Summer, putting maybe 1,000 miles on them in that time. I was appalled to find, after having the snows mounted on my Juke rims, that the mobile tire service I use(d) charges exactly the same amount to just swap wheels as it does to dismount/remount tires and swap wheels. $112 for a wheel swap is NOT ok with us, so next Spring I'll be trying the job myself. I have the 'hockey puck' for the jack, and the tool for the "locking" lugs. (I think I also have the stock lugs, which I will reinstall.) I just hope I still have the strength.

 

[jjeff]

^^^ that's crazy! although if they are coming out to you, that would explain the overall higher price than I listed.
I have several floor jacks and a nice X-wrench that fits the Leaf so swapping the tires around, even for a rotation where you need to jack up more than one wheel, is relatively easy. Other than oil changes on our Prius, where I use ramps, it's about all I really care to do on cars nowadays as far as repairs go.

 

[gncndad]

Question about the CrossClimate: is there a different weight rating for the H vs. the V? Did the installing shop verify this?

Regarding wheel R&R: I invested in a good quality Craftsman torque wrench almost 20 years ago. Whenever ANYONE removes/replaces a tire on any of my vehicles, I double-check the torque of the lug nuts/bolts. Even the most reliable shops can be woefully inaccurate and over-torque the nuts/bolts. This creates two possible problems: 1) cracking the alloy wheel 2) making the lug nuts impossible to remove, even with a lengthy breaker bar. I've had this experience more times than I'd like to admit.

Thanks for the Cross Climate review!

 

[CoLeafer]

Follow up to a couple of questions above:

Tires louder than stock?: Colorado was extremely windy yesterday so I couldn't really tell the difference as the wind noise drowned out a lot. The wind should die down over next few days and will follow up on this. It was so windy ProPilot couldn't keep the car in the lane and the lane departure warning sounded a few times! I quickly turned it off. Drivers (especially semi / dump trucks) have gotten so aggressive/bad last few years esp on I25 that I rare if ever use cruise control anymore.

H vs V rating: I don't know about weight rating differences just the 130/149mph difference. I specifically told DT I am moving down from a V to an H on my car and they didn't care. Costco is very particular about matching specs so I wasn't sure if they would allow the "downgrade" but regardless, I find DT a better overall experience.

Pricing: My tires were 17" so perhaps that's part of the price difference? Mid $500 installed for these tires are an absolute deal.

I am extremely happy I got these tires regardless of the winter improvement. Oh and the tread pattern makes them look totally bada** on the Leaf.

 

[SageBrush]

I also think there is a place for these all-year, snowflake rated tyres. We have the Assurance weatherReady on our LEAF, which is a Goodyear tyre similar to the Crossclimate.

I don't know how these tyres do efficiency wise but I'm not going to worry about a hit since it does not affect our use case and the LEAF is not used for a lot of miles. I'm confident the tyres will outlast the battery. :lol:

Our Tesla is treated to real winter tyres in the winter. I spent about $600 for another wheel set and swap at home.

 

[LeftieBiker]

The tire shop isn't going to care if you are going from one speed rating that is above your car's top speed, to another speed rating that is also above your car's top speed.

The mobile tire service said that the mounting/balancing is "free." It seems like a strange business model that drives away wheel swap jobs that could still pay them $50-$60, and could be scheduled when other, more lucrative jobs are nearby..

 

[CoLeafer]

Follow up:

Winter driving: last week Denver had a cold wintery night with moderate snow accumulation and freezing temperatures. The tires performed like a Boss that night! I drove normally and did not feel any wheel slip or drama. We shall see how they perform in deeper snow and frozen streets, but thus far very very happy.

Tire noise: I think they are similar or quieter than the stock Michelins but my wife thinks they're a little louder...... I dunno..... but regardless we never found the stock michelins to be a loud tire given how quiet the ride. I think the impact harshness is less with the CC2s, though.

PS: the defroster and wipers had a hard time keeping the windshield clear. Wonder if some RainX or windshield polish would help..... but dang, the humongous A pillars were a real PITA in that winter drive.

PPS: rented an Audi A4 w/ Silvercar in LA last week. Maybe its the 40k+ miles on the A4, but we both much preferred the Leaf in ride / power / comfort. I remember when Silvercar first started they never let a car go much past 20k before they auctioned them off, but ever since Audi bought them outright a couple years ago the last few cars we've gotten (even pre-Covid) have been 40k+ on the odo and felt very tired. Back to National where we got a 4Runner with 5 miles on the odo in Dallas a few weeks ago!

 

[Leafyness]

Ok, it's been 3 years since the last post...time to activate the CrossClimate 2 thread again :lol:

Credit where credit is due for Michelin, I managed to get just under 44,100 miles on the stock Michelin Energy Savers, with my 2020 SV+. Sure that's under the rated mileage for those tires, but I am someone who enjoys driving this car very much, with a rather "fun/spirited" style of driving, so I was actually rather impressive they lasted as long as thee did.

I've learned a lot about the Leaf in these 44k+ miles. The Energy Savers while adequate, never felt too grippy (corners) or too "sure" underfoot... And I've reached a point where trying to eek out the maximum distance or battery savings just isn't a concern anymore. Having fun driving is. I know what the Leaf can do on a charge locally, I even know what it can do on real road trips (to/from SD/PDX). So charging is just not much of a concern anymore in my day-to-day thinking about this car.

That's why I chose to go a different route than an EV specific tire for the Leaf's 1st tire replacement. For the fun of it! Crazy concept, right!? I've seen a few other EVs in my area with the CrossClimate 2... And I just love the tread pattern, as well as the sort of off-road tire look from the side. Certainly not for everyone... But I love the look, and that's one big reason I went with these tires over others that may have been a little cheaper and maybe performed even a little better in conditions in my area. Love the way the tire looks on the Leaf. Love to drive this fantastic car. Not concerned about a slight loss of range. In just the few miles I've put on them so far, bumps are way less noticeable and they handle incredibly well. Night & day from the OEM's.

Looking forward to driving with these on.

I'll report back and let everyone know how they hold up.

Cheers!

 

[DJClark]

Just installed Michelin CrossClimate2 on my 2019 SL Plus yesterday. My initial impressions after 30 miles:

Much grippier! I was concerned about the winter handling of the stock Michelins as they had minimal grip and too much "play" at center (which I initially thought was over-boosted PS as it appeared the car has little road feel) and the car appeared to not track well on the freeway. I didn't feel very confident for the upcoming Colorado winter season on stock.

Leaving the lot I could immediately feel the difference in the grip and significantly less steering wheel play (yes more pronounced as brand new).

The stock are rated V but I decided to get the H since they were cheaper, H speed rating is 130 and they would have more flex for a more comfortable ride.

The ride did seem "better" / more comfortable. The well controlled buttoned down ride of the Leaf is my favorite feature and now its just a bit better for me. Also seems to track better on the freeway. I inflated to 40psi.

I paid $630 installed using the recent Costco $150 off sale to match at DT. As you can probably tell getting max mileage / efficiency is not my primary concern although important. I anticipate a min 10% range loss based on prior posts here.

Overall: very happy with my Leaf (after bad initial problem). However, I wish Nissan didn't cheap out on certain components, especially the exterior door handles which I feel are going to break every time I open the door. It's the first and daily "contact" an owner will have with their car.

CC2s would be my choice if I were in your region.

I recently bought General Altimax 45s one size larger (215/55-16) than OEM. Previous Continentals wore excessively at recommended pressure and it was hard to find the right pressure. My conclusion is that a higher load index tire would be better but few are available as extra load (XL) in OEM 16" size. Since I didn't want to pay another $500+ for 17" wheels I went one size up on tires. The majority of 215/55-16 tires appear to be XLRated with a load index of 97 as opposed to 89 for the OEM tire size. My hopes of speedometer correction, however, are dashed. The minimal decrease in revs/mile I not that significant.