I was ready for a new set of tires for my 2017 ES350, and went down the rabbit hole of research on Tire Rack and YouTube.

The winner: Michelin's CrossClimate2 (215/55/R17). These replaced the OEM Michelin Primacy MXV4.

Living in Colorado, I was intrigued by the notion of year 'round "all-weather" tires, as opposed to all-season or dedicated winter tires. The leaders in this category seem to be the Michelin CrossClimate+ and Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady, both of which carry the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake symbol. It should be noted that the Michelin CrossClimate2 is the latest-generation from Michelin, replacing the "plus" model.

I didn't want to deal with swapping out dedicated winter tires, so the "all-weather" tires seemed to be an ideal solution: excellent grip in all conditions, as well as increased traction in the winter. The Tire Rack reviews for this class of tires are very positive.

I bought the tires from Costco, as they were offering $150 off — the cost was much less than Discount Tire or a dealership. Plus, Costco provides their own extras, including free lifetime rotations and rebalancing, repairs and nitrogen inflation.

So far, the Michelin CrossClimate2 tires are quite impressive. The road noise is noticeably reduced (the CrossClimate2 has "noise reduction tuning"), there's a noticeable difference in comfort, and there's definitely a more "planted" feel on the road — the grip is impressive.

I'm anxious to see how these perform on snow and ice.

The tires have a bit more of an aggressive tread pattern and are a nice compliment to the ES350.

 

Congrats on the new tires. All of the cars in my family ride on Michelin from the Defender on both our RX350 and ES350 to the Pilot Sport on my RX-7. I have to say that in every category of tires Michelin seems to be the top choice.

 

Love me some Michelin tires. I just put the Gen 1 Cross Climates on my 2014 ES 350 and am happy with them so far. Love the unusual tread pattern.

 

Thanks for posting this about the Michelin’s. I’m also in Colorado and need new tires on my 2013 ES350. I was leaning toward the Pirelli Cinturato that seem to get good reviews on this car. But I might check out these as I also was looking for the best snow option without dedicated snow tires and the swapping.

 

im about to shop for new winter tires for my 2016 ES300h
i drive in Park City Deer Valley and Vail during the winters mountains of Utah and Colorado so i need the 3 peak mountains now flake
with utah laws.
I have used the blizzak winter tires for the past 7 winters
but been thinking about trying something new not sure
blizzak have been trusted for years but the cross climate has peaked my interest I'm probably going to try and hold off till after thanksgiving l
i hope you will come back and post after some snowy driving

 

Up "here" we have some highways where Winter/Snow tires are mandatory (mountain passes in British Columbia). I use Michelin X-Ice 3 for winter tires but I'm going to need to replace the summer rubber next spring. Everything I've seen indicates that the Cross-Climate 2 will be what I'm looking for...better traction in wet or dry conditions, quieter than the original Cross Climate, longer life that the OEM, lower price than the MXV4. Although I don't "need" the good snow rating, it'll be nice to have during the shoulder season when there is always a chance of a bit of snow or freezing temperatures. Always had good experience with Michelins (for the last 20 years or so!) and see no reason to experiment with other brands now.

Oh...I had the snow tires installed on both of our vehicles earlier this week...and we've got 4-6" of snow forecast for this weekend.

 

I got a set of the Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus 2 and have had them about 2 months. Got a scorching hot deal on them at Costco--so far so good but no chance to see how they are in the snow yet.

 

I wish Costco in Colorado offered Pirelli but I don't recall ever seeing that. They do have $150 of the crossclimate2 which basically covers the $97 installation costs and gives you some extra towards the $177 per tire cost. Tire rack had the Pirelli for$140 a tire but then I have to add installation at about $125. Still trying to weigh my options.

 

Columbia40: Are these new Michelin Cross Climates that you bought are much quieter than the OEM Michelin MXV 4 on all pavement? I might be in the market for new tires soon, especially with winter approaching in a couple of months?

Thanks.

 

Hi. Yes. To my ear, the CrossClimates are quieter than the OEM MXV 4 tire on all surfaces. With the CrossClimate2 (vs. first-generation CrossClimate+), Michelin makes this claim:

Noise – Michelin used PIANO Noise Reduction Tuning to design a tread with blocks and angles that cancel out “harmonic” road noise and create ideal amplitude for the contact patch, creating a quieter ride. (Source: https://michelinmedia.com/pages/blog...ticle/c0/a998/)

 

I think that everyone should know that ALL new tires run quiet. You need to have at least 7-10,000 miles on them to compare the tires that you replaced.

 

Thank you Columbia40.

 

I ended up having to replace all 4 tires last week and the tire store rep didn't recommend the Cross Climate 2's.
His comment was that they wear too quickly, are directional and get loud as they wear.
I ended up with Primacy Tour A/S instead.
Both tires were in stock and the A/S were cheaper than the CC2 so I felt like he was trying to be helpful with his comments.

 

We're having a snow storm here in Colorado, and a I had a chance to test these tires on snow, packed snow and ice.

The verdict: Quite Impressive.

The grip is, by far, the best I've experienced. These rival, if not exceed, dedicated snow tires — they definitely feel planted and inspire confidence.

Stopping distance is short. Acceleration from a dead stop, or on a snow-packed incline, is close to that of AWD. And, surprisingly, the traction control light rarely flashes. The car is actually kind of fun to drive in the snow!

While driving in the storm, I came across a BMW 330i with its flashers on. The car was really struggling to make it up a snowy incline, but I zipped right by without a problem. The BMW may have been RWD or AWD with summer tires.

These tires have transformed my car, both in day-to-day "good weather" conditions, as well as today's snow storm. If you're considering a newer ES250 AWD for the winter grip, I'd consider getting a V6 ES350 and swap out the OEM tires with "all weather" tires, such as these Michelin CrossClimate2's.

 

Great to hear Columbia40. I’m in Colorado too. I also ventured into the snowy streets south of Denver and went skiing on my balding Yokohama slicks. Always good to freshen up my winter driving skills. Needless to say I won’t be driving my car again in snow until I get new tires. They were worn badly when I bought the car almost exactly 12 months ago. I survived the winter and until now haven’t had to deal with snow driving. I’m too cheap too rush out and get new tires even though they are beyond worn. I like a challenge. And I’m cheap too. Always looking for that great deal.

I’m torn between the Pirelli cinturatos and these cross climates. I’ve heard the treadlife on the cross climates isn’t wonderful, which probably makes sense with your experience of excellent grip. My hesitation is the extra cost above the pirellis for potentially less treadlife. Plus, with my luck as soon as I get them it will be a long dry winter.