Tyres are the most essential component of a car, whether you're talking speed or safety. It's incredible that a channel with this much information and quality has such a small amount of subscribers. I hope your numbers go up drastically quickly!
I'm in the U.S. and even though he speaks to the British conditions, it is explained to the point it really doesn't matter where in the world you are. Thanks again for some great information!
Same here. I'm on Long Island where we get very hot summers and cold, snowy winters. I'm hoping this new breed of AS tires will soon be available for mid sized crossovers and SUVs.
@@tyrereviews I'm in LA, my college buddies live in NYC and Denver and we're all gear heads. So I turned them onto your channel. Great films with good contact. BTW we all subbed.
Really excellent channel, have no idea why this doesn't have more subscribers. As far as I know this is the only channel that offers such in depth, informative, systematic testing of different tyre brands. As an engineer I've learnt a lot from this channel. Every petrol head should be subscribed!!! Keep up the good work, look forward to your next video.
When I found your channel I was looking for some tyres and I was shocked by the high quality and lack of subscribers. I will share a video on my facebook.
Probably because if you offer an opinion using thousands of miles of experience on a tyre on rural and main roads you get shot down like I did.they really rate a tyre i've found to be utter shit to live with.bridgey A001 still the best all round for me,only reason my cars not on them is because I couldn't find any.Simply put,they did everything well.Goodyear vector gen 2 are shit at best.
Driving 2 years with Michelin crosslimate plus - very satisfied. Even on snow uphill they performed well. Also after two years i didnt noticed the grip would worsen because of aging.
I just put the Vredestein Quatrac 5 Tires on my 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4 SE (175/55R15) about 2 months ago and wow am I ever pleased. First off they made my Mirage G4 ride smoother, take bumps and pot holes much smoother, provide great fuel economy due to very low rolling resistance, and have done great in the snow and ice for me. We recently just had 9 inches of snow, sleet and freezing rain here in Cumberland MD (USA) and I made it home with no issues while the roads were covered and sleeting. It felt very secure in stopping and turning. While pulling out my traction control never had to come on even going up slight hills. I must say I will buy these tires again and we are having these put on our 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport GT AWC as well. Thank you Vredestein!!!
They're excellent tyres! If you get a spare few minutes I'd love it if you could put your review on the site so people can see it forever! www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Vredestein/Quatrac-5.htm
My wife has a 2016 Mirage Juro hatchback (UK model, facelift), and the strange tyre size of 175/55 R15 77V meant it was the only all-season option I could find. She's had them a couple of weeks, and we're waiting for the weather to take a turn for the worse, but no issues so far. I did have to downgrade from a V speed rating to a T in order to buy them, but I somehow doubt she's going to be racing about at over 100mph anyway. The stock tyres - Bridgestone Potenza RE050A - are more expensive and actually rated worse for rolling resistance, making them an odd choice to fit given the Mirage's focus on efficiency.
Stephan Dolby I think they will do really well in the snow for her. You can see my videos on my page of them in some snow. They have great grip and a very secure sure footed feeling. Yes the Mirage has odd 14 and 15 inch tire sizes which leaves few options but I’m so glad the Vredestein was an option because I would have got it regardless so it was luck! Its the same way here is the USA with the factory tires, they are expensive and less efficient rolling resistance, makes no since. Also the factory oem Yokohama tires were horrible in the snow.
Reading many tests this tyre seems to become relatively better to the competition the heavier the car is and the larger the tyre. So i put this on my Citroen C4 Picasso (1.7t FWD Minivan 205/55 R17) and now mid in the second winter even on snowy steep ascends I'm completely satisfied with them. They are a lot better in all respects than my previous Kumho KH25 which are mostly summer tyres with "emergency winter capability". So I can fully recommend the Vredesteins, and even more when you see the price tag.
I worked in a tyre shop in Denmark for many years and he is spot on with his recommendations. FYI, the Goodyear and the Nokian are the most quiet ones.
Excellent article. I found replacing my Bridgestone Premium tyres on my 208 and switching to Michelin Crossclimates amazing. The car no longer understeers, and its now fun to drive around corners. Doesn't try to dive into the ditch on flooded puddles, and performs really well in the hot summer weather. The Mich turns it on its head, oh and its the same price as the Bridgestone!? As for snow & cold weather = very confidence building. Loads more grip, much safer. Hills and descents are no longer so scarey. 4 season tyres like this are truely impressive.
I have the Quadrac 5 and i think its one of the best bang for buck tyres. I have to say that they work pretty well in Snow and are excellent in Rainy and even Dry Situations. They dont have that much grip in the hot summer but around 10 and below they are superb. In fact i have theese on 3 different cars and everyone is happy. We live in Germany and dont have that much snow but we have been in the alps with theese and were able to compete with the winter tyres of most of the other drivers. We didnt need to put on chains.
Thanks for making this, I've been running my Subaru Outback on Nokian Weatherproof tyres for 3 years in northern Ireland. They have been great in the snow but also confidence inspiring in the wet cold perma-season we get. I chose these and had to import them as they are more winter bias than Cross Climate. It's the best safety investment you can make. I don't work for Nokian BTW.
I have a brand new set of Vector 4 on our car simply because of a previous mention/review of yours. They are so much better than the budget tyres that were on the car when we bought it, I feel better when my wife is out with the grandkids as well. Thanks.
From personal experience. CrossClimate is better summer tire then budget summer tire. When you have small wheels like 165R14/70 every summer tire is a budget tire, so... CC for the win. I decided to switch to them because of the unpredictable weather and it was a good choice. Higher cornering speeds are a bonus.
I have this size on my VW Up! I have CrossClimates fitted and they got me the 44 miles home from work through 20cms of freshly fallen snow and -4°c. I passed an Audi Q3 4x4 stuck wearing summer rubber. I am staggered as to just how good they perform and at how well they suit my car throughout the summer. Amazing tyres.
@@cheshirehomebrew Hi. My understanding is that tyres such as the CC should match on the same axle. So if you were to suffer a puncture it would be wise to have another CC to replace it with. I have CCs all round and have put one on my spare too. I hope that I don't sound melodramatic but I will never put any other tyre on my car again. They give a comfortable, quiet ride, wear slowly and are breathtaking in foul weather. I can't speak of them highly enough.
@@richardfletcher8719 thanks for the reply, I live at the top of a steepish hill and it even light snowfall it's a nightmare. Thanks, much appreciated. 👍
I've fitted two sets of Nexen N Blue 4Season, (BMW 320i and a Mitsubishi Colt) and a set of Hankook Kinergy 4S2 on a Mondeo Estate. Both have been excellent, I'd happily buy either again and the Nexens will save you cash.
I've noticed that here in Germany the Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons is used a lot on rental cars nowadays. I think it's an adequate choice for our climate in most parts. And rental car agencies no longer charge you extra if you want to rent a car in wintertime, which was pretty common before there was winter tyre regulation :)
I have been driving on all 4 GoodYear Vector 4Season (First gen), and they were great for our climate here in Croatia. We get pretty mild winters and almost no snow (With rare exceptions). I am pretty happy with those tires, they were quiet in driving and performed pretty well under all circumstances. I was never stuck and never failed to stop the car in emergenices (Which I did have). Now its about 4.5 years of use, traveled for 76.000 km, and finally it's time for new ones (Only front, rear are still in decent shape, since I didin rotate tires at all). I can recommend those for this part of EU (Mediterranean climate). Major part of wear was not thread depth, but damages on the thread caused by sharp stones and driving on unpaved roads coupe a times per year. Tires are pretty soft in the summer, and driving on sharp surface cuts deep into thread, causing damage. (Still, they lasted pretty long, especially on driven wheels, front). Now I've bought new front tires, this time I decided to try Nokian Weatherproof, got a good deal in the store for them (400 HRK = 46,99 GBP). Now I have them on front, and GoodYear Vecors on rear, let's see how it will all work in practice :)
After heavy snowfall (20 cm) 2 years ago in the Paris region, my car park and its access ramp were almost impassable. Last fall, I therefore bought Michelin Crossclimate to replace my Michelin energy savers that were fitted to my Citroën C3 II. Well took me, one night this winter, it started to snow so much (till 20 cm of fresh snow), and late morning I was able to feel the quality of traction of these tyres in the snow, in my parking place and on the road to my job, with a very good grip, when many cars (probably with summer tyres), were slipping or getting stucked. I am very happy with this purchase. After a year, I can compare these with my summer tyres : * dry road in summer and winter: identical behavior and comparable braking. * wet road: safer crossclimate ( traction and braking distance) * snow or ice: better traction and more efficient braking, even on medium mountain roads covered with packed snow (Clermont Ferrand and the Sancy massif). Conclusion: either identical or better than summer tyres, in all circumstances. Of course, they are probably not made to drive at 90 km/h on the snow. Maybe winter tyres are more efficient for that, I don't know...but Crossclimate do the job very wellnto get out of difficult situations and to arrive safely at destination in bad weather.
Vredestein are somewhat difficult to find in France, but I would choose this brand over most others, except Michelin. Today, I've got Crossclimate on my 2 cars and I will continue this choice : good in dry, excellent in rain, and not stuck for the few snow day we cross one day or another...
I have great experience with Crossclimate+ in all season across europe from UK all year, Tatras mountain in winter and high summer temperatures in Croatia and they lasted me 38k miles and over 2 years of driving with no fade out when worn in winter. Replaced them with nearly 4mm thread left.
Just seen this video, and I’ve bought the Bridgestone all season tyres - I get the impression they are a lot like the Michelin all season - aimed more at dry performance than snow/ice. Excellent review and description of all the different tyre tread types and so pleased to see/hear that vital message: don’t skimp on tyres!!
@@tyrereviews Not run the tyres in deep snow, but they performed well during a light dusting and perform surprisingly well in the wet too. Not the quietest, but that's to be expected. The car they're on isn't pushed hard, so can't comment on overall handling but so far pleased!
Definitely a channel worth subscribing too, really like your content. You should do a review/roundup of pressure gauges and tyre inflators - now that's a topic where we could do with some of your wisdom. Amount of rubbish gauges and pumps out there... Keep up the good work tho 👌🏻
I’ve had the continental allseason contacts on my old car and they were brilliant. I drove in thick snow home a few times and powered through with 80kmph without a problem. The traction is great in winter and they drive brilliantly in the summer.
Falken AS210 are pretty damn good on a Ford Focus second car. Pretty much equal grip on dry as with the old summer Michelin Premacy HP's, a tiny bit louder and less comfortable (but then again almost all tires are louder and less comfortable than premacy hp's). Feels like Michelins gripped a tiny bit better on the wet, but not a massive difference. Obviously the Falkens have a huge advantage in the winter, they feel nice and secure in dry, wet and snowy weather. Are they the best? I have no clue, these are the first all-season tires I've ever driven. I was skeptical to put them on a car, but after driving on them occasionally, they're perfectly fine. If you didn't tell me they were all-seasons, I'd have no reason at all to think they weren't just regular summer tires.
Been sub'd for a while. If people want to know about tyres this is the place. Keep up the good work. My work put Michelin Cross Climate on our vans & I have PS4 on my car. I live just inside the M25 & I don't really see the need for cross climate tyres & definitely not winter tyres (Work used to use winter). We don't get enough snow to warrant them IMO & apart from in heavy snow the PS4 is far FAR superior in dry & wet IMO. I can see how these tyres can be useful in more rural areas though including THE NORTH lol, but even there I'd have two sets of tyres due to what is poor performance from these tyres in summer conditions IMO (Michelin Cross Climate's are alright in the dry, they feel like a budget or lower end summer tyre in those conditions IMO). Looking forward to more reviews, as mentioned keep up the good work. You definitely deserve more sub's 👍
Recently bought Continental Premium Sport 6 before watching your videos and thankfully you've reassured my purchase. Straight forward explanation to tyre technology and the compromise within 👌
I had the Goodyear Vector 4S Gen 2. For me (living in western Germany) it is the best all season tire. Even better in the winter on snow than the cheap semperit winter tires on my moms car, haha
Yes. But for the 2019 winter the goodyears will be done and I am thinking of getting real winter tyres for the colder days. In summer I have de Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 (realy great compromise between performance and road capability in my opinion). My car (Opel Corsa OPC) seems to handle good with dunlops. Is there any recommendation for winter tyres? Btw. I really like your videos! Keep on doing
@@destinationunknown5225 It's called English and we invented it. We spell Tyres with a Y just like the knights of old did...except theirs were made of iron
I have a pair of landsail 388s on my front wheels and they are utterly rubbish in the rain. I don't have a lot of money but I do like to spend some time driving, so after watching your video I'm going for the Goodyear G2 on all 4 wheels. It's a bit of an expense but I think it'll be worth it for better performance on any kind of surface. I am in London but you never know what the weather will be like these days. Super hot, super wet, and we did have some crazy snow a few years ago.
Never heard of the michelin crossclimate until a couple of days ago when i spoke to a panda 4x4 owner who said the Michelin are by far the best tyres hes used ans it transformed his little car. Now this vid coupled with the earlier chat and im definitely getting a set towards the end of the year. Liked and subbed.
Just changed from from Conti Premium Contact 2 to a Michelin Primacy 4 on a 07 Mercedes 180k and the difference is amazing. Much better even when driven hard. The upgrade is huge, it's quieter, softer over the bumps and has way more grip in every situation and I have really pushed it. I have Michelin Pilot Sport 4 on my Volvo C30 T5 and they are mind blowing. I had the previous PS3 before that. The only brand of tire I will go for now is Michelin, even the budget XM2 Energy on my 95 Opel Astra are incredible. I have had Sport Contacts 1, 2 and 3, Dunlop, Goodyear, etc. Nothing compares to Michelin in performance and safety. They are 15% more expensive but they last 30% longer in milage and I have noticed a better fuel consumption. My only regret with Michelin is a not knowing sooner. I won't touch anything else but if I had to it would be: Michelin Continental Goodyear Riding my bicycle Walking
Hehe, I like the addition of random humorous clips in between the excellent info. It's certainly not your fault that you haven't got more subscribers, people are just to lazy to be interested in their own safety on the road. For example, here in Sweden, 1/8 of the cars I see in the summer when it's around 25°C drive on nordic winter tyres. They don't even know what that makes to their braking distance and cornering stability.
Top job, thank you. I used to run my BMW 520d on Continental TS830 winter tyres and found they were pretty good all year round in the last year I had them on the car. I was changing my car and could not be bothered to change back to summer tyres.
... very good review . I used both Michelin CrissClimate and Continental Tyres and and in my case Michelin was the worst . 4 tires runoff very very fast faste then a winter tyre , and when I need it in a small quantity of snow I catch in Plymouth , I didn't have no grip practically played Like A summer tyre . Continental is still good at list this one didn't runoff disproportionate like Michelin CrossClimate
Great video. Really well explained. I’m using Vredestein Quatrac 5s on my Hyundai SUV and they are terrific. It’s a good balance for U.K. conditions, excellent in the warm and dry as well as the cold and wet and they have kept me moving safely in severe winter conditions in the Alps. In fact they feel as good in summer as the summer road tyres (haven’t tested emergency dry braking) they replaced and in snow were better than budget winter tyres I had on a Canadian rental car.
Informative and interesting, I needed new fronts so after these reviews (and much reading and research) I just fitted Michelin Cross Climate+ to replace the standard Summer Run Flat Bridgestone Potenzas, already noticeably so much less harsh in the current mild winter after just a few slow city miles, I’ll find out for sure in a few days on a real drive! Decided to replace the rears despite having 6mm tread (Summer Potenzas), Bummer, nobody makes 255/35/R18s, except………Bridgestone! Might risk a 245/40 set of Cross Climate + if the rims are suitable, I know there is around one and a half inches of leeway for safety.
I'm currently researching to change all four tyres, and came across your channel and I've watched several videos and trawled through the associated website. Very useful information in language I understand, and I feel I'm now making an informed choice - so thank you.
I had both Vredestein and Nexen all season tyres (the exact same models in the video review). And what can I say that the Quatrac 5 was a really balanced tyre (good in summer, more than sufficient on snow and ice) but it was really bad on a moisty road and barely sufficient on wet road. Now I've got a set of Nexen NBlue 4 season and I am really satisfied of them: they are really good with wet road and I was surprised how well they perform in winter (especially with snow and ice on the road). In summer they are not bad, these are not performance tyres, so don't expect great performance, but they are sufficient for a safe and confy drive. I definitely would recommend the Nexens instead on the Vreds. By the way I live in central Italy, when the summer is usually hot and the winter is cold and sometimes it snows (sometimes a lot!) so I've tested these tyres really deeply.
I can't believe the prices in UK. I just bough a complete set of Nexen N Blue 4 Season 225/50R17 for my car this weekend and the cost was 390 RON, which equals 73 GBP (Pound sterling) !! And this was the best deal I could find anywhere online in my country. Want to know the price for Vredestein Quatrac 5 xl ? 114 GBP. Or the Michelin Crossclimate+ ? 133 GBP !! Anyway... HUGE THANK YOU for this review, and the channel as well. Really good information and well spoken for someone like me who uses english as a second language. Take care !
Hello. Sorry being this late with the reply and for the confusion. Not used to get a reply on my comments that much. All the prices I listed above were per tyre. So 73 x 4 for the full set = 292 £(GBP). So a difference of 100 £ more expensive here (Romania), than in the UK. Probably taxes (TVA) and Commercial excess from sellers. Which is crazy if you think that the minimum wage here is 360 £ vs 1,253 £ in UK (or so google says for a 40 h workweek). Anyway... sorry for the long comment. Have a great day guys. Wish you the best.
Thanks to you and your videos, i had chosen Michelin Cross Climate for my car. You explained very well each of the top 3, the conditions which are suited for and on climate location. I fitted them 3 weeks before the first snow came and there was a big difference in terms of grip and stability.They were better than my former summer tires. My father has a on his 4WD car a pair on his front wheels, has last gen Michelin All season on his rear wheels, and he was delighted how the car performed in the dry, wet and snowy roads. I can't wait to check my car on the snow with them, and of course in safe conditions. Thanks again, i will recommend your videos to my friends and family if they need some advice for some fresh tyres.
I´m living in UK for 4 years and i ever used Nokian allweather, no problem with that tires. I travelled from Barcelona to UK in the summer, 36C all the travel, the tires perfect.
I have the GoodYear 4Seasons Gen-2 (175/65 R15) for 2 months now on my Toyota iQ and I can already tell that I really like these tyres. I watched and read to lot of tyre reviews, also on this RU-vid channel and I had the feeling that if I wanted to go with all season tyres the ones from GoodYear would be the best option. (I live in the Netherlands.) Since I work in the automotive business I also asked a few of my customers (mechanics) what their advise was. Most of them didn't recommend the Michelin because they are more expensive and wear out faster than GoodYear or Vredestein. Vredestein Quatrac5 was only €4,- cheaper per tyre, so there was no reason not to choose for the best option. If Vredestein would cost half the price of the GoodYear I would have had to think about it a bit longer. The GoodYear tyres replaced my Bridgestone Ecopia EP25 tyres which really didn't perform any good on wet surfaces, with the GoodYear tyres however I have good grip when it's raining! And I'm sure that in the wintertime I will also be driving a lot safer, because when there is only just a tiny little bit of snow it's safer to walk to work than drive on Ecopia tyres. They just don't have sufficient grip on wet/snowy/icy roads. I thought the new GoodYear tyres would cause a slightly higher fuel consumption due to the more wintery tread pattern, but I haven't noticed any substantial increasing fuel consumption over the last 2 months (4000km).
Glad you're getting on with the Goodyear! I'm surprised you've been told the Michelins wear more quickly though, they're generally regarded as the best wearing all season tyre on the market. The Goodyears also wear really well too!
I wouldn't listen to your mechanics advise. Michelin CrossClimate has the least wear on test according to the renowned German Bild magazine 2018 All Season Tyre test. Source: www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2018-Auto-Bild-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm
I think the difficulty for the manufacturers is that conditions vary so much inside a single country, let alone from country to country. That makes it impossible to pitch their tyres at the right balance of warmth vs snice. Add to that the fact that winter and all season are niche markets in countries like the UK, and it's more difficult for them to see a good return on their investment.
The most informative and easy to watch tyre channel on the planet. Bought a set of Michelin Cross climate after watching your winter tyre recommendation. Excellent choice. Had previously used Goodyear Ultragrip on my BMW and was very impressed, wasnt frightened to go anywhere with them so changing from what I knew was an excellent tyre for winter conditions to another brand was a big risk. A deal on the Michelins made it a little easier saving over £70 for a set of four. Your recommendation on the cross climates was an excellent choice. Got them on my 335d and my partners a3 quattro. Bloody Brill!,,,,,,
Would it be a good idea to go for the Goodyear as a winter tyre in the cologne area of Europe? Winter driving mostly consists of wet and dry with cold temperatures. Actually having snow is like maybe 10-15 days in a really cold winter. So, amazing snow performance actually is much less important than really good wet and good-ish dry performance. And yes, I want to have 2 sets of wheels.
I’m rather happy with the Falkens. Had them on for a month, braking is good, grip is good and the car is very predictable. Perfect for an comfy old girl like my 190E.
I drive a Mazda with 225x45x19 and I just got two screws in my Bridgestone Turanza, which were rubbish btw, arhhhh so I had to replace them but got Michelin PS4S and they are amazing. Hopefully two things will happen; the will last a long time and will be good enough in the winter. I live in Hampshire so it rearly goes below -3 and we get snow once in a blue moon. I would love to be able to swap to winter tyres and think that it should probably be a legality! I'm a tyre geek like you so love your videos
I live north of Seattle, where it rains 300 days a year and only dry for July and August - I needed a wet road tire and found it with the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W All Terrain. Of course this is for my 4wd pickup. Works even better in ice and snow than most snow tires. Closest I ever found to a perfect tire for a cold and wet maritime environment. It's not unusual to pull Michelin and Goodyear equipped cars out of the ditch in winter, rain or snow. Just telling it like it is... Were I to have to choose from the list, and driving a car, I would choose one of the last three, favoring the Falken of course.
I totally agree used the same tyre myself. Was really impressed with them. After saying that, taking a chance with Michelin cross climates this time. Price dictated. Watch this space. Bring on the winter and the snow
Another great tyre review. Thanks again for your time and effort in your reviews. I followed your advice for my summer performance tyres and I was very happy with the performance of them. As I have an x-drive BMW 330d I'm going to run summer and winter wheels. Thinking about the continental winter tyre? I'm based in the Highlands of Scotland. What's your thoughts please 🙏
I'm in central Fife Scotland. Have to negotiate a few minor roads to get to main road on my daily commute. I'm trying the CrossClimates on my Golf as personally the feeling of extra security on the road is a high priority to me. Enjoy your vids!
Thanks for putting out this video - I have subscribed as I have in the market for all-season tyre. Would love your feedback on my situation. I live in London and drive a Merc E-Class with 4Matic AWD. I drive around 8000 miles year - either doing 20MPH in London traffic or along a motorway top the French Alps where we have a holiday home (three times in summer, once or twice in winter). I am convinced all-seasons makes more sense given I am mostly in London and find it hard to justify the faffing that goes with owning two sets of tyres and also the reduced performance of full winters in the dry > 4 degrees London between October and March. When driving to the alps I carry chains and will seldom use the car when I am there. Its cleared motorway main 'A' roads all the way until the last 800M which is a 10% incline on a public road. I am seriously contemplating getting the Michelin CrossClimate+ (given where I live, cheaper and availability in France if puncture) but should I be getting the Good Year Vectors instead?
All Season tyres are great for cold weather to warm weather but if you have regular snow or regular hot temps, then All Season aren't a great option. If you see snow and ice regularly as those in the north esp if you arent always on graded roads, you want to steer clear of All Season tyres and go for the 2 sets and change them. Too hot or too cold and all seasons don't work.
Get a all season with the 3peaks symbol and it has passed all the tests to be classed a winter tyre, so you can drive anywhere in Europe in them all year round.
@@robertcowling2306 You have to live within quite a narrow climate for that to be a better option than changing summer to winter or summer to all seasons. The best of that type would be the Michelin Cross Climate, which is nowhere near as good as other options in the summer, and nowhere near as good as others in heavy snow conditions. There would be many parts of the UK for example where the cross climate would be a great option. But if it gets above 25° for any length of time you're better off swapping them out for a summer set in the warm months.
Well I have used all season during winter and even in the hot summer we had last year with no problems, no squeals or squeaks, tread wear not in excess, basically if your not a boy racer then all season are balanced enough for the UK climate in my experience.
Great video as always mate. I live in the north west of England and I have just got a set of the nokian weatherproof. I had Michelin cross climates before which were great but thought I would try something else. I agree with your comment about the nokian tyres. I think they are a bit overkill for the uk so I'm kinda wishing we have a lot of snow this year so I can justify buying such a winter/snow bias all season tyre. Keep up the good work mate!
Have the continental winter contact . Switch them on and off . Live in Massachusetts USA on top of a small mountain (1200'). Love them haven't gotten stuck and they are on my Prius with extreme traction control that won't let the wheels spin at all . Had them three seasons on a Kia soul my wife never got stuck. I have been using them on the Prius two year this is the third . They are getting worn on the tread but still grab good ,compound seems to be holding up,most likely 40-45k miles on them. Very very happy with them . Highly recommend the continental winter tires . I'm going to try the winter bias all season next. I have passed stuck 4x4 in my Prius with the snow tires on as long as the snow under the car doesn't lift it up . Ride hight the biggest problem.
I really appreciate your work! Thank you for all the information that i could't find anywhere else. Sincerely, thank you! Also, as a suggestion, a test with a new tire, 4mm tread depth and minimum should be very interesting and full of what we all don;t know. How tire wear affect the handling and performance of the tires.
I had the first Gen. of the Michelin CrossClimate for 2 winters in Bavaria. There were perhaps 5 days of snow on the road on average, as I drive on main roads that get cleared. Much better than having cheap or old winter tires. My dad had seasonal winter tires with a deep enough tread, but close to 9 years old, those didn't have any grip. I figured, even if all season tires treads wear down quicker, and might not have as good a winter performance as new winter tires, they will do better than old ones, and every 3 years I got new ones, with tire technology constantly improving. Then, someone rear-ended me while I was stationary at a red light, and the car I got has different tire dimensions. Drove 1 winter with some awful no-name brand winter tires (from the previous owner). Never again! a) while snow-on-the road wasn't that much this time either, we did have more sub-zero weeks. b) those tires were liable to be a safety hazard in the hands of an unexperienced driver in the cold and wet, and even had me worried on a few occasions. Now, I finally got some new all season tires (yes I would've preferred to start a new set in Fall instead of Spring). While my previous experience with the Michelin CC was good, I had been considering switching to Goodyear Vector4Seasons G2 anyways, to see how they hold up, as the Michelin are the most expensive in my current dimension 205/55/16/V at over €100 each. But, I ended up getting a set that's not recommended here: Kleber Quadraxer 2. Kleber is (along with BF Goodrich) a 2nd tier brand of the Michelin group. And these tires did get good reviews, especially on durability and value. I'll have to see how they hold up over time, but so far I got a good feeling from them, much better than those cheap winter tires.
Living in the Highlands of Scotland I prefer a dedicated winter tyre. It is not so much for snow, but very low temperatures and frosty/Icey roads. I have only just swapped them to summer tyres (1st of June) as we were still having frosts recently. I have used all season, but in -5 or lower the winter tyres are far superior. We do get down to -15 and at those temperatures the all seasons are poor performers.
After viewing this I bought Nokian WR 4s for my Honda CRV which I drive all winter on snowy and icy roads in the Alps. I am fairly experienced in this sort of driving. I have been doing it for ten years. These are my third set of winter tyres on this car. I have to say regretfully they feel less secure on icy roads than the two previous sets, which were a) Vredestein Wintrac 4s, and b) Dunlop SP winter sports. I get a bit of drift on nearly every bend, which I hardly ever got on the previous tyres.
We used the Nokian as a winter tyre last year because we don't get routinely cold enough temps for winters and the all seasons aren't good enough in the summer. Perfect winter setup imo.
Another excellent video from tyre review. Keep up the good work. I would personally go for the cross climate myself being from Wiltshire, we don’t see all that much snow apart from earlier this year. Unfortunately they don’t do it in my size. Will try out the Continental’s. 👍🏻
I had Continentals. They cracked seriously in the radial grooves, a common problem apparently over the years. Scrapped them all and fitted Michelin. Superb!
i just order goodyear vector 4season gen2 after watching your this video. i drive 99% off time in city, this winter we have like 5 days off snow like 5inch at most and not so cold (-10 at most). im a little bit worry how this tyre will react on summer, some days we have like 35c here. keep the good work. :D
You wont be disappointed. Used these myself on a 3 series I had. Wasn't afraid to go anywhere in the snow. 5inches of snow and it just powered through without any drama. Had them on all 4 wheels.
I've just bought the brand new Vredestein Quatrac Pro and they are excellent! Nice to drive, more silent than the previous summer tires and way cheaper than Michelin and Conti...
I work at a Costco in Texas where we mainly sell all season tires, and I've never heard of these Michelin branded tires. The most popular tire we sell is the Michelin Premier AS.
Been trying to educate anyone who'll listen in the UK for years about Winter tyres, so pleased to see someone else doing the same. Unfortunately you've missed something absolutely crucial - The Michelin Cross Climate and Continental AllSeason Contact are the only two of the 3 that have the Snowcapped Mountain and Snowflake logo - The other tyre ONLY has the M+S logo. This means the former two are specifically Summer AND Winter tyres, so in practice they perform leaps and bounds better than the latter which is a, lowly by comparison, solely All Season tyre. The Conti and Michelin will outperform the Goodyear in snow and ice which, whilst it would make it up a hill, would take more effort to obtain traction and maintain grip...That's true even in the brand new 4wd Discovery I had during last Winter wearing factory fit Continental M+S only tyres. My wife has a BMW i3 which then had Nokian WDR4 Winter tyres fitted. She flew past me on the same snow packed steep hill whilst I struggled to get going and stop slithering. More importantly for the many who drive to or through Germany between October and Easter, their law changed in January - If you had tyres fitted since then, to be legal in snow and ice they MUST have the Winter snow-capped mountain and snowflake logo on them. Tyres with just the M+S logo are illegal in those conditions. If you're caught with tyres without the official Winter logo on them (and Police do stop-check for tyres there over the Winter for safety reasons) it's a fine and possibly a ban / immediate prohibition for the car depending on the tyres' condition. If you cause a delay to traffic the fine and consequences are bigger, and if you're involved in accident regardless of fault, it's an even bigger fine, Court and problems with your insurer. Not relevant to all UK drivers, but given the Germans know pretty much all there is to know about safety and engineering, it's a pretty obvious verdict on tyres without the mountain/snowflake logo that I'm happy to go with here. That leaves a limited choice of tyres optimal for all seasons - The Continental tyre you've reviewed, the Vredestein Quadrac 4Season and the Michelin CrossClimate+ you've also reviewed above - The latter is fitted to all British Gas vehicles, Emergency Service fleets and some Royal Mail vehicles to name but a few. If you're fancy a real-world test when the weather changes, I'd be happy to bring the i3 and the Nokians! Simon Fynn - www.DrivenFM.com
There's a little bit of wrong information in this post. Firstly, all the tyres mentioned are marked with the 3 peak mountain and snowflake symbol which make them legal winter tyres. You are correct that the M+S mark is meaningless these days, but it doesn't mean a tyre is all season, it means a tyre has at least a certain amount of land / sea ratio in the tread and nothing else. In practice, M+S tyres can behave no better than summer tyres, but it's worth noting certain off road tyres like the general grabber AT3 also carry the 3 peak mountain and snowflake symbol and are still rubbish in the snow and ice compared to full all season and winter tyres.
Today, a lotnof snow fell where i life. A friend of mine got the Nexen N'Blue 4 Season this summer and I bought the Continental Wintercontact TS860. There's is a road, with some traffic and they don't salt it or remove the snow. So compressed snow and ice. I just drove both cars on this road and did various breaking and acceleration manoeuvres, while nobody was around and the Continental was a quit a bit better. That really amazed me. Normal freah snow is one thing for an all-season, but ice is completely different story. In my cellar, I have some 10 year old winter tyres lying around which I used this summer, as they just hardened up right for summer use and no smearing on hot asphalt. I'll throw them on later too and also just for fun my summer tyres. Quite interesting to ne honest. Oh dear, that's a lotmof information by me now :D
as expected, the summer tyres where completely hopeless. Turn off traction controll and even with only 80 naturally aspirated horses, I could hit the rev limiter in 6th gear, which is overdrive. My tachometer never showed such speed ever ^^ . Gave me an ABS and ESP error--> mismatch of wheel speeds. The old winter tyres where just interesting. They were worse than the all seasons in the wet but just so slightly better on ice but hard to tell just by feel on a straight and narrow public road. Whats interesting, that ABS makes your stoping distance so much worse on ice. When I just smashed the brake pedal, ABS all over tje place and even when I was coming to a stop, the ABS was still going crazy for a second. When I just tried to keep the braking on the edge of skidding, stopping distance was much better. That's the point, where TS860 was definitely better than the Nexen. Normal ABS braking there was a difference, but less. Hopefully that's all understandable and not too much. Just wanted to note, that at least for summer tyres you missed Nexen. Great tyres for a great price. Never tested the winter tyres. Also there should be review on Eco tyres as the Conti EcoContact6 was just released and has an excellent EU label rating
Been running the same set of Goodyear Vector 4 seasons for just over 2 years. Great tyre for all year round up in Scotland. Cant see myself getting anything now.
Happy with my Vredestein Quadrac 5 tyres fitted on my Ssangyong Korando AWD . But I have to admit that "steun elkaar en koop nederlandse waar "" ( support each other and buy dutch ) is the case. The tyres came out 4th during recent tests of ANWB ( dutch automobile association) , but first on the value for money. ratio. They have run now 50.000 Km and still 3,5 mm left . They cost € 170 each all in ( including fitting, balancing and removal of old tyre ) in the 215/70 R18 size
Got 4 CrossClimate 2 years ago here in Barcelona and they perform very well for our climate (dry and wet) yet haven't tried them on snow but should do sometime just to see how good those tyres are
