Let's talk Tires (or Tyres)

[Alfisti]

I don't think we have a thread for this, a sort of general auto (not BMW specific) place to discuss tyres.

I'll start with my latest decision making process where I am growing tired of the rapidly increasing price to switch from winters to summers and vice versa, it used to be $25 but has recently risen to $80 or so. Twice a year and I am out near $200 which is nuts.

I only drive 3K Miles a year (5K KM) and the wife's SUV does any family winter hauling on dedicated winter rubber so decided to look for a winter weighted all season for my beater DD. Turns out there is a new type of tyre call All Weather (not all season) that can cover the plowed roads driving situations here reasonably well. So after much digging around I found a set of Michelin Cross Climate 2, obviously no winter experience yet but so far this summer the experience has been..... interesting. Ride quality is outstanding, maybe not surprising for such a soft tyre, but it definitely has it's quirks. Under hard braking or if I slide the tyre (I drive a 16 year old Saab wagon) I can feel the tread separating and moving.

It's hard to explain but the tyre has a very aggressive tread pattern...........



and one can sort of feel the individual parts of the tyre move about in warmer weather and when pushing the tyre. This likely bodes well for winter but it'sa weird summer driving experience.

[Sedoy]

Recent advancements in tire technology, especially with silica, have been pretty incredible (maybe that's why they are so expensice now or maybe inflation...). But like you mentioned, there are now "all-weather" tires, but if I were in Canada, I would still invest in a second set of wheels with dedicated snow tires and just swap them myself.

Here’s a good YouTube channel that compares tires:

[Alfisti]

Canada is a big place, Toronto has pretty small snow fall totals and even then the roads are plowed. I just do not drive enough to justify two cars with 2 sets each anymore, not just money factor but PITA factor.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

I don't think we have a thread for this, a sort of general auto (not BMW specific) place to discuss tyres.

I'll start with my latest decision making process where I am growing tired of the rapidly increasing price to switch from winters to summers and vice versa, it used to be $25 but has recently risen to $80 or so. Twice a year and I am out near $200 which is nuts.

I only drive 3K Miles a year (5K KM) and the wife's SUV does any family winter hauling on dedicated winter rubber so decided to look for a winter weighted all season for my beater DD. Turns out there is a new type of tyre call All Weather (not all season) that can cover the plowed roads driving situations here reasonably well. So after much digging around I found a set of Michelin Cross Climate 2, obviously no winter experience yet but so far this summer the experience has been..... interesting. Ride quality is outstanding, maybe not surprising for such a soft tyre, but it definitely has it's quirks. Under hard braking or if I slide the tyre (I drive a 16 year old Saab wagon) I can feel the tread separating and moving.

It's hard to explain but the tyre has a very aggressive tread pattern...........



and one can sort of feel the individual parts of the tyre move about in warmer weather and when pushing the tyre. This likely bodes well for winter but it'sa weird summer driving experience.

GF with the Mini runs with the Michelin Cross Climate 2.
I pushed the Mini beyond the limits , It's a great tire in the rain but also in winter on snow and ice the grip is amazing .
The only downside I noticed is that the very aggressive tread pattern makes more road noise and the tire sidewall is softer.

[freakystyly]

Not sure where abouts in TO you are but all seasons will be fine 364 days of the year. We're spoiled with overactive road works. It's the other drivers you'll have to watch for, not so much the non-existent black ice.

[gblansten]

I looked at those tires. Went with Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tires instead. Love them. Snow is less of an issue though here.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by freakystyly

Not sure where abouts in TO you are but all seasons will be fine 364 days of the year. We're spoiled with overactive road works. It's the other drivers you'll have to watch for, not so much the non-existent black ice.

Lakeview. Yeah and I drive only 5K Km a year.

[freakystyly]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Lakeview. Yeah and I drive only 5K Km a year.

Yeah, you guys have half the snow load we do. It seems to be trending lighter and lighter each year. Good call for at least 1 car with proper rubber in case of a road trip or something.

[s_ribs]

Alternative: If you already have good condition summer and snow tires, it might be worth pricing out a second set of wheels for your winter tires. Pays for itself after a few seasons and then you get the best tire for each season.

[wizardofOz]

I currently have the Bridgestone S005 tires from the manufacturer but thinking Continental or Michelin and just going for all season as I'm getting old and lazy...still cannot decide which brand after watching the video for the gloriously sunny GB weather =)

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by s_ribs

Alternative: If you already have good condition summer and snow tires, it might be worth pricing out a second set of wheels for your winter tires. Pays for itself after a few seasons and then you get the best tire for each season.

I have 2 sets of wheels. Both my winters and summers were 8 years old and due replacement. It's $80 just to change wheels now. It's a PITA too, storing them and getting them down from the rack, over it given the mild winters and lack of KM I do.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by wizardofOz

I currently have the Bridgestone S005 tires from the manufacturer but thinking Continental or Michelin and just going for all season as I'm getting old and lazy...still cannot decide which brand after watching the video for the gloriously sunny GB weather =)

You don't get a lot of snow/ice there do you? I'd lean towards a tyre that is a touch better in summer than the michelin CC2.

[wizardofOz]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

You don't get a lot of snow/ice there do you? I'd lean towards a tyre that is a touch better in summer than the michelin CC2.

This 'summer' hasn't really been summer at all with random flash floods and rain, I can probably remember there was two weeks maximum of sunshine that was through late June to late August (maybe slightly more but not much)

As far as I remember, there were one or two days of hailstones but not snow/ice over last winter.

In terms of the two brands, my mind is saying Michelin but heart is saying Continental....that's as far as I'll go as I don't want to open a can of worms/bag of popcorn at my own expense

[zx10guy]

I'm in the Mid Atlantic. So we get snow, sleet, and freezing rain; in addition to having to deal with hot summers and torrential down pours.

I've been running the Cross Climate 2's for coming up on 100k miles. Yes, you are reading that correctly. The tread hasn't come down to where the wear bars are showing yet. I'll be replacing them before the coming winter season. They've performed great on my 2019 C-HR. I don't push this car nearly as much as my 135i when I have fun. But I do corner it pretty aggressively. It's been great in the corners. Driving it through the snow storms I've experienced has been very good too. With respect to wet performance, when the tires are new, they're fairly decent. But that trails off in a significant way as the tire wears. And this has been confirmed by the reviewer behind the Youtube channel Tyre Reviews linked above.

With all that said, I'm buying another set of Cross Climate 2's to replace the worn ones.

ETA: The tires on my 135i are the Pilot 4S' and I have a second set of wheels with the Bridgestone Blizzaks WS-80s. So have those as personal references.

[ekaz]

We don't get the same snow here in Chicago anymore and was thinking about the cross climate 2 as my winter tire. Decent in the snow that we do get and not as bad if I end up running them year round if needed.

[Mavus]

I would put conti dws06 plus in the top 3 for your scenario

[DanG]

I have croosclimate 2s on my wife’s CX-5. Works great. Much better than the stock Toyos.

[BeEmVe]

Eleven years ago when we bought the buggy we had a valley winter in Oootah, now it is hit or miss. This past winter I think there were five days where the single stage blower came out. The winter before I used the two stage that many times after February.

Eight years ago we tossed the run flats, got summer and winter shoes. That was great as my spouse was driving to work. New job and no need to drive. The tires will probably age out before the tread is worn out. I change the shoes so no cost.

The next set will be ??? I could see going with two set or with all seasons. Probably depends on job - a new one may be coming.

[DubaiRich]

Sorry folks, I can't relate!!

[RM7]

Me neither, driving on ice much of the winter, where suds reign supreme.

[Alfisti]

Just to be clear, i'd like this thread to be a general tire thread not just my specific use case. Prices are nuts but the tech and performance is remarkable.

[zx10guy]

From a general view point, the all weather tires (winter rated) are so good that I have no plans on buying a set of winters for my daily driver. I had that plan initially when I bought my Toyota. But after driving on the Cross Climate 2s, any desire to spend the money for winters has gone out the window. This is for my situation in the climate conditions I experience. Do the Blizzaks perform better than the CC2s? Yes, but at the extremes. Same with the 4S' in dry weather compared to the CC2s. Regular driving there really are only marginal differences between the 4S' and CC2s. Wet performance is a different situation. The stability and confidence I have with the 4S' are immediate compared to the CC2s. That's the only weak point I can bring up with the CC2s.

Point I'm making for a general discussion is the technology that keeps improving with tires in the all weather category is just amazing and I look forward to the next generation of all weathers to see how much better they can be.