CrossClimate plus

[Eber123]

Good afternoon,

I believe that decent tyres can help a lot to increase traction, even for a FWD California. This will help on wet grass, mud and gravel roads. Of course 4motion will go a good bit further, but I believe that nobody will use a T5/T6/T6.1 for real off roading.

I contacted Michelin about the BF Goodrich Urban Terrain tyres and got this reply:

...
Thank you for contacting MICHELIN Customer Care.

Regarding your query about BFGOODRICH Urban Terrain T/A Tyres.

We can confirm that unfortunately we do not have BFGOODRICH Urban Terrain T/A tyres in tyre size 235/55 R17 with the higher load index than 99.

However I want to inform you that we do have MICHELIN CrossClimate SUV tyre available in tyre size 235/55 R17 103H.

MICHELIN CrossClimate SUV have also like BFGOODRICH Urban Terrain T/A tyre 90% on-road and 10% off-road aptitude.

MICHELIN CrossClimate SUV is a summer tyre with winter certification 3PMSF. Safety in every weather condition for added peace of mind

Excellent all-around performance in:

• Dry braking
• Wet grip
• Snow braking

Always moving

• Excellence in snow traction, being the first-ever summer tyre to obtain the 3PMSF winter certification for snow usage.
• Light off-road use with specific tyre architecture.

High value for money

• Excellence in longevity
• Optimized fuel consumption

You can find the full specification on this link:

https://www.michelin.co.uk/auto/tyres/michelin-crossclimate-suv
...
You can contact any one of them for availability or price and to make the search faster, you can provide them with this article number:

MICHELIN CrossClimate SUV XL

Article number: 561754

As an alternative I have the Michelin Latitude Cross in mind. As far as I am aware this tyre is also available in 235/55 R17 103H. From price they are very similar.

I try to be realistic, 95% of the time I need a tyre which needs to be good on the road, preferable in all weather conditions, and 5% I need the tyre to bring me just that wee bit further, even with my FWD. At least with the Michelin Latitude Cross I believe that the camper will get me through gravel roads, mud (within reason), snow and the famous gras on the campt site. For which one I will go next year I am not sure. But at least it will be the Cross Climate SUV.

Happy California,
Eberhard

 

[Velma's Dad]

The Nokian Weatherproof SUV may be a good option for an all-season with with a bit more tread chunk for mud.

And sensibly priced: https://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/r...rd&Label=C-A-69-1&details=Ordern&typ=R-279701

Anyone tried them?

 

[Velma's Dad]

As an alternative I have the Michelin Latitude Cross in mind. As far as I am aware this tyre is also available in 235/55 R17 103H. From price they are very similar.

The Latitude Cross is an asymmetric tyre as far as I can see, so you have to accept that you'd have to carry two spare wheels. That rules them out for me.

 

[Wesel]

The Latitude Cross is an asymmetric tyre as far as I can see, so you have to accept that you'd have to carry two spare wheels. That rules them out for me.

The Latitude Cross is an asymmetric tyre as far as I can see, so you have to accept that you'd have to carry two spare wheels. That rules them out for me.

This tire is indeed asymmetric.

But this absolutely does not oblige to have 2 spare wheels. First, you could have a spare wheel of another type.
But above all the fact that it is asymmetric does not prevent it from being mounted on the left or on the right. One side of the tire is marked "outside" and it will always be outside if the wheel turns around and is mounted on the other side.

 

[EddieEagle]

Just to lob in my thoughts ..if the tyre is marked outside and direction of rotation is shown then they are handed .

 

[Wesel]

Just to lob in my thoughts ..if the tyre is marked outside and direction of rotation is shown then they are handed .

If they were marked "outside" and in addition had an arrow to indicate the direction of rotation, Michelin would have to manufacture 2 types of tires: right tires and left tires!
There is no direction of rotation on asymmetric tires.

 

[GoldCJ7]

I’ve just fitted Crossclimate SUV to my Ocean, was happy pulling a trailer with a car on off a grassy field. A lot quieter than the original Bridgestones, no effect in mpg, but do not ride any better.

 

[WelshGas]

If they were marked "outside" and in addition had an arrow to indicate the direction of rotation, Michelin would have to manufacture 2 types of tires: right tires and left tires!
There is no direction of rotation on asymmetric tires.

Asymmetric Tyres » Oponeo.co.uk

Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of asymmetric tyres, and how to correctly fit this type of tyres.

www.oponeo.co.uk

 

[Velma's Dad]

But this absolutely does not oblige to have 2 spare wheels. First, you could have a spare wheel of another type.
But above all the fact that it is asymmetric does not prevent it from being mounted on the left or on the right. One side of the tire is marked "outside" and it will always be outside if the wheel turns around and is mounted on the other side.

Yes I accept you could carry an 'odd' spare. But the fact that you can swap an asymmetric around from right to left is only meaningful if you're prepared to take the tyre off and refit it the other way round on the spare wheel if necessary, which you're not going to do at the side of the road.

[EDIT, sorry, to be clear here I'm talking about tyres that are 'directional' as well as asymmetric, but I think most are both...]

Asymmetrics/directionals are fine on a vehicle if you're prepared to travel without a spare, which of course is the case anyway with most cars where they just give you a can of air/gunge. But on a touring campervan I'm absolutely not prepared to forgo the spare wheel, which I've had to resort to at least twice on trips away in the last couple of years. And then, I want my spare to be fully compatible with the other tyre on the same axle, so I don't have to drive around with mis-matched tyres until I can find an opportunity to get to a tyre shop in the direction I'm heading, that happens to have in stock the exact replacement tyre I want.

Given that there are plenty of good 'symmetric' tyre options available for the Cali, for me it's bit of a no-brainer.

 

[steph31]

No, this is different.
Latitude Cross are asymmetric, but are not directionnal, and most of directionnal tyres are not asymmetric.
These are 2 different caracteristics.
It is the directional tyre that is annoying for the spare tyre.

And by the way, CrossCliamte are directionnal tyres.... so better to have a different spare tyre (one of the previous tyre for example, if not directionnal)

 

[Velma's Dad]

No, this is different.
Latitude Cross are asymmetric, but are not directionnal, and most of directionnal tyres are not asymmetric.
These are 2 different caracteristics.
It is the directional tyre that is annoying for the spare tyre.

And by the way, CrossCliamte are directionnal tyres.... so better to have a different spare tyre (one of the previous tyre for example, if not directionnal)

Interesting, I need to go away and look at this again. I'd thought the Michelin Cross Climate were not directional. You learn something new every day!

 

[Wesel]

... to be clear here I'm talking about tyres that are 'directional' as well as asymmetric, but I think most are both.

No. Most asymmetric tires are not directional.
Michelin Crossclimate is directional and symmetrical. It cannot be swapped between left and right.

Michelin Latitude Cross is asymmetric and non-directional. It can be swapped between left and right.

 

[Velma's Dad]

No. Most asymmetric tires are not directional.
Michelin Crossclimate is directional and symmetrical. It cannot be swapped between left and right.
View attachment 66183
Michelin Latitude Cross is asymmetric and non-directional. It can be swapped between left and right.
View attachment 66184

I stand corrected, thanks. Very useful to know.

P.S. I googled around on putting directionals on 'backwards' and the police seem to think it's okay in an emergency (ie for short distances and moderate speeds, as with a spacesaver). But still not ideal for a touring vehicle, I think.

 

[clarinetbcn]

The cross climate range is confusing. There is the cross climate, the cross climate +, and a cross climate SUV. They all look the same! Check you’ve covered all those bases before deciding they don’t have the correct load rating.

You left out Cross Climate Agilis, designed for light vans. It has the most aggressive tread, reinforced sidewalls, and members who have fitted them have not noticed a noise increase.

 

[B J G]

I'm running Nokian Weatherproof 235/55/17 103V tyres. Will get SUV 0f 235/60/17 (yes 60) version next for stiffer sidewalls.

Similar tread to most of the current allseason tyres available, a "V" design.

On wet grass or surface mud these have the advantage of - with a gentle pull away - not spinning up and creating their own smooth polished ground surface that summer tyres are very prone to do with virtually no cross tread grooves.

To get round the directional issue I've used a Vredestien Quatrac Pro allseason tyre on the spare wheel.

 

[BeagleMum]

You left out Cross Climate Agilis, designed for light vans. It has the most aggressive tread, reinforced sidewalls, and members who have fitted them have not noticed a noise increase.

What is the difference please between Cross Climate + and Cross Climate Agilis? Is one better than the other?

 

[clarinetbcn]

What is the difference please between Cross Climate + and Cross Climate Agilis? Is one better than the other?

According to Michelin they are designed for durability at high loads at high speed, and have reinforced sidewalls to protect against scuffing. I'll be fitting them toward the end of this year before winter sets in, so I'll be able to give more feedback then. I have 16s, so the right load range is available. I've heard that Agilis is only available in the UK in higher load ratings for the 17.

 

[Alied]

According to Michelin they are designed for durability at high loads at high speed, and have reinforced sidewalls to protect against scuffing. I'll be fitting them toward the end of this year before winter sets in, so I'll be able to give more feedback then. I have 16s, so the right load range is available. I've heard that Agilis is only available in the UK in higher load ratings for the 17.
View attachment 66194

Available in the UK for 16" wheels. This was the cheapest that I found.

Michelin Agilis CrossClimate 215/65T16 (106/104) Tyres

Buy Michelin Agilis CrossClimate 215/65T16 (106/104) tyres from Kwik Fit, the leading fast-fit tyre specialists in the UK. Buy and book fitting online!

www.kwik-fit.com

 

[Velma's Dad]

The "Agilis" part of the name means they are from Michelin's commercial/vans range, ie they'll be designed with robustness in mind. That makes a lot of sense for me, I'd probably choose them over the basic Cross Climate but need to compare prices first as they don't look cheap. Also the lowest profile for a 235 17 looks like 60 (I'd be fine with that).

 

[B J G]

Agilis are very expensive

 

[Velma's Dad]

Agility are very expensive

Yes it certainly looks like it...!

 

[BeagleMum]

According to Michelin they are designed for durability at high loads at high speed, and have reinforced sidewalls to protect against scuffing. I'll be fitting them toward the end of this year before winter sets in, so I'll be able to give more feedback then. I have 16s, so the right load range is available. I've heard that Agilis is only available in the UK in higher load ratings for the 17.
View attachment 66194

Thanks, interested as we are about to change and we’re going cross climate + Sounds like they may be the better option will have a look. We currently have 215/65/16C which were on when we bought.

 

[BeagleMum]

Agilis are very expensive

Thanks for the heads up. The price wouldn’t put us off IF they were the best tyre for our needs. We’ve always bought quality tyres for any vehicle we’ve owned purely from a safety point of view.

 

[Elmo3]

My T5 came on 16 inch steels with 215/65/16 Agilis M+S tyres (106/104T). They look pretty bomb proof and are what the DPD vans are fitted with in the sticks. My local driver said they get absolutely hammered round the lanes and tracks and he‘s never had a single tyre issue. I‘m keeping them for winter use.

 

[BeagleMum]

My T5 came on 16 inch steels with 215/65/16 Agilis M+S tyres (106/104T). They look pretty bomb proof and are what the DPD vans are fitted with in the sticks. My local driver said they get absolutely hammered round the lanes and tracks and he‘s never had a single tyre issue. I‘m keeping them for winter use.

Thank you, good info. How do they look?