Michelin Cross Terrains in winter?

[mike_da]

I have an '08 4WD V6 Limited with 265/60R18 Cross Terrains on stock wheels. I bought the 4Runner in SoCal where I live now but plan on moving to Colorado. In 2WD mode, the tires slip surprisingly easily on wet pavement causing the traction control to kick in. So I'm wondering if they grip this poorly on wet pavement, how are they going to handle something that's actually slippery like snow and ice.

I'd really like to have just one set of wheels and tires for year round use in Colorado. I know any tire is a compromise. My main use would be on-road with some light off-road use. Its the winter I want to be prepared for.

I've looked at the Nokian WRG2 SUV tires which look to be winter tires that can be run year-round. How do they compare to A/T tires? My understanding is that A/T tires may have tread designs that handle snow and slush, but their compounds may not stay as soft at low temperatures. I've read review of various tires on TireRack but so many of the reviews contradict each other so badly I wonder if they're even talking about the same tire.

 

[cknsls@adelphia]

I have an '08 4WD V6 Limited with 265/60R18 Cross Terrains on stock wheels. I bought the 4Runner in SoCal where I live now but plan on moving to Colorado. In 2WD mode, the tires slip surprisingly easily on wet pavement causing the traction control to kick in. So I'm wondering if they grip this poorly on wet pavement, how are they going to handle something that's actually slippery like snow and ice.

I'd really like to have just one set of wheels and tires for year round use in Colorado. I know any tire is a compromise. My main use would be on-road with some light off-road use. Its the winter I want to be prepared for.

I've looked at the Nokian WRG2 SUV tires which look to be winter tires that can be run year-round. How do they compare to A/T tires? My understanding is that A/T tires may have tread designs that handle snow and slush, but their compounds may not stay as soft at low temperatures. I've read review of various tires on TireRack but so many of the reviews contradict each other so badly I wonder if they're even talking about the same tire.

F.Y.I.-I bought a slightly used set of Cross Terrains from a guy who lives in Park City, Utah (fellow forum member). He switched them out and they were basically new when I received them. He had a 4WD Limited as well. His size was 265/65/17. He told me he replaced them with the BFG all terrains I believe. That's my story for whatever it's worth.

 

[Bossman]

I run Michelin Cross Terrains P265/65R17 on my 03 T4R Limited V8 4WD year round up here in Canada. These tires easily move me through all of our winter snow and ice with no problem, even at extreme low temperatures. Rarely does my traction control kick in, unless I really step on the gas. Drive smart for the conditions, and these tires will do the trick.

 

[mike_da]

I run Michelin Cross Terrains P265/65R17 on my 03 T4R Limited V8 4WD year round up here in Canada. These tires easily move me through all of our winter snow and ice with no problem, even at extreme low temperatures. Rarely does my traction control kick in, unless I really step on the gas. Drive smart for the conditions, and these tires will do the trick.

I see you have the V8 so there's no 2WD mode, right? When I use 4WD, it doesn't slip on wet pavement either unless I'm really trying to make it slip. Maybe the slip/traction control kicking in is just from having the light end of the truck doing the driving and not as much a weakness in the tires. I'd always driven FWD cars before the 4Runner.

 

[Gromulus]

Cross Terrains - wet grip

Since you asked..........

I am probably in the minority vs. other CT owners on this forum when it comes to this topic. I have a 2004 V8 Limited with 97K miles. I am also a Michelin fan, having owned many sets on several vehicles over the years. As a brand, I have generally found them to be the quietest and having the longest tread wear of any tire. That being said, after owning two sets of the CTs on my 4Runner (for 86K total miles), I was always disappointed in their performance on wet, snowy, and icy roads - even when the tires were new.

We all know that no all season tire will even come close to the performance of a dedicated winter tire, especially on icy roads. I use dedicated winter tires on my wife and daughter's FWD cars during the winter season here in NE Ohio. Being a fulltime 4WD vehicle, I try to get away with one set of tires on my 4Runner.

Even when new, the Cross Terrains just never inspired much confidence on anything but dry road conditions. We live in one of the true lake effect snow belt areas of the country and get dumped on for several months during the winter months. I also use my 4Runner for mild off-roading and all-season camping and the CT's were often not adequate for some of the conditions I found myself in.

Last fall I was in the market for new tires and went with the Revo2, partially based on the positive feedback on both this forum and TireRack. While not inexpensive, the Revos weres still less costly than the CT's or the new Latitude Tour tires (now that the CTs have been discontinued). I also went with the slightly larger 265/70/17 size. We had a typically bad winter this past season and the Revo's turned my 4Runner into a different vehicle. The traction control seldom engaged compared to previous seasons. Performance on wet road conditions was also much better, with noticeably shorter stopping distances. I was prepared for the Revos to ride rougher than the CTs and was pleasantly surpised to note very little difference. Off-road traction is also much better than the CTs while mileage is worse (1.5 - 2 MPG), in part due to the larger size.

After 9K miles I am extemely happy with the Revo's and do not miss my CTs at all. I rotate (5 tire) every 5K miles and keep my tire pressure in the 35 - 37 psi range. We will see how the longevity is but my only regret at this point is not replacing the CTs sooner.

YMMV

 

[Bossman]

I see you have the V8 so there's no 2WD mode, right? When I use 4WD, it doesn't slip on wet pavement either unless I'm really trying to make it slip. Maybe the slip/traction control kicking in is just from having the light end of the truck doing the driving and not as much a weakness in the tires. I'd always driven FWD cars before the 4Runner.

Yes, I have full-time 4WD on my T4R. As my signature indicates, I traded in my RWD Lexus LS400 on my T4R. Even with dedicated winter tires, the LS was terrible in snow and ice. I have yet to get stuck or feel unsure in winter conditions running the all-season CTs on my Runner. The rubber is going into its third winter, so we will see how traction holds up.

 

[spehrparts]

I have the same truck- 08 sr5 4wd with cross Terrains, only 17". I am in the foothills of the smokies and I can assure you these tires do very well in the wintery stuff. I was amazed last winter with the 4Runner and the grip I had in nasty, icey, snow-slush ...
I never broke traction!

 

[mike_da]

I have the same truck- 08 sr5 4wd with cross Terrains, only 17". I am in the foothills of the smokies and I can assure you these tires do very well in the wintery stuff. I was amazed last winter with the 4Runner and the grip I had in nasty, icey, snow-slush ...
I never broke traction!

Do you also find that the traction control kicks in very easily on wet pavement in RWD mode?

 

[inscarguy]

Since you asked..........

I am probably in the minority vs. other CT owners on this forum when it comes to this topic. I have a 2004 V8 Limited with 97K miles. I am also a Michelin fan, having owned many sets on several vehicles over the years. As a brand, I have generally found them to be the quietest and having the longest tread wear of any tire. That being said, after owning two sets of the CTs on my 4Runner (for 86K total miles), I was always disappointed in their performance on wet, snowy, and icy roads - even when the tires were new.

We all know that no all season tire will even come close to the performance of a dedicated winter tire, especially on icy roads. I use dedicated winter tires on my wife and daughters FWD cars during the winter season here in NE Ohio. Being a fulltime 4WD vehicle, I try to get away with one set of tires on my 4Runner.

Even when new, the Cross Terrains just never inspired much confidence on anything but dry road conditions. We live in one of the true lake effect snow belt areas of the country and get dumped on for several months during the winter months. I also use my 4Runner for mild off-roading and all-season camping and the CT's were often not adequate for some of the conditions I found myself in.

Last fall I was in the market for new tires and went with the Revo2, partially based on the positive feedback on both this forum and TireRack. While not inexpensive, the Revos weres still lesscostly than the CT's or the new Latitude tires (now that the CTs have been discontinued). I also went with the slightly larger 265/70/17 size. We had a typically bad winter this past season and the Revo's turned my 4Runner into a different vehicle. The traction control seldom engaged compared to previous seasons. Performnce on wet road conditions was also much better, with noticeably shorter stopping distances. I was prepared for the Revos to ride rougher than the CTs and was pleasantly surpised to note very little difference. Off-road traction is also much better than the CTs while mileage is worse (1.5 - 2 MPG), in part due to the larger size.

After 9K miles I am extemely happy with the Revo's and do not miss my CTs at all. I rotate (5 tire) every 5K miles and keep my tire pressure in the 35 - 37psi range. We will see how the longevity is but my only regret at this point is not replacing the CTs sooner.

YMMV

wow, you are one of the few who i have heard who do not like them. i have had them on a blazer, my grand cherokee and now my 4runner and they work just fine. my GF is a horrible winter driver and they are great even with her driving. i have a heavy foot and i have not had a problem with them at all.

 

[Climb14er]

I ran the CT's after getting rid of the original Dunlops at 3K. The CT's were fine in the Colorado weather, all four seasons.

However, I found my set of CT's wearing out prematurely and Michelin in conjunction with Discount Tire GAVE me a new set of four LTX M&S 2's after almost twenty thousand miles on the CT's.

The LTX M&S was what I had on my Toyota 4x4 pickup, in fact, two sets and they were the best tire I ever had for hwy, off-road and on-road combo.

The #2 version is equally as good and my 4Runner V8 is performing at first class levels with the newer set of tires.

 

[fast325it]

Do not buy Michelin Cross Terrains

I'm with Gromulus. I think the CT is a poor choice for winter driving. And, they have ZERO grip in the wet. I've been very unhappy with them overall and am anxious to get them off the truck. I live in the Midwest and vacation in Wisconsin and Michigan and often get caught up in lake affect blizzards. The CT inspires no confindance for winter driving, especially if I'm towing a trailer. I have 64,000 miles on my '06 T4R and 3 of the original 4 tires all had issues with broken steel belts - so much for Michelin quality. I don't go off-road with the T4R and drive on reasonably smooth roads.

I also have 18" rims on my Limited and tire choices are limited. Therefore, I purchased 17" FJ steelies off of the FJ board and run 265/60/17 BFG AT K/Os in the winter months. I will be replacing the CTs in the spring when I take off the winter wheels/tires and I will NOT be purchasing CTs again.

During normal driving I would prefer that the electronic nannies not intervene all the time. I attribute much of this to aggressive and inappropriate Toyota software engineering however a good deal of the problem is the Michelin CTs. Better tires will keep the nannies at bay.

JB

 

[XJeepguy]

I ran them for a few winters . Nothing but praise for those Mich. X-terrains !

 

[Iowa4Runner]

My 4Runner is great in the ice and snow. I don't know if it's the vehicle, the tires or the combination but I'm very happy with my Cross Terrains. I'm still on the original tires at 62,000 miles and could go easily another 5k before getting to the min. tread depth indicators. I've never had to rebalance and I've rotated them maybe twice.

I suppose wet grip could be better, I occasionally get understeer on freeway on-ramps but I expect it when I'm pushing that hard.