Michelin CrossClimate+ 255/45 R18 103Y XL

Its appearance is due to the popularity of the namesake model and the presence of a number of significant drawbacks. The predecessor turned out to be a very successful product from a commercial point of view, but not ideal in several consumer properties. Therefore, the French manufacturer preferred to promptly eliminate all identified shortcomings, making minor changes to the tire design, which will be discussed below.

Updated compound

Most of the changes affected the composition of the tread rubber compound, which, like its predecessor, has two layers. The "base" is made of a compound with increased rigidity and the ability to quickly dissipate heat from the carcass, which reduces tire heating and, accordingly, rolling resistance, fuel consumption, and wear. In essence, there are no significant changes here, which cannot be said about the upper layer of the tread. The compound used in its manufacture has a much wider range of operating temperatures. Increasing the proportion of natural rubber has made it possible to increase it to minus 30 and up to 40 degrees Celsius. At the same time, special polymeric compounds provide the tread with optimal elasticity almost throughout this range. As a result, it was possible to eliminate one of the main drawbacks of the previous model, namely, insufficiently good traction on slippery snowy roads.

Increased service life

Another significant improvement was a significant increase in the tire's service life. It is ensured by changes in the lamella design. They are cut through the entire depth of the tread. And their width, as the tread wears out, increases to larger values than before. This feature allows the tire to be used on winter roads with a residual tread depth of less than 4 mm. I.e., when a tire from another manufacturer would have to be replaced, the CrossClimate+ can be operated for some time.

"Claw" effect

In addition to the increasing width of the lamellas, the tread pattern of the tire has other design features. They form very long traction edges, which are arranged in such a way that when in contact with compacted snow, they work as a single whole, increasing the effectiveness of each other, forming the so-called "claw" effect. It significantly improves traction properties in the longitudinal direction, as well as stability against lateral skidding.

It is also worth noting the ability of the lamella walls to fix the blocks strictly in a vertical position, despite the constant influence of multidirectional acceleration forces on them. The stability of the blocks has a positive effect on a number of operational properties of the tire. Traction when maneuvering, braking, and accelerating improves, as does handling precision, fuel economy, and the risk of uneven wear decreases.

Main features of the Michelin CrossClimate+ tire

- the updated compound expands the range of operating temperatures of the tread;
- the possibility of using the tire on snow with a residual tread depth of less than 4 mm is provided by the increased width of the lamellas;
- increased stability against lateral skidding and excellent traction properties when braking and accelerating, thanks to the "claw" effect formed by the arrangement and design of three-dimensional lamellas