Quote:
Originally Posted by Galvatron1
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According to many YT reviews, including Engineering Explained, these A/S tires perform better than some winter tires! What sorcery is this, that everyone’s claiming this new tread pattern and compound allows it to have excellent LRR, tread wear and traction, including winter performance? I thought there were sacrifices that had to be made in the triangle? Is it possible this thing is a breakthrough? Sounds like an excellent question to ask of Capri Racer!  ........ |
Snow traction is mostly about tread pattern - especially edges. It's always been possible to make a tire with good snow traction that could be used year round, but those types of patterns sacrifice wear. Aside from the first M&S All Season tires back in the 1970's (which wore pretty badly!), the marketplace has been demanding good wear, not snow traction, from its all season tires. Snow traction was reserved for winter tires and until about 10 years ago, winter tires didn't sell very well. I suspect the change was the improvement in winter tire traction following the introduction if the 3MPSF symbol (known in Europe as the Alpine symbol.)
Please note that the Michelin Cross Climate 2 has neither a wear rating, nor a treadwear warranty. My best guess is that they used a typical all season tread compound and knowingly sacrificed treadwear to get the snow traction. Time will tell if I am correct.