Michelin North America has released the CrossClimate2 All-Season tire, designed to bring unmatched year-round performance in unexpected weather conditions, Michelin says.
The company introduced the tire at a virtual product event on July 22 for its dealer network and officially launched the tire on Aug. 3.
The culmination of science and innovation, and more than 630,000 miles of testing, the CrossClimate2 is “redefining the all-season tire,” said Alexis Garcin, chairman and president of Michelin North America, Inc. in his opening remarks at the virtual event.
With its ability to conquer rain, dry and snow conditions, and “grip to the last stop,” the CrossClimate2 raises the bar in vehicle safety, shortening stopping distances and increasing drivers’ confidence levels, Garcin added.
Scott Clark, member of Michelin’s executive committee, said the CrossClimate2 “fits this moment in time,” as our country turns its attention to recovery, with its inherent features that ensure safety, freedom, tire longevity and more mobility with less impact on society.
The CrossClimate2 has a distinct V-formation tread pattern, which works together with the tire’s proprietary rubber compound, Michelin says. Key features of the tire include wet performance, even when worn, a longer-lasting tread compound for an additional year of use and enhanced dry grip.
Its design features include:
- Sweeping lateral grooves continuous from the tread’s center to the shoulder, with increasing width to maximize water evacuation and hydro-pumping for improved wet grip.
- Central tread blocks oriented to be more rigid in the longitudinal direction to resist braking and acceleration forces for improved wear.
- Shoulder tread blocks aligned to be more rigid in the lateral direction to resist hard cornering forces for improved handling.
- Sipes aligned with lateral grooves to maximize tread block rigidity for stability while optimizing their linear biting edge lengths for improved all-season traction.
The tire also features a three-peak mountain snowflake rating and is designed with Michelin’s PIANO Noise Reduction Tuning, which creates angles with tread blocks to cancel out “harmonic” road noise and create ideal amplitude for the contact patch for a quieter ride, the company says.
Professional driver Shannon McIntosh, and Anton Thomas, Michelin vice president of product performance, helped convey the technological attributes of the CrossClimate2 ahead of McIntosh hitting the track to put the all-season tire to the test in various wet handling/braking and dry braking exercises against leading competitors.
Andrew Meurer, Michelin vice president of sales, recapped the event touting the CrossClimate2 as a “break-through” product for the market and stressed its total value proposition, affirming for dealers that CrossClimate2 will help “drive consumers into your stores.”
In the Phase 1 launch, CrossClimate2 will be available in 25 sizes. The Phase 2 rollout in Q1 2021 will offer fitments for 80% of all passenger cars, CUVs and light trucks on the market, Meurer added, as he described the tire as “exactly the right product at the right time.”
Expressing an affinity for the Michelin dealer network, Meurer said, “You are the essential link between our business and the drivers who buy our tires.”