Germany has stringent laws for winter tire usage, defining as “winter tire” those marked 3PMSF (three peak mountain snow flake). Therefore, Michelin CrossClimate (and other top quality 3PMSF marked all-season tires) qualify also in Germany as winter tires. Other EU countries are accepting the less stringent M+S (mud+snow) marking for driving in winter conditions.goi wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 12:51 pm Unfortunately here at Germany we are obliged by law to use winter tires. The law is not specific about it: It just says you are obliged to use the right tires for the occasion. If you fail doing so, they are allowed to stop the usage of the car and you loose the coverage of your insurance.
Therefor: Starting from October everyone is driving here with winter tires.
XC40 (PHEV) tyres - winter or all seasons
While some all season tyres can be a bit of a compromise in hot weather, the inverse is true for the standard tyres provided, they take forever to stop in icy and snowy weather.
Where and how the car is used has a far greater influence on my tyre choice than just reading test numbers for braking distances.
I live in the countryside, not the city. Many roads are not grittted in winter, and my cars do venture off-road, sometimes well off, and not just grass car parks either! Some of those 'roads' (tracks if you prefer....) lots of drivers wouldn't even venture down.
I stick with CrossClimates year round. The handling of the car and the way it brakes and steers is more consistent with just one tyre characteristic. They are also rated for some off-road use, so slightly stronger sidewalls.
While they may, in theory, have a very slightly lesser performance in hot weather (can't say I've noticed), in cold, wet, icy and snowy weather they are far better than the Primacy 4's supplied with the car.
I like to know how the car is going to react on the rare occasions I have to hit the brakes or take evasive action, that only comes with time and familiarity with the way the car handles. In my humble opinion, reading the road and situations to avoid having to do that is preferable to fitting tyres based on test reports under controlled conditions.
Where and how the car is used has a far greater influence on my tyre choice than just reading test numbers for braking distances.
I live in the countryside, not the city. Many roads are not grittted in winter, and my cars do venture off-road, sometimes well off, and not just grass car parks either! Some of those 'roads' (tracks if you prefer....) lots of drivers wouldn't even venture down.
I stick with CrossClimates year round. The handling of the car and the way it brakes and steers is more consistent with just one tyre characteristic. They are also rated for some off-road use, so slightly stronger sidewalls.
While they may, in theory, have a very slightly lesser performance in hot weather (can't say I've noticed), in cold, wet, icy and snowy weather they are far better than the Primacy 4's supplied with the car.
I like to know how the car is going to react on the rare occasions I have to hit the brakes or take evasive action, that only comes with time and familiarity with the way the car handles. In my humble opinion, reading the road and situations to avoid having to do that is preferable to fitting tyres based on test reports under controlled conditions.
