Michelin Defender Vs Crossclimate 2 Which One is the Best

When we’re Comparing the Michelin Defender Vs Crossclimate 2 We Notice that these are both Michelin all-season tires.

The Crossclimate 2 is a grand touring tire, while the Defender LTX is an excellent highway tire. Both tires come in a variety of sizes, making them a good choice for people looking for tires that work in all weather conditions.

Crossclimate 2 provides excellent dry and wet traction in hot, dry, and rainy conditions. In addition, its specialized composition enables it to provide good traction in light snow. It offers excellent ride comfort thanks to its noise-reducing design and enhanced road grip.

With its alternating continuous ribs and grooves, Defender ensures a completely safe ride on the wet roads without the trouble of hydroplaning.

Additionally, the vehicle can be cornered efficiently due to its fully controlled steering response. As a result of its open design and durable tread composition, it lasts for many years without compromising on performance.

Crossclimate 2 scores higher for its solid road grip, fuel efficiency, and relatively lower price than Michelin Defender LTX, which has better steer handling, hydroplane resistance, and enhanced durability.

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Table of Contents

A Quick Comparison of Michelin Defender Vs Crossclimate 2

	*Crossclimate 2*	*Defender LTX*
Brand	Michelin	Michelin
Tire type	All-season	All-season
Usage	Grand touring	Highway
3 peak mountain snow flake rated (3PMSF)	yes	no
Tested size	235/60R18 107H XL	235/60R18 107H XL
Tread depth	10/32’’	12/32’’
Tread width	6.8’’	7.3’’
Max. inflation pressure	50 psi	50 psi
Max. load	2149 kg	2149 kg

Tread Pattern Comparison: Michelin Defender Vs Crossclimate 2

Two rows of elongated blocks are closely arranged in the center to form a narrow, zigzag-shaped groove on the tread of Crossclimate 2. Its shoulder blocks are comparatively narrow and have wide channels between them. Furthermore, its sides are rounded, and its central portion is slightly higher than its shoulders. Each block is edged with V-Ramp Chamfers, which greatly enhances its biting ability. The tread of this tire has a shallower depth than that of its competitor. Therefore, its longitudinal grooves are narrower and shallower, corresponding to a minimal vacuum. In contrast, the lateral grooves are quite wide. The central sipe of each block is mostly rectilinear, but it becomes wave-like in the center portion of the tire.

Michelin MaxTouch construction is used by Defender for a relatively open tread design. It has three central ribs made up of square-shaped blocks arranged alternately in four grooves. Throughout its circumference, its longitudinal grooves are comparatively broad, deeper, and continuous. In comparison, its shoulder lugs are bulky and lateral channels are narrow. Its tread blocks are marked with multiple zig-zagged, full depth, 3D active sipes.

Comparison of tire performance

	*Crossclimate 2*	*Defender LTX*
Hydroplaning resistance	Moderate	Low
Rolling resistance	High	Moderate
Noise	Low	Moderate
Driving comfort	High	Moderate
Off roading ability	Low	Moderate
Durability	Moderate	High

Comparison of road grips

Due to its larger contact patch, Crossclimate 2 provides better dry grip. It has a compact block arrangement that ensures a secure connection to the road. Additionally, the V-Ramp Chafing of the central ribs provides more biting edges, resulting in enhanced traction on dry surfaces.

The tread also performs well when used on a wet or icy pathway since the grooves and bevels in the tread allow standing water to quickly squirm out. The tire’s improved snow traction is what separates it from the competition and other all-season options. A thermal adaptive polymer provides better grip in snowy conditions.

Small and widely placed blocks decrease the surface area of tread in contact with the road, resulting in less grip on dry pavements for Defender.

This is also true on wet and icy paths. In spite of its enhanced hydroplaning resistance, its overall grip is lower than that of its competitor due to its smaller contact patch.

The tire has the advantage of deeper channels that allow snow to be evacuated from the tread, but its grip remains inferior in comparison to other tires because its tread compound allows lesser traction on snowy surfaces.

	*Crossclimate 2*	*Defender LTX*
Dry Grip	High	Moderate
Wet/ice Grip	Moderate	High
Snow Grip	High	Low-moderate

Handling Comparison

On a dry road, the Defender LTX shows better steering control due to its bulkier shoulders, which display more grip and responsiveness over corners.

The tread’s wide and deep lateral grooves smoothly channel the water out of the tread, reducing the risk of aquaplaning while taking turns on wet and icy surfaces. We do not consider its performance on light snow to be very impressive because of its tread compound’s lesser snow traction ability.

Michelin Crossclimate’s widely spaced shoulder lugs grip the surface less firmly than the competitor’s, resulting in less efficient dry handling.

Due to the small shoulder blocks on a wet road or ice, its performance again gets a lower score. This tire provides a better experience when driving around a corner on a light snow-covered path. The tread’s thermal adaptive composition ensures traction between snow and tread surface.

	*Crossclimate 2*	*Defender LTX*
Dry Handling	Low	High
Wet/ice Handling	Moderate	High
Snow Handling	High	Low

Hydroplaning Resistance Comparison

The Michelin Defender scores higher than the contestant due to its enhanced hydroplaning resistance. A continuous longitudinal channel, a deeper tread, and a high density of full-depth, 3D zigzag sipes provide excellent water evacuation, reducing the risk of slipping on wet pavement.

Compared to the competition, Crossclimate 2 offers reliable aquaplaning resistance. Although its circular tread efficiently directs water away from its lateral grooves, shallower channels provide lesser water holding capacity, and fewer sipes result in less water wiping efficiency.

Rolling resistance comparison

As a result of its denser pattern and chamfered biting edges, Crossclimate offers higher rolling friction than its competitor. On the one hand, this high contact patch provides traction, but on the other side, it makes rolling an extremely energy-intensive process.

The tread therefore requires more energy to roll over pavement. Consequently, a large amount of fuel is consumed to compensate for the hysteresis (energy loss).

Because of its smaller contact patch, the Defender can roll over relatively easily. Thus, it produces less hysteresis when it moves. Because less fuel is consumed for rolling the tires, it is more fuel-efficient than its competitor.

Noise and comfort comparison

Crossclimate 2 has superior traction in both dry and wet conditions, thus ranking higher for comfort. Having a higher contact patch results in better grip on the road and a more responsive steering response on these tires.

Michelin’s tread pattern is designed using PIANO Noise Reduction Tuning, resulting in its narrow and multi-cornered channels, which reduce air circulation and reduce sound.

Defender, by contrast, offers a less comfortable driving experience and produces more noise. Its continuous circumferential grooves allow free circulation of wind, resulting in a loud tire noise. Furthermore, the relatively lesser tread grip reduces the comfort of driving, especially at high speeds.

Comparison of tread compounds and structures

Crossclimate 2 is made of Michelin’s thermal adaptive all-season compound, allowing the tire to perform better in winter conditions thanks to its higher temperature endurance and good snow traction. This is why it carries the 3 peak mountain snowflake rating (3PMSF). Compared to other compounds, this one is softer and has a lesser wear protection.

Michelin’s Defender tyre composition includes Michelin’s Evertread compound, which is both tough and resilient. Due to the lack of specialized enhancements in its composition to improve snow crawling properties, its tread is hard in comparison, but it shows less snow traction.

	Crossclimate 2	Defender LTX
Tread compound	Thermal adaptive all-season compound	EverTread compound
Rim Carcass	Twin steel belts	Twin steel belts

Treadwear and Durability

Thanks to its EverTread composition and open tread pattern, Defender is a comparatively more durable all-season tire. The low contact patch results in slower tread wear against rolling resistance.

The tread polymer wears down quite slowly and is weather resistant. Due to its polymer lining over twin steel belts, this tire has a robust internal structure. Furthermore, its higher UTQG value contributes to its longevity.

The company backs its tread life with a longer mileage warranty. Michelin offers a warranty of up to 70,000 miles on these tires within six years of purchase.

Conversely, Crossclimate 2 is less durable due to its soft tread composition and greater rolling resistance. The tread polymer is consumed more quickly due to its softer texture and lower wear resilience.

High rolling friction also contributes to faster wear. These factors result in a lower UTQG value and a shorter manufacturer’s warranty. The treadwear warranty guarantees optimal performance for 60,000 miles.

	Crossclimate 2	Defender LTX
UTQG	640 B A	720 A A
Treadwear warranty	60,000miles/ 6 years	70,000miles/ 6 years
Uniformity warranty	1 year first 2/32’’	1 year first 2/32’’
Workmanship warranty	6 years	6 years

Pricing of Michelin Defender Vs Crossclimate 2

Defender is more expensive than these two Michelin products but it also offers better handling and higher slip resistance on wet tracks. Furthermore, you gain the financial benefit of a longer tread life. Four tires usually cost between $900 and $1000.

On the other hand, Crossclimate 2 is cheaper, but its road grip, winter performance, and fuel efficiency make it a solid choice. The price ranges from $975 to $1080 for four sets.