Excellent SUV tire with one (1) outstanding exception
Written: Mar 20 '03
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Pros: Excellent ride and handling with high speed stability. Very good in wet conditions.
Cons: Price in direct relationship to tread life
The Bottom Line: If your driving is more sedate than mine, this is an excellent tire.
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| jrb3085's Full Review: Michelin Cross Terrain SUV Truck/SUV Tire |
I purchased the Cross Terrains to improve the handling characteristics of my 1997 Chevrolet Blazer. The tire purchase was done in conjuction with changing the shocks to Edelbrock Mono Tube Shocks and installing a larger diameter rear sway bar. All of these changes resulted in improved handling which may have resulted in the only fault I have with the Cross Terrains and that is lousy tread life.
My daily commute is a round trip of 100 miles of rural and expressway driving with speeds of 75 to 85 MPH. Many of the rural roads have curves that to a driver like me make for a enjoyable driving experience with a decent handling vehicle. I would categorize myself as a fast and aggressive driver. For this type of driving the Cross Terrains may not be the best choice since I will be fortunate to get 40,000 miles out of the set. The Cross Terrains are religiously rotated every 5,000 miles and the air pressure is monitored several times per week. The wear pattern is even and despite my aggressive driving in curves, the Cross Terrains show no abnormal wear on the outside portions of the tire tread. Their wear pattern is identical to the OEM tires that came on the vehicle which were Michelin XW4's (they were a lousy tire).
Outside of the wear pattern, the Cross Terrains are a very good tire. Handling with the stiff sidewalls is excellent (for an SUV) and the ride is very good. High speed directional stability is superb. This is a very stable tire in wet conditions and is reasonably decent in light snow but not as good as the Uniroyal Tiger Paws that were replaced by the Cross Terrains. The Cross Terrains are also very quiet.
Another impressive parameter is the superb balance of the tires. These tires have never required balancing beyond the original weights when the tires were installed on my rims. The Uniroyal Tiger Paws that I have run on 3 different SUVS usually would require balancing every 10,000 miles.
Despite the many pluses of the Cross Terrains I will not purchase another set. I average 25,000 miles per year and would be replacing the Cross Terrains every 18 to 20 months. At around $550 a set for Cross Terrains, I will seriously consider the Goodyear Fortera HL Editon or the Yokohama Avid S/T
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 135.00 each
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Epinions.com ID:
jrb3085
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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