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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin CrossClimate 2 vs Michelin Pilot Alpin — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 33 + 0 road tests and 21,762 + 5 owner reviews. How we score

CrossClimate 2 is ahead, 88–67

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Michelin CrossClimate 2
Tire AMichelin

CrossClimate 2

All Season

± 4

Tests 87 · 33 tests Owners 87 · 21,762 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 35 in 2023 All Season Tyre 35 Set Shootout (dry braking)

“I live in Vancouver,WA and the CC2 are great for our climate even the light snowfall. I have an SR+, so they’re the 18” version. I have about 22K miles on them after 2 years and have averaged 240Wh/mi since installation, and I don’t drive conservatively. They did increase power usage by about 15-20Wh/mi. I’ve also been lazy and haven’t rotated them and they still are wearing very well. Got about 8/32nd up front and 6/32 in rear. Much better than the stock tires that were almost worn out at 22K. Note that places like Costco will not install these on your Tesla because they don’t meet the factory speed rating. It’s a CYA thing.”

Michelin Pilot Alpin
Tire BMichelin

Pilot Alpin

Winter

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 65 · 5 reviews

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 95

    Dry

    CrossClimate 2 +29
    66
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimate 2Pilot Alpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 31 / – tests99≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online8965

    CrossClimate 2: 60% × 99.2 + 40% × 88.5 = 95

    Pilot Alpin: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 64.5 = 66

    No road tests of dry for Pilot Alpin. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 87

    Wet

    CrossClimate 2 +17
    70
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimate 2Pilot Alpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 31 / – tests83≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online9270

    CrossClimate 2: 60% × 83.2 + 40% × 91.9 = 87

    Pilot Alpin: 60% × 70.2 (est.) + 40% × 69.8 = 70

    No road tests of wet for Pilot Alpin. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 91

    Snow

    CrossClimate 2 +28
    63
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimate 2Pilot Alpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 27 / – tests99≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7957

    CrossClimate 2: 60% × 98.5 + 40% × 78.8 = 91

    Pilot Alpin: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 57.4 = 63

    No road tests of snow for Pilot Alpin. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 78

    Comfort

    CrossClimate 2 +14
    64
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimate 2Pilot Alpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests67≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online8662

    CrossClimate 2: 40% × 67 + 60% × 86.1 = 78

    Pilot Alpin: 40% × 67.4 (est.) + 60% × 62.3 = 64

    No road tests of comfort for Pilot Alpin. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 79

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimate 2Pilot Alpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 20 / – tests77–
    Reviews found online83–

    CrossClimate 2: 60% × 76.9 + 40% × 82.6 = 79

  6. 84

    Treadwear

    CrossClimate 2 +16
    68
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimate 2Pilot Alpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests81≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online8868

    CrossClimate 2: 60% × 81.2 + 40% × 88 = 84

    Pilot Alpin: 60% × 67.2 (est.) + 40% × 68.3 = 68

    No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Alpin. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 82

    Handling (owners)

    CrossClimate 2 +15
    67
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimate 2Pilot Alpin
    Reviews found online8267
  8. 90

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimate 2Pilot Alpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 23 / – tests90–
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin CrossClimate 2Michelin Pilot Alpin
Relative Score 88 67
Dry 95 66
Wet 87 70
Snow 91 63
Comfort 78 64
Noise 79 –
Treadwear 84 68
Handling (owners) 82 67
Efficiency 90 –

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 4

CrossClimate 2

± 8

Pilot Alpin

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategoryCrossClimate 2Pilot AlpinΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #2/6 2026 Wybór Kierowców Winter Tire Test R17 #8/8 2009 Sport Auto Performance Winter Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A CrossClimate 2

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in snow, slush, and winter weather conditions
  • Strong braking and handling performance on dry and wet pavement
  • Long-lasting tread wear and durability

Cons

  • Higher initial purchase price
  • Slight negative impact on fuel economy / EV range for some drivers
  • Potential for increased road noise or harshness as the tires wear down
All owner themes in the CrossClimate 2 review

Tire B Pilot Alpin

Pros

  • Amazing dry-road performance for a winter tire
  • Extremely long-lasting tread wear and high mileage potential
  • Even wear characteristics across the tire profile

Cons

  • Not the best option for deep snow or ice conditions
  • Grip on winter surfaces can feel somewhat ordinary
  • Supply availability and stock issues reported by some users
All owner themes in the Pilot Alpin review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Michelin CrossClimate 2

Positive

Most posters praise the CrossClimate 2 for strong snow, wet and hydroplaning grip, a quiet ride after break-in, and good tread life. Those who criticise it cite a small to moderate MPG or range loss, noise or a harsh ride for some owners, mixed wear reports, and a high price. A vocal minority calls it overhyped or unnecessary where snow is rare, and says rivals such as the Nokian WRG5 or Michelin Defender 2 suit some drivers better.

r/KiaEV9 ·2 upvotes ·2026-06-25

“We downsized from 21” stock on GTline to 20” rims and put on the CC2s—can’t stand the ugly stock rims and plastic covers. It got so much quieter that we noticed we could turn the radio down from 6 to 4 on the secondary roads, and down from 8 to 5 on the highway. Efficiency improved slightly, possibly due to lighter weight wheels.”
r/TyreReviews ·35 upvotes ·2026-01-18

“Michelin CrossClimate 2 after 31.000 kilometers I have those Michelin CrossClimate 2 (EU version, made in Spain) for 26 months now and 31.000 kilometers on a heavy Mercedes EQE, the rears are still good but the front tyres are starting to give up on the shoulders. Usual tyre pressure is 2.8 bars, there is still some good tread left on the middle of the tyre. Steering feeling on the snow is also not as good as it used to be. Overall very happy with those tyres, I’ll have to decide between the Continental AllSeasonContact 2 or the CrossClimate 3 Sport (sadly the 3 isn’t available in 255/45 R19) to replace them this year. We have the Pirelli Scorpion SF3 on our second car. Given the car and my usage, I give priority to snow braking, rolling resistance, silence and longevity. I lost a bit of range, comfort and steering engagement when I swapped the factory Bridgestone Turanza T005 for the CrossClimate 2, but in general nothing to call-out.”
r/Ioniq5 ·2 upvotes ·2025-07-26

“I got my new to me 2022 Ultimate RWD in May this year, the tyres were all crap so I went to CrossClimate 2s on all 4 wheels. I can’t tell you what it was doing beforehand but I get 3.7mi/kWh around town and 3.2mi/kWh on the motorway now. I have a fairly heavy right foot, but at 100% charge it shows 270ish miles but mine is an early 72kWh battery so bear that in mind.”
Top themes
#Snow and ice traction#Wet grip, hydroplaning#Road noise levels#Fuel economy, EV range#Tread wear, longevity#High price, value#Overhyped, meme status#Alternatives and comparisons

Based on 765 community posts

Tire B

Michelin Pilot Alpin

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin CrossClimate 2 B · Michelin Pilot Alpin
CategoryAll SeasonWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available921
Rim diameters15″ – 21″450″
Tread depth9 - 10/32″—
UTQG640 B A—
Treadwear warranty60,000 mi—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure50 - 51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin CrossClimate 2

Michelin Pilot Alpin

Winner: Michelin CrossClimate 2 — better dry, snow and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin Pilot Alpin rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 5 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin CrossClimate 2 scores 95 vs 66 on dry.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Michelin CrossClimate 2 scores 91 vs 63 on snow.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin CrossClimate 2 scores 87 vs 70 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin CrossClimate 2 scores 84 vs 68 on treadwear.

Tire A · Michelin CrossClimate 2
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Tire B · Michelin Pilot Alpin
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CrossClimate 2 or Pilot Alpin?

Which is better in the wet, CrossClimate 2 or Pilot Alpin?

Michelin CrossClimate 2, 87 vs 70 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, CrossClimate 2 or Pilot Alpin?

Michelin CrossClimate 2, 95 vs 66 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, CrossClimate 2 or Pilot Alpin?

Michelin CrossClimate 2, 91 vs 63 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, CrossClimate 2 or Pilot Alpin?

Michelin CrossClimate 2, 78 vs 64 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, CrossClimate 2 or Pilot Alpin?

Michelin CrossClimate 2, 84 vs 68 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology