Review: We swap cheap tyres for premium tyres to see if it's worth paying extra
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We're constantly being told about the importance of putting decent tyres on our cars, but does it really make a difference?
If you spend £600 on a set of rubber will it definitely perform better than a set costing £200?
It suddenly dawned on me I was in the perfect position to put this to the test. I'd recently bought a second-hand SUV, a Mitsubishi Outlander, and it had a set of tyres on from a brand I'd never heard of.
I did a few thousands miles in them and, honestly, I didn't think they were really all that bad.
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But winter was looming, the roads had been every shade of horrendous through autumn, and I thought perhaps it was better safe than sorry, so I chose to do the responsible thing and fit a decent set of tyres.
My car is heavy. It's a big all-wheel-drive, and it's a plug-in hybrid, so it has a hefty battery to lug around.
Although it's probably pretty good in the snow and ice, I know enough about cars and tyres to know that a cheap set of rubber could land me in a pickle quite easily, so I chose to go for the tyres everyone recommended for my car - some Michelin Crossclimate2s.
Importantly, unlike the old tyres, these are "all-season". That means they're design to perform well in all conditions, whether it's a hot summer's day, a frosty winter's morning, or even the default British setting, damp and miserable.
After getting them fitted, I can honestly say the difference is quite remarkable.
The Crossclimate range has a directional tread pattern, which is sculpted to channel water out as it drives over it, and it's this technology that you feel the most. Driving over a puddle no longer results in an unnerving "tug" at the steering wheel, the water is instantly dispersed. It's so much safer.
There's clearly more grip. I can no longer unseat the front end of the car if I'm indulging in a bit of frivolity on a wet roundabout and, on the few occasions I've been out in icy weather, there's very little hint of slip from them. Braking performance is vastly improved over the old set and that, of course, is what ultimately makes the new tyres so much safer.
I did flirt with the idea of winter tyres. Winter tyres are even better in snow and ice, obviously, but there are a few reasons I opted for all seasons.
Firstly, I live in the town I work in. So it's rare I need to drive in snow and ice. If it gets too bad, I can walk.
It also doesn't snow all that often. Winter tyres wear more quickly, and I'd need to switch back to normal tyres come the spring, which is added time and expense.
There is, of course, an argument that all-season tyres won't out-perform dedicated summer tyres in warmer weather, but the UK climate can be so unkind that it feels like we get more snowy days than hot summer's days, and I know the Michelins will perform on wet, muddy roads, which is often par for the course in a Peak District summer.
The longevity of the Crossclimate 2s remains to be seen, but I've heard good reports. Consumer feedback on some of the review sites seems to suggest people are getting plenty of miles out of them, but we'll see if my two-tonne Mitsubishi chews through them quickly over the next few years.
For now, I'm blissfully happy with my choice. From their distinctive look to their performance on wintry roads, they've been such a vast improvement over the cheap tyres I got rid of.