Blue light support for CrossClimate tyre, Michelin adding SUV version & new sizes

Michelin states that the CrossClimate, its new winter-certified summer tyre, is the company’s “most important innovation for a decade.” Earlier today we reported seven-digit Michelin CrossClimate sales during the tyre’s first two months on the market and the expectation that 2015 sales will exceed targets by at least 30 per cent. We also commented news that several fleet operators have chosen the CrossClimate for their vehicles. Michelin now shares that ‘blue light’ fleet managers across the UK have participated in a CrossClimate demonstration at the MIRA proving ground in Warwickshire, and it says the emergency service operators’ reactions were positive.

The programme involved a back-to-back testing of the tyres against a premium competitor (Michelin has not disclosed which tyre was chosen) in dry, wet and simulated ice conditions, using a ceramic-tiled road surface. Jamie McWhir, Michelin’s customer engineering support manager, told assembled fleet managers that CrossClimate tyres provided a genuine alternative to swapping between summer and winter fitments, avoiding the compromise of competitor all-season tyres – which he described as “de-tuned winter products.”

Following the tests on various MIRA handling circuits, fleet operators described their experiences. John Heussi, head of fleet services at Cheshire Police, said: “The difference in grip between CrossClimate tyres and the competitor’s summer tyres was much greater than I thought it would be; the CrossClimate’s ability to perform in all weather conditions is of huge interest. Combining year-round mobility in a product where the total cost of ownership is good, and tyre life is increased, is the perfect position for us.”

Scott Roberts, fleet manager at Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, stated: “Performing back-to-back comparisons between the CrossClimate tyres and a competitor’s summer fitments was eye-opening. Fitting CrossClimate tyres could enable us to run a single tread pattern on our light vehicles year-round, meaning an end to swapping between summer and winter tyres. In some of our far reaching rural locations we have to bring vehicles in from up to 100 miles away just to change the tyres. There would be a significant cost saving in the logistics alone, and that’s before we look at the CrossClimate’s increased longevity.”

Glynn Richardson, fleet manager at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, commented: “When our drivers get into a car they expect safety, reliability and performance from their tyres, and the CrossClimate tyres demonstrated delivered this over a range of surfaces and conditions. In the dry, there was no discernible reduction in performance to the premium summer tyres, however in wet conditions with reduced grip there was a marked difference with the CrossClimate tyres performing significantly better than the competitor. We have struggled to justify dedicated winter tyres because of the storage and cost implications; this tyre eliminates these issues and will be introduced into the fleet.”

The positive comments continued. Rob Lashley, fleet client manager at Emergency Services Fleet Management, a joint venture supporting Humberside Police and Humberside Fire & Rescue Service, shared: “Moving away from having both summer and winter tyres presents a great cost-saving opportunity – coupled with less downtime, longer tread life and fewer wheel interventions, as winter tyres aren’t always as robust. On the back of today’s testing I’ll be making a recommendation to our client to take some test sets.”

Steve Rookes, maintenance manager at Emergency Services Fleet Management, concluded: “I was absolutely amazed at the performance of the CrossClimate tyres in comparison to both summer and winter tyres through a range of differing road surfaces and conditions. The first thing I’m going to do is to purchase a set for my own car. That’s how impressed I was.”

The CrossClimate was launched at this year’s Geneva Motor Show and combines the top European tyre label rating for wet grip with Three Peak Mountain Snow Flake (3PMSF) certification. The current range of 23 sizes for cars and car-derived vans with 15 to 17-inch rim diameters – a portfolio that covers approximately 70 per cent of the European parc – will be joined next year by additional fitments spanning the 15 to 17-inch spectrum plus new 14 and 18-inch sizes. Michelin is also planning the first SUV product in the CrossClimate range.