[E922]

Tire pressure light went on, so took my '24 EX-L to the dealer, they found a piece of metal in one of the tires' sidewalls and said it'd need to be replaced. Well, I was never crazy about the stock Hankooks so was planning to replace them with Michelins at 25K anyhow, so this is forcing my hand about 12K miles earlier than planned.

Costco has 4 in my size, but am mainly looking at two that cost nearly the same: the CrossClimate 2 vs Pilot Sport All Season 4. Anyone know anything about these two? Googling has given me the general impression that the CC2 is better for snow/ice and the Pilot is better for wet/dry braking. Here's the comparison chart...the tire spec numbers are Greek to me, unfortunately.

https://tires.costco.com/Tirecomparison?ItemNumber=1035389,1035475,1034272,1027288

A bit of background info: I live in a suburb of Boston and only drive around 9K miles a year, 90% low speed (very relaxed) urban driving. We haven't had any really bad snowy winters for the last decade plus they tend to salt/plow very thoroughly around here.

 

[Slinkogel]

Looking to replace my 23 sport with CC2s once the eagle touring tires are done. Heard nothing but good things.

 

[Pairallel]

impression that the CC2 is better for snow/ice and the Pilot is better for wet/dry braking

1. How important is a quiet ride?
2. Do you care about gas mileage reductions due to aggressive tire treads?
3. What about tread life? Critical or doesn't matter?

 

[joebxr]

CC2. Put them on last vehicle. Better handling year round, quieter ride. Great traction. Doubt you'd be sorry.

 

[E922]

1. How important is a quiet ride?
2. Do you care about gas mileage reductions due to aggressive tire treads?
3. What about tread life? Critical or doesn't matter?

1. Quietness is a very close #2 behind safety (braking distance) for me, in terms of priorities.

2. If it's just 1-2mpg difference, then not an issue.

3. I'd prefer tires that I wouldn't need to replace as often, but given how little I drive, it's not that big a deal either. In my experience (went with Michelins in my previous 2 cars), they tend to have sidwall cracking at about 50% of their claimed lifespan---whether that is purely cosmetic vs. actually functional flaw, I'm not sure.

 

[E922]

CC2. Put them on last vehicle. Better handling year round, quieter ride. Great traction. Doubt you'd be sorry.

Curious: what type of climate and terrain (flat or hilly) do you live in?
Mostly city or freeway driving?

 

[joebxr]

Curious: what type of climate and terrain (flat or hilly) do you live in?
Mostly city or freeway driving?

Syracuse NY. Roads are not maintained. Snow is a challenge. CC2's piece of mind. Nephew put them on his Charger and totally happy.

 

[E922]

Syracuse NY. Roads are not maintained. Snow is a challenge. CC2's piece of mind. Nephew put them on his Charger and totally happy.

Huh, am surprised...I know Syracuse does get tons of snow but I thought upstate NY is quite good with salting & plowing? (According to a Canadian friend who lived there for a couple years.) Do you guys have a gazillion potholes like we do?

Road salting is the only real dislike I have for living in a cold climate (originally from TX), esp. with what it does to a car's underbody.

 

[DerekWildstar]

Honestly? Take some time and read the reviews of both tires on Tire Rack. You can even sort by vehicle manufacturer, to see what other Honda owners think of the two tires.

Having lived in and around Boston for about a decade, I'd vote to buy the CC2s. New England winters are sloppy, filled with snow, ice, and plenty of slush. Of course, if you get the CC2s, it probably won't snow for the next five years, but if you get the Pilot Sport 4s, going to work next January will look like you're leaving Castle Black for the Lands of Always Winter.

 

[jal142]

Buy some Hakkapeliittas or Blizzaks on 17"x8" steel rims. This is a slightly narrower rim which should help a bit for snow traction and a taller sidewall, so if you slide into a curb it won't be a disaster.

Buy some real summer tires and put them on your existing rims for the other 3 seasons.

Pay somebody to swap them twice a year and get a free tire rotation at the same time. This setup will last you until the tires start to dry rot.

When I lived where it snowed, this is what I did. Snow tires are way better than all seasons in the snow, and real summer tires are better than all seasons everywhere else.

 

[E922]

Buy some Hakkapeliittas or Blizzaks on 17"x8" steel rims. This is a slightly narrower rim which should help a bit for snow traction and a taller sidewall, so if you slide into a curb it won't be a disaster.

Buy some real summer tires and put them on your existing rims for the other 3 seasons.

Pay somebody to swap them twice a year and get a free tire rotation at the same time. This setup will last you until the tires start to dry rot.

When I lived where it snowed, this is what I did. Snow tires are way better than all seasons in the snow, and real summer tires are better than all seasons everywhere else.

If I lived in a detached home with ample storage space, e.g. a garage, that might be an option. Although when I spent a couple years in VT for grad school, I found that snow tires (also Michelins, X-something iirc) were really not all that because I lived in a town not out in boonies on the side of a mountain or something like that, and it was a PITA to have to store them during the warm seasons.

 

[visionguru]

I voted for CC2, mainly because of your location. Yeah, main roads are likely to be plowed and salted promptly, but snow performance is still desired when you have to drive during snow storms or drive on a side street with a couple of inches of snow.

I recently got a set of CC2 from Costco, for the convenience and not having to sit in the waiting room of a smelly tire shop. No major complaint yet, except the number of balancing weights had to be put on to balance the tires, probably due to poor quality control. Though I'm a repeated Michelin buyer, I don't think Michelin is any better than other makers in terms of quality. The worst tire I had was Michelin Primacy, dry rot started at 3yr mark, had to be replaced at 4 yr mark with only 30K miles.

 

[E922]

Of course, if you get the CC2s, it probably won't snow for the next five years, but if you get the Pilot Sport 4s, going to work next January will look like you're leaving Castle Black for the Lands of Always Winter.

There is a perverse logic to that prediction, sadly enough 😂

 

[jackpine]

I have the CC2s and love them. Hasn't snowed here much either since I put them on, but I appreciate the traction on both dry and wet roads, as well as the ride comfort, quietness, and tracking. 2 mpg hit in fuel economy compared with the crappy fuel saving OEM tires the car came with, that lost traction as soon as the road got wet.

- Jack

 

[WiiMaster]

I have heard enough stories about Michelins dry rotting fairly quickly, especially when not driven as much, that I'm inclined to go with something else when I get tires.

I just got new tires for mine a couple days ago and avoided the Michelin options partly for this reason. I ended up with a set of Yokohamas that I'm very happy with so far, but I'll leave the specific tire suggestions to others as I'm not exactly the best to provide advice for Boston weather. Come back home to TX though and then I can tell you things.

 

[Pairallel]

Had the CC2's on a 2022 Highlander and a 2017 Avalon. Handling and wet traction were great. A little bit noisier than OEM, and a 5% mpg hit.

Between these 2 options, and based on where you live, I think the CC2 is the clear choice.

 

[DerekWildstar]

If you're looking for an alternative recommendation, I can't recommend Nokian strongly enough. I've run the WRG3 and WRG4s on every vehicle I've owned since 2013. They're in the same class as the CC2 (all-weather, not all-season). The current tire in the class is the WRG5, and it will be going on my wife's Jeep before the coming winter. The WRG4 has proven more than adequate for drives up to the Adirondacks during some pretty awful winter storms.

 

[treb1797]

Anything Pirelli. Michelin is a far cry from what it used to be.

 

[0dyfamily]

Got the 225/50R17 Michelin CC2's around Thanksgiving 2022 on my daughter's K24 8th Gen LX sedan, putting those onto a set of 17x7 Acura TSX wheels.

We loved them so much in wet, dry, occasional snow, ice that I got set of Michelin CC2's in early 2023 for my 2nd Gen Acura TL.

Great tire, felt so confident in all conditions that I put a set of Michelin CC2's onto my wife's Gen 8 Accord in fall of 2023.

All three sedans worked great last winter through occasional light dustings of snow, and the sheets of ice that turns into in the southern mid-west.

Our recently acquired 2013 Odyssey is sitting on a set of near-new Michelin Defenders, so no change in its near future.

Son's 2014 Civic LX is riding on a set of Continental DWS Extreme Contact tires. Too new to tell, as we haven't had a big change of seasons yet to evaluate them.

EDIT (added) -- Superb dry weather tires is what I can say for those Continentals. Grippy, comfortable over uneven roadway surfaces, quiet at highway speeds.

OF

 

[E922]

Our recently acquired 2013 Odyssey is sitting on a set of near-new Michelin Defenders, so no change in its near future.

That's the tire I had on my previous car, loved them. Unfortunately I can't find them for my EX-L size, and no longer carried by Costco, otherwise I would've jumped on another pair.