August 4, 2020
The expectations of modern tire consumers have steadily increased through the decades as technology and capabilities of both vehicles and tires have advanced. The increase in expectations of tires is perhaps most apparent within the Grand Touring All-Season category, where consumers demand a multifaceted tire with minimal compromises, often finding themselves comparing the latest flagship products from manufacturers packed with the highest levels of all-season technology available. As tire engineering inevitably surpasses previously perceived barriers, we’re finding tires that promise to raise the bar and blur the lines of recognized tradeoffs in tire design.
Our team set out to compare three flagship tires which all aim to provide the satisfying balance of year-round traction, comfortable ride, and reasonable tread life which Grand Touring All-Season tires are known for. The Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack enters the group as a previously-tested option that has resonated well with customers. It offers a strong benchmark as a category-leading competitor. One of the new additions to the category is the Michelin CrossClimate², which after extensive development hopes to lead the ever-advancing shift of expectations in the category. Michelin seems to have confirmed previous Grand Touring All-Season tests that indicated the beginning of this paradigm shift in the category, where tires can perform alongside premium offerings in traditional all-season metrics, and additionally offer traction worthy of the three peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol. Our second untested competitor is Pirelli’s Cinturato P7 All Season Plus II, which builds upon its predecessor’s successes. Utilizing an updated tread compound and internal construction engineered to increase wet traction, the tire aims to not only recapture the magic of the previous model but set new benchmarks for inclement weather performance. By the numbers, all three tires have what it takes to push the category to new heights, but we set out to find the nuanced differences that set them apart. Our evaluation used 2020 BMW F36 430i Gran Coupes fitted with new, full tread depth 225/50R17 tires mounted on 17x7.5 wheels.
Our 6.0-mile loop of expressway, state highway and county roads provides a great variety of road conditions that include city and highway speeds, smooth and coarse concrete, as well as new and patched asphalt. This route allows our team to experience noise comfort, ride quality and everyday handling, just as you would during your drive to school or work.
While every tire included in our test performed at a high level on the street, the Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus II scored the highest in subjective road scores by an impressive margin. Ride quality over even the harshest road imperfections impressed our team and even challenged what we thought capable on our test platform. Large road imperfections were absorbed and aptly controlled with little residual vibration or noise after impact. Smaller cracks and undulations were essentially a non-event and seemed to simply disappear beneath the car. Once the road smoothed out, the Cinturato P7 All Season Plus II continued to redefine road comfort expectations, with noise levels so satisfyingly low, at times it was difficult to perceive over traffic and wind noise. Handling traits from the Pirelli were competitive with the test group, managing to bring its overall rating closer to the group’s average, in part due to a slightly non-linear on-center feel. The solid steering emphasized great mid-corner feedback and return to center but at the expense of feeling slightly over-engaging at times during smaller inputs. The Michelin CrossClimate² also exceeded expectations with a well-damped ride over both sharp and smooth pavement inconsistencies. The succinct impacts were well-muted without any significant cavity noise or ringing. Tread noise was very competitive for a Grand Touring All-Season tire, exhibiting a low-volume, even white noise at a slightly higher pitch than the other tires in our test. Even at varying speeds on smooth asphalt roads, the CrossClimate² managed to harmonize the noise from the tread pattern into a consistent tone. This impressed our team, especially considering the tire earns the 3PMSF symbol. Handling from the CrossClimate² was once again fitting for a touring tire, but could benefit from an increase in steering resistance. The on-center feel was a little light for our team, and combined with quick steering response that made directional changes seem possible with little effort. The Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack exemplified the balanced nature of what a Grand Touring All-Season tire should strive to achieve. It felt like the sporty option with a firmer, but well-damped ride that fit right in with the others in this test. The tire transmitted more road imperfections, but they were never more than a singular event or simple indication the tire transitioned to a different stretch of pavement. Noise comfort fit in nicely with the group, but where the other tires managed to reduce overall volume, the Bridgestone tended to operate at a slightly higher level. However, like its competitors, the Turanza QuietTrack blended the noise into a combination of unobtrusive tones still well-suited for long drives. Our team praised the crisp, responsive steering from the Turanza QuietTrack, along with its firm on-center feel and natural buildup of effort. The direct, surprisingly athletic handling seemed to remind us that there is an element of sport in the Grand Touring All-Season category that makes driving enjoyable when we want it to be.
Our 1/3-mile per lap test track course includes 90-degree street corners, a five-cone slalom and simulated expressway ramps. Run in both dry and wet conditions, the test track allows our team to experience the traction, responsiveness, handling and drivability normally only encountered during abrupt emergency avoidance maneuvers or competition events.
Grand touring automobiles have a heritage of long-distance, high-speed driving, combing luxurious comfort with capable handling. Like their namesake, Grand Touring All-Season tires walk the line between performance and comfort. While they aren’t built for track day pursuits, they should be able to satisfy on the occasional spirited back road and be well-equipped for on-road emergency maneuvers.
Once again, all three tires in our test impressed our team on track. The Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus II found favor among our test drivers on the dry track, thanks to its responsive handling and natural feel around our course. It managed to turn the fastest laps in the test even though, objectively, it didn’t record the shortest braking or highest lateral traction numbers. Our team lauded the Pirelli’s ability to promptly get to the limit of grip and happily maintain it throughout the lap, encouraging the driver to utilize every unit of traction available. The Turanza QuietTrack’s sporty on-road nature continued on track with a commendable performance that, like the Pirelli, responded well to our handling circuit if driven within its traction limits. The Bridgestone’s gentleman’s approach to lapping preferred smaller inputs with gradual applications of throttle, resulting in a deliberate driving style yielding consistent laps even with the tire’s slightly lower threshold of grip. The Michelin CrossClimate² displayed a clear advantage in our dry objective testing, with 50-0 mph average stopping distances almost five feet shorter than its two competitors. With a slight advantage in measured lateral cornering traction and bright, responsive steering, the tire’s laps were just off the leaders. However, the quick front end response had the tendency to encourage cornering speeds it wasn’t equipped to handle, and were met with significant understeer.
Wet testing found the tables had somewhat turned, with the Michelin CrossClimate² able to combine lateral and longitudinal traction into easily-usable combinations of the two, effectively overshadowing its narrow second place objective results. On our wet course, the Michelin found itself at home at the limit of traction, with the ceiling of grip coming on gradually and easily-correctable once surpassed. Our team welcomed the tire’s ability to multitask but mentioned it could have benefited from an increase in front end authority to help navigate transitions and quick maneuvers. With objective results in the statistical noise and essentially tied with the Michelin, the Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus II managed to record the highest wet metrics in the test. While possessing the outright traction, the Pirelli struggled more to put it to use in the wet. Quick steering inputs would overwhelm the tires’ grip, resulting in understeer that seemed to go on longer than expected. The rear end was particularly sensitive to lift-off oversteer while at the limit, which hurt lap times but was easily controllable. The Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack provided traction sufficient for the road but left our team wanting a little more on the track. Objective metrics were just off the pace of the competitors, but putting that traction to use over the course of a lap was sometimes a struggle. The Turanza QuietTrack didn’t make any promises it couldn’t keep, and most losses of traction were from over exuberance from the driver. However, the fact remained the tire needed to be driven at a pace a step behind the others in the test.
The Turanza QuietTrack continued to serve as an excellent benchmark in our battery of winter tests. Its previously impressive results would ensure the other two tires in this test would have a clear picture of the metrics needed to satisfy consumers in the snow and on ice if they want to deliver the "no compromise tire".
While our team expected the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake-branded CrossClimate² to do well in the snow, the g-forces from our initial braking and acceleration runs still managed to surprise the team. Even with the traction control off, the Michelin seemed to build momentum as the tire spun up, resulting in longitudinal traction that matched its lateral grip. Slip angles on our light snow course were not only easily managed but rewarded with usable acceleration in the proper trajectory, more akin to driving in the wet than the snow. While the Turanza QuietTrack couldn’t quite match the Michelin’s raw traction, it brought an effortless sophistication to the snow. Its poised and balanced steering matched the driver’s expectations by gently transitioning into usable oversteer at the limit. The tire also had the somewhat uncommon ability to quickly recover from over exuberant entry speeds without drama, transforming the snow-covered corners from a precise guessing game of speed and line into a drivable turn. The Cinturato P7 All Season Plus II performed admirably, but with acceleration traction around thirty percent behind the benchmark Bridgestone, it simply didn’t have the mechanical traction needed to compete with the other two tires in the test.
In our ice testing we found a similar rank order in acceleration with a closer spread within 10 percent of each other. However, under braking, the Pirelli managed to slightly best the Bridgestone while both were bested by the Michelin’s excellent stopping power on the ice.
Due to the limited number of drivers participating in our 2020 testing as a result of the global pandemic, the sample size was not large enough to provide reliable fuel consumption data.
In the highly-competitive landscape of Grand Touring All-Season tires, top tier manufacturers meticulously balance the limits of luxury, traction and tread life with what is technologically possible and financially feasible. Often, we find there are no clear winners or losers, and finding the best tire for consumers comes down to an honest assessment of driving conditions and styles. The Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus II defines itself as a luxurious choice with a sportier side, well adept for spirited drives or daily commutes. While its focus on dry and wet performance may have sacrificed some winter performance, the tire’s combination of natural, balanced handling and capable wet traction will satisfy driving styles across the spectrum, and makes the tire stand out in this group. Michelin’s CrossClimate² brings cutting edge technology to our test, with the enhanced snow traction, which is quickly becoming mandatory for the informed tire purchaser that demands winter weather performance. However, the CrossClimate²’s civilized road manners and on-track capabilities confirm it hasn’t lost sight of its primary mission as a quiet, comfortable Grand Touring All-Season tire for discerning drivers. By simply refusing to compromise in any driving condition, the tire offers powerful snow and ice performance, along with category leading wet traction that forges a total package that is possibly unrivaled in the industry. Bridgestone’s Turanza QuietTrack impressed our team with its sporty feel on the road and when pushed within limits on the track. It is a step behind in wet traction, however, clearly communicates its limits. The tire continues to impress consumers in this space, with proven winter weather traction and a combination of attributes that make it a compelling choice.
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