Mk8 Fiesta All Season Tyres

[Gezza]

I have a Mk8 Fiesta Vignale which currently have Michelin Pilot Sports size 205 x 40 x R18’s. I am wanting to change them ideally for Michelin Cross Climate 2’s but they do not do them in this size. The nearest size Michelin do is a 215 x 40 x R18 in the CC 2’s. Could I safely change to the CC 2’s with the slightly wider section on my current R18 rims? 

[unofix]

20 minutes ago, Gezza said:

The nearest size Michelin do is a 215 x 40 x R18 in the CC 2’s. Could I safely change to the CC 2’s with the slightly wider section on my current R18 rims? 

Given the potential safety implications, I think the best course of action would be to e-mail Michelin Tyres and get a definitive answer. I've no doubt they would fit, but would they be safe is not something I could answer.

https://www.michelin.co.uk/assistance

[TomsFocus]

I wouldn't be surprised if they just respond with generic crap about always following manufacturers specifications to cover their own backside...  (I've had this with pretty much every company I contact lately. )

Do you know the width of your current alloys?  It's measured in inches and marked in 'J'.  I'd guess they're probably 7.5J, meaning 215 width should be perfectly safe.

[Gezza]

Hi they were the optional 18 inch polished 7 inch wheel presumably I would be able to establish the letter suffix by removing the wheel?

[TomsFocus]

10 minutes ago, Gezza said:

Hi they were the optional 18 inch polished 7 inch wheel presumably I would be able to establish the letter suffix by removing the wheel?

If they're 7 inches wide they'll be 7J.  It will be stamped inside the spokes if you want to double check though.

215mm will still be perfectly acceptable on a 7J rim.

[DaveT70]

Why not source a set of 16" wheels to use winter tyres on?

[Tiexen]

1 hour ago, DaveT70 said:

Why not source a set of 16" wheels to use winter tyres on?

Michelin Cross Climate are not winter tyres' that are a blend of summer/winter to be used all year around.

[unofix]

1 hour ago, Tiexen said:

are a blend of summer/winter to be used all year around.

I guess that's why they call them Cross Climate.

I think you misunderstand Dave's point. He is suggesting smaller rims with dedicated winter tyres, rather than a compromise of summer/winter tyres on the OP's 18" wheels.

[alanfp]

An entirely reasonable, lateral thinking solution from Dave.

But that would mean buying two sets of tyres plus one set of alloys rather than one set of tyres and no alloys.

[Nismex]

I've had my Fiesta Active on Crossclimate 2's for a year now, just under 12k miles. They come with 7mm tread as new, they wear well. I rotated once at 6k miles, fronts are just under 6mm rear just over 6mm. Still undecided if I'll replace them in the future with the same though.

Last winter there were several days with snow/slush/ice on the roads (enough to close lanes on the dual carriageway/motorway). They were exceptional in the snow (compared to a summer tyre). They are also great in low temps. They feel below freezing like a summer tyre does at 15C.

This summer, even in the 40C heat they were fine, granted I don't drive fast but then again I didn't end up testing the braking distances compared to a summer tyre in that heat. I imagine they would struggle for braking distance compared to a summer tyre in the 40C heat.

They have absolutely no centre feel/stability. Some may hate the feeling of them, it's like having a large deadzone on a controller/joystick, minor steering inputs don't result in any feedback, however the tyres grip fine in normal corners. 

The above no on centre feel makes the tyres much less susceptible to tramlining, which I like. There are some sections on my commute where summer tyres tramline loads, they don't with the softer all seasons.

They are much easier to reach their limits than summer tyres in warm dry/wet conditions. There is a large roundabout near where I live, quite a tight radius on a dual carriageway, marked difference in a set of Primacy 4 compared to the all seasons, you can feel the all seasons struggle much earlier. Although this is reversed in very cold/wet/snow conditions obviously.

Reason I might not take them again is :

When the snow is so bad that winter typre/allseason CC2 are essential compared to a summer tyre, then the roads will either be closed or blocked. (Local area depending)

With slow moving traffic in cases where there is only a single lane open/plowed, you're probably sat in a queue of vehicles doing 30mph or slower anyway, and summer tyres are fine due to the very slow speed.

With a single lane open, there probably has been a plow go through. The ridge of frozen slush between lanes makes it dangerous to switch lanes, even with the all season. I tried this a few times on a quiet section of carriageway, at low speed you could still lose control easily crossing these ridges on any tyre I feel.

 

Just my 2p for what it's worth.

 

[DaveT70]

16 hours ago, Tiexen said:

Michelin Cross Climate are not winter tyres' that are a blend of summer/winter to be used all year around.

I know that.

But if you want the benefit of seasonal grip, 18" wheels aren't the best for this.

So, instead of trying to fit cross climates to 18" profile, which will give very minimal performance benefit, why not source some 16" alloys and fit winter tyres to them

[isetta]

I know there’s not a lot in it but 215/40 tyres are taller than 205/40 , it’s not just the width that is different.  The ‘40’ means that the height is 40% of the width.  I’m not saying whether it matters or not, just pointing it out. 

[orangecurry]

On 9/19/2022 at 9:53 PM, Gezza said:

I have a Mk8 Fiesta Vignale which currently have Michelin Pilot Sports size 205 x 40 x R18’s. I am wanting to change them ideally for Michelin Cross Climate 2’s but they do not do them in this size. The nearest size Michelin do is a 215 x 40 x R18 in the CC 2’s. Could I safely change to the CC 2’s with the slightly wider section on my current R18 rims? 

The diameter will increase from 621mm to 629mm, or if you prefer there will be a 4mm increase in sidewall depth.  The 'easy' way to see if this is within spec. for your specific car is to look at the other factory wheel/tyre combinations, and see if any are 629mm or greater.

The 215 width will not be a problem.  Speedo will read slightly slower than actual speed.

There - I answered the question 😄

[orangecurry]

On 9/21/2022 at 9:07 AM, DaveT70 said:

But if you want the benefit of seasonal grip, 18" wheels aren't the best for this.

So, instead of trying to fit cross climates to 18" profile, which will give very minimal performance benefit, why not source some 16" alloys and fit winter tyres to them

A theory that has been disproved - wheel size and contact patch/width don't make a material difference in winter driving.

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/The-differences-between-16-17-and-18-Inch-winter-tyres.htm