Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack vs Michelin CrossClimate 2: All season tires have always been the go to tires for the American market and this segment has been well established across the years. It is such a popular segment that Michelin has 3 types of all season products to serve the market. We have previously covered the head to head comparison of Michelin Cross Climate 2 vs Michelin Defender T+H & it was a total domination by the Cross Climate 2. We would now pick up where we left out with another comparison of Cross Climate 2 but this time with Bridgestone’s Turanza QuietTrack. Cross Climate 2 was launched in 2020 and covers the whole passenger car size range while the Turanza QuietTrack was also launched a year earlier in 2019 with the main focus on the premium all touring segment.
Table of Contents
Results
Results below were taken from the tire rack’s “Testing Grand Touring All-Season Tires 2021” test. A total of 4 tires were tested this time around. The graph below shows the comparison between Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack vs Michelin CrossClimate 2 based on the relevant performance category. The Turanza QuietTrack was set as a reference hence at the 100% mark. Note that for subjective comfort evaluation, we equate 1 point as 5%. Hence for example if tire A is graded 4 while tire B is graded 3, A is better than B by 5%. The natural scaling does not really make sense in evaluation when the maximum number is very small.
As both tires are categorized as all season tires, tire rack has included snow & ice in its testing portfolio. A detailed testing on snow including acceleration, braking & handling were evaluated. The tire size of interest is a 225/50 R17 which is a common tire size for Audi A4 & Honda Accord. You can check out our latest tire size table for more information. The testing vehicle is a rear wheel drive 2020 BMW F36 430i Gran Coupe with a 17×7.5 rim.
Wet
The friction of coefficient of the tire/road dramatically decreases in wet roads compared to dry roads. Hence it is more likely to get into a road accident during wet conditions rather than on a sunny day. It was so important that the EU label has wet braking as one of its three criteria. With regards to our comparison, both tires are inseparable as they both produce the same wet braking distance of 124.20 feet (37.8m). This is one of the rare occasions where we see both tires matching each other at the exact same braking distance.
While in wet handling, Cross Climate 2 had a 0.28 seconds advantage in lap time against Turanza QuietTrack. This margin was relatively small but for the subjective rating, the Cross Climate 2 was rated much better with a 0.66 points advantage compared to Turanza QuietTrack. Overall in the wet category, Cross Climate 2 has a slight advantage in the wet handling area.
Cross Climate 2:
- 0% in wet braking
- +3.3% in wet handling (subj)
- +0.8% in wet handling (lap time)
Dry
As for dry, safety is usually not an issue as the braking distance is much longer than wet. However this is the default daily usage and the tires have to perform at a very consistent level. This is where we witness a huge 13.8 feet (4.2m) braking distance advantage for Cross Climate 2. Due to its superior compound grip properties, Cross Climate 2 can maintain the same level of dry braking as Turanza QuietTrack but still excel very strongly in dry braking. This is where we applaud Michelin as they were able to managed the target conflict at a much higher level.
While the similar trend continued in subjective dry handling, Cross Climate 2 managed a 7.63/10 rating which was slightly ahead of the 6.81/10 obtained by Turanza QuietTrack. Cross Climate 2 showed excellent dry handling properties and outmaneuvered the Turanza QuietTrack very easily.
Cross Climate 2:
- +16.1% in dry braking
- +2.2% in dry handling (subj)
Noise/Comfort/Ride Quality
Ride comfort, noise & comfort was tested and both the tires were quite equally matched. The Cross Climate 2 came out slightly ahead at 7.96/10 rating compared to the 7.79 rating of Turanza QuietTrack.
Cross Climate 2:
- +0.8% in average of Noise, Comfort & Ride Quality.
Snow
As both tires have been rated as an all season tire, we were thrilled when tire rack included snow on its testing list. From initial checks, only the Cross Climate 2 has a 3 peak mountain label to legally certified the tire as a winter tire. Hence Cross Climate 2 will need to pass a certain threshold of snow traction level as determined by the legislation. From an expectation point of view, we would definitely expect the 3 peak mountain labeled Cross Climate 2 to be better in snow compared to the non-labeled Turanza QuietTrack.
As previously expected, the Cross Climate 2 dominated across all snow test. It stopped 2.5 feet (0.76m) earlier than Turanza QuietTrack from a speed of 25 mph (40 km/h) to 0. It was also extremely good when it came to snow acceleration as it took 4.2 feet (1.28m) less distance to accelerate from 0 to 12 mph (20 km/h). While it was also quicker in lap time (3.1 seconds !) and also subjectively better in snow handling (+1 point). Cross Climate 2 is clearly the better snow tire.
Cross Climate 2:
- +4.6% in snow braking
- +15.8% in snow acceleration
- +5.5% in snow handling (subj)
- +4.6% in snow handling (lap time)
Ice
While snow was dominated by Cross Climate 2, the ice advantage also stayed with 3 peak mountain labeled Cross Climate 2. At a braking speed of 12 mph (20 km/h) to 0 , the Cross Climate 2 was stopping 7.9 feet (2.4m) earlier than Turanza QuietTrack.
Cross Climate 2:
- +19.8% in ice braking
Price
Being the undisputed technology leader, we would expect Michelin to command the highest priced tire in the market. However we were shocked that the Turanza QuietTrack cost more than the Cross Climate 2.
Tire size: 225/50R17
Cross Climate 2: $208
Turanza QuietTrack: $233
Difference: -12% more cheaper for Cross Climate 2.
Summary
Overall, Cross Climate 2 out class Turanza QuietTrack in dry, wet, comfort/noise, snow & ice. Michelin once again shows us why they are the technology leader by outperforming the market expectation and showing that Cross Climate 2 is best in class in the all season segment. Without a doubt, the clear winner is Michelin’s Cross Climate 2 !