So far in the comfort segment, we have been mostly comparing what Michelin & Continental wants us to know. The features are clearly stated on their website but we do not really have a test results of them against each other. However we could use the tire label format to compare the tires against each other. This is possible as XM2+ is sold in Europe while the CC6 is sold in Korea which mandates a tire label. With these two information in hand we are to deduce the wet braking and rolling resistance of both products. For those who are not familiar with the EU labels, the better your performance the higher your grade. So A would be the best possible class. Check out here if you are interested to know more about it.
Wet Braking
Michelin XM2+ : B
Continental Comfort 6 (CC6) : C
As the XM2+ has a high focus on wet braking, it was not surprising it was ranked better. Also Michelin’s claim of shorter braking distance against its premium competitors seems to check out.
Rolling Resistance
Michelin XM2+ : D
Continental Comfort 6 (CC6) : D
Both tires are not the best when it comes to rolling resistance. As the target conflict of wet vs rolling resistance is generally very hard to solve. However XM2+ tend to fair better in this particular case having a higher wet label class while still maintaining the same rolling resistance label as CC6.
Summary
Based on the label criteria, it is clear the Michelin XM2+ has a better wet braking performance compare to Continental CC6. The XM2+ is able to match CC6’s rolling resistance performance. As mentioned previously, the biggest drawback of XM2+ is the price. However what is the price of safety? Only the driver can make this decision 🙂