Thank you for this. Which would you say is more “bouncy” up and down? Which has the better overall ride? Does one tire have more body lean when turning than the other?

Also, are the two cars the same model and suspension?

 

Actually, more likely the opposite. The OEM tires on ES seem to me to have been chosen for a combination of quiet ride on the test drive and hard compound with unaggressive tread to minimize rolling resistance (the "Eco" or "Green" or whatever part of the Michelin's name). Reason: The EPA rates and fines cars on the basis that the car must go through its official EPS fuel economy cycle while wearing exactly the tires they sell it with. So what we get from the showroom floor are cheap, hard, low-traction gas mileage specials. By contract, there's no penalty (except to your fuel bill) for tuning an aftermaket Michelin CrossClimate 2 or Michelin Primacy for superior all-weather traction and inferior gas mileage with a more aggressive tread pattern. Vredestein Quatrac Pro does something similar and sacrifices tread life with a softer, higher-traction rubber compound as well. All engineering is a compromise. You pick the combination of traits that matter to you and sacrifice the others.

 

I have not noticed either of the tires bouncing.

The Michelin’s have a far superior ride. I can definitely tell that the Michelin’s are a lot quieter. My spouse drove the 2022 with the Bridgestones for 3 weeks after her 2017 ES350 was totaled. When we bought her the 2023 ES300h she commented how quiet it was than the 2022. I didn’t understand it until I drove the 2023 on a trip to Santa Cruz this past week. As soon as I got home I drove the 2022 to the store and noticed how much road noise I could hear. I checked out the tire brands on both cars when I got home. That’s when I discovered the 2023 had Michelins and the 2022 had Bridgestones.

Can’t really tell if either one has body lean.

Both cars have the same chassis, suspension, etc.

 

Anyone have the michelin pilot sport as 4? For central NC weather.

Seems like crossclimates is way to go for northeast

 

I believe one person said they had Pilot Sports. I can tell you Car and Driver tested a car in this class, a Lincoln MKZ, with those tires. They said the tires, while famous for their performance, had ride comfort ill suited to the character of the car, and characterized it as like bouncing on four basketballs. For snow-free climates, I'd probably think more in terms of Michelin Premier.

 

I think my FSport came with Michelin Premiers (or maybe it was my wife's RX) in any event both cars came with Michelins and both wore horribly. Both cars now have Goodyear Maxlife Assurance and they are top notch. In fact, the RX has more than 40k on those shoes and they barely look worn while the Premiers were toast at 35 or 40k.

 

I think I misspoke and meant Primacy. I always get the two confused; apologies. Apparently they're rather similar tires anyway.

 

Yep Primacy are the OEM on FSport models (19") and the Premier came on the RX - both wore horribly.

 

My 22 ES350 UL came from the factory with Michelin Energy Savers A/S. I live in Atlanta and have been very pleased with them for ride, noise and appearance.

 

I agree and have same tires. I get 48MPG with my 2020 es300h. Scared i will lose MPG switching to a better handling tire.

 

The Energy Savers are quiet and can work for the ES 300h in Atlanta. But they're awful in the Snow Belt, and for those who are annoyed by the ES 350's breaking of traction when accelerating from a standstill, they're awful at that too. Changing tires helps with the problem.

 

I am glad to hear someone else notice the bounce in the Pilot Sport. I bought them for a 2012 MB S550. There was a distinct triple rebound over sharp bumps. It persisted in all suspension settings. Fortunately, the voice disappeared after about 400 miles. From there, the Pilot Sport was excellent in all regards.

 

Best all weather tires I have ever owned in my opinion. Driven them through multiple New England snow storms and they almost felt like snow tires. In other seasons they perform really well albeit I am averaging 28.6 mpg (down from 29/30) mixed driving. I have the ES250 AWD and with these tires I feel I can comfortably drive through anything, excellent performance in the rain too. Couldn't be happier.

 

agreed! After much research, thanks to groups like this, decided to try these ... ..great tires (looks/performance/noise)...10 months and ~18K on them (only 2 rotations due to laziness). I got them from Costco here in Chicagoland. (As for the gas mileage on this 2018 ES300h, I gave up obsessing over it a while back but going by the display it's around 35-36 miles .. a mix of eco/normal/sport mode used)

 

To you CrossClimate 2 owners, one question: How's the highway hum / road noise level? That's my only reservation about them.