The Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack and Michelin CrossClimate 2 are both prominent contenders in the grand touring tire category, where both tires are designed to provide a balance of comfort, durability, and all-season performance. But which is better for you? Let’s find out.
Table of Contents
Main Highlights
So at the end of the day, it all comes down to this where the Turanza QuietTrack takes the lead in:
- Fuel efficiency: Due to its stiffer rubber and lighter weight.
- Noise reduction: The QuietTrack Technology and unique tread design significantly reduce road noise.
- Lateral grip: Its solidly designed shoulders with reinforced supports provide superior lateral grip.
- Wear resistance: The tire’s sturdier build and light structure contribute to a longer tread life.
On the flip side the CrossClimate 2 excels in:
- Impact comfort: Its softer tread compound effectively absorbs road imperfections.
- Directional grip: Thanks to its denser (central) lug arrangement and rounded contact patch.
- Wet performance: The tire’s directional tread pattern and flexible sipes improve traction.
- Winter performance: Thanks to its features like a rounded contact patch and V-shaped lugs.
Tire Sizes
The Turanza QuietTrack comes in 15 to 20 inches wheels and they have the following specs.
- Speed ratings: H and V only.
- Load ratings: SL and XL.
- Tread depth: 9 to 10/32″.
- Weight range: 19 to 33 lbs.
- Treadwear warranty: 80k miles.
- UTQG rating: 800 A A.
Detailed Review of Bridgestone’s tire: https://tiredriver.com/bridgestone-turanza-quiettrack-review/
The CrossClimate 2 comes in 16 to 22 inches with following specs.
- Speed ratings: H and V.
- Load ratings: SL and XL.
- Tread depth range: 10.5/32″ (on all)
- Weight range: 25 to 36.5 lbs
- Tread mileage rating: 60k miles.
- UTQG: 640 B A.
Detailed Review of Michelin’s tire: https://tiredriver.com/michelin-crossclimate-2-review/
MPG Efficiency
Fuel economy is affected by numerous factors, with the weight, tread depth, and composition of a tire being particularly influential. These aspects directly impact the tire’s rolling resistance.
Taking a look at them, it makes sense why the Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack takes the lead with its stiffer rubber, lighter weight, and enhanced lug support emerging as a better choice here.
Essentially, these features reduce the flexing of the lugs on the tire. And since lug flexing requires energy to return the tread to its original shape, this tire more effectively uses its energy for propulsion (instead), thereby improving fuel efficiency.
In contrast, the Michelin CrossClimate 2 falls a bit short showing up with greater mpg readings on my multiple tests (averaged, of course).
However, it’s crucial to recognize that this is a compromise made to attain better winter traction.
If you’re interested in reading more on all-season tires fuel economy, you should check this out: https://tiredriver.com/do-all-season-tires-use-more-fuel/
Overall Comfort
The comfort level of a tire is defined by two criteria: its capacity to lessen road noise and its effectiveness in dealing with road imperfections. We will analyze the performance of each tire based on these criteria.
Noise Reduction
Regarding road noise, both tires showcase incredible performance.
Though at the end of the day, you get to see CrossClimate 2 falling a little shorter in comparison. And here’s why: The tire comes with more voided up shoulders, which is the main entry point of air particles (that comes in and strikes around causing primary noise).
Basically its the main source of noise that then goes on, generating in-groove resonance and cavity sounds. I talked about it in detail here, if you’re interested: https://tiredriver.com/are-all-season-tires-comfortable-and-quiet-enough/
On the other side, the Bridgestone Turanza takes the lead here, all thanks to its QuietTrack Technology.
This technology basically integrates a unique composition and tread design to ensure a quieter ride. Its composition includes a blend of polymers, notably Polybutadiene and silica, known for their ability to reduce road abrasion noise.
Furthermore, its tread design features an advanced variable pitch construction. This means the lugs are arranged to interact with incoming air at different angles, creating a range of sound tones and frequencies that don’t collectively amplify.
So compared to Michelin, the Bridgestone tire emits lower decibels as seen on my tested scale readings (averaged, of course).
Impact Comfort
The level of comfort a tire provides is closely linked to its construction, explaining why softer tires are often better at absorbing road vibrations, leading to a smoother ride.
In this context, the all-weather Michelin CrossClimate 2 stands out with its winter tire-like softer tread compound, which is particularly more effective at smoothing out road imperfections (simply put).
This tire not only absorbs impacts well, providing a balance of cushioning and control, but also ensures that any bumps are quickly dissipated after impact.
Conversely, the Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack excels at handling smaller bumps, making them almost unnoticeable. However, it tends to be less efficient with larger bumps, taking a bit longer to dampen their residual effects.
Before you decide: Consult my main all-season tire page for a curated selection of top tires. Find it here: https://tiredriver.com/all-season-tires/
Directional Grip
Directional grip gets evaluated by the tire’s braking efficiency, and here the central tread area (of the tread) is crucial as it is the primary point of contact with the road during straight-line movement.
Now, the Crossclimate 2 stands out here (with a significant margin, I should add). In fact the tire actually tops my list of best grand touring tires when it comes to dry braking.
And this superior performance is due to its three key characteristics: a directional tread pattern, interlocking central lugs, and a rounded contact patch. Let me explain.
So simply put, this tire features a dense lug arrangement in the middle of its directional tread pattern, enhancing the contact between the tire and the road, thereby improving grip. While the interlocking lugs form a distinctive zigzag groove-structure in the center, providing the needed bite and with it (directional) grip.
Furthermore, the rounded contact patch of the tire distributes its weight more evenly across the tread, which leads to more stable movement and allows for faster and more efficient braking.
That’s why on my comparative testing, Michelin showcases a 4 feet shorter braking distance (averaging multiple runs), compared to Turanza QuietTrack.
Lateral Grip
The effectiveness of a tire’s lateral grip largely depends on its shoulders and sidewalls. This significance arises from the weight shift towards the opposite side of a turn, emphasizing the shoulders’ contact with the road.
The Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack excels in this aspect (showcasing greater lateral g-forces on average). This is thanks in part to its solidly and compactly designed shoulders with underlying reinforced supports.
The CrossClimate 2 on the other hand lacks with its more voided up shoulders and relatively deeper tread depth, not allowing the tire to make as much contact with the road as the tire corners.
Though the major reason why this tire lacks in overall dry handling is due to its slower steering responsiveness, comparatively.
Steering Characteristics
The Michelin CrossClimate 2 is basically tailored for winter conditions, so it exhibits a steering response which is slightly reminiscent of a snow tire.
I mean its softer tread yields a more relaxed behavior, leading to somewhat delayed response from its wheels (especially seen with more sudden or forceful steering inputs).
And yes its heavier weight isn’t helping to that either.
The extra weight (relatively speaking) increases the strain on the tire lugs as they flex against the road, causing them to bend more. And with them bending more, they take more time to get back to their shapes, resulting in slower reaction times and diminished feedback.
On the other hand, the Turanza QuietTrack manages rapid steering changes more adeptly, thanks to its stiffer rubber composition and shallower tread depth.
So unlike the CrossClimate, the lugs Bridgestone’s tire aren’t as susceptible to bending, showcasing a more direct and controlled cornering environment in comparison.
Wet Performance
The effectiveness of wet grip is significantly influenced by sipes.
But how these tiny slits on the tread help? Well this is because they act as small water vacuum cleaners, sucking up moisture in their slits (talking about that moisture which wasn’t cleared out by grooves in the first place).
And since these sipes work by contracting and expanding, their suction depends on their flexibility.
Having said that, it can be explained why the CrossClimate 2 takes the lead here, despite having such fewer number of sipes, comparatively.
This is because with a relatively softer rubber composition it gives sipes more flexibility to breath water particles in (and back out as the tire rolls over).
And besides, it doesn’t have as much burden on its sipes to begin with, since its V shaped grooves are more adept at taking water from the start, enhancing wet traction.
I mean its directional tread pattern (forming interconnected arrow shaped voids) and greater tread depth work together in clearing greater volume of water, leading to enhanced hydroplaning resistance, which then indirectly helps its wet traction.
Plus, the CrossClimate 2 only offers fewer sipes on its shoulders and have ample in its central tread area. There it actually features very effective interlocking (wave-like) siping pattern, contributing (predominately) to its impressive performance in wet braking. I mean its leading directional grip is not just limited to dry environments.
The Turanza QuietTrack on the other hand, lacks behind with its stiffer rubber. So despite having a ton of winter tire like siping, it still lack to CrossClimate 2 by more than two seconds (on my averaged handling lap time tests).
Winter Performance
For those seeking a versatile all-season tire that excels in winter conditions, you should know that the CrossClimate 2 stands out as a top-tier option, particularly in grand touring all-season category.
This is because in my comparative tests (regarding both tires here), the Michelin demonstrated superior performance in almost all key areas such as acceleration, braking, and handling (on both snowy and icy surfaces).
What really impresses me though is tire’s straight-line performance where it shows much superior directional grip, acceleration and on-center feel.
This is all thanks to its rounded contact patch with the combination of V-shaped lugs, efficiently channeling snow, slush, and ice rearward, thus enhancing forward momentum or, more accurately, acceleration.
Plus with interlocking sipes there (in the very middle) you get your needed traction on slicker icy surfaces too.
Speaking of which, sure the Turanza QuietTrack has a ton of siping and biters too, but the problem with them is that, they tend to get stiffer, particularly when temperatures dip below 40°F.
And of course CrossClimate 2 having 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake certification (unlike Bridgestone’s tire) doesn’t have this problem.
Wear Resistance
Wear resistance is the area of expertise of Turanza QuietTrack. In fact I rated this tire the best for it in its grand touring category.
But what makes it so good? Well this is all thanks to its sturdier build and innovative design features, translating to an impressive treadwear rating of 800 and a substantial 80,000-mile warranty.
Moreover the tire also features a very light structure with just a single ply polyester carcass and a single nylon cap ply. This lighter framework lessens the strain on the tire lugs during road contact, lowering friction, and thus enhancing tread life.
The Michelin CrossClimate 2? Well, although it features a rounded contact patch, which helps it in many ways, the tire still lacks behind by its softer and heavier build here.
Wrapping Up
In summary, both boys here offer distinct advantages and compromises in various aspects of tire performance.
The Turanza QuietTrack, with its stiffer rubber and lighter weight, excels in fuel efficiency, noise reduction, lateral grip, and wear resistance, notably through its QuietTrack Technology and innovative tread design.
On the other hand, the CrossClimate 2, designed with softer tread for winter conditions, outperforms in impact comfort, directional grip, wet performance, and winter performance, owing to its directional tread pattern, interlocking lugs, and greater tread depth.
So, while the Michelin demonstrates superior handling in wet and winter conditions, the Bridgestone shines in terms of overall comfort, noise reduction, and longevity, making each tire suitable for different priorities in all-season driving.
