The Best All-Season Tires

Wet braking is where this tire earns its keep. Independent comparison tests from the major tire testers have put the CrossClimate2 at or near the top of the all-season field for years, with stopping distances from highway speed running roughly a car length shorter than mid-pack rivals. A car length is the difference between a close call and a body shop. If you commute in rain, that's the number that should drive the decision.

The snowflake on the sidewall is a real certification, not a marketing badge. The three-peak mountain snowflake means the tire passed a standardized packed-snow traction test. The mud-and-snow lettering on cheaper tires means a brand measured its own tread grooves and decided it counted. If you get a handful of genuine snow days, you'll feel that difference the first morning you have to climb a hill from a dead stop.

Michelin built the compound to stay flexible when it's cold. Conventional all-season rubber starts stiffening below about 45°F, and stiff rubber doesn't grip. This one is formulated to stay pliable into the cold, and the V-shaped tread pushes water and slush out from under the contact patch. That's why it works on a wet 35-degree morning, which is the condition most drivers actually face.

You'll probably find it in your size. Michelin sells the CrossClimate2 across an unusually wide range of fitments, from ordinary sedan sizes up through 22-inch SUV and crossover wheels. The listing here is a 235/55R19 XL rated for 2,039 pounds per tire, which covers a lot of midsize crossovers. Check your door-jamb placard for the load index and speed rating first, then match or exceed it.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It's the most expensive tire in this guide, and you buy four of them. Tires get sold one at a time, but nobody buys one. Multiply the CrossClimate2 by four, add mounting and balancing, and it's a real hit. The counterargument is the 60,000-mile warranty and the safety margin. If money's tight, though, the Bridgestone gets you snow certification for a lot less.

The ride is firmer than a comfort-touring tire. The sidewall is stiffer than something like the WeatherReady 2, and owners of cars on short-sidewall wheels notice it over broken city pavement and expansion joints. It isn't harsh, and it's part of why the steering feels so solid. But if your priority is a plush, hushed commute, this isn't the tire that gets you there.

It still isn't a winter tire. Snow certification is a floor, not a ceiling. In sustained deep cold, on glare ice, or on roads nobody has plowed yet, a dedicated winter tire will out-brake and out-climb the CrossClimate2 every time. If your winter regularly includes that, budget for a second set of wheels and swap them.

Michelin backs the CrossClimate2 with a 60,000-mile treadwear warranty.

It clears the same snow bar the Michelin does. Goodyear's tread compound is designed to stay adaptable as temperatures drop, and the tire carries the severe snow designation. That means it passed the same standardized packed-snow test, not a self-graded one. You get the winter box checked on a tire you can leave on the car through summer heat, which is the whole point of buying an all-weather tire in the first place.

Standing water is where it's strongest. The sweeping grooves of Goodyear's AquaTred pattern move water and slush out of the way, and the evolving traction grooves keep opening up as the tread wears down, so the tire keeps displacing water late in its life. If you drive a crossover with a high center of gravity, hydroplaning is the failure mode that scares you most, and this is the tire that addresses it.

It's the comfortable one here. Goodyear puts comfort inserts in the construction to soak up small bumps and vibration, and the tread blocks come in varying sizes so the tire doesn't hum on one note at highway speed. Owners of touring tires complain about drone more than almost anything else. This is the pick that's least likely to give you that complaint.

The warranty holds its own against the premium tires. Goodyear covers the WeatherReady 2 for 60,000 miles of tread life, the same figure Michelin quotes on the CrossClimate2, at a lower price per tire. Rotate on schedule and keep the pressures right and you're looking at a similar service life for less money up front.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Steering feel is soft. Turn-in is lazier and less communicative than the Michelin or the Continental, and on a twisty road the tire rolls onto its shoulder sooner. That's the price of the ride quality. If you enjoy driving quickly, you'll find this tire vague.

The size range skews toward touring fitments. Most sizes are H- or V-rated, so if your car came from the factory on W- or Y-rated rubber, you may not find a legal match. Construction also gets heavy in larger SUV sizes, and drivers sensitive to steering effort and ride motion sometimes notice the extra unsprung weight.

Goodyear backs the Assurance WeatherReady 2 with a 60,000-mile tread life limited warranty, with exclusions.

An 80,000-mile treadwear warranty changes the math. That's 20,000 miles more than the Michelin and the Goodyear, and 30,000 more than the Continental. Spread the purchase across that many miles and the cost per mile lands below tires that ask less up front but wear out sooner. If you drive 20,000 miles a year, that difference is an entire extra set of tires over the life of the car.

It's snow certified, which is unusual at this end of the market. The WeatherPeak carries the three-peak mountain snowflake, so it passed the independent packed-snow traction test. The Bridgestone touring tire it replaced didn't have that. Most tires in this price neighborhood still wear only the mud-and-snow label, which nobody verifies, so this is the rare inexpensive tire you can run through a real winter.

Bridgestone built it to be quiet. This is a touring tire aimed at family sedans, minivans and daily commuters, and it behaves like one on a long highway drive. Owners who moved to it from a worn-out set consistently mention how much less road roar comes through. If your commute is an hour of interstate each way, that matters more than a tenth of a second on an on-ramp.

You get 30 days to change your mind. Tire purchases are usually final the moment they're mounted and driven on, which makes buying a set feel like a bet. Bridgestone's satisfaction guarantee gives you a way out if the tires don't suit your car or your roads. No other tire in this guide offers that.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Wet braking trails the top of this list. Published comparisons put the WeatherPeak roughly 8 to 12 feet behind the Michelin and the Continental stopping from highway speed on a wet surface. That's about half a car length, and it's the single reason this is the budget pick and not the top one. If you drive through heavy rain regularly, pay up for the Michelin.

It's not a tire for driving quickly. The dry cornering feel is muted and the tire gives up its grip gradually rather than holding on. It's also heavy — over 36 pounds in the 225/65R17 size — which does nothing for steering response. On a minivan you'll never care. On a sport sedan you will.

Bridgestone doesn't publish much hard data. The treadwear grade and compound details are harder to find than they are with the other brands here, which makes apples-to-apples comparison shopping frustrating. You're leaning on the warranty length and the snowflake symbol rather than published numbers.

Bridgestone backs the WeatherPeak with an 80,000-mile treadwear warranty and a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.