Winter tires with North American symbol

Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 vs CrossClimate 2

Short answer

They're different kinds of tire, so pick by your winter. Buy the CrossClimate 2 if you get regular snow and want one set all year: it carries the 3PMSF severe-snow symbol and a 60,000-mile warranty. Buy the Pilot Sport All Season 4 if your winters are mild or your car came on Y-rated tires; it's $27 to $67 less per tire in the sizes we checked.

Pick by your winter, because these aren't rival tires. Buy the CrossClimate 2 if you get regular snow and want one set all year. Buy the Pilot Sport All Season 4 if your winters are mild or your car came on Y-rated performance tires.

The CrossClimate 2 is an all-weather tire with the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol and a 60,000-mile warranty. The All Season 4 is an ultra high performance all-season with no severe-snow rating, a Y speed rating and a 45,000-mile warranty. It costs less per tire in every size we checked, but more per warranted mile.

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Two categories, not two rivals

Tire Rack files the CrossClimate2 under Grand Touring All-Season and the Pilot Sport All Season 4 under Ultra High Performance All-Season. The difference that matters is the snowflake. Tire Rack lists the CrossClimate2 as severe snow service rated, and it qualifies for the 3PMSF symbol (Tire Rack). Michelin calls it "3PMSF certified" (Michelin).

The All Season 4 is listed as "Severe Snow Service Rated: No." Tire Rack pitches it at "drivers of high-end sports cars" and says it works "even in light snow" (Tire Rack).

245/40R18

CrossClimate2

Pilot Sport All Season 4

Tire Rack category

Grand Touring All-Season

Ultra High Performance All-Season

Severe snow (3PMSF)

Yes

No

Load and speed

97V XL

97Y XL

UTQG

640 B A

540 AA A

Treadwear warranty

6 years / 60,000 miles

6 years / 45,000 miles

Owner score, winter/snow

8.8

7.4

Owner score, wet / dry

9.4 / 9.4

9.1 / 9.4

Price per tire

$295.99

$228.99

Tire Rack pages, October 14, 2026. Owner scores are Tire Rack survey ratings out of 10; the pages list 4,205 survey ratings for the CrossClimate2 and 2,577 for the All Season 4. They're opinions, not measurements. Our guide to all-season vs all-weather tires explains the category split in more depth.

Scorecard of CrossClimate2 vs Pilot Sport All Season 4: Grand Touring All-Season vs UHP All-Season, 3PMSF yes vs no, V 149 mph vs Y 186 mph, UTQG 640 B A vs 540 AA A, warranty 60,000 vs 45,000 miles, owner winter score 8.8 vs 7.4, wet 9.4 vs 9.1, dry 9.4 vs 9.4, 245/40R18 $295.99 vs $228.99, set cost per 1,000 warranted miles $19.73 vs $20.35
The CrossClimate2 wins on snow and warranty; the All Season 4 on speed rating and price.

Speed rating: V against Y

The CrossClimate2 is V or H rated depending on size. All four sizes priced here are V, but many SUV sizes such as 215/65R17 are H (Tire Rack). The All Season 4 is Y rated in every size we priced, though Tire Rack lists some 20- and 21-inch sizes as V or W. Discount Tire puts V at up to 149 mph, H at 130 mph and Y at 186 mph, and its advice is to "always match or exceed your vehicle's original equipment (OE) speed rating" (Discount Tire).

That's the main reason performance-car owners end up on the All Season 4. If your door label says Y, the CrossClimate2 is a step down on paper. For a Camry or a RAV4 on V- or H-rated tires, it isn't.

Snow and ice: the CrossClimate2's ground

The CrossClimate2 is the better snow tire, and the owners agree. Tire Rack's survey scores it 8.8 for winter and snow against 7.4, with ice at 8.5 against 6.9.

Measured data is where it gets honest. In Tire Rack's March 2026 test of all-weather and winter tires on a Camry, the CrossClimate2 took 72.4 ft to stop from 25 mph in snow (Tire Rack). The X-Ice Snow winter tire stopped in 56.1 ft. Michelin's Defender2, a touring all-season without the snowflake, took 84.5 ft.

Bar chart of snow braking from 25 mph in Tire Rack's 2026 test: X-Ice Snow 56.1 ft, Blizzak WS90 57.3 ft, WeatherPeak 58.6 ft, VikingContact 8 59.3 ft, AltiMAX Arctic 12 61.1 ft, Wintrac Pro+ 63.1 ft, CrossClimate2 72.4 ft, Quatrac 73 ft, Primacy Tour A/S 81.1 ft, Defender2 84.5 ft
A snowflake tire beats a plain all-season, but not a winter tire.

Snow braking from 25 mph

Type

Distance

Michelin X-Ice Snow

Winter

56.1 ft

Bridgestone WeatherPeak

All-weather

58.6 ft

Vredestein Wintrac Pro+

Winter

63.1 ft

Michelin CrossClimate2

All-weather

72.4 ft

Michelin Primacy Tour A/S

All-season, no 3PMSF

81.1 ft

Michelin Defender2

All-season, no 3PMSF

84.5 ft

Selected rows from the Tire Rack test, 215/55R17, near-freezing temperatures. The chart has all ten tires.

On ice it was closer to the plain all-seasons: 53 ft from 12 mph, against 39.4 ft for the X-Ice Snow and 55 ft for the Defender2. Tire Rack's verdict is blunt: "if you drive on snow and ice, there is just no substitute for a dedicated winter tire." It also says that where snow and ice are rare, "we still see an improvement with all-weather tires."

The Pilot Sport All Season 4 wasn't in that test. It was in Tire Rack's 2024 ultra high performance all-season test, where it had the shortest snow braking of nine tires at 25.24 m, about 83 ft (Tyre Reviews). That's from a different test on a BMW 330i xDrive, so don't line it up against the Camry numbers. Our Pilot Sport 4S vs Pilot Sport All Season 4 comparison has the full table.

Dry and wet: the All Season 4's ground

There's no head-to-head test of these two tires that we could find. Tyre Reviews lists four tests for the All Season 4 and none includes the CrossClimate 2 (Tyre Reviews). Neither of the 2026 Tire Rack tests below has both. So each tire gets its own result.

The All Season 4 placed 3rd of five in Tire Rack's June 2026 test in 235/40R19 on a BMW 330i xDrive, with 7.15 out of 10 (Tire Rack). It had the shortest dry stop, 109.7 ft from 60 mph, and Tire Rack calls its 132.6 ft wet stop from 60 mph the second best. Tire Rack named it the "Best Outright Performance" pick for the BMW, but also noted "heavy understeer at the limit" and a cabin "ring." The Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus beat it overall; our Pilot Sport All Season 4 vs DWS 06 Plus comparison covers that matchup.

The CrossClimate2's sportiest test was on a 2022 Subaru BRZ in 225/40R18, published in May 2023 (Tire Rack). Testers praised its "firm and accurate" steering. That test gives no scores and few braking figures, so there's nothing to set against the BMW numbers.

On UTQG, the All Season 4 grades AA for traction and the CrossClimate2 grades B. NHTSA says the traction grade shows a tire's "ability to stop on wet pavement" (NHTSA). It says nothing about cornering or snow.

Tread life and cost per mile

The CrossClimate2 should last longer: 640 treadwear against 540, and 60,000 warranty miles against 45,000. That cancels most of its price premium. Divide each set price by the warranty and it costs less per mile in all four sizes we checked.

In 245/40R18, a set of CrossClimate2s is $1,183.96, or $19.73 per 1,000 warranted miles. A set of All Season 4s is $915.96, or $20.35. Both had Michelin's $80 card on a set of four, valid to November 30, 2026, which makes it $18.40 against $18.58. That's warranty maths, not a wear test. On a staggered car the rear warranty is halved for both.

Price in four common sizes

The CrossClimate2 costs $27 to $67 more per tire.

Size

CrossClimate2

Pilot Sport All Season 4

Set of 4 difference

Per 1,000 warranty miles (set)

225/45R17

$229.99 (91V)

$199.99 (94Y XL)

$120

$15.33 vs $17.78

225/45R18

$250.99 (95V XL)

$223.99 (95Y XL)

$108

$16.73 vs $19.91

245/40R18

$295.99 (97V XL)

$228.99 (97Y XL)

$268

$19.73 vs $20.35

255/40R19

$352.99 (100V XL)

$299.99 (100Y XL)

$212

$23.53 vs $26.67

Tire Rack prices per tire, October 14, 2026, before fitting and rebates. Set difference is four times the per-tire gap. Per-mile figures are the set price divided by 60,000 or 45,000 miles.

Dumbbell chart of Tire Rack price per tire, October 2026: 225/45R17 All Season 4 $199.99 vs CrossClimate2 $229.99, 225/45R18 $223.99 vs $250.99, 245/40R18 $228.99 vs $295.99, 255/40R19 $299.99 vs $352.99
The gap is widest in 245/40R18, at $67 a tire.

Watch the load index in 225/45R17. The CrossClimate2 comes as a standard-load 91V there, against the All Season 4's 94Y XL. Check your door label before you order, and our guide to how to read a tire size if the codes are new to you.

Which US climates suit which

Your snow days decide this, not your summers.

  • Sun Belt, Pacific Coast and mild-winter states: the Pilot Sport All Season 4. Snow is rare, you keep the Y rating and you pay less up front.
  • Snow-belt commuters on plowed roads: the CrossClimate2. You get the snowflake symbol on one set and the longer warranty.
  • Mountain passes: check the local rule. Colorado's Traction Law accepts AWD or 4WD vehicles on tires marked with the mountain-snowflake icon or M+S, or with an all-weather rating, with at least 3/16-inch tread. Anything else, including a two-wheel-drive car on snowflake tires, needs chains or an approved traction device (CDOT). The fine is $100 plus a $33 surcharge, rising to $500 plus $157 if you block a lane.
  • Heavy snow and ice for months: neither. Tire Rack's own test says buy a winter tire. Our piece on whether you can run winter tires year round covers that plan.

Neither Tire Rack's nor Michelin's All Season 4 page mentions an M+S marking, and we couldn't confirm one, so check the sidewall if a traction law applies to you.

How to check this on your own car

The site hasn't tested these tires. Here's what to check before you buy:

  1. Photograph the door-jamb label. Note the size, load index and speed rating your car came with.
  2. Photograph the sidewall of your current tires. Look for the mountain-snowflake symbol and any M+S marking.
  3. Measure tread depth with a gauge in the center groove. Under 3/16 inch fails Colorado's Traction Law even on a snowflake tire.
  4. Read the DOT date code on the new tires when they arrive. Our guide to DOT date codes shows where it is.

Which one for your car

Choose the CrossClimate2 if

Choose the Pilot Sport All Season 4 if

You see snow most winters

Snow is a few days a year at most

You want the 3PMSF symbol on one set

Your car came on Y-rated tires

You want the 60,000-mile warranty

You want the lower price per tire

Your car came on V- or H-rated tires

You value dry braking and steering

What to do today

  1. Count your snow days last winter. More than a handful points to the CrossClimate2.
  2. Read the speed rating off your door label. If it's Y, decide whether a V-rated tire is acceptable to you.
  3. Price both in your exact size, including the load index.
  4. Divide each set price by its warranty miles to compare cost per mile.
  5. If you face months of snow and ice, price a winter set before buying either.

Common questions

Is the CrossClimate 2 a winter tire?

No. It's an all-weather tire with the 3PMSF severe-snow symbol. In Tire Rack's 2026 test it stopped 16.3 ft longer than the best winter tire in snow, and Tire Rack still recommends dedicated winter tires for regular snow and ice.

Does the CrossClimate 2 work on a sporty car?

It can. Tire Rack tested it on a Subaru BRZ and praised its steering and dry grip. The limit is the V rating, which is below the Y most performance cars come with.

Is the Pilot Sport All Season 4 good in snow?

In light snow, yes. It had the shortest snow braking of nine tires in Tire Rack's 2024 all-season test. It isn't severe-snow rated, and owners score it 7.4 for winter against the CrossClimate2's 8.8.

Sources are linked in the text. Main references: Tire Rack CrossClimate2, Tire Rack Pilot Sport All Season 4, Tire Rack 2026 all-weather vs winter test and Tire Rack 2026 UHP all-season test.

Featured image: Winter tires with North American symbol by A7N8X (BY-SA). Source

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