Michelin CrossClimate 3 Sport - beware

sars

sars

Awesome
 East Yorkshire
Site Supporter
I recently purchased a set of 799M alloys with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres, with the intention of fitting a set of all season tyres to them. Last week I had fitted the rears in the standard 275/35 R19 Michelin CrossClimate 3 Sports and I'm, to say a little disappointed, nay worried by what has been supplied. I'll let the photos do the talking.

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So to say it looks stretched is an understatement, it really does look like they've been labelled incorrectly and the should be 235/35 R19's as the tread width is about 230mm. However, they have a slight rim protection so they are probably correct. I've contacted Michelin for some re-assurance and have replied quite quickly, stating, that they're not star marked, and to fit Alpine 5's instead! I'm not sure what else to do, I'm not confident that it can be resolved through Michelin.

There are not many options for 275/35 R19 all season tyres, Goodyear Vector 4Season. Anyhoo, be warned
 
Star marking is a warranty requirement from BMW, without the star your drivetrain is not covered by warranty at all. Seen plenty of rejections with that on the X drive models. I would not put that on the car.
 
Pvr there have been a variety of views expressed online in recent years about this point. On most occasions, I agree warranty queries appear to have arisen re x drive but rarely for all other 2 wheel drive bmw models. Indeed several examples reported of bmw dealerships fitting non star tyres (including my last dealership) and stating as long as size, load ratings etc correct then nothing to worry about. Some online have indicated ‘Apparently’ BMW warranty only states it’s recommended and not a requirement! I’ve never tried to double check by reading the warranty T&Cs. So even dealerships leave you unsure 🫤
 
This is an old argument, the owners manual states that “Certain makes of tyres are recommended by the manufacturer” it nowhere states that you must use star marked tyres, what it does say that incorrect wheel and tyre size combinations can affect etcetera.

This is because it is not enforceable, you get a puncture and they only have non star marked tyre what are you going to do? It is an obvious and predictable scenario, hence the recommendation, and not a must only use.
 
With regards original post, I was also considering fitting these cc 3 Sport all season tyres as I have the standard non sport version on another vehicle and they have been very good all year round (UK climate) I’ve never actually measured the tread width on my current tyres so no idea what the difference would be, must have a look. Incidentally Michelin’s own site do have them as recommended when you put your vehicle details in their search engine.
 
sars said:
This is an old argument, the owners manual states that “Certain makes of tyres are recommended by the manufacturer” it nowhere states that you must use star marked tyres, what it does say that incorrect wheel and tyre size combinations can affect etcetera.

This is because it is not enforceable, you get a puncture and they only have non star marked tyre what are you going to do? It is an obvious and predictable scenario, hence the recommendation, and not a must only use.
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I am only saying what the x5 forum members experienced when their warranties were invalidated. Real cases, not just internet quoted ones.

When I had the X5M tyres replaced, the dealer would not fit any non star rated either even though the car is not under warranty anymore.
 
What's all this talk about warranty?

You purchased 275 width tyres and they don't look it - am I right?
I would suggest discussing with who your purchased them from (as your contract is with them). If you don't think they are actually 275 mm wide then have one taken off and measure accurately from sidewall to sidewall.
If it's not 275 mm consider them faulty and get a refund.
 
Here's the actual text from this year's warranty:

What must I do to keep the warranty valid?
The terms and conditions of the warranty listed below must be adhered to. Failure to do so will result in the rejection of a claim or the termination of your BMW Insured Warranty. This does not affect your statutory rights.1. a) Care of the vehicle - you must keep your vehicle in an efficient and road worthy condition and regularly service it in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations and genuine parts, or parts of equivalent specification must be used. You must have a valid MOT where one is required.

There is no mention of tyres other than that they are a consumable This works for me given I've just had a non-star marked set of PS5s put on my car.
 
One could argue that AFAIK BMW never offered All Seasons/ Winters on 19" wheels that the use of 19" summer wheels with all seasons is an invalid combo?
 
Not really, as they are a homologated size stated during the EU Type approval of the vehicle and the certificate of conformity thereto, ergo there is list of size combinations at the approval stage, of which I am using.

If you stay from that, which was my original plan going 245/40 R19 to get an equivalent diameter of 285/30 R20, then that would be against their specified wheel and tyre size combination, as stated in the manual.

The type approval is not based on the manufacturer or type of tyre, only it's size/alloy combination, they would not want to be tied to one manufacturer or type for redundancy, imagine if the MPSS were made obsolete during the mid life of the vehicle, they would have to go through type approval again to change the type or manufacturer, it would be untenable as they could not legally sell that car until the new type approval was given.

Anyhoo, do you guys not think it looks wrong? Going to measure the diameter later, that will give me a hint against a label error.
 
PSQ777 said:
Here's the actual text from this year's warranty:

What must I do to keep the warranty valid?
The terms and conditions of the warranty listed below must be adhered to. Failure to do so will result in the rejection of a claim or the termination of your BMW Insured Warranty. This does not affect your statutory rights.1. a) Care of the vehicle - you must keep your vehicle in an efficient and road worthy condition and regularly service it in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations and genuine parts, or parts of equivalent specification must be used. You must have a valid MOT where one is required.

There is no mention of tyres other than that they are a consumable This works for me given I've just had a non-star marked set of PS5s put on my car.
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Note it stipulates Insured warranty this is after the first 3 years !
 
sars said:
Anyhoo, do you guys not think it looks wrong? Going to measure the diameter later, that will give me a hint against a label error.
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A lot of tyre treads are narrower than their nominal size. Some tyres have a definite square shoulder profile to them[1], others, like these, are very rounded. I would say these are rather egregious in saying they're 275 but, then again, they're winters where narrower tyres are the order of the day.

[1] Whatever was standard fit on 16" E39s always looked proper chunky.
 
sars said:
Not really, as they are a homologated size stated during the EU Type approval of the vehicle and the certificate of conformity thereto, ergo there is list of size combinations at the approval stage, of which I am using.

If you stay from that, which was my original plan going 245/40 R19 to get an equivalent diameter of 285/30 R20, then that would be against their specified wheel and tyre size combination, as stated in the manual.

The type approval is not based on the manufacturer or type of tyre, only it's size/alloy combination, they would not want to be tied to one manufacturer or type for redundancy, imagine if the MPSS were made obsolete during the mid life of the vehicle, they would have to go through type approval again to change the type or manufacturer, it would be untenable as they could not legally sell that car until the new type approval was given.

Anyhoo, do you guys not think it looks wrong? Going to measure the diameter later, that will give me a hint against a label error.
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So a 275/35 winter tyre is explicitly approved? on your existing rims?
 
Surely the sticker on the driver's door jamb will detail what size Winters are acceptable - although I realise you are having All Seasons rather than full Winters?
 
B21 said:
So a 275/35 winter tyre is explicitly approved? on your existing rims?
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Ah, so if I were to use a winter tyre, these are specified as 255/40 R18 all round for the M40i (full list here), would the type approval state a winter tyre as part of the sample vehicles, it would seem likely as most winter tyres are limited on speed rating, another reason why you have to select select the winter tyre size option in the menu. The question then is how does an all season tyre fit in, in the manual it just states that all season tyres give better winter characteristics than summer tyres, just not as good as winter tyres. The speed rating is the same as a summer tyre but it has the 3PMSF, BMW only specify M+S (winter) or HP (summer) tyres. But I can use the summer size setting of 275/35 R19 to set up the TPMS system, another reason I did not go with the 245/40 R19 set up.
 
sars said:
Ah, so if I were to use a winter tyre, these are specified as 255/40 R18 all round for the M40i (full list here), would the type approval state a winter tyre as part of the sample vehicles, it would seem likely as most winter tyres are limited on speed rating, another reason why you have to select select the winter tyre size option in the menu. The question then is how does an all season tyre fit in, in the manual it just states that all season tyres give better winter characteristics than summer tyres, just not as good as winter tyres. The speed rating is the same as a summer tyre but it has the 3PMSF, BMW only specify M+S (winter) or HP (summer) tyres. But I can use the summer size setting of 275/35 R19 to set up the TPMS system, another reason I did not go with the 245/40 R19 set up.
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So there’s no homologated non summer tyre in that size either of width or diameter…

Your dancing on the pin head of semantics trying to argue that an all season is closer to a summer tyre than a winter tyre..imho..😳

Look like the appropriate course of action would be to have an appropriate set of wheels with all seasons in their recommended sizes..🤔
 
Just add to this thread, I’ve fitted a set of Michelin CrossClimate 3 Sports to my M40i (19 inch wheels) and am very happy with both looks and ride. I appreciate its a personal preference, but I do like the look of the tyre wall design features Michelin incorporates into their new ‘sport’ edition crossclimates the chequered flags motif looks pretty cool 😎
 
Berneray said:
Just add to this thread, I’ve fitted a set of Michelin CrossClimate 3 Sports to my M40i (19 inch wheels) and am very happy with both looks and ride. I appreciate its a personal preference, but I do like the look of the tyre wall design features Michelin incorporates into their new ‘sport’ edition crossclimates the chequered flags motif looks pretty cool 😎
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Can you please post a picture of the rears please. Are you using OEM 9J x 19 fronts and 10J x 19 rears?
 
sars said:
Can you please post a picture of the rears please. Are you using OEM 9J x 19 fronts and 10J x 19 rears?
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Hi Sars, yes OEM wheels (Front: 255/35 ZR19
Rear: 275/35 ZR19) Don’t have pictures handy will see what I can do next couple of days. Why do you ask?
 
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