In late October 2026, eight all-weather tires went through the same braking, handling, and wet-and-dry gauntlet. The top two finished in a dead heat.
Michelin's CrossClimate 2 AW and Continental's SecureContact AW shared first place overall in the Tyre Reviews comparison.
The size tested was 235/45 R18, a common fitment on midsize sedans and crossovers. Michelin and Continental got there through opposite strengths.
The Michelin CrossClimate 2 AW and Continental SecureContact AW finished joint first in the Tyre Reviews test, ahead of six rivals that included the Bridgestone WeatherPeak, Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady 2, Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive, Hankook Weatherflex GT, Falken Aklimate, and Atturo AZ810.
Michelin posted the shortest dry-braking distance in the whole test, stopping from 62 mph in 38.8 meters. Test drivers also gave it the strongest subjective scores for dry and snow handling.
Continental's case rests on wet pavement. It recorded the shortest wet-braking distance in the comparison, stopping from 50 mph in 31.97 meters, and it led the field in wet handling and the wet circle test.
Neither tire is flawless. Michelin ranked among the loudest on pass-by noise and carried the highest cost per warranted mile in the test. Continental's weak point was aquaplaning resistance, a trade-off worth weighing against where and how a driver uses the car.
Snow is where the two tires split most clearly. Michelin's CrossClimate 2 AW won outright on snow handling, with testers rating its steering response and stability on packed snow above every other tire in the field.
Continental finished second in that same snow-handling test, and the SecureContact AW matched the Michelin in measured snow traction. That means it could claw away from a stop or on an incline just as effectively, even though Michelin stayed ahead through corners and on ice.
The Bridgestone WeatherPeak landed near the back of the overall results, well behind the two leaders and the Goodyear entry. That affects shoppers who assumed an all-weather badge guarantees comparable winter grip across brands.
It's a reminder that all-wheel drive in snow still depends heavily on the tire doing the actual gripping.
What do you think?
Rolling resistance also favored Continental, which posted the second-lowest figure in the test and should translate into a small efficiency edge over a full year of driving.
For drivers cross-shopping tires the way they compare Firestone against Bridgestone, the lesson here is the same: read past the overall score to the category that matches the local climate and commute.
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Source: Tyre Reviews
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Extracted and lightly reformatted for readability. · Source: en