Nitto Crosstek 2 Review: The Perfect Tire for Dry Roads and Gravel with Exceptional Performance
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Pros
- Good stability on the highway
- Stable and safe cornering
- Tough and durable casing means you can use these tires on dirt and gravel
- Very good treadwear warranty and excellent treadlife
- Smooth ride quality
- Quiet on the highway
Cons
- Wet traction, handling, and braking are below average
- Average hydroplaning resistance
- Light-snow traction is far from the best highway all-season tires
- Expensive for the performance it offers
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There is no dearth of sport utility vehicles (SUVs), crossover vehicles (CUVs), or pickup trucks on the market today. To meet the ever-increasing demand, it would appear that each and every automaker has at least one model in their lineup that fits this description.
Many tire manufacturers took advantage of this opportunity to introduce brand new tires. Take the case of Toyo’s subsidiary Nitto as an illustration of this. The Japanese tire manufacturer was mostly recognized for the low prices and high performance of its tires, but at the moment, the firm is making significant investments in the production of tires for SUVs, crossover vehicles, and trucks.
Nitto, just as with their other products, adheres to the maxim “offering more performance for less money,” which has served them well up until this point in time. The Nitto Crosstek 2, the company’s highway all-season tire, goes up against products from other manufacturers such as General Tire, Cooper Tire, Kumho, and Hankook.
To put it another way, Nitto does not want you to believe that its products are available at low prices. Although the Crosstek 2 is an affordable choice, there are other solutions available on the market that are even more cost effective. The question that should really be asked is, “Is it any good?”
In order for the Nitto Crosstek 2 to be a viable option for purchasers, it must achieve good performance across the board. Each of this tire’s rivals offers a ride that is comfortable, dependable, and long-lasting, as well as a driving experience that is safe and trustworthy on both dry and wet surfaces.
It is true that each highway all-season tire has its own unique characteristics, but these distinctions are not nearly as significant as some people may believe they are. Sincerity demands that by the year 2020, each and every tire should be fully risk-free to drive on, regardless of the conditions.
In my comprehensive reviews of the Nitto Crosstek 2, I will do my best to respond to all of these questions. You may learn about all of the features of the tire, as well as its performance in actual driving conditions, by reading this article. In addition, I looked into what other people have to say about the Crosstek 2, mostly concerning its longevity and its durability.
The Nitto Crosstek 2 is available in a wide range of sizes, which is one of the numerous advantages of this shoe. The highway all-season tire produced by the Japanese company is available in wheel diameters ranging from 16 inches to 22 inches. These sizes cover a sizeable percentage of the market for SUVs, crossovers, and trucks.
Having said that, the Crosstek 2 is classified as a highway tire, which indicates that it is more ideally suited for use on larger automobiles. Nitto even has LT-metric sizes, often known as Light Truck sizes, which are ideal for pulling huge trailers and transporting a considerable deal of heavy freight onboard.
Therefore, the Crosstek 2 is most suited for mid-size and large sport utility vehicles (SUVs), as well as Class 1 and Class 2a light pickup trucks, at least in my perspective. Touring tires don’t have the load-carrying capacity of highway tires, but they typically offer superior overall handling on dry and wet roads than highway tires do. Owners of lighter crossovers might look into purchasing touring tires.
After this point has been made clear, let’s proceed to discussing the elements that Nitto incorporated into the Crosstek 2 in order to make it an attractive option for drivers of light trucks in North America.
What are the features of the Nitto Crosstek 2?
The compound is then molded into an asymmetric tread pattern, which incorporates numerous characteristics that were borrowed from Toyo’s tires. When creating the tread pattern, obviously enhancing how well it performed in the rain was the primary focus.
The Crosstek 2 has three large circumferential grooves that direct water away from the tire and away from the tread pattern. This should improve with the resistance to hydroplaning, particularly in conditions with heavy rain. On the other hand, I feel obligated to point out that the highway all-season tires of some of my competitors feature four circumferential grooves.
Nitto, in its defense, claims that simulation testing revealed that the tread block and pattern design help to offer a contact patch and better hydroplaning resistance during severe braking. This is something that I will most certainly concentrate on when conducting the assessment of the wet-pavement traction, so stay tuned for that!
In addition to this, the tread blocks have 3D Multi-Wave sipes, which are designed to provide additional biting edges. It is unlikely that you will find this feature on very many tires, therefore it will be fascinating to find out if it is of any use during the winter months. Because the sipes interlock with one another, the structure ought to be more stable when driven at faster speeds.
Nitto also placed a significant emphasis on user convenience and satisfaction. The tread pattern of the Crosstek 2 was developed primarily to lessen the amount of noise produced by the vehicle when traveling at highway speeds. The circumferential grooves and numerous serrations on the walls of the tread reduce “pipe resonance noise.”
To put it simply, when a tire rolls on a surface, the circumferential grooves transform into pipes and make noise; this is the situation with every tire. However, in this case, the serrations create turbulence in the air and reduce the amount of noise caused by resonance.
What are maintenance indicators?
On the Crosstek 2, Nitto incorporates their standard set of visible treadwear indicators. However, in comparison to other solutions on the market, theirs is the most cutting-edge since in addition to providing a view into the tread depth, it also monitors the alignment.
The business calls these Visible Treadwear Indicators, and they are placed in six different points across the tread pattern. These positions include the shoulder ribs. As a consequence of this, the driver is able to monitor not only how much tread is still present on the tire, but also whether or not one side of the tire wears faster than the other, which indicates alignment issues.
Because of this, the organization ensures that the drivers rotate the tires on a regular basis, which is a critical step for ensuring passenger safety. As is the case with all other varieties of highway all-season tires, the Crosstek 2 has a minimum tread depth of 2/32 inches, which is required for safe wet traction and braking.
Because a tire’s resistance to hydroplaning decreases as it wears, it goes without saying that I advise replacing the tires well in advance of reaching that point. To put it another way, you shouldn’t wait until the tread is even with the Visible Treadwear Indicators before you replace it.
The Crosstek 2 has a treadwear warranty of 60,000 miles for S- and -T-Speed rated models, and a treadwear warranty of 50,000 miles for H- and -V-Speed models, as well as LT-metric vehicles. This is a great benefit for consumers. The length of the guarantee seems appropriate given the cost.
In addition, I discovered that most owners are pleased with the treadlife of this tire, which is quite impressive when considering the cost.
How does it behave on a dry tarmac?
The Nitto Crosstek 2 performs a fantastic job of delivering high levels of grip on dry pavement. In addition, the steadiness on the highway is excellent, which is a trait that many people who own trucks may value highly.
Additionally, there is reasonable cornering grip, although it is not extraordinary, and the braking performance is above average. Nevertheless, when used for normal driving, the tire is sensitive to the input of the driver and provides safe and dependable performance.
In general, the Crosstek 2’s characteristics won’t blow your mind, but it’s still a competent highway tire.
How is it over wet and slippery roads?
To tell you the truth, I had higher hopes for the Crosstek 2 when driving on wet roads. Despite the characteristics that Nitto incorporated into the tire, it has a wet performance that is worse than the category average.
On wet asphalt, the Crosstek 2 is already in a disadvantageous position in comparison to other similarly priced competitors in terms of its grip and traction capabilities.
In addition to that, the resistance to hydroplaning isn’t exactly top-notch either. When driving in wet circumstances, especially over pools of water, you should anticipate that your vehicle will veer from side to side.
With that being said, how is it on snowy roads?
There is not a single all-season tire out there that I am confidently able to say performs really well in snowy circumstances. Even taking all of that into consideration, the Crosstek 2 is a major letdown.
The traction is merely average over light snow, but what’s more essential is that the stopping distances are exceptionally long. Additionally, the tires do not handle snow in a safe manner, which requires the driver to remain vigilant at all times.
Is it suitable for off-road driving?
Nitto regains its credibility as an off-road manufacturer with the release of the Crosstek 2. Even though this isn’t an off-road tire, you’ll be pleasantly pleased by how well it grips hardpacked surfaces (such as dirt and gravel).
In addition, the tread compound looks to be of sufficient strength, particularly on LT-metric versions, which means that you won’t have to worry about damaging the tire. Having said that, you won’t be able to use the Crosstek 2 for driving in mud or over rocks that are too huge.
Is it comfortable and refined?
I was pleasantly taken aback by how well the Crosstek 2 performed in the comfort department. When traveling on the highway, the ride is extremely comfortable, and the tire performs admirably even when it goes over larger potholes. In addition, even on larger sizes, noise is not a problem when traveling at highway speeds.
You may read other reviews of the Nitto Crosstek 2 here: videos that have been produced by NittoCROSSTEK
Should I buy the Nitto Crosstek 2?
Unfortunately, the Crosstek 2 is not one of the products that I would recommend to others. It’s not that the tire doesn’t have any redeeming qualities; for example, it’s really good at driving on dry roads, and it might even come in handy for some minor off-roading.
However, because of its poor performance in the rain and snow, as well as its lackluster traction and stopping power, it is very difficult to recommend, particularly in light of the fantastic results achieved by its rivals.
In addition, the price of the Nitto Crosstek 2 is significantly higher than it ought to have been considering its numerous drawbacks.
