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Thoughts on Michelin Pilot Alpin 4 snow tires for 20" performance rims?

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I ran them all winter last season on my P3D+. Awesome winter performance tire. Run PS4’s in the Summer.
Read the TireRack reviews. Some good stuff and opinions there as well. Just as sticky and quiet as the PS4’s. Stellar in cold, wet conditions. Good in Snow.
However if you get ALOT of Heavy snow a dedicated non-performance winter may suit you better. Not that these don’t perform in snow just that a dedicated winter tire like Hakka’s or X-Ice may be better suited to your conditions.
A lot of people feel the PA4’s perforfirm better in cold wet winter roads. The Hakka’s and X’s are def NOT performance winters tho and you’ll get more squirmy less direct Perf qualities and characteristics.

Ski
 
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I had the Alpins on my car last year and need to switch out my summer tires soon. The Alpins drive about as well as the summer tires on cold dry and wet roads. So dry roads 0 deg and aggressive driving - no problem. I don't think performed better as snow tires than most all season tires I've had on my car. My A6 handled better in deep snow with its Conti DSW06 tires than my P3D+ did with the alpins. So the Alpins are *performance* "snow" tires. The alpins generate significantly louder road noise on some freeway surfaces than the stock summer tires. My impression about the Alpins in the deeps snow with the P3D+ is that they will get you going straight. Try turning in deep snow and you will still be going straight-ish. Do not accelerate out of a turn.
 
I installed PA4 245/35/20's on mine a couple of weeks ago. I went with the 245 based on advice from others in the forums to add a little more rubber which gives a small increase in rim protection. They ride fine and handle acceleration with ease. Time will tell how they hold up in actual snow conditions which we haven't seen yet. They do work really well in low temps, having driven a few times with temps in the high teens. My previous favorites on my last 3 BMW's (M3, M5, 340) were the Sottozero 3's but they aren't offered in the 245/35 variant so I'm rolling the dice on these.
 
PA4 are quieter than Pilot Super Sport (predecessor to PS4/PS4S) and cope well with continental winter conditions. In dry spring condition they give up very little to summer tires driving normally. Great tires. Never had a single issue
 
...I don't think performed better as snow tires than most all season tires I've had on my car. My A6 handled better in deep snow with its Conti DSW06 tires than my P3D+ did with the alpins. So the Alpins are *performance* "snow" tires...

The Alpins certainly aren't as good in deep snow as a less performance-oriented winter tire, but I'm gonna have to disagree with you about them not being better than all-seasons.

I also came from Audis (20 years of them, as a matter of fact) and between their front-heavy weight distribution and the mechanical (Torsen) quattro AWD system that most of them have had over the years, they behave quite differently in snow than the P3D. It takes a bit of time to adjust one's driving style to the rear-biased AWD system on the P3D...
 
Bumping this thread now that we're a couple months into winter, has your opinion of the Alpins changed at all? Especially in snowy conditions? I'm considering getting a set of these so I can drive up to Tahoe for skiing a few weekends during the snowy season, but the rest of the time will be spent on normal warm California roads. Would these be a good choice?
 
Bumping this thread now that we're a couple months into winter, has your opinion of the Alpins changed at all? Especially in snowy conditions? I'm considering getting a set of these so I can drive up to Tahoe for skiing a few weekends during the snowy season, but the rest of the time will be spent on normal warm California roads. Would these be a good choice?

The Pilot Alpins are good/very good in the snow, and excellent the rest of the time. They don't grip as well in the snow as a less performance-oriented winter tire, but the tradeoff is that they're far better in wet/dry conditions than those more hard-core winter tires. My purchase equation was that 95% of my winter driving would NOT be in snow, so don't compromise that 95% for the 5%.
 
I would agree with Zcd1. I've been happy with the performance of the PA4's in snow and rain and with the right PSI (45-46 for me) they are good in the dry weather as well. Overall, an outstanding tire in this size. If I didn't go for the 245 to have slightly more sidewall and puncture protection, I would probably have opted for the Sottozero 3's, that I've used before with very good results as well. To my knowledge they don't make a 245.


The Pilot Alpins are good/very good in the snow, and excellent the rest of the time. They don't grip as well in the snow as a less performance-oriented winter tire, but the tradeoff is that they're far better in wet/dry conditions than those more hard-core winter tires. My purchase equation was that 95% of my winter driving would NOT be in snow, so don't compromise that 95% for the 5%.
 
Since PA4's don't come in the standard XL rated size of 235/40R19, what 19" version would you recommend? Or would the NON XL 92V rated regular 235/40R19 be ok?

Or maybe 245/35R19? Arrrghh. Someone please help.

I run these as my winter tire. Get the Porsche N-spec version to get the model 3 235/40/19 size. The load rating of 92 is identical to the Performance 20" PS4S load rating. Telling the shop that you have a performance model will eliminate the need for discussion here. Should you need chains for very bad conditions, this particular N-spec tire runs wide and may cause fitment issue.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...dewall=Blackwall&partnum=34VR9PA4N0&tab=Sizes

XL load rating is explained poorly across the industry. It does not mean that 92 load rated tire caries less weight than a "92 XL" tire. The 92 is the bottom line. Take the 235/45/18 size for the Model 3. A load rating of 94 is the industry standard for this size. An "XL" in this size bumps it up to 98. This 98 is equivalent to any other tire with a 98 load rating.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/Tire...8&rearWidth=235/&rearRatio=45&rearDiameter=17

Screen Shot 2020-10-09 at 9.13.06 PM.png
 
I run these as my winter tire. Get the Porsche N-spec version to get the model 3 235/40/19 size. The load rating of 92 is identical to the Performance 20" PS4S load rating. Telling the shop that you have a performance model will eliminate the need for discussion here. Should you need chains for very bad conditions, this particular N-spec tire runs wide and may cause fitment issue.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...dewall=Blackwall&partnum=34VR9PA4N0&tab=Sizes

XL load rating is explained poorly across the industry. It does not mean that 92 load rated tire caries less weight than a "92 XL" tire. The 92 is the bottom line. Take the 235/45/18 size for the Model 3. A load rating of 94 is the industry standard for this size. An "XL" in this size bumps it up to 98. This 98 is equivalent to any other tire with a 98 load rating.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/Tire...8&rearWidth=235/&rearRatio=45&rearDiameter=17

View attachment 597083


Thanks. Why would telling the shop I have a performance model change anything? They already told me they wouldn’t install a tire out of spec vs what the oem calls for.