Michelin Alpin 7 vs Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3
In that test, the Pirelli established a clear performance lead across almost all safety-critical metrics on dry, wet, and snow, while the Michelin struck back in efficiency. If you're weighing outright grip and control versus lower rolling resistance (and the fuel/EV-range gains that can come with it), this comparison frames the trade-offs well.
Test Results
Independent comparison tyre tests are the best source of data to get tyre information from, and the good news is there have been one tests which compare both tyres directly!
| Tyre | Test Wins | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 | one |
While it might look like the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 is better than the Michelin Alpin 7 purely based on the higher number of test wins, tyres are very complicated objects which means where one tyre is better than the other can be more important in real world use.
Let's look at how the two tyres compare across multiple tyre test categories.
Key Strengths
- Lowest rolling resistance in the test (~8% lower than Pirelli), aiding fuel economy and EV range
- Consistent performance across winter disciplines, staying close on snow metrics
- Premium touring focus likely to suit long-distance and efficiency-minded drivers
- Strong brand reputation for durability and efficiency-focused compounds
- Best overall in the shared test (1/5), with broad-based performance leadership
- Meaningfully better wet security: ~5% shorter wet braking and ~8% faster wet handling
- Highest straight-line aquaplaning speed (+10%), boosting confidence in heavy rain and slush
- Across-the-board snow edge: shorter snow braking, better traction, and quicker snow handling
Dry Braking
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 was better during one dry braking tests. On average the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 stopped the vehicle in 2.44% less distance than the Michelin Alpin 7.
Best In Dry Braking: Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3
See how the Dry Braking winner was calculated >>
Wet Braking
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 was better during one wet braking tests. On average the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 stopped the vehicle in 5.41% less distance than the Michelin Alpin 7.
Best In Wet Braking: Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3
See how the Wet Braking winner was calculated >>
Wet Handling [s]
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 was better during one wet handling [s] tests. On average the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 was 7.91% faster around a wet lap than the Michelin Alpin 7.
Best In Wet Handling [s]: Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3
See how the Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Straight Aqua
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 was better during one straight aqua tests. On average the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 floated at a 9.3% higher speed than the Michelin Alpin 7.
Best In Straight Aqua: Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3
See how the Straight Aqua winner was calculated >>
Snow Braking
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 was better during one snow braking tests. On average the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 stopped the vehicle in 2.23% less distance than the Michelin Alpin 7.
Best In Snow Braking: Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3
See how the Snow Braking winner was calculated >>
Snow Traction
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 was better during one snow traction tests. On average the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 accelerated 4.15% faster than the Michelin Alpin 7.
Best In Snow Traction: Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3
See how the Snow Traction winner was calculated >>
Snow Handling [s]
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 was better during one snow handling [s] tests. On average the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 was 1.36% faster around a lap than the Michelin Alpin 7.
Best In Snow Handling [s]: Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3
See how the Snow Handling winner was calculated >>
Rolling Resistance
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Michelin Alpin 7 was better during one rolling resistance tests. On average the Michelin Alpin 7 had a 8% lower rolling resistance than the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3.
Best In Rolling Resistance: Michelin Alpin 7
See how the Rolling Resistance winner was calculated >>
Real World Driver Reviews
Tyre Reviews also collects real world driver reviews for the Michelin Alpin 7 and Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3.
In total the Michelin Alpin 7 has been reviewed 10 times and drivers have given the tyre 87% overall.
The Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 has been reviewed 2 times and drivers have given the tyre 81% overall.
This means in real world driving, people prefer the Michelin Alpin 7.
DRY
The tires have very good grip on dry, especially with acceleration.
Stopping distances seems reasonable but I didn't put them on extreme braking, as my driving is not that spirited.
The handling lacks a bit of a feeling and I suspect there is more wall flex, which is a trade off - a bit more floaty but with very good comfort.
Noise seems not a problem as well, if you listen you will hear it but otherwise, especially in the city, you barely notice it.
WET
In the wet, the tires also were OK. I drove fast on a very wet... Continue reading this review using the link below
The car feels confident on the curbs, yet comfortable and very quiet, even at 160kmph.
Tried them only on dry and wet and they feel much better compared to Hankook RS3 and Hankook Ventus Prime 4.
For braking I don’t feel any difference compared to the summer Hankooks i have, so that’s a good sign.
Can’t wait to test them in the proper winter conditions and i will come back with an update.
Conclusion
The Alpin 7's counterpunch is efficiency: its rolling resistance was about 8% lower, a tangible advantage for fuel economy and EV range over a full winter season. Given the single-test context (and that it was Pirelli-commissioned), we'd welcome more independent data across sizes. Still, if maximum grip and all-weather stopping are your top priority, the Pirelli looks like the safer bet today; if you're optimizing efficiency without straying from a premium winter option, the Michelin offers a compelling value angle.
Practical takeaway: choose Pirelli for the best safety margins in bad weather, choose Michelin to cut energy use and running costs while retaining solid winter competence.
Key Differences
- Wet handling: Pirelli 85.0s vs Michelin 92.3s (Pirelli ~7.9% quicker)
- Straight aquaplaning: Pirelli 86 km/h vs Michelin 78 km/h (Pirelli +10.3%)
- Wet braking: Pirelli 35 m vs Michelin 37 m (Pirelli ~5.4% shorter)
- Dry braking: Pirelli 40 m vs Michelin 41 m (Pirelli ~2.4% shorter)
- Rolling resistance: Michelin 6.9 kg/t vs Pirelli 7.5 kg/t (Michelin ~8% lower)
- Snow performance: Pirelli edges Michelin in braking (17.5 m vs 17.9 m), traction (3.0 s vs 3.13 s), and handling (80.0 s vs 81.1 s)
Overall Winner: Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3
Based on the tyre test data and user reviews we have in our database, the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 has demonstrated better overall performance in this comparison. However, as you can see from the spider diagram above, each tyre has its own strengths which should be considered in your final tyre buying choice.Similar Comparisons
Looking for more tyre comparisons? Here are other direct comparisons involving these tyres:
Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 Top Comparisons
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Footnote
This page has been developed using tyre industry testing best practices. This means we are only comparing tests which have had both tyres in the same test.
Why is this important? Tyre testing is heavily affected by things like surface grip levels and surface temperature, which means you can only compare values from the same day. During a tyre test external condition changes are calculated into the overall results, but it is not possible to calculate this between tyre tests performed on different days or at different locations.
As a result you will see other tests on Tyre Reviews which feature both the %s and %s, but as they weren't conducted on the same day, the results are not comparable.
Lots of other websites do this sort of tyre comparison, Tyre Reviews doesn't.