SUV and 4x4 Winter Ultra High Performance Tyres

Disclaimer1. I differentiate strongly between “winter” tires and “snow” tires with all snow tires being winter tires but not all winter tires being snow tires. By winter tires I mean tires driven under varied winter conditions including dry, wet, slushy and snow roads under 7C and by snow tires, tires that are particularly good in purely snowy conditions. For this reason living in a city I predominantly use winter tires but when I go skiing or to places with more snow I switch to snow tires. <br />
Disclaimer2. While my preferred summer tire is a Michelin I never chose Michelin winter tires (Pilot Alpin) as I find them exceptional in snow but not necessarily in overall winter conditions. This time I was forced to buy them as two full sets of my preferred Conti’s were warranty claimed with Continental (and claim accepted) and there was no other tire in my dimensions and in XL available. <br />
<br />
Plus<br />
Ultra quiet tire. While this is last on my list of requirements and one I don’t care about I have never driven on a tire that quiet – almost unnoticeable and this being said for a winter/snow tire. <br />
Best snow grip and traction. Very good breaking in the snow. Highly predictable driving. Probably best snow tires I have experienced across my winter tires to-date although Bridgestone Blizzak LM22 and Dunlop Wintersport M2/M3 I used as purely snow tires were also outstanding. <br />
Comfortable under low speeds up to 80kph. Especially predestined for cities and regular roads with lower than highway or expressway speed limits. <br />
<br />
Reservations<br />
Noticeable higher fuel consumption – on average almost 0.8-1.0 liter/100 km more. <br />
Very soft and overly too progressive. While this is expected from a snow tire with a snow compound they are too soft for my liking even though in Extra Load version and even though I had to add 0.3 bar pressure per tire. Still not what I would like them to be. The relative softness makes highway dynamic lane changing a poor experience and one that I am never sure how the tire is reacting. Similar when taking curves at higher speeds the lateral holding and stability are questionable or at least causing doubts/concerns. Nothing compared to proper UHP winter tires I have used to-date <br />
Lot’s of road feedback but in my opinion much too much especially above 80-100 kph. Perfect road/traction feedback up to 80kph<br />
Never sure how they are going to react under specific loads and driving conditions which probably is the worst thing to say about a tire. <br />
Limited FR protection.<br />
Highest speed index available for my tires was H (210kph) which is understood if these tires are snow tires. <br />
Also all four tires were so different that there was a problem with wheel balancing. Two were perfect, one ok and the fourth required extended road testing to get it within manufacturers norms. <br />
<br />
Conclusion<br />
Great for snow covered ski resorts and driving up to 80 km/h. I would definitely use them as a second set of tires dedicated to pure snowy conditions. Otherwise for winter slush and varied road conditions in city and on highway I would opt for other tires.

About 20000km driven ... Wet grip, dry grip, handling... Outstanding! Haven't been on snow or ice in Zagreb last couple of years but ... Definitly my 1st choice.

Ultra grip on any surface, where any other tire skids, blizzak lm25 climbs like on dry land. After 15 years, I still use them occasionally, I take off the new ones 2 years ago and drive without problems with blizzaklm25 in bad conditions. The rubber looks like new on the sidewalls, the tread is worn evenly, only a few superficial cuts from the tram track.

Based on the consistently excellent reviews of the Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV, I replaced my old set of Nokian WR3 SUV with the Michelins instead of the Nokian WR4 SUV, the successor to the WR3 SUV, and which is now itself outdated, as no longer listed on the Nokian website, but still available from online tire shops.<br />
<br />
Initially, the Pilot Alpin 5 SUV made a great impression for their grip, both in the dry and in the wet, and the quietness is just incredible in comparison with the Nokians. <br />
<br />
But: the real test was in the snow. They scared me off. At urban speeds (!) I slipped on snow when gently accelerating from stop and I slid sideways when driving on snow and on slush. This is miles away from the reassuring Nokians, which just ploughed the car through 10 cm of snow on the fast lane while the rest of the traffic was stuck behind lorries on the slow lane. What a bummer these Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 on my Tesla Model X… <br />
<br />
I should have gone for the Nokian WR4 SUVs…<br />
<br />
Would I buy them again? No. But I will keep driving them until they need replacement or the car will be replaced.

exellent grip,very very noisy tyres!

After watching a few tests, I decided to go with the Hankook Winter icept 3. They were significantly cheaper than other premium brands, but for a reason: my first impression was that they are harder. They perform fine on snow, although in the Balkans there isn’t much snow anymore, so I drove on snow maybe 10 days total. After half a year and about 5,000–8,000 km, I decided to replace them because the tires are very uncomfortable. (The vehicle is a Volvo XC60 — not the R-Design with the stiffer suspension.) Compared to my summer Michelins, which are even narrower (235/55 R19, while the Hankooks were 235/60 R18), the Michelins are two classes more comfortable. The icept 3 felt almost as uncomfortable as some run-flat tires. I’ve now replaced them with Continental Winter 870P, and it’s a much better tire than the i*cept 3 — the comfort is hugely improved, the noise is somewhat lower, and as for snow, there hasn’t been any yet so I can’t comment on that.

best studless winter tyre i ever had, my previous experience was Pirelli and Goodyear

Great tyre, it makes the car alive.

Hyundai Ioniq 5, very good all around winter tyre. Ice grip could be better for breaking and acceleration.

I had a set of these tires for my previous Renault Megane III. They were great for the first two years on snowy roads. But their performance started to decline on snow and ice year by year. We have used them for seven years even at summer times for about 60.000kms and still they had over 3 mm tire depth. They were fine on dry and wet surfaces, I had no issue. They are definetly price/performance tires. They are bit soft at cornering and high speed maneuvering and you don't feel confident with them at the high speed. But it does not bother me because I don't like speeding at winter times. Now I will buy a set for my Landrover Discovery 3. But honestly I will not prefer them for my Mercedes C200 4matic (Continental is my favourite).

I've been using the Michelin Latitude Alpin 2 on my 1997 Nissan Primera P11 for about 12 years and roughly 50,000 km. I drive with a light foot, mostly in everyday situations and the Autobahn, and live in Germany where winters can range from dry and wet to snowy and icy. Throughout all that, the tyres have always felt safe and reliable. They handled well in snow and slush, never slipped unexpectedly in the wet, and stayed comfortable and quiet on dry roads. Even now, they still have enough tread for another two or three winters, but I'm replacing them purely due to age. Overall, they've been incredibly dependable, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

I live in Vancouver, BC, and drive to the Whistler ski resort quite often. Most of the time, the roads are wet or slushy, we pretty much don't get ice or compacted snow. It is not easy to find good tyres for these conditions - often winter tyres struggle with traction on wet cold asphalt or slush.<br />
<br />
The Pilot Alpin 5 SUV have been incredible. They have so much traction, I feel like I can throw my heavy SUV around at speeds I wouldn't dare with previous tyres. I am very happy, these tyres have more grip than the summer tyres the car came with.