Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 vs. Pilot Alpin 5

[JohnEnglish]

Does anyone have any experience with the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 vs the Pilot Alpin 5? I noticed that the tread pattern has been completely revised for the 5 (asymmetrical on the PA4 and symmetrical, unidirectional on the 5) but the PA4 seems to have higher ratings on various tire sites despite being the older tire.

[Burrcold]

Different car, but I'm running the PA5's now and always ran PA4's before on all my cars. Despite the very different looking tread patterns, they ride very similar in my opinion (good grip in the snow (not great), amazing on dry cold roads). Very little trade-off in performance from an all season. They make me nervous though because of the low stock of them at most tire shops...at least in the size I need. Gotta be extra cautious not to get a flat.

[JohnEnglish]

Thanks. I was asking because I was a bit surprised at the difference in ranking between the two tires on a lot of sites. The PA4 is almost always in 1st place and the 5 is usually in 3rd or 4th place. Driving in snow isn’t really a concern for me since the roads around me are cleared and salted pretty quickly. It’s usually just parking lots or side streets after a particularly heavy snow fall where I’d face any real accumulation. Most of the time it would be cold, dry roads or cold, slushy roads.

If they’re basically the same then I’ll go for the 5 since it comes in more sizes. I don’t think I’ll need them until next winter though.

[Burrcold]

Thanks. I was asking because I was a bit surprised at the difference in ranking between the two tires on a lot of sites. The PA4 is almost always in 1st place and the 5 is usually in 3rd or 4th place. Driving in snow isn’t really a concern for me since the roads around me are cleared and salted pretty quickly. It’s usually just parking lots or side streets after a particularly heavy snow fall where I’d face any real accumulation. Most of the time it would be cold, dry roads or cold, slushy roads.

If they’re basically the same then I’ll go for the 5 since it comes in more sizes. I don’t think I’ll need them until next winter though.

The dry performance is why I like them as well. In that respect, I can't tell a difference (good thing). Maybe more serious snow and ice will show a difference, hence the lower rating? I'm not really concerned about that. We got a good snowfall over the past few weeks and they performed just fine.

[JohnEnglish]

The dry performance is why I like them as well. In that respect, I can't tell a difference (good thing). Maybe more serious snow and ice will show a difference, hence the lower rating? I'm not really concerned about that. We got a good snowfall over the past few weeks and they performed just fine.

Good, that’s the kind of answer I was hoping for. Serious snow and ice really isn’t an issue here and if we do get a big dumping, I’m not going out anyway.

[o1turbo30v]

PA4's are old man, the PA5 is the real deal, Tyre Reviews which is a great outlet did a test with those, worth a watchhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buuj99zFXvo

[JohnEnglish]

PA4's are old man, the PA5 is the real deal, Tyre Reviews which is a great outlet did a test with those, worth a watchhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buuj99zFXvo

It's actually because of the Tyre Review website that I’m asking. Their performance winter tire ranking chart has the PA4 in first place and the PA5 in fifth.

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre-Typ...ormance-Tyres/

[LSxWittles]

Ran PA4s on my B8 S5 for two seasons (Michigan, lot of lake effect snow) and have now run PA5s on my SQ5 for two seasons. From my experience, the PA4s handled the snow, ice and slush much better than the 5s. Now this could be due to different vehicles but its enough to not give much confidence in any of our usual storms. However, have a friend who runs them on their X3m and swears by them so *shrug*. I'll probably go x-ice for my next set. Not sure this is helpful but figured I'd give my 2 cents after 4 years with both tires.