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2Addicts | BMW 2-Series forum Technical Topics Wheels and Tires -- Sponsored by The Tire Rack Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4

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      11-30-2021, 07:41 PM   #1
cooolone2
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Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4

Curious if anyone here has run these and your thoughts...

Winter setup, square 225/40R18 on staggered wheels. Specs says good for 7.5”-9” wheels, so should be good to go.

I've read a few wrote ups on them and they have great reviews (Tire Rack).

Thanks for your thoughts!
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      12-01-2021, 07:18 AM   #2
rtl32
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I have the x-ice3 and absolutely love them. Little squirmy in the dry but I'm not one to be pushing super hard in winter temps anyway. PA4 will likely be much more dry oriented. Its a performance tire with a winter compound whereas the Xice is a snow tire.

Go 7.5 inch rim on 225 or it will look stretched. If you want these for snow keep 225 if you are looking for a winter compound performance tire go wider. Just my 2 cents.
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      12-03-2021, 07:54 PM   #3
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I run 225/40 PA4's on a set of 18 x 8 BBS wheels on my '18 m240i xdrive (square setup). I live in Denver and regularly drive up to the mountains in snowy conditions with this setup. Yes - they are a winter compound tire and are a little loose when cornering on dry pavement but they do well on snow if you attenuate your driving accordingly. So far they're wearing well. I'm heading into my 3rd season in this set and hoping for some actual snow drive in sometime soon.
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      12-05-2021, 08:00 AM   #4
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I run 225/40/18 on the stock wheels, and I also live in Denver. Tires are great in the snow and have a surprising amount of grip in the dry as well. Like ZeeJM said, they are wearing really well. I'm going into my 4th season with them and still plenty of tread left. I would easily buy them again.

I drove a friend's 235i xdrive who was on the Michelin Xice 3. His did slightly better in the deep snow on a frozen lake, but the dry handling of the Alpin PA4 is more than worth the tradeoff.
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      12-05-2021, 10:00 PM   #5
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Thanks for the feedback! I got a square set on my staggered wheels, a slight stretch in the rear but nothing you can really notice! I'm looking forward to checking them out in the snow. Did a short trip with them and road noise wasn't really too bad and handled well (dry & warm outside).

That said, I'm not too happy with the BMW dealer as I also did an alignment, but they introduced a slight pull to the right and they will be hearing about it for sure. Was a $600 oil change, hahahaha

Free oil change but while it's there you let them do other stuff... I'll learn
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      12-07-2021, 10:47 AM   #6
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I've also got square 225/40/18s (x-ice 3's) on the staggered stockies. No problem stretching them on the rears. Last year I was glad to have the x-ice 3's instead of PA4's with how much snow Reno got, but this year has been incredibly mild so far and the PA4's would probably have been better. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best, I suppose.
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      12-16-2021, 04:51 PM   #7
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I had square 225/40R18 PA4s on my M235 with the OEM staggered wheel setup. The 225s on the 18X8 rear wheel will look stretched a bit. The tires were good in the snow and below 40 degrees. Even in the dry cold they were pretty dismal in threshold braking and obviously cornering. They worse fast too (pretty much done with 15K miles).

Since we get less than 24" of snow in my area and I tend to avoid driving right after it snowed, I went with Pilot All Season 4s and I'm MUCH happier. They look far better, handle far better in all conditions except for deeper snow. Winter temps can vary from -5 to 60 degrees in the Kansas City winter and rarely due sub 20 degree temps last more than a few days before getting back into the 30s or higher. As such, I find the Pilot All Season 4s a better choice for my driving and area. The Pilot All Season 4s are better than my Conti DWS I had on my WRX and the DWS was quite remarkable in the snow for an all season tire.
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      12-18-2021, 10:22 AM   #8
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Also have PA4s (225/40) on the stock wheels (for some reason mine are a 7.5 square setup? so they fit fine).

They've been great so far, no real road noise and after a season they look brand new. They drive great in the dry, can't even tell it's a Winter tire. The few snow days I've had have been solid too, no unwanted sliding and confidence inspiring.

I had the XI3 on my 128i and I found them to be pretty poor in the wet and I feel like during the Winter I drive more in the wet than in the snow. Couple of time when the tires were colder I couldn't get ANY traction on an on-ramp, think baby deer on ice. They were a bit older so not sure if that was more the issue.
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      12-18-2021, 12:02 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1more1 View Post
Also have PA4s (225/40) on the stock wheels (for some reason mine are a 7.5 square setup? so they fit fine).

They've been great so far, no real road noise and after a season they look brand new. They drive great in the dry, can't even tell it's a Winter tire. The few snow days I've had have been solid too, no unwanted sliding and confidence inspiring.

I had the XI3 on my 128i and I found them to be pretty poor in the wet and I feel like during the Winter I drive more in the wet than in the snow. Couple of time when the tires were colder I couldn't get ANY traction on an on-ramp, think baby deer on ice. They were a bit older so not sure if that was more the issue.
The biggest weakness of the Xi3 is the wet braking traction in my experience. The soft tread blocks seem to fold over when you get to about 70% braking potential, then the ABS just cuts in prematurely and you end up with unexpectedly long stopping distances. On dry surfaces I think the folded tread blocks just tend to shred on the edges, going by the feathering of the rubber, but the braking is OK compared with wet surfaces. The Sottozero 3 tyres that I use are much better than the Xi3 for mixed winter conditions where there are a lot of periods with dry or wet roads compared with snow or ice covered and comparable to the PA4 (based on my previous use of PA3 tyres).
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