Michelin Alpin A4 tyre review

Its days on sale are numbered, but this winter tyre is still well worth considering.

This is likely to be the last time we see the Alpin A4 in our winter tyre tests, as Michelin has launched the new A5 since we carried out our assessment. Still, the outgoing tyre remains a good choice and, for once, Michelin is among the least expensive options.

It’s still competitive and proved a close match for the new Uniroyal – this bodes well for the new Alpin, which promises improvements in just about every area. The A4 was quickest around the wide snow circle and took third around the twists and turns of Ivalo’s handling track. The rear moved, but it was easy to keep in check and helped the lap time.

The Michelin was up there with the best in the braking and traction tests, too. It wasn’t quite so close to the front runners in the wet, but performed solidly, feeling sharp on the handling track as it finished fourth, around a second behind the winner. It trailed a little further in wet braking, and like other tyres was caught out by the curved aquaplaning test’s deep water, slipping to a distant sixth.

It was also close to the pace in dry handling, taking third in a tight field. In dry braking it need less than two metres longer to stop from 62mph than the top Nokian. No doubt one of the areas the A5 will be keen to tackle is economy as the A4 uses around two per cent more fuel than the Conti. Even so, it had the edge over most rivals, finishing fourth here.