Recommendations for 19" Winter Tires: Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 or Vredestein

[Worldwide Beagle]

Yes, its a bit early, but I will be traveling a lot in early fall and need to sort this now for my AT. My work requires me to go from Denver to Vail, Aspen in the winter. Regardless of weather. Or time of day.

The two highest rated 245/45-19s out there that also have sufficient load classification for our Lucids are the Michi Pilot Alpin 5 and Vredestein. I have never owned the Pilot Alpins by many many Audi guys swear by them. I have used Vredesteins for decades on and off, usually for a value tire. Great Dutch company. Never had a winter tire of theirs. But both get really high ratings.

Blizzak does NOT make a good snow tire in that size. The ones Bridgestone makes are the LM series and not liked. These are not the Blizzaks that many, including me, adore. Same for Nokian. The Nokian Hakkapeliitta are great if you are deep snow and do not go on dry highway. I would rather have a root canal that buy Pirelli. I find the Dunlop winters to be just ok - nothing special. And while I love Conti AS, not so much for winter.

I will be getting a set of MSW or Sparco rims - trust me, in the Colorado mtns, over Loveland Pass in a snowstorm, rims get hammered. After 4 years, they are toast..

Thanks

 

[sk8ndad]

Yes, its a bit early, but I will be traveling a lot in early fall and need to sort this now for my AT. My work requires me to go from Denver to Vail, Aspen in the winter. Regardless of weather. Or time of day.

The two highest rated 245/45-19s out there that also have sufficient load classification for our Lucids are the Michi Pilot Alpin 5 and Vredestein. I have never owned the Pilot Alpins by many many Audi guys swear by them. I have used Vredesteins for decades on and off, usually for a value tire. Great Dutch company. Never had a winter tire of theirs. But both get really high ratings.

Blizzak does NOT make a good snow tire in that size. The ones Bridgestone makes are the LM series and not liked. These are not the Blizzaks that many, including me, adore. Same for Nokian. The Nokian Hakkapeliitta are great if you are deep snow and do not go on dry highway. I would rather have a root canal that buy Pirelli. I find the Dunlop winters to be just ok - nothing special. And while I love Conti AS, not so much for winter.

I will be getting a set of MSW or Sparco rims - trust me, in the Colorado mtns, over Loveland Pass in a snowstorm, rims get hammered. After 4 years, they are toast..

Thanks

Do you worry about the low clearance in the snow?

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

Do you worry about the low clearance in the snow?

Good question. No real issues with my "former" S7 with sort of low sport suspension. (My 2004 Audi allroad -A6 turbo - with pneumatic suspension was a monster in snow) I will NOT be going back country, just up I-70, which is USUALLY very plowed or very snow packed. Even in Denver and the foothills, having true Winter tires is helpful - for the winter part if not the snow. We had a few minus 20 deg days last winter.

 

[joec]

Good question. No real issues with my "former" S7 with sort of low sport suspension. (My 2004 Audi allroad -A6 turbo - with pneumatic suspension was a monster in snow) I will NOT be going back country, just up I-70, which is USUALLY very plowed or very snow packed. Even in Denver and the foothills, having true Winter tires is helpful - for the winter part if not the snow. We had a few minus 20 deg days last winter.

I didn't have any issues this past winter. I did have the Pirelli snow tires from Lucid installed at the time. The low clearance gives you pause in some spots, but I didn't end up with any issues. Car performed well in the winter, I'd say.

I would be curious to see what other winter tire options become available. I think Lucid is still too low volume to be sparking enough interest in making more options.

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

This is not a snow car. You will lose the wedges in front of the front tires, and the cooling vents will clog with slushy, salty, gritty ice, then freeze shut. Look at the front = lots of places for the freezing, salty, gritty slush thrown up by other vehicles to stick and clog. That tiny slit with the headlights will fill up and leave you blind.

A former NE skier here: we used to keep a beater car with proper snows and a set of chains, and shovels and a tow rope...typically had serious rust issues so no worries if we had to abandon it in the ditch. The Lucid, designed in CA and built in AZ...is the last car you want to drive in snow...all that mass...you'd never get it out, plus look at the underside...once you get in the deep stuff you have an unsteerable toboggan

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

A former NE skier here: we used to keep a beater car with proper snows and a set of chains, and shovels and a tow rope...typically had serious rust issues so no worries if we had to abandon it in the ditch. The Lucid, designed in CA and built in AZ...is the last car you want to drive in snow...all that mass...you'd never get it out, plus look at the underside...once you get in the deep stuff you have an unsteerable toboggan

So, Cosmo, tell us how you really feel?

Very good points. That coming from a former Connecticut teenager that used to get his parent's RWD Chevy station wagon off the highway in a snow bank on I 95 heading to VT. Repeatedly.

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

I have to check my "wedgies" every day. Glad they are not firmly attached because I don't want car parts to come off with them. Thinking about ordering extras. Expect I will lose them in the first significant snow...if that ever happens again. Seriously, the car is low, the front collects snow, and the flat bottom --- that car will float like a great pair of powder pigs.

My favorite snow car was an 80's Chevette 4-spd.

Light enough to push out of a snow bank, RWD with 50/50 weight balance, a set of snow tires and a shovel and I'd go out blasting drifts in the teeth of a snowstorm. Loved that car. Yes back in the day (NH skier) "drifting" meant something different. A close VT friend had a Valiant slant six with classic rust + duck tape. We'd put chains on and go out at night blasting to see how far we could get through drifts, get stuck, firedrill out and shovel like madmen..then back out and try it again... chains on the snow tires...can't stop us. I'm pretty sure most of the occupants were not sober... it was only us and the snow plows ... no sane person would go out in a winter Nor-Easter.

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

Not that I'm staying in if it ever does snow (we had zero last winter). Can't wait to try the lucid in a vast parking lot with boot-top powder, or boiler plate ice, but no way I'd take it to the mountains for skiing.

can you afford to be hit ?

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

I think I found the Valiant we used to drift in. Still on the road ... VT/NH doesn't really care much about safety inspections in the winter "beater" transportation segment. Yeah, the duck tape is missing but otherwise it looks just the same as the one we used. Driver door was on, but passenger door and broken trunk latch same same. Made it easier to jump out with snow shovels. Not all of the rear brake ventilation in the body was caused by rust...the chains would snap from spinning the wheel and slap the fender silly.

good times

 

[sk8ndad]

I went to high school in North Dakota and told my friends I was going to put a snow shovel in the back of my car and drive south. When someone asked me what it was, I’d drive another 100 miles and live there.

 

[JerseyStrong]

I have to check my "wedgies" every day. Glad they are not firmly attached because I don't want car parts to come off with them. Thinking about ordering extras. Expect I will lose them in the first significant snow...if that ever happens again. Seriously, the car is low, the front collects snow, and the flat bottom --- that car will float like a great pair of powder pigs.

My favorite snow car was an 80's Chevette 4-spd.
View attachment 13410
Light enough to push out of a snow bank, RWD with 50/50 weight balance, a set of snow tires and a shovel and I'd go out blasting drifts in the teeth of a snowstorm. Loved that car. Yes back in the day (NH skier) "drifting" meant something different. A close VT friend had a Valiant slant six with classic rust + duck tape. We'd put chains on and go out at night blasting to see how far we could get through drifts, get stuck, firedrill out and shovel like madmen..then back out and try it again... chains on the snow tires...can't stop us. I'm pretty sure most of the occupants were not sober... it was only us and the snow plows ... no sane person would go out in a winter Nor-Easter.

This is not a snow car. You will lose the wedges in front of the front tires, and the cooling vents will clog with slushy, salty, gritty ice, then freeze shut. Look at the front = lots of places for the freezing, salty, gritty slush thrown up by other vehicles to stick and clog. That tiny slit with the headlights will fill up and leave you blind.

A former NE skier here: we used to keep a beater car with proper snows and a set of chains, and shovels and a tow rope...typically had serious rust issues so no worries if we had to abandon it in the ditch. The Lucid, designed in CA and built in AZ...is the last car you want to drive in snow...all that mass...you'd never get it out, plus look at the underside...once you get in the deep stuff you have an unsteerable toboggan

what and where are the wedges?

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

looks like both of mine fell off on the way home from Meeting ... cloudburst left some pretty big puddles... doesn't take much to make them come off.... get down on your belly and look in front of the front wheels....maybe yours are already gone?

Be careful going over speed bumps, hitting potholes, and driving off-road. No way these things are going to stay on in snow. As I said: California / Arizona car engineered for pooltable- flat roads: no clue about driving in snow. Perhaps take them off now and keep them in the funk

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

The tabs clip back into the bottom pan. And the two push pins are missing from the back of each one. The push pins are common and I am sure local auto parts stores have them. One of mine came loose just rolling down the transport trailer ramp.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

I decided to go with the Michi Pilot Alpin 5 245-45-19 XL, with 102V load speed rating. Spoke with one of the test drivers at TireRack that tested these and the Vredesteins. The Michi are quieter - and better real road handling - the Vred were better on the track. The Michi are a bit stiffer. I know many Audi owners that have the Alpin 4 or 5, and they swear by them. Would have liked to get Blizzacks but the model in our 19" size is NOT the one that gets all the five star rave reviews.

 

[Bobby]

I decided to go with the Michi Pilot Alpin 5 245-45-19 XL, with 102V load speed rating. Spoke with one of the test drivers at TireRack that tested these and the Vredesteins. The Michi are quieter - and better real road handling - the Vred were better on the track. The Michi are a bit stiffer. I know many Audi owners that have the Alpin 4 or 5, and they swear by them. Would have liked to get Blizzacks but the model in our 19" size is NOT the one that gets all the five star rave reviews.

For those who need to learn a little bit more about load ratings, there is an extensive entry on that in the FAQ section of https://www.lucidupdates.com.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

Great FAQ. Something we never worried about until now, with HEAVY BEVs. The guys at Tire Rack were gushing that all the tire manufacturers were working on the new HL load rating tires, a step up from XL. We will see more HL rated performance A/S next spring - God willin and the creek don't rise.

The Michi Alpin 5, in our 19" size, load rating 102, is rated for 1874 lbs each tire. More than many of the A/S and summer Pirellis. It is VERY common that ALL true winter tires have higher load limits that comp A/S tires because you are driving them in shit conditions.

 

[xponents]

Great FAQ. Something we never worried about until now, with HEAVY BEVs. The guys at Tire Rack were gushing that all the tire manufacturers were working on the new HL load rating tires, a step up from XL. We will see more HL rated performance A/S next spring - God willin and the creek don't rise.

The Michi Alpin 5, in our 19" size, load rating 102, is rated for 1874 lbs each tire. More than many of the A/S and summer Pirellis. It is VERY common that ALL true winter tires have higher load limits that comp A/S tires because you are driving them in shit conditions.

TBF even gasoline cars are quickly approaching the need for those load ratings, take the g70 7 series as an example.

 

[stratus]

Cosmo makes some great points. From my own experience this winter in abundant Idaho snow, the car performed very well, and I just had the all seasons. Had several run ins with snow of 6 inches or more with no issues, even going up steep inclines. I had the most trouble on hard pack and ice , with a bit of slipping and sliding. For that reason, I will be getting snow tires this winter.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

@stratus, you also make a good point: hard back, ice and blue ice. On my Audis, I also found that Conti DWS' A/S tires with Audi Quattro AWD did really ok in an inch or three or four of snow. Never stuck, but they fell short on hardpack and especially blue ice.

For decades living in the CO mtns, I am used to relying on dedicated winter wheels and tires. Hell, my first Audi in the 1980s had STEEL winter wheels with hubcaps! Colorado LOVES uses grit on the road in winter. CO is the NUMBER ONE state for windshield replacement due to stone damage.

And in Denver last winter, temps went down to -25 F. My Blizzaks did great, wife's Conti DWS A/S not so much. Since my new to me AT has the beautiful 21" wheels with the infamous summer Pirellis, I had no choice but to get a winter set.

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

Have used both brands (at different times) on Volvo R wagons.
Concur on the Alpins. Used them to go skiing several seasons with no issues. They are nice.
Blizzacks are excellent hard-core snow tires (good for ice)...likely more than most people need. You give up some performance but after all = snow tires.
Vredesteins have a rep as being outstanding dedicated winter tires (but not suitable for the R wagons).

Bobby, I could not find your bit on load ratings, but want to mention that I understand it's more than just the mass of the vehicle that is our concern, it's also how fast you are going to go (which is why I never tried them on the R)
= if you're on the Autobahn, you're going to need a higher load rating.
Our Lucid qualifies on both counts, so we are looking for the highest possible load rating. Do I have this right?

Had several run ins with snow of 6 inches or more with no issues, even going up steep inclines.

In my experience most A/S tires can handle just snow.

I had the most trouble on hard pack and ice , with a bit of slipping and sliding. For that reason, I will be getting snow tires this winter.

Good. Glad to hear it. This car is a torque monster. I've gotten myself sideways on the Zero A/S on dry pavement just pulling out of the neighborhood...this May (t-shirt temps). The recovery was excellent but had that been snow....I'd be in the ditch. I thought I was a better pilot than that, but I'm constantly underestimating this car. Note: I have never been out of "Smooth" mode (5500 mi). I don't need any more torque, thanks. I bought this car for the range.