A winter tyre designed for urban, compact and family cars, the Michelin Alpin 5 offers optimal safety on dry, wet or snow-covered roads throughout the winter.

Safety: grip on cold wet roads optimised by the use of the Helio Compound 4G rubber which contains sunflower oil for use in low temperatures, high silica content, and elastomers to produce a more homogenous product.  High resistance to aquaplaning thanks to the lateral grooves, positioned for rapid water drainage.

Drivability: better traction on snow-covered surfaces thanks to the gripping edges formed by the high sipe density. Improved traction on snow thanks to its high void ratio and serrated directional tread.

Handling: StabiliGrip technology offers driving precision, tread blocks with auto-blocking multi-directional sipes.

MICHELIN ALPIN 5: IMPROVED PERFORMANCE, GREATER VERSATILITY

Michelin Total Performance has become the benchmark for technical development for all the new tyres produced by the Clermont Ferrand-based manufacturer. Behind this label is a commitment to developing all areas of performance.

A tyre for October to April 

Statistics show that winter tyres in European countries outside of Scandinavia, are mainly used on clear roads. Figures from a study carried out by the University of Dresden VUFO, show that 57% of winter road accidents take place on dry surfaces. 

This finding encouraged Michelin to develop this tyre to meet the real needs of the users of this tyre which offers optimum security on all road surfaces in cold weather. 

An uncompromising approach to development

In order to develop this tyre, Michelin has worked on the rubber, the structure and tread design of the tyre to offer optimum grip in all types of conditions a winter tyre might be required to deal with: snow, ice, dry, wet etc.

The tread has a more marked V-shaped tread design than its predecessor, making use of Stabiligrip technology to improve drivability on snow surfaces, and increase water dispersal.

The Alpin 5 has more grooves than the Alpin 4, an increase of 17%, which improves its grip on snow.

The Helio Compound 4G mix (4th generation) provides more flexibility and, as a result, better grip.

Handling

The handling test run was set up to demonstrate benefits of having an all-purpose winter tyre when the thermometer dips to 0°C or below, as the following figures show:

'On dry surfaces, when braking from 80 to 0 kmph with an outside temperature of between 4 and 6°C, a winter tyre will brake 4 metres before a summer tyre, and 1.5 metres before when going from 50 to 0 kmph.'

A bold strategy and a bold statement, which show just how important it was for Michelin to demonstrate the tyre’s overall performance, not just in snowy conditions. The tyre manufacturer, therefore gave us the opportunity to travel through the Tyrol in a range of medium-sized saloons (Audi A3, Volvo V40, BMW 320d GT) through a variety of winding roads.

This demanding trial revealed a responsive, balanced tyre that meets with the highest standards of versatility. From the rough roads of the Austrian passes to the open motorways, the tyre works in perfect harmony with the vehicles used.

In conclusion to the test run Michelin gave us the chance to compare the Alpin 5 to its summer equivalent (Primacy 3) on thin surfaces in order to assess its lateral grip, drivability and braking distances. In these conditions, the new winter tyre won hands down, and clearly demonstrated the competitiveness of its tread design and the undeniable advantages it offers in terms of safety.

The Alpin 5 is designed for use with compact vehicles, medium saloons and saloons.  It is available in dimensions from 195/65 R15 91T to 225/55 R17 101V.