wgnlust

That's gotta feel good, not factoring idiot drivers. Funny how braking is really the key IMO.
I opted from MB Winter Package, but went offset setup since its El Nino in MI except for the past week. I figured if it stayed warmer and dry, I'd appreciate a little more girth and if it sucked I could always get a pair to make it square.
Haven't taken it out into the tundra yet, but will report back. Probably should have just gone with square but figured what the hell...
More reporting to come soon.

End of the day, it's all about making it functional AND fun, right?

maxswede

got pics of the setup?

wgnlust

Sorry for the delay

maxswede

this looks awesome! thanks so much for sending. are the rears 295/35r19?

ska597

Always love to what people replaced their wagons with? What did you get?

wgnlust

Yes, that's the size on rears. Fronts are 265/40r19. I was not very impressed with aftermarket options and additional fitment complications, in part due to time constraints. Tires are PA4s and have the 'MO' logo. They showed up to the dealership mounted/balanced with TPMS ready to go. My local dealer handles swaps/storage for a small fee, so this was an easy button for me. I also like the the look of these AMG rims for off-season use. It really comes down to time vs money and there are obviously cheaper options. Winters in Michigan on my OE rims was NOT happening. (IT Guy might be running the same but square, his photos helped a ton)
Hope this helps?

I.T. Guy

I did not know there was a non-square option for these rims!
My soul hurts a little bit with the smaller 265 rear tires. I tell myself narrower is better for snow, but is it really?! My inner Joe-Dirt is sad.
Congrats, they look great.

wildta

How do the Michelin Alpins fare in the shoulder months or warm dry days (50-65F or 10-18C) in terms of handling and comfort/noise? Just curious because I live in SoCal and I drive up to the mountains in the winter but to get there, I'm driving in sunny and dry ~60F temps until I arrive in the mountain wintry weather.

maxswede

they look really great. I have the square setup like ITGuy and staggered looks much better with extra tire beef!

I'm actually ordering a staggered set with summer tires for more side wall but getting summer performance.

@wgnlust can I ask what you paid at the dealer for the set? I'm deciding whether to buy new or used.

Thanks!

wgnlust

I generally drive a little more conservative with winter shoes on, at least in corners. I had a bit of driving today, some highway and some back roads. Noise isn't noticeably different than the Pirelli crap that came on my car. Upper 80s was very comfy with no noticeable hum. A little more meat with the 19s in comfort mode given Michigan winter road conditions is definitely a plus... can't avoid every hole when I'm in traffic.

wgnlust

I gotta figure out how to get better at responding.
@maxswede It was $5200 out the door at my dealership for the set. They charge $100 for swap and storage, so that included hiding my summer set somewhere.

Serhan

Michelin Alpins are on their third winter on my GLB. I don't see any problem driving in 50-65F weather as we are having mild winters last a few years in NYC. Also I drove in 70-80F with no problems during Fall/Spring temp swings. They are softer tires than the PS AS4 so more comfortable to drive. Even a coworker who switched to CrossClimates on his Tesla found them softer than the previous regular A/S tires.

wildta

Thanks. How was noise and comfort? Reviews rate them pretty good. My current winter Pirelli tires will last this season but next season I'll need a new set.

Serhan

Comfort is top rated per tyrereview review. His scoring table:
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre-Tes...-Tyre-Test.htm

Tire rack also put the noise at best in their comparison:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=284

My comparison to Conti 6 summer tires and Michelin PS AS 4, Alpin 5 is more comfortable and might be even less noisy esp when there is coarse asphalts surface. The performance was good when I tested up to 90mph on dry roads, but of course they are not responsive as the summer / AS UHP tires. On frozen wet road after a cold night, they are much better than PS AS 4 and wet braking is comparable...

Jdema

Is this winter set still available?

ska597

I live in Boston, but will routinely leave the Alpins on until end of April or May because that’s when my tyre installer starts making rounds swapping tyres. I get them installed late fall, so close to November so usually the weather around that time ranges between 40-55 degrees. To answer your question, it’s perfectly fine during mildly cool weather and even warmer weather. From my understanding winter tyres can be used during warm/hot weather more capably than summer tyres during cool/cold weather. Winter tyres just don’t last as long if used during warm weather and of course won’t perform as well.

wgnlust

Hopefully this update has some value.
It’s been mixed weather in Michigan. When the weather is total crap, I don’t generally drive the wagon. The past week has been a crazy combo of weather, but I wanted to have fun.
Somewhat mixed, freezing with some black ice: offset setup was fine, even at highway pace - but mindful driving.
Dry pavement, cold to 50s plus: very happy to have the offset, but the 19s are very spongy compared to the 20s with any maneuvers/spirited driving.
Current opinion: MB winter setup is great. No regrets with the offset vs square. Feels very soft on warmer days. I think I’ll get a second set for rears to do square setup if it’s a more typical winter, but that feels a little like a casino.
Not disappointed with the decision to go offset winters THIS year. Kicking the radiator is fun, but corners feel like I’m throwing twenty’s out the window by leaving tiny bits of my investment on the roadside.
For what it’s worth.

asc

It's been a while, but any chance these are still available.

LMinn

Wow I just saw this post 6 months late. Sorry. The setup worked great, unless I get new rims first, I'm going to do this again this coming winter. No issues at all so far (minus the 4% speedometer thing of course.)