Michelin Alpin 5 or stay with P Zero?
 

Quick question.

For driving my 4 GTS in and between Seattle and the Bay Area over the winter months, would you recommend swapping from P Zero tires to Michelin Alpin 5?

Some considerations.

1. Weather. It will likely be 30-40F and rainy in Seattle and 50-60F in SF. I might see some snow going over Grants Pass but the roads are usually well cleared. For the week we get snow actually in Seattle, I wouldn’t drive much if at all.

2. Mileage. I have 4,600 miles on my P Zeros so far. They seem fine, not my favorite tire.

3. Replacement. I was quoted $2,800 + tax from Porsche Bellevue. They would also order black wheel weights to match my satin black center lock GTS wheels. They can’t store my Pirellis so I’d store they in my garage which is around 62F.

Ultimately, I’m not sure if I need to make the change for massively better cold weather grip and resilience…or if the P Zeros will be fine.

Appreciate your comments.

Not necessary based on your use case (i.e., little to no snow)

I would for sure switch if you’re actually going to drive the car in those conditions.

Login to your MyPorsche account on the web, and look for yourself how much tires are from PCNA Tire Store. It’s $2,844 for me after tax.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...d5fa44a464.png

I’ve done that drive a bunch, and there can be gnarly weather through the Siskiyou Mountains, and temps at the mountain passes can be well around 0F. I’d be less worried about the snow, as I would be the freezing rain, and what doing that on summer tires would be like.

Worth noting too, you risk damaging the tires at temps below 40F, if I recall Pirelli’s documents correctly.

I’d absolutely swap if you’ll be driving at all in temps 40F or less. I have P zeros for summer and swapped out for the winter here in Denver - and we have 330 days of sun per year! Pirelli notes you can severely crack/damage your tires if you drive them under 40 or 45 degrees can’t recall which.

Now add in rain, mountain passes and occasional snow and there’s no way I’d stick to the summers.

As my dad used to say, never cheap out on the only part of the car that touches the damn road. Why risk your 180k car over $2800?

Here is a pic from reddit of what driving P zeroes on an rs3 for too long in the cold does to them

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...bfdaeeb3a.jpeg

Was that the Mars RS3 rovers tires? 😂

I’ve swapped a set of Alpin5 on my GTS4 and love the ride and handling , the PZeros were like rocks here in the PNW at anything under 7 Celsius .

I wouldn't drive P0s in the summer, but that's besides the point.

The Alpin 5 are awesome tires. Different qualities but still reasonably fast and very capable. I used for only 2 winters (my car is gone - gotta sell them wheels/tires) but I really liked them.

I have the Alpins as I too live in Denver. The issue for your summer tires as others have said is not whether you see snow or ice, in which case you are really in a bind, and can truly start sliding, but that those summer tires are not rated for temps colder than 40-50 degrees. And once you get below those temps, the rubber compounds don't have the traction you want, regardless of whether the road is dry or not. If you plan to drive on those roads in colder conditions, invest in the Alpins.

I think if you drive very conservatively, you will be OK. However, if you want to drive your Porsche the way you want to drive your Porsche, then you absolutely need winter tires.

Thanks All for the comments. Very helpful.

For folks that don't have space in their garage to store the tires not in use, do you just eat the cost of two sets of tires per year?

Or is there a reliable tire storage company I should be aware of? (If not, someone please start that business pronto!)

I would be interested in the 5s if they are the right size for my 4 GTS

I pay my dealer to store them and then swap them out and store the other set when the seasons flip. I would imagine your Porsche dealer in the Seattle area will have a service you can pay for.

Well you are interested then. Do people really not know how to use the internet in todays age?

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...ndard%20Brakes

The dealership installing my Alpin 5 tires in a few days does not have a nitrogen tank.

Should I find another dealership that fills tires with nitrogen or does it not matter for winter tires?

My summer P Zeros from the factory were nitrogen filled and the pressures have been very stable.

They are, but mine are mounted on OEM wheels, TPMS and colored center caps, as sold by Porsche. The winter wheels have a different offset to decrease debris towards the sides of the car. It's for the best to sell it altogether. If your GTS has central lock, it won't do.