Yokohama W Drive vs Michelin Alpin A4
In the 3 independent tests that ran both tires, the Michelin Alpin A4 finished ahead 3 times and the W Drive not once.
Performance profile
Their shared tests recorded too few of the same measurements to chart, so the chart starts from each tire's Tire Reviews Score categories: its whole record, not shared tests.
Where each scores higher
W Drive
Alpin A4
Point at or tap any spoke for both tires' figures.
Category scores are percentiles among tires of the same season and class: 90 means this tire out-performs 90% of them, measured across every test we hold, not only the ones it appeared in.
Where owners rate each higher
W Drive
Not ahead in any category
Alpin A4
Point at or tap any spoke for both tires' figures.
Owners rate the W Drive 75% from 14 reviews and the Alpin A4 92% from 55. Each spoke is one question owners answer out of 10; reviews are vetted by hand before publication.
Head to head in 3 tests, 2010 to 2013
Each row is one published test in which both tires ran on the same car, in the same size, on the same day. The line is the whole field, winner on the left.
| Test | W Drive | Field | Alpin A4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Winter Tire Overview - Braking | P21 of 50 | P10 of 50 | |
| 2012 Auto Bild 42 Winter Tire Braking Test | P16 of 43 | P7 of 43 | |
| 2010 European Winter Tire Test | P10 of 10 | P1 of 10 |
W Drive vs Alpin A4: your questions
Is the Yokohama W Drive or the Michelin Alpin A4 the better tire?
In the 3 independent tests that ran both tires, the Michelin Alpin A4 finished ahead 3 times and the W Drive not once. On the Tire Reviews Score, which weighs every test and review we hold, the W Drive scores 6.1 and the Alpin A4 8.5 out of 10.
Which is quieter and more comfortable?
Owners rate comfort 7.7/10 for the W Drive and 9.2/10 for the Alpin A4.
What do owners say?
Owners rate the W Drive 75% from 14 reviews and the Alpin A4 92% from 55. 57% of W Drive owners would buy it again, against 96% for the Alpin A4.
Are they available in the same sizes?
The W Drive is made in 4 sizes (14 to 18 inch) and the Alpin A4 in 9 (14 to 17 inch). 1 sizes are available in both. On the EU label the W Drive is graded C for wet grip and E for rolling resistance in most sizes; the Alpin A4 C and D.
Which is the newer tire?
The Alpin A4 is the newer design: it reached the market in 2010, the W Drive in 2007. The Alpin A4 replaced the Michelin Alpin.
More comparisons with these tires
Every Yokohama vs Michelin test → All comparisons → Compare three or more tires →
Run either of these?
Your review is the part of this page no test can supply: how the tire wore, how it aged, what it was like in the rain in year three. It takes about five minutes.
Where this data comes from
Finishing positions and measurements are transcribed from each published test. A test only counts here when both tires ran in it, so every figure was recorded on the same car, size and day as the one it is compared to.
About the TR Score
The Tire Reviews Score rates each tire out of 10 from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold, so two tires can be compared even before a test has run them together.
Who does the testing
Every test published as a Tire Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tires independently since 2007.