OK, Part 2 now that winter has been here for a month, so some observations further to my initial notes about dry road performance.
Bottom line: I am very impressed with these Michelin Alpin Sport PA3 tires. Full winter conditions on snow and ice (-34C this morning 
) have shown that the PA3's have excellent straight line braking and acceleration ability, slightly better than the Nokians which was a surprise. Steady-state cornering grip is very good, with main difference being that when grip is lost, it goes more quickly (but with AWD this means into a 4-wheel drift); and once drifting, the car is much more responsive to steering inputs - takes some getting used to this response. In comparison, the Nokians with much softer sidewalls, tended to scrub at all times, making cornering and drifting somewhat lazy... you needed larger steering inputs to invoke a drift, and the car was not that responsive once sliding. Final note is that the PA3's do not like too much speed into a sharp corner - they will understeer and keep sliding a bit longer before regaining grip, compared with the Nokians that would scrub off some initial understeer. The PA3's seem to respond to a smoother driving style overall but reward with tremendously confident braking and acceleration, and what is by far the sharpest handling I have ever had with a full winter tire. Hope this helps some who are procrastinating about buying winters for this year! 
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Present: 2005 STi, 2002 M Coupe
Future: 2009 Cayman S - pending; 2010? Audi RS5 ??
