Discussions

It seems like these two brand name winter tires are at the top. What's everyone's view on them? Should I consider studded winter tires? Apparently, studded tires these days are quieter and they are ok to ride them in town?  
What about wear? Which ones wear off faster? Thanks.

brand would be a good choice. Studs offer greater traction on ice for any winter tire. My choice would be Nokian.

Your driving habits and your usage. Look at the tread design, grip and depth and the rubber compound. Is it a soft or hard compound.  
I run on Cooper Ms winter tires spring, summer fall and have set of studded Cooper Discovery tires just for winter.  
Cooper tires are a softer rubber compound and grips better for my driving needs. I do a lot of gravel, off road/trail driving and bad weather (snow) driving and pulling a trailer.  
I been running Cooper tires now for 15yrs and been very happy with them but I do know my usage needs and the places I have to drive in.

Not sure where you heard that, but they are noisier than a studless winter tire. As others have said, you can't beat the traction of a dedicated winter tire because of the softer rubber. We have Blizzaks on our Flex and I have studded M&S tires on my 3/4 tonne, which need to come off by May 1 to prevent asphalt damage. I have looked at Nokian tires but they tend to be more money, which usually means better quality. I do think their studded tires have more studs than most tires, which should provide better traction if they do. As others have said, all depends on where you drive, how much you drive and what you want to spend. I hear the Michelin XI3 are also good winter tires for hard pack snow and ice.

Buy Bridgestone tires. I’ve been working with tires for a while and I’ve seen Bridgestone tires are the one that last the longest.

This is my third winter on a set of Nokian Hakkapelitta R2 tires, not studded. I'm very happy with the way they handle on ice, and would buy them again. I drive a mix of gravel and pavement.

Back in the 70's and 80's when most vehicles were RWD I used studded winter tires on the rear only - on bare pavement at hwy speeds I felt that the car was skittish - always having to make slight steering corrections - this may simply be due to the fact that I was using completely different tires front and rear. My tires were balanced and pressures checked at least monthly. So, here's my questions:  
1) Do today's studded winter tires (used on all 4 wheels) make the car feel skittish on bare pavement at hwy speed?  
2) Do the studded tires use the same softer rubber that the studless versions use?  
3) If you have an AWD vehicle do you use winter tires at all?  
4) If you use studded winter tires - what brand do you have and are you happy with your purchase?  
5) Would you buy the same brand of tire again?  
 
I'm currently using Blizzak winter tires - 7 winters on this set but may have to buy winter tires next fall - although I've been 100% satisfied with their performance on all types of roads I'm just wondering if I should consider studded tires for my next purchase.  
 
Thank you for reading and answering.

Bridgestone blizzak ws80 on both my vehicles. Amazing tires for winter, especially if you have a Costco membership and wait until you get the rebate program. Worth every penny.

In the 70's there was almost no rules concerning tires and winter tires. It's been proven that miss matched tires caused accidents.  
Today's regulations and tire technology and compounds are far superior then in the past.  
Two winter tires are better then none. Four winter tires are better then two. The same can be said for studded tires.  
I used to be a hard water racer - car racing on ice. I raced all classes. Rubber to ice, 2 winter tires. 4 winter tires and stud to ice 2 and 4 tires.  
There's a huge difference between traction, steering control, and stoping power/distance.  
Studded tires will not make a car squirmy or detract from steering control. Air pressure will and the wrong tires for the vehicle will tho.  
No tire shops will no knowing allow a vehicle be driven with the wrong matched tire due to regulations, law and safety.  
Soon tho there will be a new law coming to Manitoba making it mandatory for for winter tires. Other provinces have it, BC has it for mountain driving.

have at least 20 k on michelin x winter tires awd suv highway and town winter and summer . never take them off .good in snow rain ice .third summer comeing up still good to go ...