Please help me decide: Which winter tires to buy

[blondee_yvr]

I am looking for a set of 4 winter tires for my Mazda3. Tire size 205/55R16.

I am considering the following tires:
Dunlop 3D
Micheline Ice 2 (brand new model)
General Tire Arctic (studable)

As I have to buy the entire set including steelies, this won't be cheap. I would like to cut down on the cost without compromising safety.

I read the Dunlop 3Ds are good, but can be "squirmy". The Micheline's are really good on ice is what I ideally want but the tread pattern shows that it's not that good on deep snow. In my neck of the woods, any snow we get is wet snow that is often compact with ice underneath.

On tirerack.com, the Arctics have really good reviews and the price is the lowest of all three, but some tire centres claim that the Arctic's are cheap tires.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[jjjxlr8]

Check out the Cooper Weathermaster S/T2s. Excellent snow tire and studable if you need it. I've used them on all of my Winter vehicles for the last 6 seasons.

 

[blondee_yvr]

Thanks for replying to my post.

I bit the bullet and opted for the Michelin Michelin X-Ice Xi2 (second generation) but I was tempted to go with the first gen as it's tread was more aggressive in handling wet snow. I bought mine at Costco and if I dont install them and the reviews turn out to be not good in wet snow, I can always return the tires for a full refund.