What size new tires for a 2010 AWD Touring? (Going to get Parada Spec-X)

[IslandTractor]

Unborn child as a second passenger, $800 is nothing at all to me in keeping the wife just a little bit safer as she drives the car on a daily basis.

If that is your response then why is it not worth an extra $40,000 to get a Mercedes GL that would surely be safer still? I was not arguing that snow tires are not a good idea and agree that they are but only that there seems to be an exaggerated and uncritical acceptance of the idea that the Bridgestone OEM tires are so inferior that you would seriously dump a new set for whatever trendy hot tire of the moment the boys aspire to based on highly unscientific personal web reviews. I appreciate that lots of guys like the Spec X's and that is good reason to consider them as replacements but it seems seriously delusional based on this type of anecdotal evidence to think the OEM tires are so inferior as to be a safety risk. You probably (I certainly don't) have any G pad or braking tests showing performance of the Spec X's on the CX9. That data does exist for the Bridgestones as all the car magazines publish their test data using stock tires and notably the CX9 does very well with stock tires. I don't know of any data on wet or snowy conditions for either tire but I sure wouldn't rely on subjective reviews on tirerack posted by people justifying their own decision.

If you want to enhance safety this winter by all means get some snow tires but don't piss away a grand on the trendiest all seasons.