This what I am getting at. If they were comparable, if not a bit better, than does one really require snows for a 5% improvement? 10%? etc.
Honestly, all I am trying to do is apply logic. One can just say snow tires are better than all seasons. There are different performance ratings within each spectrum of tire that one can simply get by with a very good set of all seasons and get reasonably good performance in all conditions.
Could they see improvement with a good set of snows? Absolutely.
My problem with any specific test is that they are rather generic. And if they're trying to prove a point, they very well may select an all season that is poorly rate in snow/ice and compare it to a highly rated snow tire.
One set of tires I was looking at was some Continental CrossContact LX20 (I believe). They are very highly rated (8.5) in snow driving. So should I spend $800 of my hard earned money to get snow tires (and steelies) that are rated (9+). To me, it's likely to be a marginal improvement. Now if I were to have a poor set of all seasons, the improvement would be greater and potentially worth the investment.
I am not trying to say anyone is wrong. The plain and simple point is that for most, a good set of all seasons is enough for 99% of their driving, and being extremely careful the other 1% may be all they need to do to mitigate risk.
For me, AWD/4WD is required for escaping snow drifts and getting moving up the hill that has those drifts. And I may be wrong, but I don't believe a good 2WD car with snows is going to push through a serious snow drift without getting hung up somewhere. I could be wrong, but my relatively bland highway tires on my silverado have been in use while driving out of my driveway to run to town to get gas to then go and fill up my tractor and blade the driveway. I do not think that the best set of snow tires would've gotten a 2wd truck out the driveway. And chances are, I'll never test this theory. All I know is the 4wd in the truck plus the generic tires it has gets me through, so I stick with that.
So, the all-seasons I referred to were Michelin's of some flavor that were around $230/ea. The snow tires were General Altimax Arctics which were less than $100/ea. So, yeah, you can get a set of all-seasons that do
almost as well as bottom-of-the-line winters, for more than twice the price. That $130/tire saved can be used to buy a decent summer tire, and a set of wheels for many cars BRAND NEW is $400-600, and will outlast the car itself. CL routinely has good used wheels for $100-200 a set. The financial argument is limited at best, and is almost entirely offset by the fact that tire wear is now being spread over two sets.
Bear in mind that those ratings are not, strictly speaking, linear or quantitative. TireRack has actual performance tests on many of the tires they carry, I suggest that if you want to compare tires you should use the objective test results and not the subjective users ratings. Users frequently go from bald worn-out tires to brand-new tires and cannot make the comparison back to when the original tire was new and thus are way optimistic on the new tire.
For breaking through snow banks - my 2WD cars do just fine breaking through the plow bank at the end of my driveway (if my driveway hasn't been plowed yet). Never been stuck in my 2WD vehicles, and I'm an alpline skiier that never missed a powder day until I went to college (my home town has a ski area in it). The only hill, to date, that I've not been able to drive up (and only one time at that) was an
18% grade hill, after it had been sleeting all day. So, there are extreme situations where AWD might be needed. However, 2WD with winter tires have worked for me driving to ski areas before roads have been plowed, on snow-and-ice covered switchbacks in Canadian ski areas, and mountain passes in Colorado.
Related - people are posting up about how they "can't imagine that a 2WD car can do X." Please keep your imagination to yourself. It is not objective, it is not factual, it is not even anecdotal. It is not credible in any sense unless you are a chassis/tire expert by profession. If you are considering your imagination as fact your mind is not open to the possibility that you are wrong, and that is always dangerous. I have tried hard to only talk to my personal experience, which is reasonably varied and comprehensive in terms of drive types and tires, and published tests (perhaps of arguable scientific validity). Please do this discussion the courtesy of having something real to backup any statements or points.
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