Tom Barber

Many people live in borderline regions where the winter is short and they don't get enough snow to justify putting on snow tires. At the same time, leaving a summer tire on might not be fun or safe. This then begs the question:

If you wanted to put on a tire that you could leave on all year, that could be considered a performance tire, but that would still provide decent traction on winter roads, what would that tire be?

merlin

It compares well with the more expensive Michelin and provides good all-around performance. It is slightly noisier and harsher riding than the OEM Bridgesones, but is much longer wearing. Wet and dry traction is excellent (very close to dedicated summer tires), steering response is sharp, and they work adequately in snow (i.e. WAY better than the Bridgestones). As an added bonus they track well in a straight line, making the car feel more stable at speed. I have them on my S4 and wouldn't hesitate to buy them again. This is the second set I've had--the first set is on a modified ram-air Firebird and they're just now ready for replacement with about 35,000 miles on them (not bad for having to deal with 400 tire-smoking horsepower).

valium

Michelin XGT Z4.