You shouldn't be asking us... you should be asking the Norwegian Newspaper who does a monster snow tire test every year:
http://www.aftonbladet.se/bil/0310/18/dacktest.pdfConsumer Reports did a interpretive analysis for american buyers:
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/automotive/snow-tires/index.htmlAnd I found someone did an english translation of the original article on the web:
http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread/t-26846.htmlNokian "Hakkapeliitta 4" (studded)
5/5 Stars
The new Hakka-tire has a stable foundation, excellent thread pattern for all surfaces, and the new unique, squared studs give a superior bite on ice. On the winter road the tire is secure. It is also excellent in slush and stable on pavement.
+ Innovative and best on all winter roads.
- Nothing
Michelin "Ivalo" (studded)
3/5 Stars
Good reputation, high reliability and long lasting lets Michelin stay in the top sales. The tires grip has a long way to go to reach up with the best tires. When it starts skidding it is hard to regain the grip. Fortunately, the tires tell you before it happens and sometimes smoothes over the drivers mistakes.
+ Snowgrip
- Easily loses grip on slush
Continental "Winter Viking 1" (studded)
4/5 Stars
The Swedish tire-monger Allan Ostrowskis Winter Viking tops the tire tests year after year. It is a well balanced tire for both winter roads and bare-pavement. Perhaps the grip on snow could be a bit better, but the basic-security is still large.
+ Ice-grip and stability on pavement.
- Nothing
Kumho "KW 11 Izen Stud" (studded)
Disqualified
A lousy tire in which the grip suddenly disappears, and not even the most skilled test drivers managed to stop the skids before the cars hit the snow barriers. This judgement unfortunately applies to both ice, snow and pavement! Disqualified from the test.
+ Noise levels
- Grip and performance on all surfaces
Goodyear "UG500" (studded)
4/5 Stars
Very optimized for winter driving at the cost of stability on direct pavement. The extreme ability on slippery surfaces makes it a bit nervous on tracked pavement (you know, where there are two depressions in the ground from so many cars driving in the same place).
Best used on snow and ice.
+ Grip when slippery
- Nervous and somewhat unstable on pavement
Pirelli "Winter Carving" (Studded)
4/5
A completely fresh tire from Pirelli. But does anyone recognize the thread pattern? Right! It's an exact copy of Gislaved Nord Frost 3. Brilliant on snow, excellent on ice. A safe choice on any surface.
+ Top tire in most situations
- Somewhat slow reacting
Uniroyal "MS Plus Nordic" (studded)
4/5 Stars
Another "Allan-Ostrowskis-Tire", the design being a couple of years old, but still in the top. Safe but slightly too long, yet easily controlled, skids on winter roads. Quiet and very stable on pavement.
+ No weaknesses, low noise.
- Nothing
Gislaved "Nord Frost 3" (studded)
4/5 Stars
Has no particular weakness, the ability to find grip in snow-slush is, for example, still top-rated, but on snow the skids can become a bit long. The tire is no longer manufactured by Gislaved which causes its popularity to drop.
+ Grip on ice and slush
- Nothing
Bridgestone "Noranza" (studded)
3/5 Stars
Bridgestone creates a brand-image through F1 tires, but nordic winter roads demand more than image. The winter tire is a clear disappointment. It is vague and in certain situations dangerously oversteering (the rear end comes sliding) on ice. On bare-pavement it is uncomfortably unstable.
+ Grip on ice (despite the occational oversteering)
- Snowgrip
Michelin "260" (7 years old but unused - studded)
Disqualified
Many only drive a little in the winter and hardly wear down their tires at all. They drive on year after year and think they have a good grip. Our brand new 7-year old Michelin 260 prove the opposite. It skidded wildly and fell behind in almost all tests.
+ Grip in slush
- Ice and snow grip
Michelin "Maxi Ice" (non-studded)
1/5 Stars
The dense thread is an exciting attempt to make a good stud-less tire while not sacrificing stability on pavement. It almost succeeds. The pavement performance is brilliant. On snow and ice it barely keeps up.
+ Pavement
- Mobility and braking on ice (very crappy), and poor grip on slush
Bridgestone "Blizzak WS-50" (non-studded)
Disqualified
Dangerous! Blizzak is so dangerous on pavement that it is disqualified from the test. The skids during an avoidance manuever are so difficult to stop that it is an outright traffic danger. Blizzak has been one of the big sellers for many years. The winter-abilities (snow, ice and slush) are mediocre at best.
+ Grip on Snow and Ice (for a studless tire)
- Pavement
Bridgestone "Blizzak MZ-01" (7 years old but unused. non-studded)
Disqualified
Blizzak had a very good grip on ice when it was introduced at the end of the 1980's and became an instant big seller. Since then the tire has been developed in cycles. Our seven year old tire is hard to drive on winter-roads. The skids on ice are hopeless, and snow grip is nervous.
+ Nothing
- Poor grip on all surfaces
Pirelli "Icesport" (non-studded)
1/5 Stars
Maybe it is time to copy the northern tire-makers to get a reasonable stud-less tire? Icesport is engineered for middle Europe and is a tire you don't want to have on our winter roads. Ice grip is non-existant, and on pavement you can get treacherous skids.
+ Nothing
- Grip on snow and ice
Continental "Conti Viking Contact 3" (non-studded)
2/5 Stars
Allan Ostrowskis had time to construct two studless winners for Continential before he resigned. On snow the tire goes as if on rails, on ice it is reasonable and the skids, that can come quite unexpectedly, are after all something one can handle.
+ Snowgrip and noise
- Nothing
Gislaved "Soft Frost 2" (non-studded)
2/5 Stars
Better than Viking Contact on snow and ice. Risk of getting treacherous skids on pavement. On snow the skids are easy to control. On ice, the tire can oversteer but is still easy to control. The best studless tire for those who drive mostly on pavement.
+ Grip and performance on snow and ice.
- Easy skidding on pavement
Nokian "Hakkapeliitta Q" (non-studded)
2/5 Stars
The ice grip is excellent for a studless tire. On snow the grip is calm and nice, and the skids almost correct themselves. It is very slippery on wet pavement and skids wildly on dry pavement.
+ Grip on winter surfaces, performance on snow and ice.
- Grip and performance on pavement.
Full ABS braking on smooth ice. From 50km/h to stop.
1st place - Goodyear UG500
Distance - 38,5 meters.
16th place - Blizzak WS-50
Distance - 61 meters.
Acceleration on smooth ice. From 5-30km/h, full throttle, letting the traction control deal with the slippage.
1st place - Nokian Hakka 4.
Time - 8,9 seconds.
15th place - Blizzak WS-50.
Time - 13,5 seconds.
A circle with 60 meters in diameter, with rough ice, driving as fast as one can (like a skidpad).
1st place - Goodyear UG500
Laptime - 20,1 seconds.
15th place - Blizzak WS-50
Laptime - 23,4 seconds.
Ice-circuit, different turns and straights, going as fast as the tires allow.
1st place - Nokian Hakka 4.
Laptime - 80,1 seconds.
13th place - Blizzak WS-50.
Laptime - 91,5 seconds.
ABS-braking on snow. Unspecified.
1st - Pirelli UG500.
Distance - 49,5 meters.
6th place - Blizzak WS-50.
Distance - 53,5 meters.
ABS-braking from 60km/h on wet pavement.
1st place - Michelin 240 (the old one!)
Distance - 21,5 meters.
12t place - Blizzak WS-50
Distance - 23,5 meters.
Acceleration on snow. 5-30km/h.
1st place - Pirelli Icesport.
Time - 4,1 seconds.
8th place - Blizzak WS-50.
Time - 4,4 seconds.
Snow-circuit, with compact snow.
1st place - Gislaved Soft Frost 2.
Time - 84,5 seconds.
9th place - Blizzak WS-50.
Time - 86,2 seconds.
Slushplanning. Paved road covered with slush. Measures speed when it starts to slushplan.
1st place - Gislaved Nord Frost 3.
Speed - 50km/h
12th place - Blizzak WS-50
Speed - 48km/h
In the point scoring, Blizzak fell most short on ice and scored the entire tests worst score on "Stability on pavement" - the elk test, with a 4/10. The test winner Nokian Hakka 4, scored 7 in the elk test.
The difference is that the Blizzaks don't seem to have much stability and lateral grip on pavement compared to any new or old tire. Even the 7 year old blizzaks performed better - with a 5/10, on the elk test.