I have 15" MVX energy plus four tires on my car. Would cheap snow tires from PEP boys be better and safe ?

absolutely. I have the 16" energy's and change to a 15" Goodyear Ultragrip in the winter. much better. not much louder. they aren't much fun in the summer though.

I've had pirelli asymetric 190s, blizzaks, Michelin Alpins and some Dunlop model. All performed great in snow and provided reasonable wet and dry traction. I like the Michelin Alpins because they work great in the snow, despite a very innocuous tread pattern and they are quiet on the dry road. I also have MVX Energy's for summer tires on two on our three 850/S70. While they are adequate summer tires, I have no idea how they got an all weather rating....terrible in snow as far as I can tell..even the new tread pattern is awfull in snow.

This is only background for my advice...get a set of snow on steel rims from the tirerack.com or some other discounter...it'll set you back less than $500. If you want to save a little now, but increase your hassle and maybe expense with changeovers, go to BJ's and order some Alpins.

They might be better and safer in heavy snow, but not under any other conditions. With cheep snow tires you sacrifice cornering grip, degrade the handling of your car, and greatly increase your stopping distance on dry pvement. Your decision will depend on the weather in your area. where I live, we get a handful of heavy snow falls a year, and the roads are cleared by the next morning. I have the same tires on my car as you do, and I read a Consumer Reports article which rated them best for snow traction among the all season touring tires they tested. So, I'm going to wait for that first snowfall, and see how they do. If I'm not comfortable with them, I'll get a set of good witer tires like the Michelin Atctic-Alpins, so I'm safe under all winter conditios.

Koz.

I've tried getting by with the MXV4+ but quickly opted for the Arctic Alpines. Snow tires in general are an order of magnitude better than all-seasons in the snow. When one factors in the piece of mind not to mentions what the cost of even one minor fender bender costs these days, they are truly cheap. FYI, I've run the Arctic Alpines for 2 years now. They are wearing significantly better than my former Blizzacs which they replaced. They also ride and handle well, although they do sing a bit on wet roads only. As far as cheap snows, you typically get what you pay for so why not buy the best/latest technology out there. They're not really that much more and will last much longer as well. Good luck.