I came across this the other night:

http://www.nlectc.org/testing/wintertires.html

"The National Institute of Justice's National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC)–Northwest organized the tests in collaboration with the Canadian Police Research Centre (CPRC). The tests were conducted February 2–6, 2004, on snow-covered test-driving tracks at the RCMP Depot in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Participants also included Ford Motor Company, the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, and The Tekne Group, Inc. The RCMP Depot drivers training unit provided test vehicles and trained law enforcement driving instructors to operate the test vehicles. The RCMP Depot also provided logistical, mechanical, and test track preparation support."

"The five brands of winter tires supplied by the manufacturers for testing were the Continental ContiWinterContact TS790, the Firestone Firehawk PVS, the Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip GW2, the Michelin Pilot Alpin, and the Pirelli Winter 210 Snowsport. The Goodyear Eagle RS-A Plus, an all-season pursuit speed rated tire supplied with Police Interceptors as original equipment, was used as the control tire."

I'm looking at a daily 100-mile round trip commute in a 244, and it occurred to me, hey, a Ford Crown Vic is RWD, and Alaska State Troopers log a lot of miles. I'm running the Hankooks from the car's previous owner this season. Anyone have any experience with any of the above tires? The Conti's look promising, if not a little expensive (but much less than a new ride).

-Jack

As with most government type things, they only tested tyres from companies that were competing for what are generally loss contracts, but good advertising if you get the bragging rights, but they didn't test the best snow tires.

If you want the best snow tires that will last the longest, get a full set of Studded Nokians and never worry about road conditions again.
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-------Robert, '93 940t, '90 240 wagon, '84 240 diesel (she's sick) , '80 245 diesel, '86 740 GLE turbo diesel, '92 Ford F350 diesel dually

I second the vote for Nokian winter tyres... I've got studded Hakkapellita's on my '92 944, and I just drove through a blizzard on Friday night. The car handled amazingly well, and I was passing AWD vehicles with certainty where the roads had not yet been plowed. Of course it helps alot to put weight on the rear axle (I had 4 people in the car and a full trunk). When we got to our destination, everyone was patting me on the back for being such a good driver! I gave the tires most of the credit. Of course, the Taconic parkway is not Alaska, but hey, a snow storm is a snow storm, and I don't think you can lose with Nokians.

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'92 245 5-speed, '92 944 GL auto

For me, the best snow tires are from Nokian (formerly Nokia, before they spun off the tire business to concentrate on cell phones; a company from Finland of which 2/3 of the country is above the arctic circle). I've been using Haaka's for decades (literally), starting with the NR-09's back in the '70's, and now through a few iterations of Haaka's.

While this test sounds like worthwhile research, and the results are certainly relevant to your situation, it is incomplete without Nokian Hakkapelittas and Gislaved NordFrosts, both of which come from Scandinavia and have excellent reputations. Bridgestone Blizzaks are not quite in the same league---they are better on ice but not as good in deep snow, and they wear down VERY quickly.