Given
91%
while driving a
Honda S2000
(205/55 R16) on
a combination of roads
for 6,000
spirited miles
I fitted a pair of LM30 205/55/16 to the front and LM35 225/50/16 to the read of my S2000 since it's regular Potenzas are a distinctly summer tire. The winter tires are much softer and blockier than the summer tire giving a slightly noisier ride, but the low speed feel and steering response is actually improved. Their breakawy in the dry is progressive and occurs at speeds about a third lower than a traditional summer tire, however, in cold wet conditions they transform the car and enable the S2 outbreak almost anyone. Also, when it drops below freezing, or snows, the car is perfectly drivable and able to pass all of the front and rear wheel drive cars (that are invariably on the wrong tires). The set I fitted last winter were used from October to March and had plenty of tread left and so have gone back on this winter. I'll change back to summer tires in a few weeks and from the look of the tread will get at least one more winter out of them. Despite (or perhaps because) they're so soft treaded I tend not to spin them unnecessarily and so am getting plenty of life out of them.
I haven't used any other winter tires and so can't say how they compare, but I can confirm that they transform the handling in poor conditions (at the expense of more modest limits on warm, dry days) and give me the confidence to dart around in bad weather that would otherwise be missing.