Winter Shoes, Who Cheats?

[Fofiddy]

A few years back I happened upon a set of closeout 265/75R16 Blizzak DMZ2 for $30 a pop. It was a no brainer and for the past 3 years I've been spoiled silly. Now that my DMZ2s are thoroughly spanked and I've mounted my 3 seasons on dedicated wheels I'm on the hunt for options.

Now the Blizzaks were great tires but on the OEM wheel 265/75R16 were a bit wide; at the directed 33 psi they exhibited wear that would normally suggest over-inflation. I like the idea of maintaining a 31.5" tire for winter and mucking about less chance of spin narrow contact patch to cut through crud... OTOH prematurely wearing the center of the tread and going wide in an area that is prone to ice seems counterintuitive.

Has anyone else considered trying a 235/85R16? I've been eyeing a set of the Duratracs with the intention of studding them and was thinking that the inherent sidewall stiffness of the E load rating would make up for height\narrowness of the tire. Anyone have experiences with Studded tires? I'm not too concerned with noise I want to hear about handling concerns/trade-offs.

Does anyone else here cheat (use dedicated snows)? What works for you and how do you use them? I'm especially interested in hearing from those that go down trails in the snow. I’ve been looking at the Nokian LTs as well. I have one of "those" jobs that expect me to be there regardless if the state shut down the roads and am more than willing to drive 4 hours in a blizzard to ski.

[skinny2]

I love Blizzaks although I've never run them on my PF. I run them on my wife's van though and it does better than many 4x4's with all-seasons. I just wish they handled better in the dry because I drive some serious loopty-loops at high speeds and we just don't get enough snow/ice to make me want to compromise my driving style.

I've had trouble getting the Blizzaks to wear properly as well and it's always in the center as you describe. I started running them a tad under the recommended pressure and so far the Sienna is wearing good. That vehicle calls for 35psi and I set them at 32 front and 30 rear. What seems counter-intuitive is the steering/handling is actually better at the lower psi. I really don't think you'll be as happy with studded tires. I also don't think a 235 E-rated tire will handle as well as a 265 P.

[volvite]

I have the duratracs and have loved them. Have not had as much snow this year, so I can't really comment on how well they do. On dry pavement and dirt roads, they have performed very well. With the light snow that we have had, I have not had a problem with them.

[gond34]

I've got the DuraTrac's as well and love them. They are GREAT in any real snow...(more than 2 inches). They pretty much suck in just a "dusting", but that's pretty much expected with any large lug tire.

[Taavi]

I have been using studded Nokians for many winters and will continue with Nokians.
My experience: in deep snow 30+cm there is no difference if you have studded tires or not, but on icy roads studded tires have much better grip.

Tried Cooper Discoverer (labeled for all season) but on snow those were too slippery to keep.

btw "winter" tires are required by law here.