Howdy folks...

Well, it finally started snowing up here so I can do a thorough review of these tires.

I was looking for a dedicated snow tire that wouldn't break the bank. I test fit a set of 16" rims with the infamous 5x110 lug pattern at a local shop here and found that they fit up just fine. After the test fit, I ordered up a set of cheapie 16" rims and these Winterforce tires from Tire Rack. The rims were $72 each and the tires were $75 each. The total with shipping to Connecticut was right around $660.

By the way, the "Package" I ordered from them was a "Snow Tire Package" for a Saab 9.3 Aero 2.0T Convertible. They have both 16" and 17" packages available for the Saab, and the 16" fit just fine with about 1/2" clearance over the front calipers.

Now for the good stuff...

Installation was as hard as pulling off the stock rims and mounting up the new ones. You could train a monkey to do it... Definitely helps to have a hydraulic floor jack... Trying to do this with the scissor jack wouldn't be impossible, but it would be a monumental pain in the ass.

Road noise with the Winterforce tires increased minimally. It's really only a noticeable increase at speeds in excess of 60 MPH.

Dry traction is good. These certainly are not Pirelli's or Falken's so take that into consideration. I have not, and will not, expect them to perform like a "Performance" tire, so I'm not even going to attempt to drive the car like a madman to find out how they do. Handling on dry pavement is also good. Once at higher speeds (70+) they start to get a bit squirrelly. They were a lot worse when I first got them... I increased the air pressure up to 37 PSI all around and now they are a lot better at higher speeds, but still not GREAT. They perform much better than I expected them to for the price.

Wet traction is very good, with handling about the same... Keep it under 70, and it's good to go.

Snow / Slush traction is, as I expected, OUTSTANDING.... I was able to get on the roads before any plowing or heavy traffic this morning so I got a good taste of what these things can handle. Acceleration was as good as on dry pavement for the most part. If you gun it too hard, it's going to break away, but these tires definitely have excellent grip in heavy snow. Take it slow from the start and they hang on with no problems. I even was so bold as to go to the steepest incline around here and stop. Taking off uphill was a non-issue. If you can drive in the snow AT ALL, these tires make it that much easier. You will not get stuck, that's for sure.

These tires are studdable, but I didn't get studs installed cause I really don't think I need them here. But further north, and inland I'm sure the studs will make a big difference.

Overall, I am very impressed with these tires for the price. They handle snow packed roads with ease, and still have good enough traction to use on dry pavement. They are much better than All-Seasons, although the all-seasons may have better handling characteristics for higher speed driving. I don't need to go all that fast in the snow, so I picked safety over speed.

On the 16" rim, these have a very meaty sidewall. This tire may not work well on a lowered car. I still have stock springs, so it's no problem here. They also have a neat little Mountain Range scheme built in to the tread pattern on the sidewall so you know they are made for the snow. And they also have the industry blessing "Snowflake in the Mountain" symbol.

For a damn good tire at a great price, I highly recommend the Dayton Winterforce M+S.

Wow great review !