Personally I prefer Continental a little more for the pricing to performance advantage they offer (admittedly subjective). You do still pay a little for the name but it's not as painful of an upcharge as Michelin and their comparable lines in my size are over $50/tire cheaper. Recently I even lucked out and they're preferable to my prior Defenders.
Few years ago I switched to Nokian Hakkapeliitta and I don't think I'll ever switch. I have them on my F150, a 4WD full size SUV and my little car and I've never had a problem. I live in the woods with a super long driveway and my wife is on call sometimes and has to go to the hospital in all weather conditions, she's never had an issue even when the plows get pulled off the road.
The Continental Viking Contact 7 is the best winter tire I've ever driven on and the sneak peak I've had at the Viking Contact 8 looks like they've made it even better.
I like how little noise they make, their performance on both snow and ice, and how the treads don't fold over on one another.
For posterity, I've been running 235/45/18 Conti DWS06+ w/ no issues on the stock 18x7.5 ET45 Canyons lowered on Golf R front & Golf R Variant rear springs w/ Koni SA dampers for a little over a year: I think it's just about the perfect amount of sidewall myself, but would prefer another half inch of wheel width for flushness & sidewall contour.
I have the Continental VikingContact7 winter tires and I couldnt be happier. They have kept me out of some sticky situations.
I have the Nokian Tyres WR G4, year round, and they have been great!
I ran their all-weather Remedy WRG5's last winter on my stock wheels and they were BEASTS. I HIGHLY recommend them if you live somewhere that gets mild/moderate amounts of snow and consistent temps below 40°F. They can be ran year round, but I like more grip during summer
I have non studded Conti Viking and it's perfect. It can also be a handful to drive, It moves under throttle, slides left and right. To me, this is not a drawback, it makes it fun. But, it's 5 in the morning, going to work half asleep, and you have a hard time accelerating at green lights getting passed by Yaris's, it can suck. I have a 15 min commute it's OK, wouldn't spend my day in it. On back roads it's a charm. I would not let my mother drive it in the snow, you have to be on your A game.
last tire I bought was Nokian ice edge, Chinese but good for our climate. This will be the third, and last season for these tires so they lasted ok.
Just wait until you try the Nokian Hakkapeliitta or Gislaved Nordfrost and realize that Blizzaks are mediocre at best.
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