I have heard good things about GT Radials... I use "Road Hugger GT Eco" (aka Kumho something or other) and they have been great. Low noise, (relatively) good grip for being low rolling resistance.
I fitted Nokian Hakkapeliitta on it last winter and was very pleased with them.
I bought a set of GT radial Champiro with the expectation that it will be just a crap daily driver set. They actually have really good grip for non race tires. Seriously, so much so that when I put the front set on and went to autocross, it caused my car to spin out because the front had more grip than the rear.
I have Nokian WRG3 18's on my S3. They are traction rated so I can use them up in the mountains without chains but are also rated for \"year round\" use (with a mileage rating!) so they don't wear as quickly in typical Portland, OR winter weather (wet and just above freezing). So I use those Nov-April and my 19's the rest of the year. I'm pretty happy with the overall feel and noise level of the tires.
Tires are 235 40 18 GT Radial Champiro UHP1 Ultra-high performance summer tire ^ VERY sticky tire w/stiff side wall (nice handling and picks up lots of little pebbles - but I would not trust this tire below 40 degrees)
I run a set of GT Radial WinterPro HP. 245/45/17 all around. Very cost friendly set of tires @ <$100/ea.
I had a great winter season last year, even in the midst of our huge snowstorms and freezing weather.
Nokian Hakkapeliita R.
Fantastic in pretty much every way. Doesn't wear down too easy, handles snow and ice very well. I'm sure AWD helps. Might be a tad noisy on dry pavement but what snow tire isn't. Also they aren't cheap.
Nokians on her FWD CC now. It's a beast in the snow.
We've had ice and slush for the last few weeks, no problem for my TDI + 16" Nokians.
Can't go wrong with Nokians. On my '01 MK4 GTI, I used a set of Hakka 1s for 5 or 6 years; great tires. The Michelin Xice Xi2 are great too.
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