[left footed whooten]

So who runs dedicated snows and who runs on all-seasons around here?

I don't go to the ski hills or anything, but I do drive to Tahoe and down the Eastern Sierra a good bit during winter. I've had snows in the past, everything from hakkapellittas with full studs to glacier grips on other cars. I've felt that they were overkill on an awd Suby, save for when I was commuting to UNR from Truckee everyday during winter. Since I'm not doing that anymore, I'm looking for input. I drove on my re-92's in some snows this spring when I first got my WRX and was not pleased with their performance, though they got me there, the grip was terrible.

I've been thinking of an approach for this winter. Either:

1) Get full non-studded snows for the OEM wheels, swapping them with some suitable tires for autox in the late spring when I finally get started. Get aftermarket wheels for DD purposes and pimp style the rest of the year.

2) Get all seasons, more well-rounded, but driveable all year, on some aftermarket wheels, keep OEM wheels for autox duty. I don't need to be pulling g's on the street.

What have you all been running and how suitable/ satisfactory have they been?

I basically just want traction during winter, versatility during summer (some dirt roads will happen, also roadtrips) my DD tires don't need to be super high perf, but I want to be stable and have fun while driving. I also don't want to have to break beads every season at the tire shop, and conversely don't want to run around all summer on heavy sipes and tread making noise and getting worn out before snow comes back again.

If I get some wintery tires for the OEM wheels, I'll still have to have the tires swapped every fall/spring from autox perf tires to winters, so...