Well, with snow in the forecast next week. Nokian Winter Tires-Hekka 9 vs LT2

In case you want some light reading here is an educational article https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/all-terrain-vs-winter-tires

 

Somehow, I think I'm all set...
My desk:

20 feet from my desk:



After 10 years in the industry, I can tell you unequivocally that buying a 'snow tire' or 'winter tire' is no guarantee that it'll shine in all winter conditions. Some winter tires may perform better than Duratracs, but the Duratracs definitely perform better than some other winter tires. Some winter tires shine in slush or snow but not on ice. Some are great on ice or hardpack but don't evac slush as well. There's even a couple of them out there that offer great cold-weather dry or wet grip but perform only marginally in snow or ice (The original Pirelli Sotto Zero springs to mind; we had a ton of complaints about their snow performance before Pirelli redesigned them).

What I'm saying is that as an all-around (not just braking on hardpack, for instance) winter tire, the Duratracs perform on par with some of the better dedicated winter tires running around out there.

 

OP;
If you want to run a dedicated winter, it's hard to go wrong with any of the Hakka tires. The Bridgestone Blizzaks DMV2's are also worth a good long look at. The Michelin XI-2's are a good option as well but would require dropping down to a 70 series, same as the Hakka 9's, and frankly if you're looking to drop in size I'd recommend going to a 245/75 rather than a 265/70 if you're looking for winter traction.

 

Only if you like the smell of rubber. At this point I don't notice it any more, but the GF still makes me change my clothes when I get home in the evenings

 

To the OP, if your wife is driving a lot of miles another tire to consider is the Nokian WR. My wife had and loved them on her old car and I will be getting another set of them this winter for her new car. She describes them as feeling like they had little suction cups holding her down to the road.



Other than that I would listen to Noel. He really is in the industry and he would get tons of real world feedback

 

I love tires, when I'm done in construction, I'll probably end up in some tire store, I do like the smell....

Oh, and I forgot....SNOW???!!!

 

Yeah, I'm leaning toward the Studded Hakka 8's, they are quire a bit cheaper then the LT2 and the 9's aren't available around here yet.