`i can tell u without a doubt that it is always better to get a set for the winter (winter tires) and set of high performance tires for all the other time...

as for specific recomendations I'll let some of the tire gurus chime in.

 

Bridgestone S-03s are ideal 3 season tires, and living where you do I'm sure you can tell me more about snow tires than I can tell you. If you simply must go with one set of tires, then you're going to be stuck with either poor snow tires or poor dry traction- you can't have both. If you go with 2 sets of wheels/tires, then Falken Azenis or Yokohama AVS100s would probably fit the budget and work well for you.

 

I was having a nearly similar dilemia, though not quite as severe and I chose to go with the best compromise that I could for all 4 seasons. The Yokohama Avant Decibels (DB's) have done great for me. They have fairly large blocks of tread down the center of the tire to accomadate for dry traction and two really fat rain channels on either side of the tire. I've used them for roughly 4 seasons now and I have to say that I've been fairly please. I take my car up the moutain to go skiing and they seem to hold their own in the snow while still providing me traction in the dry. Granted they are not the stickiest in the dry, nor the best in the snow, but they work well for me. Hope that helps. They went for about $120 a tire.

TVA

 

Along that line of thinking, how do the stock Bridgestone Potenzas on a 2004(and 03 I assume) perform in the snow??

Dry road traction is OK with them so far.