I got a winter tire/wheel set from TireRack last year for the MINI Cooper,
and I thought they were terrible.

This is the third set of Alpin tire/wheel combos I have gotten from TireRack
over the years. We have them on my Wife's Volvo SW and on my old VW
quantum/Synchro SW, but the MINI could barely keep it's tires on the
road with them. Even on dry pavement.

But this year, they are great!!! I can plow through lots of snow, I can
stop at the icy intersections and they are fine on dry pavement.

So, I think they took some time to get roughed up or something because
I will once again, buy a fourth set of them. (from you-know-who)

Anyway, if you aren't quite satisfied with your winter tires when they are
new, maybe you'll have the same experience I did and have them get much
better after a couple thousand miles.

 

I found my Alpin Sports to be best all-around at mid tread life. They were pretty squirrely at full tread depth.(on my Lexus IS300)