moving from socal to colorado tire advice(all season/winter?

[Grimy]

I am moving from the nice climate of southern California to Colorado. I know the weather will be different(much different). My continentals have been fine for all the paved roads down here in the greater San Diego area. I always lurk the forums and have done my research and have picked out two different tires(all weather nokian WRG2 SUV vs winter Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5 SUV) and am trying to figure out which route I want to go. My continentals have about 24000 miles on them and the tread is fine. I am getting out of the military and attending school full time so money will be tight. I want to know if it would be smarter for me to get tires that will be able to hand all the types of weather thrown at me(all weather) or buy a second set of rims and mount the Nokian winter tires on and use my continentals for the rest of the seasons? I am leaning towards the all weather tires(until i graduate and work full time) due to the fact that it will get rid of the continentals, I won't have to buy a second set of rims and it will be cheaper giving me control in any weather Colorado can throw at me. I have read the reviews of the few that bought them and loved them. I came across this image(off of discounttires) and it made me think are all season tires that much worse because I don't want to sacrifice my safety?

[philipa_240sx]

I live in Ontario, Canada (about 3 hours due north of Ohio) and our winters last 4-5mos. IMHO, snow tires is the single most important item to have for winter driving. You would be wise to NOT drive on those stock Continentals. They will not be very good in the snow.

Nokian's Hakkapeliitta is a very well regarded snow tire. I have driven on 3 sets of them over the past 10 years and highly recommend them.

The WRG2 is a step above regular 'all-season' tires in that they perform nearly as well in snow as a dedicated snow tire. I would have no issues using them during winter and they are probably better than some off-brand snow tires! However, they are a bit of a compromise for summer driving. I have not driven on them, but I understand they are soft and do not have very quick steering response on dry roads. They may also wear a bit faster than all-seasons.

If your budget is tight, go for the WRG2 and use your stock rims. Later on, you can purchase some nice 18" or 19" wheels and tires for summer driving and dedicate the WRG2's for winter use until they wear out.

[nbguy66]

I live in New Brunswick (Canada) where winter means lots of snow, ice pellets, freezing rain and storms. Last winter I put a set of Michelin X-Ice Xi2 tires with winter rims on my Rogue. These are the best winter tires I have ever used, far better than the Goodyear Ultra Grip ice I used on my XTrail. Sure footed, great traction in all weather, very quiet and comfortable ride on paved roads. They inspired confidence when passing cars on the highway (when the passing lane was still covered with ice/show). Cannot recommend them enough.

I just got a set of Michelin Hydroedge last week. They are less noisy than the Contis and give a good ride. Have not had a chance to try them in rain yet. Previous to the Michelins, I used Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread on the XTrail. Great when they were new, but after two summers they lost their effectiveness in rain. They wore down very quickly.