peformance tires suck in snow beacuse they werent made for it.
duh.
just like all-season tires suck at the race track
not the answer your looking for, but true. essentialy(like dennis says) the compunds and such are designed with certain parameters(heat, wear, etc)..typically, the more heat the compund will tolleratE(like a Pzero) the less flexibility and grip it has in cold temperatures(like Pzeros...I slide around a lot under 30 degrees...bleh.)
-chet