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TSI........If you read his post as I did he stated he does A ski trip a year. I don't think living in Southern Cali I would give up everyday performance and handling in wet and dry for 1 trip in the snow and 1 camping trip but that's me. I would go off-road (my version---mild), and I would prefer to have performance tire that would get by. Also I take into consideration, when I look at reviews, that people that rate these tires are not in a FOZ and my feeling is that it improves the ability of the tire to have AWD especially symmetrical traction. Most are lucky if they have 2 wheels with complete traction. I know you are trying to be objective so please don't feel like I am bashing you here. These are just my opinions and observations.
No, no, please don't misunderstand - I'm actually from the same camp as you: I'm among those who think that the choice needs to be up to the end-user, in terms of whether they want tires that satisfy them for the 75% of their usual commute, or if they want to sacrifice, in some way or another, during that 75%, for performance/capabilities for the remaining 25%.
It's never an easy choice to make, and I truly believe, in my core, that it's something that only the end-user can fairly judge. :smile:
Like you, despite my living in the Snow Belt of Cleveland, Ohio, I choose, specifically, "Performance Winters," giving up a bit of wintry-weather traction so that I can still have some good fun in the clear. I feel that the trade-off is worth it. Others may not.
As such, I completely understand what you're saying, and I am inclined to agree with you, based on how you specifically reasoned/predicated your specific outlook, your specific "take."
Indeed, as you said, I was simply examining the issue in a purely objective manner, based on recognized reviews (Stateside, with
CR, for starters, which reviewed this tire on the year of its introduction) of the 912, and especially as compared to their immediate predecessor, the 512. And it is based solely in this context - one in which that the wintry-precip. performance of the 912s is judged solely on its own, without an external framework (i.e. the end-user's personal preferences) to fit into, if you will - that I bring up the shortcomings of this tire, as well as my recommendations on siping the tire, if wintry-precip. is something that this tire is going to be expected to see.
Here in NE-Ohio, in the early '00s, the Falken ZIEX-ZE512 were highly regarded in terms of their affordability-to-overall-performance quotient, and that included wintry-weather capabilities. As a matter of fact, both my '05 LGT as well as my wife's '05 WRX (which was replaced by her current '09 FXT, upon going off-lease) each spent one winter with the 512s, and the tire fared very, very well, for "high-performance all-seasons."
However, as you can see, both in terms of professional/published reviews as well as our own userbase, the 912 revision did not improve on this portion of the equation, over the 512 - and it can even be said that the 912s are more suited to a fairer-weather setup, while the 512s suit the "light snow" category a bit more.
I agree with Silke on the Mich Pilot Sports A/S's, I had them and they are fantastic, but there is the snow issue again and the $$$ issue. Another tire that I have looked at is the General Altimax HP. It also gets high marks for everyday performance and wear-ability, probably the same in the snow as the 912's but the tread pattern is very similar to the A/S's. Take a look:
General Altimax HP
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S
Anyway that my .02.
The Pilot Sport A/S's winter performance is supposedly improved upon by its new replacement this season, the A/S+. Given the comparative review from this past December's
C&D, as well as early reviews from fellow Subaru enthusiasts, indeed, I think that it could be a very viable "light snow" performance "all-season."
In a lot of ways, these new "evolutions" are spreading throughout the "tire-dom." Look at the new revision of the Pirelli P-Zero Nero, the "A/S" variant, as opposed to the previous-generation "M+S" variant, of which also garnered some rather severe criticism for their relative lack of wintry-precip. traction (with some of the most stinging commentary coming from fellow Subaru owners).
It will be very interesting to see what the OP finally decides on - particularly as time goes on and the tires wear.
For, as you well pointed out, with such occasional ventures to ski-land, the simple fact that from one season to another, the OP could see noticeable differences in tread-depth, which will, itself alone, greatly affect the capabilities of the vehicle in both powder and slush.
