I'm an Ohio guy and lord knows we see our (more than usually) fare share of snow, granted I'm only running 265s so I can't speak intelligently on the 315s but my 06's are like Blizzaks in the snow around here - that is, right up until the "S" is worn off and then you definitely notice the change.


I find that point, totally dependent obviously upon how you drive and how many miles a year, to be right around the two year mark for me, usually rock solid for two winters and then begin to fade off after that. I usually put between 6000 and 9000 miles a year on the X so that would be probably about 15000 miles into the tires life I notice that change. Still very driveable for sure but as others have mentioned, you do "drive" the car more once that "S" layer is gone. And I'm sure width does make a difference for sure, think of snow shoes, the wider the footprint the greater the displacement.