this is turning out to be very interesting. the four wheeler magazine link raves about the General Grabber HTS and its ability to perform in ice and snow. even gives some explanations about how the design is made to work like that as it traps snow and plugs up the spaces in the tire tread(why would you ever want your tread plugged up?)

then, wanting to ensure that my ignorance is as educated as possible, i go to General's website to see what they claim about their winter ability for this tire. Nothing, not ONE word about ice or snow or cold. that is weird.

so I think, hey, let's visit a trusted source for more information. one that does not accept ad revenues to influence their opinions. the difference is staggering. snow traction - not excellent, not very good. ice braking - not excellent, not very good, not even good. oh and thread life - second lowest rating (I wonder why with their 'softer compound')

now can consumer reports improve their testing. Yes, they make no mention of the TEMPERATURE at which the dry and wet braking is done at. do this near freezing on clear roads and watch no season tires fall on their faces. funny enough the General Grabber HTS may be an exception with its softer compound.

to the OP, to avoid poor quality used tires there are many resources that teach how to read a tire including the date of manufacture. note how and where they are stored and u can even take them to a tire shop to have them check for roundness. oh and if you check the tire and see plugs, patches, nick, cuts, drying cracks, curb damage or bullet holes, um, maybe don't buy that one.