Winter Tire Set Up??

[shooter]

I just got a set of 17's to replace my 19's for the winter. I have gone through hours of posts, so if you could kindly not say use the search function it would be very greatly appreciated.
My 19's are staggered, so I was wondering what the pro's and con's are if I were to stagger my 17" winters.
I was thinking:
235/65/17 on the front
255/60/17 on the rear

I currently have 30mm spacers in the back and she's lowered if that makes a difference.

I really don't want to lose any of the performance that the 19's offer, but I live in NW Connecticut and the winters up here are twice as bad as southern CT.
I would like them to be quiet because I commute to Southern CT everyday for work. What is the tradeoff?

Any brand/model suggestions? I see a lot of people use the Blizzaks, but I'm not sure what to go with. I need these socks for my winter shoes asap!!

Thanks again guys.