i had 17" wheels with snows and they were ok on the ice in Vermont. the BFG KDWS and 140lbs of sand in the trunk do pretty damn good, especially with the 5spd. an automatic would be horrible imo. but with all the crap on the roads i'm getting a beater for next winter!!!

 

I ran my stock Pirelli's all winter. I did succumb once and drove my wife's Mazda 6 one day that was really bad. (Bad enough that by the time I made it in I discovered they closed the office and I headed back.)

It's no snowmobile, but it works. When I bought my new wheels I aved the old. Once the Pirellis wear out, I'll get some true snow tires and run them Dec-Mar.