The girlfriend and I will be driving from Houston to Breckenridge, CO and back this spring. We are currently shopping for tires for her FX but want to buy decent AT tires that will handle the snow and ice on our roadtrip but won't kill us with road noise or wear out fast. I was wondering if any of you that happen to live in regions that actually have a winter season could help us out and recommend some brands/models. She has the 20" stock wheels, 265/50/20. I thought about the Nitto Terra Grapplers but it seems all the negative reviews centered around bad tread life and horrible snow traction from people who actually live in the snow.

Let me know what your ideas are, thanks in advance!