I've got the Graspic DS-2's with alloy rims, bought them from Tirerack for $870 shipped for everything. I did want the M3's, but I couldn't justify the couple hundred more for tires that I hope to not be using any more than I need to. I put them on a few days ago and have logged a few hundred miles on them, so I'll give you my view on them. On friday I had to drive around in about 4 inches of snow/slush/ice, pretty much the worst combination you can get because of snow, then rain, then falling temps. The Graspics rank up there in terms of snow tires I've used (gone through a few different sets having lived in NH for 7 years), and I really pushed them Friday night, going to some of the steepest hills in the area, just to test them out. Have this one hill at perhaps 5%-7% grade right by my house that was the toughest. The road had been somewhat plowed, but you couldn't see pavement at all, and the snow had been hard packed by vehicles all day, and the rain made it slippery enough that walking down the hill was impossible (its usually the way I take my dog on walks, and I couldnt walk down the street, had to stay on the sidewalk where the snow hadn't been shoveled, since the untouched snow adds some traction). I drove my car with about 10 mph of speed up to the middle of the hill, and then decided to stop, just to see if I could get going from a standstill. It wasn't pretty, but with the VDC on and working, and putting it into 2nd instead of first, I did get momentum without slipping backwards or spinning the wheels much, and once I got about 5 mph of speed, the slip light didn't come on anymore, and I could accelerate to a normal speed without a problem. The most important thing was to feather the clutch a little longer than usual, to apply power gradually. This test is probably the worst case scenario for me other than getting off road into a foot or two of snow, but thats because of the low ground clearance, and not the traction. On Sat and Sun, I put a couple hundred miles of highway and state road driving in (which says alot about my confidence in the tires, cause the roads were still pretty dicey from the Fri storm), and I will be the first to admit, the tires leave you a little more disconnected from the road than I would like. Its like driving a normal car really, compared to a sports car set up. It isn't the total amount of grip that is an issue (still took corners on off/on ramps very well once I set up for them), its that the dynamic loading of the tires, say on turn in and turn out, causes the car to roll and slide a bit more than what I was used too in a sports car. But once you're aware of it, and as long as you treat high speed, quick manuevers with a little more care, like you would on a normal car with regular all season radials, you'll still be able to enjoy the superior handling characteristics of the G compared to most of the other cars out there, even on snows.

Now will everyone be happy with these tires? Probably not, esp if you need to have the option to push the limits of handling during dry conditions, or if it doesn't snow much in your area, etc. But for several reasons these tires fit the bill:

1) They are cost effective. I'm trying to save money for other things, including mods that will be more effective during the summer months when I'll race. And just having got out of college, I've got to be somewhat responsible with my hard earned cash.

2) I tend to keep the hard driving for the track, and I try to drive well within my limits on the street. After I raced on the track and xcross, I realized I don't need to prove anything on the street. Performance winter tires aren't so important to me, i'm more concerned about safety when the roads are at sub par conditions. Anyway, for straight line accel, it wont matter much if you have M3's or Graspics. If you tend to dart in and out of traffic, or want to go go canyon carving on the weekends, the M3's will be a better bet though.

3) This is my daily driver. So I needed snow tires in general because I can't miss work because of inclement weather. But since snow tires are a high wear item, it made more sense to buy the appropriate tires for my needs instead of the "best" tire out there.

So, this is my long winded 2 cents of thes Graspics. I'd recommend them if you're on a budget or if you use the car to get places every day, since if you're putting miles on them, you may as well spend less money on a high wear item. If you can afford the M3's, get them, but I don't believe it will make much of a difference to you if you normally drive well within the car's limits.

 

I have the Dunlop winter sport M3's on my Audi TT and they make no noises at all, read alot of reviews about this tire before purchasing on Tirerack, they shipped them to a local garage, if interested ask for oscar, a great guy and alot of help, just had some snow locally and they performed great even with the FWD.