Bob, I agree that such tests might not be the end-all and be-all, but its something. I noted that I was surprised that the Toyo's I really like were a bit low in the rankings. I guess though its fair to note I have not driven the other tires that were ranked ahead of the Observe's. The Toyo's were behind the Grabber Arctic's, but those were their P-rated ones rather than the entirely different Grabber Artic LT's that I bought from you last January (too bad those aren't available in the size I'm now seeking, we'll find something soon though).
The Consumers Reports test rankings in my estimation need to weigh certain performance factors much more heavily than others, for instance snow traction and ice braking should have greater effect on the ranking than minor performance qualities such as noise levels and rolling resistance. A 'ride comfort' column also seemed rather subjective, cumulatively that's 3 columns out of 10 that can have a heavy effect on a tires ranking. I'll note though that they don't include tread life estimate on winter tires as they do with summer or all-season tires.
It would also be interesting to know where the heck their test facility is, to get an idea of what kind of winter conditions they test in.
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"The trouble with people idiot-proofing things, is the resulting evolution of the idiot." Me
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