Fishtail -- thanks for the info. Due to the limited supply of tires, I went with the Pirelli Winter Ice. I have had very positive experiences with Pirelli snow tires so I had no problem justifying the purchase (on top of the fact that if I didn't get the tires, I would probably be out in the ditch somewhere). The entire set came out to CA$850 installed. As I was driving home, the tires handled the fresh and packed snow equally well. Perhaps that 40kg bag of salt in my trunk made a difference as well.
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Peabers
'01 IS300 Graphite Grey Pearl/Black Cloth LSD