Howdy, My gen II has 18,000 miles and I think it should have some snow tires. I live at 7,000 feet in northern New Mexico and I also encounter a good deal of mud. I'm wondering how snow tires perform in mud. I also don't know if I need "performance" tires or if regular winter tires will do. I'm considering Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice tires. Any thoughts?
Ice tires are made for cold... I don't know what temperatures you're facing, but I don't think snow and ice tires would last long in the heat. I remember seeing mud and snow tires once, but I don't remember if that was a class of tire or marketing. Some ice tires have little pores designed to sip the layer of water off the ice to improve grip on ice. I can't see this system working in mud for more than one revolution of the tire, so I wouldn't want to spend a lot for that feature. I think what you're looking for is Tread... so go snow not ice.
