Best all-season and performance all-season tires

Every drivers taste in tire performance is different and every car will handle differently even with the same tire brand. Some of us like a soft smooth ride and others such as myself like to take turns at ridiculous speeds. Therefore below you will find several different categories of all-season tires. In general the higher the performance rating of the tire the stiffer the ride will be.
These tire surveys results were collected by tirerack.com in the US. These results are from actual drivers who purchased and used these tires for a fairly long time period.

Passenger all-season:

1. Goodyear assurance TripleTred all-season
2. ContiEcoContact EP
3. Michelin HydroEdge with Green X
4. Yokohama Y372
5. Goodyear Assurance Comfortred

To view the full list follow the link: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=AS

Standard touring all-season:

1. Michelin Defender
2. Firestone Precision Touring
3. Hankook Optimo H727
4. Pirelli P4 Four Season
5. Yokohama AVID TRZ

To view the full list follow the link:http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ST

Grand touring all-season:

1. Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus
2. Continental PureContact with EcoPlus Technology
3. Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus
4. Michelin Primacy MXV4
5. Goodyear Assurance ComforTred Touring

To view the full list follow the link: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=GTAS

High performance all-season:

1. Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S
2. Goodyear Eagle RS-A2
3. Dunlop SP Sport Signature
4. Yokohama AVID ENVigor
5. Goodyear's Eagle GT

To view the full list follow the link:http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=HPAS

Ultra high performance all-season:

1. Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric All-Season
2. Continental ExtremeContact DWS
3. Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position
4. Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus
5. General G-MAX AS-03

To view the full list follow the link:http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=UHPAS

As with everything in life we must try to find the best value for the money. Two months ago I purchased a set of General G-Max AS-03 tires to replace the original Kumho high performance tires (215/45/17). What a difference in handling, with the General tires (made by Continental) I can seriously take turns at ridiculous speeds with almost no body roll. The only downside is that they are a bit on the noisy side but the ride is not overly stiff. Originally my first choice were the Continental ExtremeContact DWS but due to a lower price I chose the Generals instead. The Conti DWS have the best snow rating of all the ultra high performance tires and may be worth the extra money for drivers who drive in snow some of the time. Due to the harsh winter conditions here in Canada I have dedicated snow tires for that purpose. The Goodyears, Michelins and Bridgestones were just too expensive relative to performance in comparison to the Generals.

Another thing that buyers should be aware is the UTQG rating, this rating indicates the three T's, treadwear, traction and temperature.
Treadwear -- roughly from 180 to 800 number. As a common example a tire rated at 600 will last twice as long as one rated at 300.
Traction -- from AA(best), A, B & C(worst). Generally asphalt g-force rating of better than 0.54 (AA class) to less than 0.38 (C class)
Temperature -- A(best), B, & C. Tires with A grade can handle higher speeds than B and C ratings.

If you would like to read more about the UTQG rating there is a more detailed explanation on the tirerack.com web-site, follow this link; http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=48