Winter tires -- studded vs non-studded

Many of you are wondering which type of tire is best for you winter driving conditions a studded or non-studded one.
I will give you my personal experience with both types, considering my fairly aggressive driving style. Few years ago 80% of my driving was city based, I began with two non-studded tires the original Michelin Alpine and the Toyo Observe G-02. The test car was a subcompact four cylinder with a fairly light weight such as a Yaris. The Michelin Alpine (non-studded) winters on this vehicle were downright scary, very little snow and ice grip. Even though Michelin's winter tire technology has advanced since then I have never and will never again purchase another winter tire from them.
My next set of winters brings us to the Toyo Observe G-02 (non-studded) winter tires. As compared to the Michelin these were amazing, excellent snow traction with above average ice stopping capabilities.
Finally after mixed success with non-studded tires I bought my first set of studded Goodyear Ultra Grip winter tires. Bought these tires after having driven my father-in-law's car (which was equipped with them) on hard packed snow and ice. All I can say is night and day compared to the non studded tires. Amazing snow and ice grip with excellent stopping capabilities on black ice which we have plenty of here in Canada.
Currently running my subcompact car on Gislaved NordFrost5 studded tires which are excellent on ice and above average in deep snow.

Now the downside to studded winter tires.
Currently in my new location I find myself driving about 75% of the time on the highway (100 + km/h). The studded tires are noisy, you get less km on a tank of gas (higher consumption) and after three years on these studded winter tires they are starting to lose their studs. My belief is that the high speed at which the tires are running at is generating enough heat which loosens the studs from the rubber.
With the resent technological advancements in rubber compounds non-studded tires have made significant improvements to their ice stopping capabilities. Best example is the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 which in test almost equals the top rated studded Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 (number 8 on the way soon). For a list of top rated tires you can see my previous winter tire blog on best winter tires.
So in conclusion if you find that the majority of your driving is on fairly clean plowed streets and highways a high quality non-studded tire would be best for you. On the other hand if you live in the suburbs or rural areas or do mainly city based driving a studded tire would be your best choice.
We must choose the tire that is best suited to our driving style and environment, so for me next winter tires will be Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 non-studded.