I'm sure you're on a budget (like everyone else), but what is your safety worth? I'm assuming you guys get some pretty brutal winters up there in Minnesota, so true winter tires is really the only way to go. However, if you do decide on all-seasons, you will need to find a tire that is very capable in the snow, which means you will give up a lot in terms of dry handling. Better snow traction means lots of little tread blocks for extra biting edges. Small tread blocks, however, mean less rubber on the road and more tread squirm, resulting in reduced handling performance. Unfortunately, you can't have it both ways so you need to decide for yourself what is more important.
I am in the same dilema. I drive in the city most of time (~ 10-12 miles a day) and, it gets cleared pretty fast. I have had lot of highway miles though (1.5 months - 4000 miles) over weekends and holidays. I read somewhere that the PNero's wear quite a bit faster. So, if thats the case then, running the sepreate winters for 5 months and then switching to summer stocks would not be that bad financially.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that the brakes on the MS6 are larger than that of the Mazda6, therefore the 16" wheels don't fit, and 17" is the minimum size.
