Quoted from Tire Rack--

Ultra High Performance All-Season

You're willing to trade a little handling for all-season versatility...

M&S Rated, V or Z speed rated, 55 series and lower. These tires provide light snow traction, through tread designs and compounds which remain more flexible in the cold weather to help blend all-season traction wiith outstanding handling and high speed capabilities.

The list of choices is from Tire Rack's Recommendation for OEM wheels.

Which one would you buy if you were looking to get through cold weather conditions (other than Ice and Snow)? I know personally I only drive in the dry, but half of the year it's not warm enough to heat the tires up. Therefore, the best balance for "Northern" performance might be from this list.

You might want to read people's comments/reviews about the tires, I found it enlightening.

 

I went with the Dunlop SP 5000. I only have a few hundred miles on them so its a little tell, but I like them so far. They are definitely better on those sub 40 degree days, especially in the wet. It's worth noting that if you want to maintain the staggered front/rear setup you normally need a 245/45 for the rear tire and only the Dunlops and the Pirellis come in that size. Also, I'm sure you'll end up getting some of the usual "get a set of winter only tires" comments, but if you don't plan to drive the car in snow or live somewhere snow is infrequent all-season tires have their place.

 

 

For all-season performance and wear, the Pilot Sport A/S are the best. Unfortunately they don't come in 245/45-16's for the rear.