I don't understand why studded tires would be required to "bite through
slush to the pavement", if conditions are slush on top of pavement then
just about any decent tire should be OK for traction. If it's slush on top
of hard ice then I can see how studded tires would be an advantage over
normal tires.

I drive from Seattle to western Montana and back every winter, across 5
mountain passes and have never encountered a problem with traction using
winter tires (currently Michelin X-Ice on BMW and Nokian Hakkapeliitta on
the Vanagon).

On Fri, Nov 4, 2016 at 9:44 AM, Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@gmail.com>
wrote:

> What’s so difficult in Seattle is our snow is wet. It may freeze and get
> packed for a day or so, but when it melts it’s slicker than you know what.
> Side streets are never cleared, so really slick conditions can be around
> for days.  I’ve had good luck with Michelin X-Ice on my Scion xB in the
> past, but what the studs do in our conditions is bite through the slush to
> the pavement, something ice tires can’t do.
>
> Winters here have been warmer the past few years, so I’m hoping we don’t
> have any more snow, except in the mountains.
>
>