Weight distribution is probably more important than total weight.
I have a cf hood, 11 lb battery, no a/c, 9 lb. flywheel - so I took
a decent amount of weight off of the front tires.
Not every 'all season' tire is created equally.
Nokian makes an all-season radial, the WR, that also has an 'Extreme service' rating, for winter snow/ice conditions. They call it an 'all weather plus' tires. They still have a 400
treadwear rating for tread life life.
Nokian tires are expensive though - but well worth it for me so far.
I have not tried lower cost snow tires yet, so I can't really compare, but I really love
these in rain, snow & ice.
Straight line dry traction is really good - better than my Kuhmo 711 summer tires - seriously. These give up cornering performance, obviously, but they are a very
comfortable and quiet ride.
Check out their website [url]www.nokiantyres.com[/url] - look at how many different versions of snow tires and all season radials they have. They really know snow/ice tires.
Here's their winter test facility near the arctic circle:
http://www.nokiantires.com/en/dna.aspx