Tires MICHELIN or Cooper

One thing to note, we absolutely love the Michelin Defenders.

It handles Midwest winters way better than the four options you listed, lasts longer (80k warranty), and feels more planted on heavier SUVs.

Michelin Defender 2 is a wonderful tire

If you wanna stay with Cooper's, get the Discoverer AT3S. They are a decent Road Focused All Terrain with good snow and ice ratings. I have them on my truck, and I don't slide around much unless I want it too, yanno what I mean lol.

I have dedicated snow tires that go on November 1st and come off April 1st. I don't get stuck. Cooper Evolution Winter are my favorite tread style, but several tire makers have the same tread design. The ones made in Japan are 13/32 deep and ride well.

Yes you have cheap Chinese tires. Starfire's aren't good at anything and Cooper is better but they are still well behind premium tires. The difference is crazy, all seasons (not all created equally) are usually a sketchy mess when conditions get bad but a snow tire will have tons of confidence even on ice.

I've had Michelin Cross Climate 2 and I love them. Rode through a blizzard without any issues.

I have the cross climates and there’s so much wider. Drives better too.

The tread pattern on the cross climate tires is noisy and you might notice a drop in mileage (-10mpg has been reported).

I have Michelin soft rubber winter tires. I have zero traction on the ice.