Originally Posted by SalsaShark

I have been running the Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus for the last few seasons, and they are a versatile winter tire. They roll nice(ly enough) with higher pressures when conditions are ideal, but are quite capable at lower pressures when things get icy. If you want to keep one tire on all season long, they are a very good option. I have ridden these without incident when the cars in town could not get up hills due to snow and ice.
That being said, I am going with a little different option this season on my winter bike (Salsa Journeyman). I have acquired a second wheelset (650b) in addition to the stock 700c wheelset. I am keeping the Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus 35mm on the 700c wheelset, and running 48mm Panaracer Gravelking SK on the 650B wheelset. When the weather is a non issue, and there is no real chance of significant ice, i have been running the 650 non studded tires, which are also quite capable in snow. When the conditions involve more ice, or are unpredictable, i throw on the studded tire wheelset.
My main reasoning for this stems from a fall I took last season. The winters in my area are widely varied, and can include a sunny 40 degree day, or maybe -30° and a snowstorm. Lots of ice forming and melting, and lots of calcium chloride and salting of the roads. As the season progresses, a steady layer of "salt dust" coats all of the road surfaces. While the Marathon tires are great in the winter conditions, they seem to "let go" of their grip on the road pretty quickly when the road salt dust conditions are just right, making any sort of leaning while turning a bit sketchy. Combine this with the sometimes necesssary bar mitts in sub-zero temperatures, and a loss of traction will end in a hard impact with your hands tethered to your handlebars. This is exactly what happened to my while travelling through a roundabout last winter. I lost traction with a slight lean into the turn, and went down hard on my shoulder....grade 3 AC tear. I think that if the pressure is just so and the road dusted with salt, when you hit those outer studs with a lean, the tires lose their grip on the road, and there is no turning back from the slippage. (Oddly enough, you can save yourself with correction if these tires start to slip while riding on sheer ice, so that's good!)
So now i run the beefier non-studded 650b tires on the clear, yet heavily salted roads. When the weather turns south, i will run the studs, and if it is also cold enough will run the bar mitts, with the understanding that i have to be conscious to not get the bike leaning with the studs on asphalt, meaning a bit slower commute, which is OK so long as i arrive upright!
Hope this wasn't a complete waste of your time.