What do you think is the best winter tire? I know there are related posts on this topic, but wanted to ask some specific questions.

If you have any experience with the following tires I would greatly appreciate your take: Dunlop M2/M3, Blizzak LM22s, and any Nokian tires that stress handling. My local tire shop mentioned that Nokians were great for handling but didn't mention which ones, and couldn't get the ones in question for my car.

I live in the NY City area. So we

 

blizzak is a great tire for many cars, but dont think it will work on ours...
post this q in the tirerack tire & wheel forum (on this site)-

 

I have Blizzak LM22 and I love them.

They are a great tire if your area gets ploughed often during snowfall. They aren't the best for deep snow, but they'll get you home safely if you get stuck in a storm and the ploughs can't keep up.

They are great in the dry. They sacrifice a bit of hardcore snow performance in order to get really good dry traction. So like I said, if the roads are cleared often, these are the perfect tires for you.