My winter setup in our area uses Conti ExtremeContact DWS which are UHP all seasons. I get much better dry traction than winters, better wet grip, and significantly reduced snow traction (as evidenced last year when I barely made It home in a snowstorm). Anyway, I judged the all seasons to be a better compromise in the area...
Even with these, I get less feedback than with the PS2, they are more squidgy, but also a bit more progressive when breaking traction. And it did take more tries to get them balanced, not sure if it's a tire quality problem...
To your problems: definitely get a better wheel balance done, using RoadForce. I got my track and winters done at Road Racing Technologies in VA, reasonably priced with impeccable results.
When I get my winters installed, you're more than welcome to take a test drive for comparison purposes. Just send me a PM...
