I haven't read this entire thread, but here's my input. Amber has the General Altimax Arctic for her winter tires, in a 195/55/15 with some cheap aluminum wheels which she bought as a package from Tire Rack. They fit with no clearance issues at all, and those tires are nearly unstoppable. For the record, I am a huge fan of Bridgestone tires, and hate the General G-max tires I have on my Caliber, but her snow tires far outshine the Blizzaks I have on my Daytona Shelby winter beater. They have equal if not better traction, are much cheaper, and have much better tread life. She had the same tires on her Honda Fit before for three winters, and are still going strong going into their fifth season on our friend's Civic after she sold the Fit. My Blizzaks however are past half tread life after only one season.
I'd also like to point out that we are both firm believers in having a set each of summer and winter tires. She commutes over 60 miles each day for work; my daily commute is around 100 miles. We don't take chances with Nebraska winters, and once you've driven in the snow with dedicated snow tires, you'll never want to waste time on all-season tires again.