I'm happy that i live in sunny FL. LOL..

 

I recently purchased Cooper Zeon LTZ tires for my 2005 Ram Viper for winter use only. Not only do they look great but they perform excellent on water and snow. These tires are not noisy. Speed rating is S. I highly recommend them, they are moderately priced also. I do however put sandbags over the rear axle in icy or heavy snow conditions.

 

mud graps will do great. of course im biased

 

x2 on the bfg at ko's. ive had them on 2 different SUV's and when i need new tires on the truck, im going to get another set in 35's it i can.

 

for strictly winter, bridgestone blizzaks cant be beat. period. even as a non-studdable, they perform better than most studded. check out the reviews on tirerack

 

I agree 100%. Also might want to try Nitto Terra Grappler or Super Swamper. Again a Biased opinion.

 

I disagree with the zeon ltz for winter. they are good on dry and rain, but dissapoint in snow. need to load the bed in winter or use 4x4 (not an option for you). agreed, blizzaks can't be beat, but plenty other options out there for no stud winter tires.
you can also get A/Ts and get them siped when you get them put on (discount tire sipes tires).

 

BFG A/T's are excellent.

Toyo open country A/T's suck after about 15k. We had a set on a 4x4 TrailBlazer and you needed 4WD just to get out of a flat driveway with only minimal snow.

Cooper Discoverer M & S. I ran a set on a 1/2 ton 2WD Chevy and they never let me down. I also ran 350# of sand bags.

 

Heavier snow tires might be better for Jersey. I live in Oklahoma and the snow here does not get serious very often. When it does most of us take off work to play in it anyway. Let's just say the Zeons work great in light to moderate snow conditions.

 

i really like my zeons for the winter although i do have 4wd. i think it would be hard to get around in the winter with a 2wd regardless of the tires. where in NJ are you at?