I have a 2012 Rav4. The cost of tires that fit (225/65R17) varies widely. I have Michelins on now, which were new when I bought the used car. I’ve never been thrilled with the traction, but I don’t know if it’s the tires or the car.
StG
I run Michelin Defenders, got a set on sale and liked them so much I put them on two cars and the same ones came on the car I bought last year. Excellent traction and ride is decent, I have no complaints. And rated at 90K miles, which reduces the cost per mile and makes them a better deal than a lot of tires with a cheaper upfront cost but lower mileage ratings.
Chance of defect and quicker wear is at the very low scale (presently about $100/tire or less). Also watch the tread for narrow tread pattern ‘cuts’ called snipes that only go 1/2 way down the wear distance. Cheap tires commonly don’t have full length snipes so when your tire is 1/2 worn you lose some of these.
As $ goes up generally the tires are more dependable and they stand behind them better.
For traction I like to look for a luggy pattern. Something with good spacing between the lugs and not totally straight tread lines but some with a bit of wiggle.
I’m so lucky to have a “car guy” (owns a local car repair place, which is right around the corner from my house).
I can ask him weird questions like “So which tires would be quietest on the freeway?”
I was going to need new tires soon anyhow, and he told me that, on my '01 Insight, getting Potenzas would be much quieter.
He told me to wait til I could find 'em on sale online, and have them shipped to his garage. He called me up when they came in (from Tire Rack… great site) and put them on.
Huge difference in road noise, and traction (made drifting on snowy streets harder, though).
There is a ton of R&D into compounds and tread patterns. Better tires have better grip in lower-traction situations (rain, snow, ice, dirt roads), have better lateral movement when turning, etc.
That’s “siping,” no “n.” You used to have to pay extra to have tires siped, now it’s fairly standard. The Defenders are siped on the inside of the tire so they’re set from the get go. Siping increases the flexibility of the tire, increasing grip on the road and in summer the sipes help dissipate heat better which increases the longevity of the tread. First set of tires I had siped were rated at 50K and still had legal tread at about 65K when I replaced them. I used to go through a set of tires a year, pretty much, back when I drove delivery. Discount Tires used to roll out the red carpet every time I’d pull my van in because I didn’t go cheap on tires.
Do those Defenders have the 3MSF logo?
No idea, and google doesn’t come up with anything but Doctors Without Borders on that as a search term. 
My sister has suggested Costco, since they really stand behind their products. My nephew-in-law said basically to compare the mileage warranties. These days, I drive so little - I work from home and have since before Covid. About once a month I do a rescue dog transport, but I probably drive about 7500 miles per year.
Most tires I looked at seem to have some amount of stiping.
StG
Personally I’m a bit uncomfortable with the very cheapest tires that are sold. I’ve used them before, and invariably I’ve got a bubble or some sort of other tire defect before they wear out, and luckily I haven’t had issues with blowouts or anything.
Typically now that I’m not in my twenties and broke, I tend to aim at the 2/3-3/4 price range. Like the top of the “good” range, or the bottom of the “best” range at Discount Tire. Which typically means Yokohama, Cooper, Continental, and sometimes Pirelli. Rarely is it Goodyear or Michelin.
It’s the mountain and snowflake logo for all-weather tires.
Note: I messed up and dropped a letter. It is 3PMSF - 3 Peak Mountain SnowFlake
Here is an excellent 10 minute-ish video on vehicle tires, explaining what siping is, why tread patterns are the way they are, what radial construction is, etc. with bonus info about sockets.
I’ll cue it up to begin right after the advertisement:
Okay, gotcha, glad my google fu is not missing in action! I think in Michelin you have to get into the Cross Climate line to get that rating. Defenders are an all season tire, which are fine for most Left Coast conditions where we don’t get a whole lot of snow in an average winter. They’re real good in heavy rain, I can tell you that. I almost have to work at getting the Subaru to hydroplane.
From anything I’ve read, Michelin all seasons are not very good in winter conditions.
Back when I ran all season tires year round I had Michelin and they were actually pretty good. I now switch to snows in winter.
I has the old style of Michelin Premier A/S and they worked great on a FWD sedan in the Colorado snow and ice.
I’m in Tennessee - winter driving isn’t really an issue for me.
StG
No real info to offer, just more questions/observations.
What is the price difference over the expected life of the tire? No one wants to piss $ away unnecessarily, but are we talking $200 for a set over 7 years? $400? More?
I read recently that all tires should be replaced after 7 yrs, no matter the mileage, just because the rubber ages. That surprised me. But I don’t know if I ever owned a car/tires that long.
One problem w/ tires is you buy them so infrequently. Unless you buy cheapos and get flats/into accidents immediately.
I’d imagine the best option is somewhere in the middle. I often use the old Sears good/better/best system. For so much that I buy, “better” serves just fine.
For my car $50 - $75 per tire and I get two years out of them because I drive a lot. But as I live in Colorado I need decent tires for when the snow and ice hit. For my truck, it’s closer to $75 - $100 per tire but man, they have no fear when it comes to going up and down steep dirt and rock mountain roads.
So there is one consideration. How much you save vs. what it costs when you put you car in a guardrail after hitting black ice or getting a tow after popping a tire on some back-ass county road late at night.
After a couple tries at replacing tires I have decided to stick with OEM tires to retain the original ride, traction, and noise level.