It's tough to say, comparing tires between manufacturers without actual experience riding on them is really difficult. There is this thing call the Uniform Tire Quality Grading UTQG system which is really a joke. It's meant to compare treadwear universally but it's a useless rating because even though each tire maker is required to grade, they are responsible for grading themselves and there are no real standards to go by. There is one spec tire that every company is given to compare to that is rated a 100, but one company's rating of 500 could be the same as another company's rating of 600. We just don't know. But if you have success with one brand, then I like to stick with that brand until something proves to me otherwise.
Of course tires and performance are relative to your driving location and tire availability for what is sold in your area. Just like shoes some people could wear the same rubber sole but to one person it is good for walking and to another it is horrible for running.
I rotate my tires like clockwork every 5,000 miles and I hope that gives me the longest lifespan. But for me the best tires are #1 the one that is on sale for a deal, #2 widely available and will be in stock for the next couple years and #3 gives me a pretty decent manufacturers warranty on miles. This way if a tire blows early, I can at least get the same one to replace it and possibly get it prorated at a discount. Then down the road after there is some uneven treadwear, since I have a FWD, I can replace in pairs, otherwise I will replace when all four are worn down. But if I had an AWD, they don't recommend replacing just 1 and it's not even a good idea to replace pairs. AWD is usually more sensitive to uneven wear on the tires so you should look to replace all four at once.
I have also read that some times OE tires from the vehicle purchase may not even be the same as what you can buy yourself with the same name. For example you can have a Michelin Primacy Tour made specifically for Kia or a Pirelli Scorpion Zero made for Kia but then if you buy them on your own you might be buying a Pirelli Scorpion Zero Plus. That just reminds me that they aren't selling the same tire to us as they are to the auto makers because the auto makers are reselling it to us so they need get a huge quantity and probably a deeper discount. I don't know if that means they are getting a different product or not, but it does make me wonder if corners were cut or you are getting slightly less quality or more generic rubber with the same name and tread pattern. Like buying a name brand at an outlet store, it looks like a deal but the quality isn’t always the same. Bottomline, the choice the auto maker is making when they sell a vehicle is not going to be the best for your region and your driving terrain. It's going to be the best they could buy at large quantity to meet manufacturing demand that meets the most common driving conditions.
Right on for the Blizzaks. When it comes time for the all seasons, I wouldn't have your heart set on the OEM Michelin Primacy Tours but if you like the Michelins, I would check to see which are the most widely sold that have the best reviews. Additionally consider that an 80,000 mi warranty vs. a 30,000 mi warranty might not mean that it will actually last you 50,000 miles more. But it could be a relative comparison that the tire manufacturer feels the higher mileage warranty tire will last longer.
