I need to get snow tires for vermont winters (should we actually have one this year). My 97 SE has stock 215/55 tires on it.

2 questions:

1. What size? 215/55/16 vs 205/65/15

2. What tire? I have Bridgestone Blizzaks on my van , the WS-30 models , now the WS-50 I think. They are very grippy but very soft.

Should I really try to go to the 205/65 for snows to get better snow performance and can I do that with no issues? I believe so.

Choices from tirerack.com:

Blizzak WS-50 205/65/QR15= $81
Blizzak WS-50 215/55/QR15= $104
BLizzak LM-22 215/55/HR16=$123 (silica in compound vs the multicell compound so I hope these would wear better for some small sacrifice in grippiness)
Dunlop Winder Sport M2 215/55/qr16 = $114
Michelin Artic-Alpin 215/55/QR16 = $98
Michelin Artic-Alpin 205/65/QR15 = $76
Michelin Pilot-Alpin 215/55/HR16 = $125
Michelin Pilot-Alpin 205/65/HR15 = $109

Any experience / advice? I think I like the LM-22 at 215/55/hr16. It does not come in the 205/65 version I believe so that is not a choice.

Thanks