Thanks for all the comments. You guys have given me some more tire options to research. I'm not above using my allowance to buy new tires just for the sake of experimentation.

I went for my first real ride on the Vittorias and I'm quite happy. The tires don't have the cushion that my wife's Bontragers have but the overall handling is superb. Our subdivision has about 30 acres of greenbelt with sidewalks covering a good deal of it. The only wheeled access to the sidewalks is to ride thru the common areas or the gutters. The gutters end at the street in a curb so you have to enter the driveway closest to the gutter, ride down the sidewalk, turn into the gutter and then turn onto the greenbelt sidewalk. You have to repeat this process to get back on the street. With the exception of the initial turn into a driveway, each of these turns is a 90-degree turn with curbs on all side....pretty tight. On my Armadillo's I would slow down to a speed that barely allowed me to remain upright on the bike and then I would wobble thru the turn, white knuckles on the bars. With the Vittorias, I can make those turns at a much higher speed (still slow, but relatively speaking) and the turn is smooth and steady.

Also, these tires are MUCH faster. On a good, windless day my average speed was generally in upper ranges of 9 mph. Today, in relatively high wind, my average was 12 mph and I hit 24 mph with a little help from the wind. On the Armadillos, 17 or 18 mph was tops.

Finally, my bike just looks better with these tires.