I'm starting my pre-winter tire search, and am curious about other people's experience with carbide studded tires (pros, cons, durability on dry roads, effectiveness compared to regular winter tires, etc) for a climate where I may experience snowy streets an average of perhaps 1 day per week through the winter, with perpetual snow banks and wetness in between the snowstorms (i.e, frequent ice in low spots, etc).

I'm inclined to go with the Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires so I can run on the non-studded center tread at higher pressure on dry days, and let the studs do their thing with lower pressure on the snowy days.

Any thoughts?

I biked to work and back daily last winter on Nokian A10s. Ran them at around 65psi all winter. They worked quite well. They've got very little tread and so are great on clean pavement and ice. On more than 1/4 inch of snow they're not great, but the roads were at least that clean (except the street I live on, which isn't too bad). No issues with durability, but I've only used my set one season.

Summer only got here last week! Why are you thinking about winter?

Peter White cycles has a pretty good comparison guide here: https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp.

Those look like nice tires. That's a lot of studs for the conditions you normally ride, but better to have too many than not enough.

I've given up on changing tire pressures to match conditions. Inevitably, if I pump up the tires on a snow-free morning, I'll wind up running into a patch of ice somewhere and wishing for lower pressure and better traction.

Marathon Winters are great tires in general, (in terms of rolling resistance, puncture protection, durability), but they are toast in sloppy snow. They are amazing on ice, however.

Ugh.

I tried 4 different studded tires last year, though the last set I got in April at a 2 for 1 sale. They never saw any snow or ice on their break-in rides.

Last winter was horrible around here for biking. A combination of freezing rain, thaws, snow, and slow plowing meant the residential streets were often covered in rutted ice topped with a layer of trafficked snow.

Tried A10s but they were inadequate for the conditions. Marathon Winters were much better on the ice but weren't very good on snow. Nokian W106s didn't roll as nice as the Winters or the A10s but were a bit better on the bad stuff, - though I wished they had more studs.

I finished the year by getting a set of Nokian W240s. Those things are not so fun on pavement, but I'm hoping they'll handle the ice and and at least some snow pretty well.

Wear isn't much of a problem with quality carbide studs.

In your climate it sounds like the Marathon Winters may be a good choice. They're really a nice tire and I tried to like them but they just couldn't handle much snow.

Last year I had the Nokian Extreme 296's. I would'nt use anything less for snow or ice. The rolling resistance on dry pavement is as expected for tires like these but it doesn't bother me.

I am going to be attempting to have a choice of 3 bikes, around here it can be so changeable that swapping wheels, never mind tires will be a pain. Even then, the weather, and conditions can be totally different on the way home compared to ride in.

Actually, it can change radically during the ride. I distinctly remember checking the forecast, ( no precipitation, cold, but not vicious ) and not 20 minutes later, WTF is this white stuff? There was an inch on the ground by the time I got to work, and 3 inches by 10 am.

I want to have the regular bike set up with Marathon Supremes, ( work very well in the wet )
The "All Out" Bike will have Ice Spiker Pro on it, haven't tried these, but I'm impressed with the weight if nothing else.
The "tween" bike, umm... Marathon Winters probably.

I used Schwalbe snow studs before, OK in "light" Winter conditions, but when it really starts, nowhere near enough. Light conditions is what they're aimed at, so that's not a criticism.

Any good Winter tires with Carbide studs will not have significant wear on dry tarmac, they might feel a bit odd and not give the greatest confidence, but I never had a slide. Of course, I wasn't going gangbuster either. They will be noisy, and slow. How slow depends on what pressure you have on a given day, and to a certain extent, how heavy they are. Riding in any amount of snow is an effort in itself. It typically increases my commute time between 50 and 100%.

The most versatile for both snow and ice are the Schwalbe Snow Stud, although they don't fit all bikes... they come in 700x38 and you still need fender clearance in winter.

Marathon Winters will be great on dry days, but on new snow days or slushy days they will be limited.

I would say, forget thinking about having multiple wheels/bikes for different conditions. Don't worry about the studs on dry asphalt, they take a LONG time to wear out.

The only thing I change is, when there is a ton of snow, I may let out some air in the tires, no tire changes until March.

A frequent topic in the winter forum. You may want to search there.
The two primary choices are Schwalbe and Nokian.
My 2 cents:
Don't consider any cheaper non-carbide alternatives.
Don't rely on studs as the "answer" to winter riding conditions. Yes, they'll get you through the ice but you still need to ride carefully and watch your lean and center of gravity.

I ran Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires last year and agree, great on ice and general ride but awful in the slop, but I'll probably run them again this year as the ice and dry conditions out weighed the slop days.