[Pat]

The Tire Rack test for the DWS measures mainly how the tire compares with others in its class in SNOW. I love this as a snow-oriented A/S tire, or as a substitute for a light snow tire. A couple tires bridge the gap between A/S and light snow. The DWS is one. A little more toward the snow category is the Dunlop 3D. With this type of tire there are always compromises. As I spend a lot of time in the mountains in the winter but only want one set of wheels/tires for our A6, I went with the DWS. It is fantastic, as it really can serve as a tire that handles 100 degree heat in Denver in the summer and also -10 degrees with a ton of snow in the mountains in the winter. It's not easy to find a tire that sacrifices so little. I think the DWS is one of the best, if not THE best, A/S tires in the snow.
That said, it has a lot of void an not many large tread blocks. When pushed in the hot weather it gives up easily. More easily, IMO, than the Pilot Sport A/S Plus. The Pilot has stiffer sidewalls and is more responsive. It's closer to a summer performance tire than the DWS. Does that answer your question?
Both are A/S tires, but on opposite ends of the A/S spectrum for my needs.