No tire is absolutely best in all circumstances.
So first begin by defining what characteristics are the most important to you in your driving situation. Consumer Reports November 07 issue had a review of both all season and ultra-high performance tires. Some of their results are posted at the end of
this .
Cool looking tread may be the opposite of well performing tire (example, Yoko ES100s look cool are noisy as heck).
I use Michelin Ribs on my 17s. Have had Pirelli and Yokohamas. Not even close which was best for me.