Energy Saver and Energy Saver AS have clearly different tread design.
http://www.autorno.com/userfiles/products/michelin-energy-saver-plus-side.png
http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/michelin/mi_energysaver_as_pdptrd.jpg
AS is much more capable in wet and snow but makes more noise and handles worse in corners.
Estonia is small but weather here is very demanding. I would even say sophisticated.
The only thing we don't have is temperatures above 30C. But as 25C already needs pure summer tires
then knowledge about tires is wide-ranging.
Same for the other extreme, below -25C is rare. But that also requires absolute winter compounds,
second grade winter fuel, second grade washer fluid, more expensive ICE oils... etc.
The hard part is exactly in between. For example, did you know that ice that is near freezing temperature
is much more slippery than ice that is really cold. Or that studs are not helping much in very cold temperatures.
Therefore studded tires are best at -5C/+1C at the same time asphalt ruins the head of the stud too fast - dilemma :lol:
Also winter grade tires are sometimes worse than AS or all-weather due to slush acting like water, not like snow.
Imagine 1" of water and choose the best tire now for highway :lol: .
hence the somewhat rarer "summer tire" at a premium price with very stiff sidewalls and typically fast-wearing tread.
Summer tires do not have stiff sidewalls. On contrary winter tires do. Also RFT has exceptionally hard sidewalls for obvious reasons.
Summer tires cost lest than winter tires on average. Therefore if there is a premium price in US it is only because they are not common.
Wear speed depends on compound. Most performance tires wear faster.
Then how do you know about those numbers to say you don't believe them
Experience. Those who buy their first set usually guess. Sometimes manufacturers mention something like "longer lasting"
or "non-performance driving". All praising taken with a grain of salt. But we have EU sites that do reviews (or everybody just adds their experience) for those who are doing more research before choosing a set. These feedbacks tend to be very valuable.
Also tire mileage depends on the surface it grips to. It is not rare to hear about winter tires lasting for more than 4-5 seasons or
50 000+ miles. But this is not because they are "wear resistant". It is because those users either live in non-urban area and/or
drive on roads that are covered with soft white powder called snow. Snow doesn't wear tire at all. Same for ice. And as soon as
spring melts roads we switch to summer set. Therefore tires last "too damn long".
Main problem is the summer set. Hot weather and asphalt that has been roughed with studs during winter is the main problem.
In addition it is popular to use bigger rims in summer and smaller for winter for best driving comfort and best looks. But 17" set
would cost twice as much as 15". Also wider tires will almost always wear faster. Alignment is never ideal.