Good wideangle zoom for FX?

I currently use 12-24 f/4 DX on my D300 for landscapes. It's got a 77mm standard size filter thread, which lets me use my wide range of filters. The lens isn't as sharp as I'd like, but it's the only option for the DX.

I'll be moving to the FX format in the next few months, and see that 16-35 f/4 VR isn't being worshipped the way the 14-24mm is. Problem is, with the 14-24mm I'll get vignetting with my filters (not to mention that the lens isn't designed to be used with filters in the first place). I see the aging 17-35mm f/2.8, but that's a big heavy sucker, and for landscape, I stop it down to f/8-f/11 anyway.

Ideally, I'm gravitating towards the 16-35, but I wonder why did Nikon equip such a wide angle with VR optics? I would've loved a watered-down version with sharper results.

Whoever can recommend a better wide-angle zoom, I'd love to hear your suggestions. Thanks!