Not all tyres have the same ratings some summer tyres do have an A rating for in the wet so will be alot better than those with a higher rating as also with the eco rating and I do find certain tyre compounds/ lower rating combo’s wear out quicker, thats the trade off i guess.
Guess that’s one benefit of the scheme you don’t have to pay for wornout tyres. The negative’s are you have no say in which tyres a put onto the car, if your worried then you can buy them at your own expense and most of us due to our conditions couldn’t change over the tyres ourselves. Even off the scheme, I’d have to get someone else to change them for me.
I guess off the scheme you can pick what tyres you have fitted and also when you want to change them not when it’s below 2 mm and definitely traction is lost at those levels in the wet or in winter conditions, At which point if it was down to me I would change them but nope Mb0 want you to drive in tyres that lets say no longer inspire confidence as they once did.
Yep they legal but if everytime you pull away from a turning the wheels spin even with traction control and in these current conditions they could be a real issue as the tyre’s are the only thing in contact with the surface and imo are the most important item on a car and I do think at those levels summer tyres in winter can cause more of an issue than if the tread was newer.
One thing that is clear to me also is winter or all Season tyres can have a higher eco rating than most summer tyres and for me personally, I’ve run on summer tyres for over 30 years and I have driven in lots of snow and ice and never had an issue at all.
Many i do see having issues are rear wheel drives and when I did used to work driving vans and trucks etc often during the night / early morning, never ever did I get stuck or lost it. I used engine braking alot or kept the revs higher than usual or the car will ordinarily do in auto mode. More revs in a lower gear gives you more grip than being in a higher gear.
Sometime I even power slide round a roundabout in heavy snow (obviously when there’s no other cars at all) often when the plow ain’t been along for a while, its a good time to practice your rally skills, that one day you may need to get out of a jam.
Sometimes power is your friend and braking ain’t such a good idea unless your pointing straight. Sometimes the big danger is when your turning into a untreated road from a treated road and get that sudden loss or change of grip and many might then panic and try and brake and end up loosing it.
So now I drive an auto 24/7 Ifind I use the manual mode alot in snow or ice and turn off traction control / asr when needed.
It really depends on the roads you live on or near you. If I did live near Snowdonia. I’d also get a 4×4 and have two sets of wheels and hydraulic jack but as i don’t now, most of the big hills will be gritted near me and 99% of the time I only need a 2 wheel drive car so is a waste, but for those living in very hilly areas or go off-road it might be a good idea but for most it’s unnecessary.