Mega Winter Tyres thread, all questions here!!

A-Trak

robbie_998 wrote: »

anyone any idea on where to get rims that would fit this ?

Check the fitment for you car here , then go hunting on donedeal for a set that will fit. Usually lots of options from other brands that will fit.

I picked up a half decent set of 16"s for under €80 on donedeal

Hiace.

robbie_998 wrote: »

anyone any idea on where to get rims that would fit this ?

More than likely you'll find at least one on the spare.

That means you need one less rim.

If the spare tyre is worn, put a new winter tyre on it.
If the spare tyre is new, put a winter tyre on the spare rim, and buy a matching summer tyre - Hey presto you have a pair of new summer tyres for the good weather.

For some reason, lots of people let their spare tyre and rim go to waste.

robbie_998

Hiace. wrote: »

robbie_998 wrote: »

anyone any idea on where to get rims that would fit this ?

More than likely you'll find at least one on the spare.

That means you need one less rim.

If the spare tyre is worn, put a new winter tyre on it.
If the spare tyre is new, put a winter tyre on the spare rim, and buy a matching summer tyre - Hey presto you have a pair of new summer tyres for the good weather.

For some reason, lots of people let their spare tyre and rim go to waste.

My spare is a space saver piece of crap. And again I have a bottle of gunk for flat wheels.

I will gladly buy rims and I really dont care what they look like. Like anything cheap alloy or even factory black ugly wheel .. Just get 4 and Id be happy but can I put any wheel on with the 5 nuts ?

Like would there be a specific size rim to get for my car ?

Once i get the rims I can worry about the snow tyres later once I know what I'm getting

Hiace.

robbie_998 wrote: »

My spare is a space saver piece of crap. And again I have a bottle of gunk for flat wheels.

I will gladly buy rims and I really dont care what they look like. Like anything cheap alloy or even factory black ugly wheel .. Just get 4 and Id be happy but can I put any wheel on with the 5 nuts ?

Like would there be a specific size rim to get for my car ?

Once i get the rims I can worry about the snow tyres later once I know what I'm getting

Try a breakers,

e.g. Traynors deliver all over Ireland. http://www.traynors.co.uk/

Also http://www.partfinder.ie/ lists cars being broken for parts in yards all over Ireland.

rameire

Rob,
try Tom Walsh Motors in Baldoyle tel 8323516.
he deals in Honda's ( Becky had a heart attack looking at all the new civics ) and has a treasure trove of second hand parts including wheels upstairs.
ask for Pat.

as for winters check walkinstown tyres, only down the road from you.

robbie_998

rameire wrote: »

Rob,
try Tom Walsh Motors in Baldoyle tel 8323516.
he deals in Honda's ( Becky had a heart attack looking at all the new civics ) and has a treasure trove of second hand parts including wheels upstairs.
ask for Pat.

as for winters check walkinstown tyres, only down the road from you.

Cheers bob !

Will have a go around in the morning .. Since for Christmas I will be in either dunboyne or athy or possibly both I'd rather be safe

mullingar

A-Trak wrote: »

mullingar wrote: »

2x Vredestein Snowtrac 3's with approx 7mm thread.

2x Michelin Aplin A3's, also with approx 6mm thread.
€160 including fitting/balancing etc (+price of the steelies)

Could you tell me where you got the tyrels from, sounds like a great price all in.
(Is there a clue in your username )

Search on donedeal: roscommon winter tyres;-)

niallam

Tires i ordered from demon-tweeks arrived this morning And to my surprise they are E marked :O Ordered them saturday and arrived this morning

Serious threads on them for the winter

Matt Simis

niallam wrote: »

Tires i ordered from demon-tweeks arrived this morning And to my surprise they are E marked :O Ordered them saturday and arrived this morning

Serious threads on them for the winter

Throw us up a photo of these mysterious WRC tyres anyhow!

niallam

Matt Simis wrote: »

Throw us up a photo of these mysterious WRC tyres anyhow!

On closer inspection they're also studdable

dharn

tom fox in ballinasloe selling bmw replicas with winter tyres (5 series ) for 250 each

CiniO

niallam wrote: »

On closer inspection they're also studdable

We knew that already when you posted a picture of them few days ago.

niallam wrote: »

Tires i ordered from demon-tweeks arrived this morning And to my surprise they are E marked :O Ordered them saturday and arrived this morning

Serious threads on them for the winter

Tread looks good, but they are not exactly winter tyres.
Manufacturer described them as "grass tyres", mentioning they are good for snow or highly polished tracks. Link below:
http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/Motorsport/Wheels_Tyres/Competition_Tyres/Maxsport_Alaska_Tyre/1790/2236

Hence as well, they are not new tyres, but used retreaded tyres.

Considering all above, and their price, I would definitely prefer to buy brand new winter tyres for everyday use.

Those you bought, are handy for rallies, where you wear a set of them during one day.

niallam

CiniO wrote: »

Tread looks good, but they are not exactly winter tyres.
Manufacturer described them as "grass tyres", mentioning they are good for snow or highly polished tracks. Link below:


Hence as well, they are not new tyres, but used retreaded tyres.

Considering all above, and their price, I would definitely prefer to buy brand new winter tyres for everyday use.

Those you bought, are handy for rallies, where you wear a set of them during one day.

"Especially Suited To Snow"
"Alaska" and the snow symbols on them would lean me towards them being for snow more than grass too.

I'm taking my advice from someone that has worked on wrc cars for the last 30 years, he used a gravel tire himself last year during the snow on his car and said they are far better than road snow tires. Get him to stick a few studs into them too...

And they're not really for everyday use, maybe 3 weeks of the year, 20 kms a day and at a slow speed, bit different to heading off on a few snow stages i think... I have snow tires i used last year and will just stick them back on if i do find them to have been better, which i doubt.

CiniO

niallam wrote: »

"

I'm taking my advice from someone that has worked on wrc cars for the last 30 years,

Funny you should say that, as WRC cars are there only for last 14 years.

Other funny thing is, that just few minutes ago in other thread, you were strongly discouraging someone form buying used tyres, while the ones you bought are used and retreaded.

Good luck with them anyway.
I'll be interested to know how they performed on the snow.

niallam

CiniO wrote: »

Funny you should say that, as WRC cars are there only for last 14 years.

Other funny thing is, that just few minutes ago in other thread, you were strongly discouraging someone form buying used tyres, while the ones you bought are used and retreaded.

Good luck with them anyway.
I'll be interested to know how they performed on the snow.

Stop being such a spa, rally cars and wrc cars, happy... :rolleyes:

"strongly discouraging" ??? they wanted tires for a ford focus, doubt they are interested in anything other than a road tire. The ones i bought are new, ie not second hand and part worn...

You seem to have a problem with every post i make?

Anyway done replying to you and your issues, i'm happy with what i got, you dont seem to be but not your problem...

BigMoose

After having a nightmare on snow last year and following threads here since, in particular this one, I have now ensured we wont see any snow at all by getting me and the wife a set of winters each

I got a set of 15 inch alloys with Continentals fitted for the wife's Fusion and 16 inch steels for my Focus with Michelin Alpin's on all from Car Clinic Dublin (they have adverts on Gumtree and are on Facebook). For whoever earlier said they were struggling to get alloys for a Fusion, these guys had 4 sets when I was in. Very good and helpful service. Part worn are all 5-7mm and I picked the ones that looked the best.

CiniO

niallam wrote: »

Stop being such a spa, rally cars and wrc cars, happy... :rolleyes:

I'm always happy

"strongly discouraging" ??? they wanted tires for a ford focus, doubt they are interested in anything other than a road tire. The ones i bought are new, ie not second hand and part worn...

True. They are not secondhand and not part worn.
That doesn't change a fact, that they are remanufactured, which means that they used second hand tyre to put new tread on it.
Here's some info.

You seem to have a problem with every post i make?
Anyway done replying to you and your issues, i'm happy with what i got, you dont seem to be but not your problem...

I didn't say I wasn't happy with your tyres.
I'm acutally very curious how will they work on snow.
Hope you'll let us know in few months..

rameire

BigMoose wrote: »

After having a nightmare on snow last year and following threads here since, in particular this one, I have now ensured we wont see any snow at all by getting me and the wife a set of winters each

I got a set of 15 inch alloys with Continentals fitted for the wife's Fusion and 16 inch steels for my Focus with Michelin Alpin's on all from Car Clinic Dublin (they have adverts on Gumtree and are on Facebook). For whoever earlier said they were struggling to get alloys for a Fusion, these guys had 4 sets when I was in. Very good and helpful service. Part worn are all 5-7mm and I picked the ones that looked the best.

it was me, but got sorted elsewhere. cheers.
did you have to pay much for the alloys.
i paid 130 and on two of them i got good summer tyres that i can use again.

BigMoose

100 for 4x15" alloys, which is possibly more than I could have paid if I'd hunted around adverts.ie but frankly couldn't be bothered and was happy to pay someone for their effort to get them. 50 for 4x16 steels for the Focus as he didn't have any 5 stud ford alloys in stock.

Alanstrainor

niallam wrote: »

Stop being such a spa, rally cars and wrc cars, happy... :rolleyes:

Attack the post, not the poster. No more warnings will be given.

sdanseo

Can anyone clarify the following for me while differentiating clearly between TYRES and WHEELS?

1. Do I need to buy new wheels/alloys or can Advance or someone else just pop the current tyres off the rims, replace them with winters, and swap them back again in spring;

2. Can I leave winter tyres on the car, in Irish conditions, from say Nvember to February, given it might not be snowy at all or only for a week or two of that time?

Cheers

CiniO

sdeire wrote: »

1. Do I need to buy new wheels/alloys or can Advance or someone else just pop the current tyres off the rims, replace them with winters, and swap them back again in spring;

You can avail of any of those 2 options.
It's up to yourself to calculate which will come out cheaper.
If you are planning to keep the car for another few years, probably good option would be to buy set of rims, fit winter tyres on them, and use them for next few winter seasons.
Then cost of swapping between winter and summer would be low (about 5 to 10 minutes in the garage) or you can do it yourself with a jack.

For replacing tyres over one set of rims, you would have to pay usually something between 50 to 100 euros each time (so twice a year).

I'm acutally availing of this option.

2. Can I leave winter tyres on the car, in Irish conditions, from say Nvember to February, given it might not be snowy at all or only for a week or two of that time?

Yes you can.
That's the main aim of winter tyres to use them during winter months.

Hiace.

sdeire wrote: »

Can anyone clarify the following for me while differentiating clearly between TYRES and WHEELS?

1. Do I need to buy new wheels/alloys or can Advance or someone else just pop the current tyres off the rims, replace them with winters, and swap them back again in spring;

2. Can I leave winter tyres on the car, in Irish conditions, from say Nvember to February, given it might not be snowy at all or only for a week or two of that time?

Cheers

The pedantic will disagree, but both those points are sensible options depending on your personal set up.

1. Will cost you about €10 - 20 per rim for fitting and balancing. Not a bad option, depending on your personal circumstances, and saves faffing about.

e.g. in Germany the norm is the local tyre places store your winter tyres for you for small fee and swap them over in winter for you.

2. Yep, not really a problem unless your planning on doing some very hard driving in summer tyre temps. In any case winter tyres are superior in all conditions (wet, dry, snow, rain) when outdoor temps are under 7 deg. C. Think of summers as three season tyres.

Some people say winters wear slightly faster than summers, but it's not by much.

Also a compromise is all season tyres, but they are a jack of all trades and master of none, and harder to get.

Another option :

On a budget run car that is not driven too hard, you could keep on two winters and two summers and rotate them to the front drive wheels depending on the time of year.

Ideally you really need 4 winter tyres on, but if your careful and only driving at low speeds in the snow, two is much better than none, and at normal speeds the rest of the year you'll be grand.

Anan1

sdeire wrote: »

Can anyone clarify the following for me while differentiating clearly between TYRES and WHEELS?

1. Do I need to buy new wheels/alloys or can Advance or someone else just pop the current tyres off the rims, replace them with winters, and swap them back again in spring;

2. Can I leave winter tyres on the car, in Irish conditions, from say Nvember to February, given it might not be snowy at all or only for a week or two of that time?

Cheers

1. Yes, but it's a lot more hassle - i'd get a cheap set of wheels for the winters.

2. Winter tyres will be better below 7 degrees C even on dry roads. I'm putting mine on around the start of Nov, and they'll probably stay on until March.

RobAMerc

lads - I am glad to see so many people are being responsible motorists and buying winter tyres, however, I think people need to do some research.

WINTER TYRES ARE FOR ALL WINTER AND NOT JUST FOR SNOWY CONDITIONS.

Winter tyres outperform ordinary tyres in breaking from about +7 degrees downwards - so do yourself a favour and buy decent ones, stick them on in November and leave them there till March.

sdanseo

Question answered 4 times in under 20 minutes, cheers x4 lads

I absolutely love the snowy and icy conditions, hooked to the weather forum for two months last year - the ONLY thing that pissed me off was not being able to GO anywhere easily. Hopefully gonna be able to afford a decent 4 winter tyres by the end of the month. I don't want to just get two because of the videos above!

robbie_998

tom walsh had nothing for me in the garage.....

so off to look around the breakers for some wheels


only problem is im crap at this.... all i know is my wheels are 16"

if i went to a breakers looking for any old wheels.. what other cars can i fetch from ? like make models that would match my car without doing any damage and the likes ?

i gots a 07 civic hatch 1.4 ... after that im lost.

once i get this bit i can then focus on the tyres themselves !

cheers all

opinion guy

So....a tangent.....

Those of you with winter tyres - do you need/plan to inform your insurance about it ?

dainius

gearoidol wrote: »

I'm going getting new alloys during the week for my ford kuga awd for winters,I do alot of driving so decided to go for winters for safety.in 2 minds don't know whether to get new nankang sv2 @ €100 each or go for part worns which might b a better brand. Do yee think the nankangs should be good enough,size would b 235/55/17

Why not go for a rethreaded tyres? They much better than part worn, you wouldnt tell the difference between the new one and rethreaded one, you will get at least 3 seasons out of it and it will cost around 50-60 euro each fitted and ballanced. You wouldnt be doing more than 120 km p/h in winter anyway so in my opinion thats the best price and quality equilibrium. Many garages are now taking orders so shop around.

rameire

robbie_998 wrote: »

tom walsh had nothing for me in the garage.....

so off to look around the breakers for some wheels


only problem is im crap at this.... all i know is my wheels are 16"

if i went to a breakers looking for any old wheels.. what other cars can i fetch from ? like make models that would match my car without doing any damage and the likes ?

i gots a 07 civic hatch 1.4 ... after that im lost.

once i get this bit i can then focus on the tyres themselves !

cheers all

http://www.findapart.ie/Car_Parts_HONDA_CIVIC.html

http://www.carlsalter.com/wheel_fitments.html


and if you want to take lovely pics the link below, hehe.

txpjl

Question: Is there a set of wheels I can buy that will fit more than one car? Current car is a 530d.

Maybe in the future I'd like an A6 Audi

Thanks

opinion guy

txpjl wrote: »

Question: Is there a set of wheels I can buy that will fit more than one car? Current car is a 530d.

Maybe in the future I'd like an A6 Audi

Thanks

Ok this has cropped up a few times in the thread. Matt_simis posted a guide somewhere earlier.

Several compatability websites posted like this one for example:
http://www.wheelfitment.eu/index.php

robbie_998

rameire wrote: »

http://www.findapart.ie/Car_Parts_HONDA_CIVIC.html

http://www.carlsalter.com/wheel_fitments.html


and if you want to take lovely pics the link below, hehe.

the honda civic on the list there doesnt seem to match mine

when i use those things according to the site there 4x100 its actually wrong..... my own wheels have 5 nuts ...

im greatly confused

kenmc

Mine are in the post, 495 for 4x vredesteins snowtrac 3s and rims and shipping. Price has already risen by 3 euro each since I bought them!

BostonB

dainius wrote: »

Why not go for a rethreaded tyres? They much better than part worn, you wouldnt tell the difference between the new one and rethreaded one, you will get at least 3 seasons out of it and it will cost around 50-60 euro each fitted and ballanced. You wouldnt be doing more than 120 km p/h in winter anyway so in my opinion thats the best price and quality equilibrium. Many garages are now taking orders so shop around.

Who does rethreads?

txpjl

dharn wrote: »

tom fox in ballinasloe selling bmw replicas with winter tyres (5 series ) for 250 each

What is a BMW replica?

49801

what are peoples feelings on speed/load ratings
factory fitted tyres are 93V but have a set of 91V summer tyres on the front now
There would be a reasonable saving of going for 91T winters

analucija

Hiace. wrote: »

Some people say winters wear slightly faster than summers, but it's not by much.

Also a compromise is all season tyres, but they are a jack of all trades and master of none, and harder to get.

Another option :

On a budget run car that is not driven too hard, you could keep on two winters and two summers and rotate them to the front drive wheels depending on the time of year.

Ideally you really need 4 winter tyres on, but if your careful and only driving at low speeds in the snow, two is much better than none, and at normal speeds the rest of the year you'll be grand.

Winter tyres do wear out faster in the summer, they are a bit louder and car uses more petrol. At least that's what mechanics in my parents garage used to tell customers. Where I come from winter tyres are mandatory in winter and during summer you can use either but you would get a very nice fine having two M+S and two summer tyres, regardless of the time of the year. Tyres used in winter should have at least 4mm deep thread, less is dangerous.

Somebody above mentioned rethreaded tyres. They are ok for small cars. Bigger sizes are less often made and maybe not such a great idea. The used tyre could be damaged and sometimes new thread peals off. We did sell them but there were a lot more returns of those tyres than of any other new tyre.

A-Trak

Spare set alloys and 4 winter Pirellis all sorted
So it's guaranteed not to snow now.

I'll get the tires fitted to the spare rims next week.
Once done, how should I store the wheels? As in do I leave air in the tyres and what's the best way to place them on the ground until I need to put them on.

Phoenix Park

You know that eejit in the 03 reg 3-series BMW sliding on M50 off-ramps and spinning round car parks last winter?. Yep, that was me.

So this year its gonna be different. I'd weighed down the boot as much as i could but the car was tough going last winter. Current tyres are Bridgestone, i am utterly clueless when it comes to tyres. Been looking at eiretyres website as recommended by a few on here, standard size for BMW seems to be 205, but i've no idea what the other numbers mean would be ( numbers 65 and 15 are the defaults..are these ok?)
Anyway, anyone recommend any that would be good for my 3 series?. The car is 8 years old now, but i've no plans to change it. Don't care what they look like. Might be easier to buy the rim too as opposed to having to put the tyre on and off my own rim and then just keep them on for 4 or 5 cold months?. I only drive about 70 miles a week i reckon. Was quoted €170 each for Hankook tyres in Dublin which seems to be way more than they are online.
Any suggestions appreciated, thanks.

kenmc

A-Trak wrote: »

Once done, how should I store the wheels? As in do I leave air in the tyres and what's the best way to place them on the ground until I need to put them on.

Parently.... store them flat i.e. lying down and with air in them if they're on a rim, standing up if rimless. You can get a "tree" to store them which seems to keep them spaced out a bit, and presumably is really just a pole with a couple of cross bars in it at intervals to keep the wheels apart. I'm hoping to put mine in the attic, should be fine during the winter, but hope the summer temps up there don't get too hot.

TestTransmission

kenmc wrote: »

Parently.... store them flat i.e. lying down and with air in them if they're on a rim, standing up if rimless. You can get a "tree" to store them which seems to keep them spaced out a bit, and presumably is really just a pole with a couple of cross bars in it at intervals to keep the wheels apart. I'm hoping to put mine in the attic, should be fine during the winter, but hope the summer temps up there don't get too hot.

I've been told before to deflate them somewhat before storing away.

CiniO

dainius wrote: »

Why not go for a rethreaded tyres? They much better than part worn, you wouldnt tell the difference between the new one and rethreaded one, you will get at least 3 seasons out of it and it will cost around 50-60 euro each fitted and ballanced. You wouldnt be doing more than 120 km p/h in winter anyway so in my opinion thats the best price and quality equilibrium. Many garages are now taking orders so shop around.

In Ireland legally you shouldn't be doing more than 120km/h no matter if summer or winter.

But for those who do, what's the difference if it's summer or winter?

CiniO

Hiace. wrote: »

On a budget run car that is not driven too hard, you could keep on two winters and two summers and rotate them to the front drive wheels depending on the time of year.

That's actually very smart way of saving tread on winter tyres during summer.
However, you have to be well trained in controlling skids to be driving in such setup (front winter + rear summer) on the snow or ice.
I'd say about 50 lessons of 2hours each on a snow track, should make you confident enough to be sure you will be able to control every skid your car will go into.

bmarley

OP what makes you think you are going to need them this year..are you emigrating?

kennyb3

Phoenix Park wrote: »

You know that eejit in the 03 reg 3-series BMW sliding on M50 off-ramps and spinning round car parks last winter?. Yep, that was me.

So this year its gonna be different. I'd weighed down the boot as much as i could but the car was tough going last winter. Current tyres are Bridgestone, i am utterly clueless when it comes to tyres. Been looking at eiretyres website as recommended by a few on here, standard size for BMW seems to be 205, but i've no idea what the other numbers mean would be ( numbers 65 and 15 are the defaults..are these ok?)
Anyway, anyone recommend any that would be good for my 3 series?. The car is 8 years old now, but i've no plans to change it. Don't care what they look like. Might be easier to buy the rim too as opposed to having to put the tyre on and off my own rim and then just keep them on for 4 or 5 cold months?. I only drive about 70 miles a week i reckon. Was quoted €170 each for Hankook tyres in Dublin which seems to be way more than they are online.
Any suggestions appreciated, thanks.

look at your door - gives all the numbers that are allowed on your car.

Hiace.

CiniO wrote: »

That's actually very smart way of saving tread on winter tyres during summer.
However, you have to be well trained in controlling skids to be driving in such setup (front winter + rear summer) on the snow or ice.
I'd say about 50 lessons of 2hours each on a snow track, should make you confident enough to be sure you will be able to control every skid your car will go into.

Worked perfect for me last winter in the worst weather. I kept that set up on all winter from Oct to April. I don't drive fast in the snow and ice, and the gridlock does not let you so anyway, so I had no problems at all, and I was just as safe, if not safer than the vast majority of people that had summer tyres on, except I could make it up the hills and they could not. You simply have to remember you have winter tyre grip on the front and summer tyre grip like everyone else on the back. I don't recommend that set up for boy racers or the reckless, but for normal 20-30mph snow/ice commuting speeds, and normal 60mph driving in the ordinary wet/dry there's no problem.

Phoenix Park

kennyb3 wrote: »

look at your door - gives all the numbers that are allowed on your car.

thanks Kenny

CiniO

Hiace. wrote: »

Worked perfect for me last winter in the worst weather. I kept that set up on all winter from Oct to April. I don't drive fast in the snow and ice, and the gridlock does not let you so anyway,

I didn't know what gridlock was, so I wanted to ask here, but I put it first into google.
Now i know:

so I had no problems at all, and I was just as safe, if not safer than the vast majority of people that had summer tyres on, except I could make it up the hills and they could not.

True.
For climbing the hills you in FWD two front winter tyres are enough. Not any better than 4 anyway.
You also had better braking than everyone else on summer tyres, assuming you could keep your car straight.

You simply have to remember you have winter tyre grip on the front and summer tyre grip like everyone else on the back. I don't recommend that set up for boy racers or the reckless, but for normal 20-30mph snow/ice commuting speeds, and normal 60mph driving in the ordinary wet/dry there's no problem.

20-30mph snow/ice commuting.

That speeds on pure ice, no matter if it's winter of summer tyres in most cases might be deadly.

The same speeds on snow on good winter tyres, are pretty slow.

Rememer there's huge difference between snow and ice.

But in relation to the topic, it's all right until you don't do any sudden unexpected manouver.
With front winter and rear summers, it's enough that you do a sudden turn with your steering wheel to avoid something (sometimes you might do it instinctally) and this will lead you straight to a side skid.

I'm absolutely serious, that it's nothing extraordinary, but you have to be confident that you can control any sudden skid if you want to drive in such setup.

Saying that you did last year and nothing happened is nonsense. If your car didn't skid any time, means you were just lucky, or just didn't encountered any unexpected situation.

The same way you could drive slowly and carefully with completely bald tyres on wet days.
99% cases you will be grand, until something unexpected happens.

Hiace.

CiniO wrote: »

20-30mph snow/ice commuting.

That speeds on pure ice, no matter if it's winter of summer tyres in most cases might be deadly.

The same speeds on snow on good winter tyres, are pretty slow.

Rememer there's huge difference between snow and ice.

But in relation to the topic, it's all right until you don't do any sudden unexpected manouver.
With front winter and rear summers, it's enough that you do a sudden turn with your steering wheel to avoid something (sometimes you might do it instinctally) and this will lead you straight to a side skid.

I'm absolutely serious, that it's nothing extraordinary, but you have to be confident that you can control any sudden skid if you want to drive in such setup.

Saying that you did last year and nothing happened is nonsense. If your car didn't skid any time, means you were just lucky, or just didn't encountered any unexpected situation.

The same way you could drive slowly and carefully with completely bald tyres on wet days.
99% cases you will be grand, until something unexpected happens.

Of course mate, I'm not talking about driving on sheet ice at 20-30mph, or not considering skidding in ANY and ALL situations. You have to drive at a speed appropriate to the conditions and your vehicle, I can't possibly describe every single possible weather and driving combination in a 2 line post, common sense has to be used. Most people were driving around in snow/ice last winter with 4 summer tyres, as they do year in year out.