Bought nee hancook ventus tires in January. I am prepared not to drive if I get snow....but I've only had a couple dicey days in the Washington dc area this winter. It's been cold-but mostly snow free here...

 

Not a problem for me living in SoCal but we are moving to Denver in a few months so next winter I will either have to get a winter setup or get a second car that is more weather appropriate. I will probably go with a second car like a used Jeep so we have something to go camping with. The gear doesn't fit well in the trunk of the G.

 

The rubber in summer tires gets hard when it's cold (below say 38 degrees) and don't grip as well. So even if there's no snow on the ground, summer tires are pretty slick on freezing pavement. Plus they have zero traction in the snow. I have my OEM 19" with a good set of All-Season tires, we don't get enough snow in MD/VA/DC area to justify actual snow/winter tires, and am able to get around just fine.

I got 20" wheels and Hancook tires for christmas and stuck them on my car b/c I was all excited. I was breaking loose 285 tires way too easy on frozen roads compared to the stock sized Continentals and couldn't even get down the street on a day it snowed. I had a new appreciation for all-season tires when I put the stock back on.

So if you live in the south, or have a daily driver, these issues probably don't exist for you guys.

 

i ran bald all seasons last year. but it barely snowed. and if there was more than 1cm of snow i didnt drive.
but even 1cm or less i was sliding around everywhere.
almost died on black ice but i doubt winters would have helped there anyways

 

Summer tires blow in the winter. Why would you do that..

 

I ran summer tires all winter too, but it doesn't get that cold here in SC.