I was in the same camp thinking they were only for snow but the difference I've felt driving home from work the last week (around 8pm Cheshire, -2c or lower) has been phenomenal.

The week before I was on my Wranglers and had just gotten used to how much the car moved around on corners and under braking.

The Road Toad wrote:

Warrior Bez

I notice that you live in Rugby - did we get any snow last winter ?
Perhaps one day it did snow - briefly.
My point is do you really need a set of winter tyres for the winter weather that we experience in this part of England?
If you lived in the mountains in Wales or northern England and Scotland possibly.
I would have thought that a set of All Weathers would suffice.
However, if you have money to burn......

Mav71,

All seasons tyres with tbe snow flake symbol work below 1 degrees, they go to -5 without going stiff.

All season tyres are still a compromise.

They are a jack of all trades and a master of none. In the cold wet weather, they act more like summer tyres than proper winters.

Now I am using full winters, they are in another league compared to all season. Freelander 2 HSE Lux 2013MY - Barolo Black with Ivory Leather. Alpine DVD - Privacy -Evoque 20" Dynamic Wheels and more to come.........

They have the snowflake symbol so they are full winters. They have just been called 'all season' by the manufacturer. 
Hung like Einstein, smart as a horse.

All season tyres, are not winter tyres. Full winters have sipes in the tread blocks and have a different compound to All Season and summer tyres. Freelander 2 HSE Lux 2013MY - Barolo Black with Ivory Leather. Alpine DVD - Privacy -Evoque 20" Dynamic Wheels and more to come.........

Yes all seasons are not winters, but if they carry the snow flake symbol they meet the RMA standards for snow traction. And some all seasons do have sipes in the tread blocks. Like the ones on my car.
A jack of all trades is a tad harsh, you must be looking at cheap budget all seasons. Which all seasons have you tried?.

shiggsy wrote:

They have the snowflake symbol so they are full winters. They have just been called 'all season' by the manufacturer.

Further evidence of the above post.

http://www.continental-tires.com/www/tires...gs_en.html

I am talking about all seasons with the snowflake in the mountain symbol.

The symbol just means it meets the UNECE Regulation 117, e.g. It Performs in snow. Any tyre can have the symbol if it meets that standard.

The bridge between the true winter and an all season carrying the snowflake in a mountain symbol is now very small.

Quote

"UK winters are generally categorised by long periods of cold and wet weather, with occasional snow.

This means during the average UK winter, a tyre with snow performance as its best quality can only really shine for a few days a year. While a winter tyre will work better than a summer tyre in cold, wet conditions, an all season tyre will work better than the winter tyre in cold, wet conditions, and still retain excellent snow performance to and the ability to be run through the summer if you need."

Goodyear Vector4 is a winter tyre with snowflake (and mountain symbol) with sipes. What is confusing the issue is Goodyear branding it as an all season winter tyre. Any manufacturer can call their winter tyre an all season winter tyre but its ridiculous as it means nothing.

Click image to enlarge

Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated

Could be clever marketing?
'Winter' tyres are a softer compound and wear more quickly, Goodyear get more sheeple into 'all weather, all,singing and all dancing but categorically a winter tyre and therefore sell more tyres? Just a thought

The vector is an all season tyre as it works in all the seasons. Good years branding is quite right. It is not a winter tyre, it just meets the standard to carry the snowflake in mountain symbol. So it is an all season tyre with severe snow performance.

It gets even more confusing if you consider all weather tyres.

All winter tyres work in all seasons. It is a winter tyre because it meets the standard to carry the snowflake mountain symbol. Seeing as you can't buy a Spring or Autumn tyre that leaves Summer and Winter, so in reality they are calling it a Winter Summer tyre, it means nothing. 
Hung like Einstein, smart as a horse.

http://www.continental-tires.com/www/tires...gs_en.html