Given
96%
while driving a
Mazda RX8
(225/45 R18) on
a combination of roads
for 8,000
spirited miles
I have run these for several seasons now on my RX-8 (they make perfect "UK Winter" tyres!), a car rather sensitive to tyre choice if you want to maintain the excellent handling. I think they're fantastic - grip in cold wet/damp conditions feels almost as good as UHP tyres do in the summer - which is phenomenal for a tyre that can also actually deal with snow & ice! Wear seems excellent - I haven't even noticed any thus far, though I do only run them during the winter months. The price/performance ratio is insane - normally tyres in my size/fitment are rather expensive, but these were a good chunk cheaper than any other decent all-season/winter tyre I could find - a bargain really. I'm very happy with them, and would definitely buy them again, if I ever need to (going to be a while at this rate!).
I'm a fairly spirited driver, and these inspire so much confidence in cold/damp conditions, that I find myself chucking the car about and having almost as much fun as I do in the dry with summer tyres, except in conditions that would otherwise make summer tyres squirm. Very impressive! Wet grip is amazing - I just push on as if it was dry and barely notice any difference. I can just drive, whatever the conditions, and not worry about losing grip unexpectedly if I decide to have a bit of fun. Exactly what you want for most of the year in the UK climate. They also perform very well in warm wet conditions - I've used them a few times as "get me home" wheels from track days in the summer in torrential rain with no problems.
In the cold dry, there is still plenty of grip too, but obviously not as much as a good summer tyre at that point, but still very impressive for an all-season tyre, and more than adequate for some spirited dry winter driving. Obviously the warmer it gets, the more apparent the difference to a proper summer tyre gets, but they are still perfectly usable all year round if necessary. The sidewalls are a little bit squidgier, as expected, but the handling is still pretty good for this type of tyre, all things considered. I have the "XL" variants, which I think helps - a nice compromise between still maintaining some stiffness for handling, but also significantly more comfortable and forgiving than my usual UHP summers, nice for more relaxed winter driving. This is exactly what I wanted - something a little more comfortable for winter but still reasonably sporty feeling when you want it.
Of course, sods law - as soon as I bought these I haven't experienced any snow whatsoever (even had a few long trips up to Scotland, but not even a flurry!). Like buying a sledge. So unfortunately, I haven't been able to put them to the test in that regard. However, given how well they perform in all other conditions, I have full confidence that they will handle snow no problem. The closest I've gotten is some very cold frosty mornings, which these tyres deal so well with, that it almost makes you forget you're even driving in adverse conditions. Bravo.
P.S. Tyre reviews really need to separate out the dry and wet grip ratings into cold and warm for winter/all-season tyres!