These tyres are an experiment which so far has been very successful. The OEM firestone F590s were OK in dry and warm, and acceptable wet and warm but as soon as temperatures dropped the grip dropped markedly, and in winter conditions the car was almost not driveable with any degree of confidence.
Thus the experiment to fir central European winter tyres and run them all year as the mileage is low, and the car is low powered and driven quite gently by the regular driver.

The comment by that driver, who has never had experience of winter tyres before, is that the vehicle has been transformed in the 2009/2010 winter and they no longer dread the journey to/from work.

My comments as I have been using winter tyres for many years is that these relatively inexpensive tyres have performed beyond all expectations, and on a cost/benefit measurement are even more outstanding.

Typical of winter tyres, for the first couple of hundred miles on clear tarmac especially warm and damp then the grip is very low. Once the tyres have been bedded in then the grip is in all ways amazing. On cold dry 0C tarmac the grip is such that I know my more expensive Michelins would have let go earlier. Even more so on cold wet tarmac.

On the snow, the tyres are still good, perhaps not quite as good as a dedicated ice and snow tyre but still good enough to drive about, go, stop and corner on snow, rutted ice, slush. Smooth ice results in much reduced grip as with any studless tyre, but even so the car remanined very driveable on roads which were not gritted for weeks and with polished ice on the corners. The OEM Firestones even if they had got to the icy corners would certainly not got round it at anyting over 1 or 2 mph.

The tyres are still on the car after the summer. The fronts have worn very little by measurement, and the rears there is no measurable wear. The edges of the block s still seem sharp and it will be interesting to see a second winter season and how they cope.

Good tyres for a low performance runabout, fully recommended.