|
I think that the overall concern about using these Bridgestones in particular in the winter, whilst entrely valid, is perhaps overblown.
The Bridgestones which are used as OEM tyres on our cars obviously perform best in the dry, but are also very good in the wet. Modern day high performance tyres are designed to expel water from the roads between directional grooves - this provides a much higher degree of protection from aquaplaning. Grip in the wet is actually very good, as is the braking performance in the same conditions. It is only when you use the ultra-soft compound Cup tyres (like Pilot Cup Sports or Toyo 888) that wet grip suffers badly. These last types of tyres are more akin to cut-slicks than intermediates.
Where WINTER tyres really come into play is when there is ice and/or snow on the roads, as the siping of the tread allows greater penetration and grip into the frozen conditions. You can still drive on snow and ice in the normal Bridgestones, but obviously you have to take much more care. In any case, if it's snowing or icy, I would hope that everyone takes extra care and drives according to the conditions.
In England, especially in the South East, I do not think it is worth the expense changing over to winter tyres. The conditions so far do not warrant it IMO. I just drive more carefully when it's wet, which I guess we all should.
|