In reply to yorkshireman:
> (In reply to gav p)
>
> Seems to be a lot of stories of people being 'ok' on two tyres and then coming to grief when not driving cautiously. That should tell you all you need to know.
I've nearly come to grief just having bad winter tyres on the back and new ones on the front. Had I not caught the spin it would have been very nasty for the oncoming traffic. I knew what I was doing, I had identified the potential for trouble when I walked around the van beforehand, but under pressure I just pushed a little harder.
Plenty of folk run nearly bald tyres on the back/good ones on the front and don't spin in the wet but again, some people loose it and have accidents. Most people are totally unaware of the potential and some garages will say that new tyres "should go on the front".
Having just 2 winters is fine for the actual slow stuff where you think you will get stuck, its later, when you are in a hurry, tired, not paying enough attention that you might get stung.
I'd be interested to drive a car with winters on the front and summers on the back and see weather it makes much difference on cold dry or wet tarmac. In my experience winters stick like sh1t where summers don't...