Thanks for your responses. Since the C4 is front wheel drive is there any point in fitting four winter or all-season tyres? Why not just the driving wheels, or is this not allowed?

Have a poke nose on youtube with suitable search questions, some quite interesting videos of this type of thing, could lead to nasty situations where you have front wheels gripping the surface while the rears have little to no grip at all, if the one pair of all season proved very good the vehicle would be almost uncontrollable, imagine replacing the rear wheels with a pair of large casters.

I drive a BMW 3 series estate, manual gearbox. RWD, so typically useless in snow on summer tyres. I live in rural north wales, house is over 500ft above sea level, gritters don't get on our little lanes.

However, put winters on it, and the difference is extraordinary.

Always put winters on all 4 wheels. No point in the front behaving itself if the back is breaking away and sliding around all over the place on a bend.

EDIT : I use Pirelli Sottozero tyres.

Edited by RobJP on 18/12/2017 at 17:26

Thanks for your responses. Since the C4 is front wheel drive is there any point in fitting four winter or all-season tyres? Why not just the driving wheels, or is this not allowed?

I think it isn't (though I cannot be certain), but you only have to look at the b*ll*cking that Formula 1 teams get (including the disqualification of the car doing so) when they mistakenly do this, even on different compounds of dry weather slick tyres in the dry, let alone combinations of wet and dry or wet and intermediate tyres.

It is a VERY BAD idea to mix tyres of different types - think about it - if its a front wheel drive car and the grippy winter tyres are on the front, then the back end can very easily break away when cornering. If, in the very unlikely event you HAD to choose (why you would, I don't know) whether to fit 2 winter tyres only, then they should go on the rears to stop this. This is the same reason why, if you don't rotate your tyres from from to back/side to side (if possible, as some cannot be if they're direcyional or asymmetric), then its best to fit the two replacement tyres (as they will be the most worn) on the rear and move those on the rear to the front.

Both our cars (307 and C4 Picasso) are on all season tyres. Not managed to get either stuck yet. The fronts (Hankook Kinergy) on the 307 are due for replacement - but they have lasted 30k so can't complain. Currently on Michelin Cross Climates on th Picasso, they seem to be wearing OK. Last winter we had a soft / wet snowfall one morning and cars were stuck all over the place on a hilly section - I was able to drive past them in the 307, including pulling away up hill in the snow everyone else was stuck in. Wouldn't fit anything else now - a C4 Picasso is hardly a speed machine is it?