got to trust the engineering design behind winter VS summer perf tires... tests have already been conducted by various experts... it's not for mktg purposes alone... why do your own tests esp if safety of others are going to be at risk?
yes, it's an addl cost but it should've been factored into the decision of buying a car that has an OEM summer perf tires esp if the car will eventually hit snow.
ordered my winter set at tire rack way back in May, getting it before this month is over bec it was an out-of-season order. now debating if i should get RA mudflaps...