Hi,
Might be worth pointing out that winter tyres come in a couple of flavours:
a) those with a tread similar to or slightly more aggressive than summer tyres. These benefit from softer compounds and added silicates which improve grip in low temperatures and icy conditions
b) ones with much more aggressive treads which do the above plus cope better with soft snow, slush, etc.
I think that the Pirellis fit more into the first group - if you're looking for maximum performance on packed/soft snow as well, then something like Blizzaks or Nokians are probably better
[I've also bought and sold wheels on auction sites a couple of times.. no probs and quite some money saved.]
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2007 987S, KW v3 1964 Type 1