G'morning David,

 DW> Really good snow tires have metal studs, but they're not allowed here
 DW> because they tear up the roads too much. So what we use here are tires
 DW> with big, chunky treads, with lots of wide grooves that go transversely
 DW> across the tire, so they bite into the snow. The rubber is made to have
 DW> a high hysteresis, which gives it some grip even on very slippery
 DW> surfaces. Yes. they are noisier than summer tires, and they reduce the
 DW> car's performance and make it use more gas. I haven't noticed any
 DW> effect on the steering, except that there is less tendency to slide
 DW> sideways on ice. In wintertime, the pros greatly outweigh the cons. In
 DW> summer, the reverse is true, so we switch back to regular tires. Some
 DW> people have a complete spare set of wheels, and just swap them. I
 DW> don't, so I have to get a garage to dismount one set of tires and mount
 DW> the other.

My only experience with these sorts of wheels comes from Army 
vehicles permanently equipped with cross-country tires  -  very 
noisy, running costs no worry - and hard to keep on line when road 
motoring.   The best of those vehicles was undoubtedly a Ferret 
scout car - 4WD energised by a V12 Daimler motor and carrying a 
neat sporting body fashioned in 1/2 inch armour steel.  Could be 
driven from either end, with a manual 5 speed box forward or aft 
...  but very noisy and rough....(sighs for old excitements)

Miles. 
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