I've never believed it worth swapping tyres like that - any decent tyre I feel should be able to cope with both summer and winter.
Winter/summer tyres are, I think, a recent fad, to be viewed with scepticism as it's probably the tyre makers who stand to gain most from them.
HOWEVER, it should be said that I drive a 4x4 and you'd expect that not to need winter tyres.
I am on to my second set of Bridgestone A001 and am very happy with them. I have done around 65,000mi on them in total, the first set lasted about 40,000mi; I am in the habit of rotating regularly and changing at 3mm. They have done everything I have asked of them, from snow and muddy fields (where my FWD A3 has been fine whilst AWDs with rubber bands have been getting stuck,) to longish highish speed Autobahn jaunts. I only have two possible criticisms I could make of them, and both are slight. Firstly, handling feel is slightly compromised compared to a good sports tyre. I would be clear that under typical UK driving conditions they actually have more grip, so unless you take your road car to a track on the hottest driest day of the year it is purely a feel thing. Second they can be a bit noisy on some road surfaces.
HOWEVER, it should be said that I drive a 4x4 and you'd expect that not to need winter tyres.
In the UK the seasons are not so extreme as to require 2 sets of tyres unless you drive like a lunatic in the summer and do not modify your "style" when the weather turns a bit wet and cold...
I have been driving for longer than I care to remember and have never had any issues using only one type of tyre.
We’ve just put Michelin CrossClimates on out Golf Estate. At the mileage we do I imagine they’ll not be replaced for the next three to five years, so wanted to ensure we were in good shape for several winters, whatever they may bring.
So far, so good. Seem to have good feel (bear in mind it’s a 1.6 diesel Golf Estate!), and on a motorway journey I had no complaints on noise. No idea, as yet, as to their ice/snow abilities, but the reviews seem good.
I’ve driven in the south of th UK for nearly forty years, and that’s covered a few bad winters where I’ve struggled for grip in situations as simple as negotiating hills, on back roads where the snow has compressed and turned to ice. Perhaps you’ve been luckier.
Thanks Ian, Cross Climates do seem to get favorable reviews but the Conti Winters are going to be a tough act to follow.