Interesting reading peoples thoughts on seasonal tyres, I fully believe in them but my reservation is similar to my reservation with some 4x4 drivers, i.e. they read all this "handles better", "grips in the corners in snow" and other similar statements and think they are invincible in all conditions due to the 4 bits of magic rubber with which their wheels are shod.
I know I'm probably preaching to a lot of guys on here who've already done it but tuition with a pro, driver is to my mind as good if not better in some cases than switching rubber.
Not being a driving God I was languishing in the Northern Sprint championship a few years back having not won a pot, albeit being my first season competing.
I'd driven my car to most circuits by the way in sometimes foul conditions to various parts of the country to compete, often facing rain, hail,sleet on the M62 armed with a car shod with semi slick/road legal tyres.
Again, not being a driving God I always put caution before valor and acted sensibly, often passing 4x4's which had "fallen off"
Anyway, I booked in for my "lessons" with the Aintree Racing Drivers school but the day of the lesson it was total stair rods and black, truly awful with a track that would see F1 races red flagged.
I was asked if I wanted to go ahead with it and agreed it could be fun, although I was worried for the car.
I did the first few laps driving like a granny, with the instructor (James Pickford who went on to drive for SEAT in the BTCC) graciously saying "well done", polite guy he is.
He then took over and Jeez, I felt daft. The force of the cornering he was engaging in was bruising my hips as I was squashed between tunnel and door area, so aggressive and awe inspiring were those few laps it stuck with me, simply incredible on the tyres we were on. When I took over the wheel again after a debrief a lot of his advice came in to play concerning the terrible conditions and sure enough the times tumbled as his tuition was put in to action.
However, all was not plain sailing as on the very last session I decided to "really go for it", a big mistake.
I put a back wheel on a painted track edging slab and that was that, Jamie had warned repeatedly not to touch these and give them a wide berth, which I thought I had.
First time I'd ever had this sensation and I've vowed it'll be the last.
Car snapped in a millisecond, no chance of correction, no chance of determining which way it would depart the tarmac, just to use the old cliche "I was a passenger". It went backwards off the track and it honestly felt like no speed was being scrubbed off whatsoever as it hurtled backwards across the turf of the infield, bouncing violently as it did so. Car ended up almost on the other side of the circuit and needed a tow truck to get it out of the bog it stopped in.
What the hell would have happened if that was on a public road? That day has made me ever so careful on the roads now and Jame's advice is still with me.
In a Nutshell and my main point, over confidence caused the off, the same sort of over confidence that a 4x4 will give some people, and dare I say it seasonal correct tyres.
Don't get me wrong I am a believer in them and use them but they are not a passport to incident free motoring. I'm not saying any of you guys here think they are but some people will, that's a certainty.
In the wrong hands they can have the same effect as the little girl, lad or pensioner who do a year at Judo or Karate and then think they'll strike the pose and the mugger will run off.
