Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Was thinking the same thing this morning... first winter with a nice car... is this the done thing? To own a full set of wheels with winter tyres?

I had a spare set of wheels with winter tyres when I had the Subaru - proper winter tyres (Nokian A4s) not all-season tyres. When it snowed properly - UK, properly, that is, so more than an inch - they were most excellent. 4WD and proper snow tyres meant I had the snow-covered outside lane of dual carriageways to myself while everyone else slithered around on the slush-covered inside lane. Winter tyres also give more grip in cold conditions, as the rubber compound is optimised for colder temperatures.

But in the UK the benefits are marginal, and there will probably be one or two days every 3 or 4 years where they make a real difference. When I had the Subaru I picked up the spare set of wheels for buttons, and because the tyres were relatively dainty the tyres were relatively cheap. For the RS6 the costs of getting a spare set of wheels with winter tyres would be exponentially greater, so I haven't bothered.

Bottom line- not really necessary for the UK.