Ice down shifting

You were going too fast for conditions if downshifting caused you to lose traction. Brake/downshift sooner and more gradually.

 

Some quick tire comments hard learned from my racing efforts........... including driving classes on wet/slick surfaces, ie forced hydroplaning for vehicle control.

Tires can only offer 100% grip. So if front tires are 100% into braking, you can't steer. If you steer, whatever grip is needed for that is lost from braking ability.

Not all tires grip equally. Compounds vary widely, and of course the surface they are trying to grip matter too. So 100% of a grippy tire may equal 200% of a BadYear, FireRock or Dunflopped. (but they can still only offer 100% of what they have!)

Tread depth is only one indicator of tire life. And a fairly small one when it comes to max grip. Tread is only good for displacing 'something', like water, mud, snow, etc. and 'help' maintain grip.

The more important grip factor is the tire compound. Generally softer grips more than harder, at least on pavement. Softer of course wears faster too.

Two years of aging on a high grip (soft compound) tire, and about 3-4 years on a hard compound tire means the max grip ability is gone, and grip will continue to fade, exponentially as the rubber continues to age.

Applying the above info to a street legal Solo II car means that you pick a soft compound that will give a treadwear mileage of about 2 years. The goal is to wear out the tread about the same time the compound is done. Then get new tires.

Applying the same concept for any other vehicle will put you in that 3-5 year range (again, for pavement driving).

OE tires are fine for a while, if you don't push the vehicle. (exception may be high end performance vehicles that come better shod). I'm still futzing around town on mine on the '13, and will for a while, but I'm not stressing the tire in how I use the truck. And I'm more rain cautious than I enjoy, as they are a bit squirrely.

But I've never seen an OE tire that was a true winter tire. At best they are 'all season', which actually should be called '3 season' in true winter climes.

If I lived where snow, sleet and ice were a regular occurrence, I'd have a second set of wheels with dedicated winter tires. I don't care what kind of 'drive' a vehicle has, winter tires will add a lot of grip, both for going and more importantly, for stopping.