George, obviously your winters and our winters are not the same........summer tires in Montreal are good up to about..mmmmmm. this week.....then the snow falls and it stays with us for 4 months minimum.
Trust me, if I could run my RA-1s all year, I would........but anything short of a full winter tire in Montreal would lead to 1 of 2 things.........slow driving....like real slow...4 way flashers.....or a quick visit into the armco or otherwise stationary objects.....again, I know....I have seen it.