Should have posted this months ago and with the onset of severe weather thought I'd eat humble pie and pass on the info....
4 Omegas, 2 from almost new. (4 or 5 months old). OEM tyres Michelin Pilot... (Replaced with Pirelli, Michelin, Continental)
As cars got older decided 2.2 no longer justified "expensive" tyres, 3.2 did. Drove both cars extensively on the limit including track days. Advocated budget tyres alot here because Omega can wear tyres quickly whatever is fitted so why wear out "premium" tyres when you can keep fitting "budget" tyres twice as often... Surely a NEW budget tyre is better than a part worn premium tyre... You know the logic...
Budget tyres DRY grip can be equal to Premium tyres BUT without any doubt I can now say in wet or greasy conditions budget tyres are not equal to premium tyres. Also, loss of wet weather grip seems to escalate with budget tyres as their wear increases compared with the premium brands.
I can now say with 100% certainty that I would no longer endorse budget tyres for road use as inevitably it will rain at some point. (Track days are different, You can change your tyres.)
Lack of grip in slippery conditions even at very low speeds can be quite astounding with the budget tyres I've tried whilst the "premium" tyres still manage to hold on.
Enjoy the snow folks!