What exactly are cheap tyres anyway? Well, like a lot of other things, one way of looking at it is from the point of view of what you consider to be expensive. For example in Britain, as we are rapidly becoming aware, winter tyres are almost certainly not considered as cheap tyres. Maybe this is because, unlike our contintental cousins, we have simply not come to accept the idea that we might need to purchase extra tyres. So perhaps winter tyres can never actually be considered as cheap tyres?

There again, if you asked can winter tyres be cheap tyres from any other perspective, then perhaps they can. Because winter tyres improve road safety and reduce the risk of accidents; saving lives and reducing injuries as well as car repair bills. So whilst they might not be cheap tyres in their own right, the overall cost savings would actually be very considerable if we all started using them. So maybe it's time we all started thinking about cheap tyres in a different way than simply the very lowest price that can be paid.

Many vehicle and tyre manufacturers, whilst not actually offering cheap tyres as such, are now promoting complete tyre sets for winter use. Most recently, Ford has teamed up with Pirelli to offer motorists an attractive deal which, although it does not constitute cheap tyres in the traditional sense, is nevertheless a highly attractive offer in terms of both performance and value for money overall. Interestingly though these winter tyres really could turn out to be cheap tyres in one way.

This is because all tyres, including cheap tyres, are designed to perform under specific conditions, and winter tyres are at the best in temperatures below 70C. In fact the weather could be the thing that turns the Ford/Pirelli offer into genuinely cheap tyres. Because if during January and February 2011, there are less than 30 days in which the temperature falls below 70C, any motorist who has taken up the offer before Dec 31 2010 will receive a 50% discount. So that's half price for a set of quality tyres.

Moreover of course, this cheap tyres offer, although it may well have expired by the time you read this, is unlikely to be your only opportunity. Because it is just one of many similar packages that can be expected as more and more manufacturers follow suit. Indeed, it might well be worth looking out for a bargain tyres offer sooner rather than later because if the government makes winter tyres mandatory there is the possibility that demand will exceed supply which will drive prices up. What price cheap tyres then