After all I've seen written about separate winter tires, it seems like a good idea. Then again, lots of stuff that seems good turns out being a bunch of hoopla, so I'd like to draw on the wealth of this forum before I make the change once snow comes:

Is switching to a cross tire for wintery conditions necessary, or is it more a "peace of mind" thing that at the very least saves your nice dry-season tires from getting road-salted into oblivion? I have a large amount of trust in my 700 x 28 slick Panracers, but does the width and aggressive tread of a cyclo-cross tire really make a noticeable difference for ride and cornering performance in sloppy conditions?