"Record winter predicted" Snow chains?

[TW]Fox;25106424 said:
Do you live in Austria or are you just judging the norm based on past rare weather events?
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No, and I'm hoping that this winter doesn't bring any snow. I just can't afford to miss any work now that my partner has no job. So any reasonable precaution I can take is worth doing if it helps prevent that. Last winter and the year before, the roads in and out of where I live were rendered impassable by snow, so it isn't rare here. The plows can't get down the hill, so they don't plow it, and the only salt is what you lay down yourself with a shovel.

Nexus said:
Even in the Alps they don't drive around with snow chains very often. It's really only when the Gendarmes instruct people driving up/down the mountains to resorts to put chains on during heavy snow, otherwise you will have to turn back.

Of course there is a difference in that people will also have winter tyres on.

I think one thing to always remember about heavy snow in the UK is that no matter how you prepare your vehicle for it, or think you can drive on snow..... The majority of the population won't. So that's why it's best to stick to the advice of not making unnecessary journeys when they say so.

I'll give you though that location makes a difference. If you live in rural Northumberland or somewhere and driving is the difference between being able to buy food or starving, then it's pretty important.
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Lasdt winter our shops were empty because the lorries couldn't get in, so it is fairly important that I be able to get out (although we got the train into Huddersfield last time, so it's not life or death, just a pain to carry your weekly shop).
 
Greebo said:
For good reason in Sweden they say "Winter tyres first 4 wheel drive second" they say that a car on wintertyres is better than a 4x4 on summer tyres so I would go with them
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Of course it is. It's all about tread and rubber compound. 4wd with winter tyres is even better :D

pepsilol said:
I'm gonna chuck some winter tyres on the Lexus, fitting and balancing doesn't cost me anything :D
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What was the initial outlay on the equipment? :p
 
As much as I agree that snow chains and winter tyres generally arent needed in this country I do think that given how cheaply you can pick up a set of snow socks they are worth having if you want the piece of mind.

Yes they are more awkward than winter tyres, but winter tyres can cost the best part of £400 if not more depending on your tyre size, where as a pair of snow socks can be picked up for £40.

Most of the time we just dont get conditions extreme enough to warrant anything beyond the normal performance summer tyres, but in the event the forcast is correct and people want piece of mind, I dont see that £40 is to much to spend.
 
How easy are the socks to use and do they really work? Laughing and joking aside, I've been stuck and I wasn't amused even the slightest bit.
 
Clarkey said:
How easy are the socks to use and do they really work? Laughing and joking aside, I've been stuck and I wasn't amused even the slightest bit.
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My brother still managed to get stuck on compacted snow/ice on the gradient at the end of our road using some - took a few people to push him to the top - once there he found they worked ok (better than not having them) in moderately bad conditions on the flat.
 
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They work very well on fresh snow and to a lesser extent on compacted snow - but won't do much if it lies for a long time and becomes icy, then again not much will.

They're easy to get on but horrible to handle once you want to take them off. The last thing you'd want to do with them is repeatedly remove them.

If it's for the e36 I got on pretty well with just some weight and a shovel in the boot, don't think I got properly stuck at all and that was when we (Glasgow anyway) actually had snow and ice on the roads for a few weeks.

I've put the easy grip things I have from the civic on ebay - didn't get a sniff last time I put them on, lets see if the "winter warning" improves things any!
 
I have winter tyres to do late October to spring, then have something like ad08's for the summer months. Best of both worlds.

You will be amazed at the hills a set of winter tyres can get you up in the snow.
 
Firstly may I say nobody knows if we'll have snow or how much we will have this winter.

That said and to answer the OP, winter tyres are best and I'd choose socks over chains because there's rarely enough snow in the UK to use chains safely and I'd not recommend anybody do anything that's going to chew through our already pot-holed roads.

If you've not used winter tyres in bad conditions it's easy to be suspicious of how they can grip to snow and ice - but trust that the big tyre makers know what they are doing and they do what they say they do.
 
i work in the lake district on moorland and we don't use winter tires.... Last year digging a landrover out of a snowdrift wasn't fun though, might consider it this time round
 
Pfft, winter tyres....

My understanding of socks (and forgive me, because I am skilled enough to manage a RWD car even in the snow without crying) is that they are useful to get a stationary car off of a driveway. Little more.....
 
Django x2 said:
Pfft, winter tyres....

My understanding of socks (and forgive me, because I am skilled enough to manage a RWD car even in the snow without crying) is that they are useful to get a stationary car off of a driveway. Little more.....
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so skill

such manly

amaze

wow
 
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