Talk to me about snow chains....

DoubleCheese

DoubleCheese

DoubleCheese

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26 Jun 2005
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Driving to the alps next weekend and just planning on what to take incase of snow in the mountains.
Will be driving a TDCi Focus with regular wheels. Are there any precautions I need to be aware of with driving with snow chains?

Any other useful tips?

Thanks.
 
Practice putting them on. Practice again. Practice some more. You'll be thankful when you're on a mountain road at 3am in a blizzard trying to figure out how to get them on.

I'd also say put them on early, rather than getting up the mountain and finding you've no grip, but I'm not sure of the effects of driving with them on non-snowy roads?
 
They'll make your teeth hurt whilst driving.

Get the right size and make sure you've practiced fitting them at least once before having to use them in anger.

Personally I'd spend the extra on self-centering/tensioning ones so you don't have to faff about. I spent last week in my CMAX at Alpe D'Huez/Oz-en-Oisans with a set of Michelin EasyGrips and they were a doddle to fit and worked brilliantly without the vibration.

I didn't drive with them for very long, so didn't have to check their alignment, but they seemed absolutely fine.
 
Never drive with them where there is no snow, they will break, fling about and wreck some trim around the wheels
 
remember to adjust them after you've driven a tiny distance, then check them again, and again and again and maybe just use autosocks instead
 
Excellent just the info I was after! So, self centering/tensioning ones then, from Halfrauds or can you recommend an online retailer?

And its just the front drive wheels I need to be buying for right? Do do you have to be extra carful on the power when they are on too? Not that I'm heavy footed, but there may be other people driving too so will need to advise them if they are at the wheel.
 
you have to be careful yes, but remember they are snow chains - so if you hit compact frozen snow/ice then they do not help much if at all.
 
GeX said:
remember to adjust them after you've driven a tiny distance, then check them again, and again and again and maybe just use autosocks instead
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taximike said:
I have heard good things about autosock - far less hassle!
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I don't know this first hand, but when I was looking into driving to the alps, the Autosock seemed like the best idea, but apparantly some places have chack points and don't allow you to proceed without snowchains.

Slightly OT, but how much is it going to cost you to drive to the alps? If you wouldn't mind, would you break down fuel, ferry and tolls and any other expenses you can think of please?
 
mrthingyx said:
Personally I'd spend the extra on self-centering/tensioning ones so you don't have to faff about. I spent last week in my CMAX at Alpe D'Huez/Oz-en-Oisans with a set of Michelin EasyGrips and they were a doddle to fit and worked brilliantly without the vibration..
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I fancy a set of those michelin composite chains, I've read some really good reviews on them.
 
I have no idea where you live but you could try Edge-2-Edge to hire snow chains?

I have owned a set of Rapid Matic V3s for years and have only ever had to use them once for a few miles.

As people have pointed out, practice fitting them in advance until you can do it blind-folded with one hand under water because fitting them in a blizzard at the side of a dark road in the freezing cold is a complete nightmare.

Also, do check that they are properly fitted after driving 100 yards and again after a mile because if they come loose, they will make a right mess of your car.
 
Snow chains suck... We managed to break ours a couple of weeks ago in the 3 Valleys area because we plain got fed up after an hour of trying to put them on and tried to proceed with them half on! The moral of this story? Practise, practise, practise or buy snow socks...
 
LSPIII said:
Snow chains suck... We managed to break ours a couple of weeks ago in the 3 Valleys area because we plain got fed up after an hour of trying to put them on and tried to proceed with them half on! The moral of this story? Practise, practise, practise or buy snow socks...
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Surely this means you suck, not the chains?
 
Is it not worth getting some snow/winter tyres to avoid the necessity for chains at the first sign of even light snow and a hill?
 
MikeHiow said:
Is it not worth getting some snow/winter tyres to avoid the necessity for chains at the first sign of even light snow and a hill?
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To be honest, not a bad suggestion...

The winter tyred cars were hooning about in the resort. You can always sell them on a well known auction site when you're done. Either that or keep them for next years winter and the doom it will inevitably bring :rolleyes:
 
LSPIII said:
To be honest, not a bad suggestion...

The winter tyred cars were hooning about in the resort. You can always sell them on a well known auction site when you're done. Either that or keep them for next years winter and the doom it will inevitably bring :rolleyes:
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Have you actually tried this? How much did it cost?

I have a friend who lives in Frankfurt and he has a complete set of steel rims & winter tyres but it still seems like a heck of a lot of money for something that most Brits may well never actually need to use.
 
Winter tyres claim to offer significant improvements in all conditions under 7 degrees. There is plenty of use for them.
 
MikeHiow said:
Winter tyres claim to offer significant improvements in all conditions under 7 degrees. There is plenty of use for them.
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Yeah if you can afford it - do it. Winter tyres are amazing these days and you can easily get V rated ones and I believe even higher if you're prepared to pay! Technology has moved on so much in the last 10 years that there's really no need for studs.

I used to have these on my A6 Quattro in Canada. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=SP+Winter+Sport+3D

With the AWD on the Audi and winter wheels it basically meant that on a level surface you could put literally floor it from standstill (automatic) on sheet ice without the traction control light blinking - it was unreal. Deepest snow I ever went through was in North Dakota, there was a gas station that I totally didn't notice had gone bankrupt but I pulled in anyway. Must have been 2 feet of untouched snow there and I just drove through it like it didn't exist. But literally never dreamed of snow chains and the shovel I had in the boot as a precaution was very much unused!!
 
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