View Full Version : Snow Chains
I have managed to get myself stuck again this morning in heavy snow
I have a Merc E class so rubbish in the snow I know , but comfy and reasonably economical for 99% of the time
I was told to get some snow chains but have no experiance of them , any help would be good
Chains are a lot of trouble to put on and take off. If you're only getting stuck occasionally, maybe just put a shovel and a couple traction mats in your trunk.
BorderReiver
03-01-2010, 14:12
Chains are fine if all the roads you are driving on are covered in snow.
The shovel and mats are your best bet when only a few of the roads are dodgy.
korvin karbon
03-01-2010, 14:25
http://www.autosock.co.uk/
shovel and 2 rough mats.
bikething
03-01-2010, 14:36
I've been looking into them today as well... lots of options here (http://www.roofbox.co.uk/snow-chains/) as a starting point
Chains are fine if all the roads you are driving on are covered in snow.
The shovel and mats are your best bet when only a few of the roads are dodgy. The problem I've got is I live in a village with 3 routes out to a 'main road'. 2 of the routes are gentle getting out of the village (albeit usually icy as they're sheltered from the sun), but will both eventually involve a steep-ish decent before you get to a 'main' road that has been gritted.
My usual route involves a 200 yrd climb out of the village on a 1-in-4 gradient that snakes around a hillside. Once up that, it's a gentle slope up and over the hill to the next village and the main road about 1.5 miles away.
I don't fancy shovel-and-matting my way up that hill, 5 yards at a time... and there's always the risk of some muppet losing control coming down the other way and wiping my car out on the way, so the quicker I can get up it, the less risk there is to me :)
(And having got out of the village, I still have to drive across Dartmoor to get to work and back!)
Dave Budd
03-01-2010, 15:35
I've the same problem, only my village is on the top of the hill with three routes out. Last year when we had the sudden cold bit and snow I got out of the village (ie down hill) but wasn't able to get up the hill to the main roads :rolleyes: Normally snow isn't the problem, it's more the ice that stops us from getting out of the village here.
I just stay put and apologise to customers that I coldn't get to the workshop without risking my life!
Chains are a 'get you home' thing not an every day use thing. Apart from anything else you stand a chance of damaging the car if one of the chains lets loose (quite badly if it takes your brakes out).
The shovel and matting is a good idea... if you also take a bucket full of sharp sand mixed with road grit you'll likely go a lot further than 5 yards at a time.
Don't forget to tie the mats to the back of the car by their trailing edge so they both follow the car once you get going, but they 'stand up' out of the muck you've just pressed them down into instead of digging in and snapping the cord.
If it's likely to be bad long term... invest in a set of spare wheels from ebay and put some winter tyres on them - they make a world of difference to traction.
I think people are looking for an in the boot solution to these short harsh cold snaps that seem to hit us out the blue and leave the council unable to clear the roads.
I don't think there is an easy answer.
Modern chains are easy to put on and tension, but it's not something you'd do for a few hundred yards. As said earlier, you really need deep snow everywhere to justify them. If you drive on tarmac with them on, you'll knacker your tyres. It is a good idea to own a set though, in some parts of Europe, carrying a set in your boot in winter is required by law. I've a full set of 4 chains for my Landy, but have only ever put them on to practice doing it and check the fit. It'd have to be pretty freaky weather to justify them. For short "get me up that hill" type of thing, a set of "AutoSocks" is the way to go.
johnnytheboy
03-01-2010, 21:39
I always wondered why BMW and Mercs were so bad in the winter they are designed so well for everything else, but it turns out the germans run with snow tyres in the winter.
Dunno if it would be worth getting a couple of cheap back tyres for the winter, dunno the price of snow chains eiter right enough
I have managed to get myself stuck again this morning in heavy snow
I have a Merc E class so rubbish in the snow I know , but comfy and reasonably economical for 99% of the time
I was told to get some snow chains but have no experiance of them , any help would be good
rancid badger
03-01-2010, 22:53
Where I live, is a bit hilly and the estate itself, can be snowed up for days on end. Once you make it out onto the main road your away usually.
My current car, a ford fiesta, is the first one for 20 + years, that I have not bothered to get a pair of spare rims, fitted with mud and snow type tyres:rolleyes:
I never once, got stuck in snow during this time. I ran an SRI Cavalier, Fiat UNO, Skoda Fabia estate then a Fabia hatch ( both particularly good in snow) :drive:
In the past, I fitted the spares around the back end of November and took them off again around March, all weather dependent of course.
We have now had about 2 weeks of conditions in which snow tyres would have made my driving to and from work and shopping etc, a damn sight easier and safer. I've not been stuck yet but came very close at 5 this morning.
So I need to decide whether to get kitted out with some rims and chunky tyres or invest in these 'autosock' things.
Now then; Me and the Mrs. were down the wood on Friday for our daily walk.
A BMW was stuck on one of the tiny little slopes on the forest road.
As we got nearer, we could see the driver faffing on around the rear wheels, then get back into the car and drive away up the hill and into the car park as if on tracks! I noticed what looked a bit like a tyre blanket on the rear wheels ( the sort of thing they use to keep F1 tyres warm?)
Now I look at the picture; they were actually blocking the road!
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x125/stalch/PC310015copybmwautosockresiz.j pg
They were I now realise; autosocks and they performed extremely well, as the car was going nowhere without them.
Hmm.......decisions decisions:rolleyes:
atb
R.B.
Thanks all
Just spent a small fortune on new tyres so don't realy want to go the whole hog and have a winter pair as well
Have been playing with the auto box and discovered comfort mode and set the thing to manual in 2nd on tick over is good
Have gone for the shovel and mat with a bucket of grit in the boot for the time being
Like the look of the autosock though will have to do a bit more investigation
Roll on spring
Leonidas
03-01-2010, 23:04
I'm very fortunate and have a Range Rover V8 auto (Great combination off road) so do not get stuck up or down hill.....
However most cars, even 2WD, if fitted with snow tyres will manage all but the very worst of UK roads in snow conditions.
Was interested to see the autosocks but the Autosocks site has crashed :)
Tom
I always wondered why BMW and Mercs were so bad in the winter...
A lot of BMW's are rear wheel drive, with the engine in the front it makes for an awful combination in snow.
Get rid of the Merc and get an AWD Volvo. Mine eats steep snowy hills for breakfast :D
just as comfy and smooth as a Merc.
njc110381
04-01-2010, 10:03
Get rid of the Merc and get an AWD Volvo. Mine eats steep snowy hills for breakfast :D
just as comfy and smooth as a Merc.
That would be my suggestion. If I lived in a place like you do then I'd be wanting something a little capable. You don't have to go mad and buy a Range Rover or Merc ML, there are a lot of cars that now offer 4x4. The Subaru Forester (if that's classy enough for a Merc driver?) is excellent, or one of the Volvos or an Audi allroad. They have running costs nearer to your car but are a lot better in soft off road conditions. When you get it fit it with some half decent tyres too. You'll lose a couple of k off of the milage you'll get out of them but if you can afford a Merc I'm sure you can deal with that!
I'm lucky enough to be in the position that I need a Defender for work so I just use that if I need to. Our car is a Golf 4motion and even that copes a lot better than most without costing too much to run.
Change the Merc, you know you want to!
I always wondered why BMW and Mercs were so bad in the winter they are designed so well for everything else, but it turns out the germans run with snow tyres in the winter.
Dunno if it would be worth getting a couple of cheap back tyres for the winter, dunno the price of snow chains eiter right enough
My BMW is rear-wheel drive and, hence, rubbish in the snow. I had snow tires in Germany and they made a massive amount of difference. Also had - and still have - set of snow chains in the boot. I used them a few times in Germany and also over here (twice in Dorset!). They take a few minutes each to put on/take off and, contrary to one of the posts above, they are perfect for travelling a few hundred yards to get you through the worst bits. Just pop them off when they snow/ice is thin enough to give you traction again.
My chains were bought in Germany for about 30 Euros and, whilst they are not designed for consistent heavy-duty use, are perfect for that occasional nightmare bit of road.
They are not difficult to drive with - just keep the speed right down (20mph maximum) and keep an eye on them to make sure they haven't become loose.
the autosocks looked like a bit of a gimmick but checking the web and youtube seems they are ok, anyone on here had first hand experience?
I used to put a large chunk of steel H beam in the boot of my RWD BMW it helped the traction no end
I have a pair of snow chains which I chuck in my boot through the winter months. Never used them yet as have never been stuck so much as to need them, but they make good insurance cover. I used to pop some mud and snow tyres on my mark 2 escort and a couple of bags of sand over the rear axle for traction and never got stuck. Now we don't seem to have that much snow I think I should be ok with the chains in the boot.:D. Also it doesn't matter what you do to prepare it's the people who don't, who block the road and cause grid lock anyway. 2 inches here and the city stopped, wouldn't matter if you had a snow mobile you'd still go nowhere.:lmao:
jonquirk
04-01-2010, 21:11
Back in 1988 I worked on a farm and had a Transit with a very light wooden dropside body. I used to get stuck in the farm yard with no traction.
I got a pair of Nokia mud and snow tyres for the rear axle. It was miraculous: I could go almost anywhere on the farm. Then the limiting factor was getting the front beam axle aground on the centre ridge of the farm tracks.
beamdune
05-01-2010, 10:56
Bah! Wish I'd ordered some of those autosocks last week - snowed in this morning.
Just helped to push a couple of cars that got stuck, wheels spinning everywhere.
rancid badger
05-01-2010, 11:59
the autosocks looked like a bit of a gimmick but checking the web and youtube seems they are ok, anyone on here had first hand experience?
Not actually used them, but can certainly confirm how good they appear to be, from witnessing them in use last week.
The people using them would most certainly not have unstuck themselves without them.
R.B.
Might invest in a set, just watching with amusment some people stuck in works carpark from my desk, however i might not be laughing in an hour when i try to leave! :)
Had to leave my Golf Gti in town this morning as it wouldn't get up a tiny little slope, the tyres are too fat and too slick.
Klenchblaize
05-01-2010, 16:59
Modern chains are easy to put on and tension, but it's not something you'd do for a few hundred yards. As said earlier, you really need deep snow everywhere to justify them. If you drive on tarmac with them on, you'll knacker your tyres. It is a good idea to own a set though, in some parts of Europe, carrying a set in your boot in winter is required by law. I've a full set of 4 chains for my Landy, but have only ever put them on to practice doing it and check the fit. It'd have to be pretty freaky weather to justify them. For short "get me up that hill" type of thing, a set of "AutoSocks" is the way to go.
In a nut shell.
Undertook exactly the same experiment with all for wheels last February. Got to the bottom of hill and found snow had been cleared making me look a complete plonker!:o
Doesn't do much for either vehicle or tarmac.
Cheers
johnnytheboy
05-01-2010, 23:19
I know that I work in a BMW/Mercedes Garage, the rest of the sentence explains the first part!!!
Spent the last two weeks shoving everything from Ferrari's to Sprinter vans round our carpark
A lot of BMW's are rear wheel drive, with the engine in the front it makes for an awful combination in snow.
robin wood
06-01-2010, 09:52
Autosock website seems to have crashed, I wonder why?
hehe i tried them last night and sold out in my size of wheels
Brown Bear
06-01-2010, 16:34
I used to put a large chunk of steel H beam in the boot of my RWD BMW it helped the traction no end
You wouldn't want it there in a head on accident though. It would smash through the back seats and anyone in them. I've seen a crash test video with a tool box in a boot....nasty.
hehe i tried them last night and sold out in my size of wheels
Shedloads on ebay, Goodyear do a similar thing. Was looking at em for SWMBO's mini.
You wouldn't want it there in a head on accident though. It would smash through the back seats and anyone in them. I've seen a crash test video with a tool box in a boot....nasty.
Frankly, I'd never get fast enough in this weather to cause anything more than a light 'dink' against the back of the rear seats ...
I understood that you can only use snow chains on roads in the UK that have sufficient snow covering as not to cause any damage to the tarmac. What depth of snow that is I have no idea.
Just to bring everybody up to date
After 2 days of ringing round and searching on the web I managed to find some snow chains local in my size at a reasonable price, so will give them a try tomorrow and see how I go
Could not get any snow socks for love nor money except on line , but with the roads blocked I feared they would not be delivered in time
Will update over the weekend
Overlander30
11-01-2010, 01:02
Going to have a bit of a rant here.
When I was a kid (70's) it seemed to snow all the time in winter. everyone had winter tyres (basically very soft remoulds - very cheap) and when it snowed, people just shovelled the snow out from the drive and went to work. Now you may say this is looking at history with rose tinted glasses, but it isnt. It really was like this. It's really pissed me off over the past couple of weeks about how totally helpless some (many) people seem to be (not talking about people on here so much, just generally). They actually seem to revel in the shamelessness of their helplessness and have a view that says that someone else (ie local council) should wrap them in cotton wool and help their every need. I saw a pregnant woman interviewed in her car and she was saying that she was 38 weeks pregnant and couldnt get to the hospital. well, i m sorry but make some contingency plans for events like this. dont rely on your local council to dig you out of the ****.
The scandinavians just laugh at us - by law they must use winter tyres from october onwards and they do, so there are no issues, they just get on with it. Local councils there snow plough the main roads (hardly any salt - why is the UK obsessed with salting and gritting the roads?!) and locals then club together and give the local farmer a few quid to run his plough down the road to clear the worst of it.
When I've had this debate with people before, they tend to say "ah but we get conditions like this so rarely, so people dont know what to do". Well yes, you could say that, but a week in feb, and now 4 weeks (for us anyway) now, this is becoming not so unusual, and people should take responsibility for themselves (like the OP is doing for example). The UK is still in recession, and the past week weeks hae set us back hugely, economically speaking. Last Monday I had to pick up a computer from the trafford centre in manchester. I left home at 2pm, drove over there (an hour) and guess what, there were 3 shops open. THREE! Yet the motorway was totally clear, and the side roads were passable with care. What has happened to people in the UK? why do they think its ok to sit at home like spoiled schoolchildren (dont get me started on the schools closing) and be fed from the council/government tit? Is it the fault of the media? "Don't travel unless its life or death!" or have we become so cossetted, so privileged, so spolied that a few inches of snow falls and the world halts?
robin wood
11-01-2010, 11:48
I put winter tyres on my van last week and the difference is incredible. Not only do they give hugely increased grip on snow but you get increased grip on wet cold greasy roads too, exactly the conditions we get most of the winter. No messing about sticking socks or chains on and off as you go on and off the snow they are fantastic. The major difference I am told is what they are made from. Normal tyres become very hard, inflexible and loose all their rubbery stickyness at low temperatures. Winter tyres are made of different compounds (silicone based?) which stay soft, flexible and grippy at low temp.
I am currently enjoying driving my front wheel drive VW T4 van passed stuck 4wd cars on normal hard slippery summer tyres. The other thing is that where 4wd helps with grip going forward as soon as you touch the brakes you are in the same boat as everyone else. Winter tyres greatly increase grip under braking too. I can stop my van going down a steep snow covered hill in not much greater distance than I can in the dry.
They will stay on till March then get swapped back for summer tyres.
This is my van, I can stop on slopes like this and set off with no wheelspin at all.
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb176/thewoods_album/IMG_1718.jpg
rancid badger
11-01-2010, 13:42
I put winter tyres on my van last week and the difference is incredible. Not only do they give hugely increased grip on snow but you get increased grip on wet cold greasy roads too, exactly the conditions we get most of the winter. No messing about sticking socks or chains on and off as you go on and off the snow they are fantastic. The major difference I am told is what they are made from. Normal tyres become very hard, inflexible and loose all their rubbery stickyness at low temperatures. Winter tyres are made of different compounds (silicone based?) which stay soft, flexible and grippy at low temp.
I am currently enjoying driving my front wheel drive VW T4 van passed stuck 4wd cars on normal hard slippery summer tyres. The other thing is that where 4wd helps with grip going forward as soon as you touch the brakes you are in the same boat as everyone else. Winter tyres greatly increase grip under braking too. I can stop my van going down a steep snow covered hill in not much greater distance than I can in the dry.
They will stay on till March then get swapped back for summer tyres.
This is my van, I can stop on slopes like this and set off with no wheelspin at all.
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb176/thewoods_album/IMG_1718.jpg
Hello again Robin,
They really are by far, the best option in my opinion. I used to fit my spare rims and snow/mud tyres, at the first proper snowfall and leave them till March too. They are softer of course and wear a lot quicker than normal tyres. That said; I had my first Skoda Fabia for 5 years and the second for nearly 3 and ran the same pair of snow tyres for that time. When I changed to a Ford Fiesta, I didn't bother to get spare rims for it:rolleyes:
Mind you, I've only had to walk to work once so far. Really though, its the safety side of this, that really makes the difference.Some of my drives to and from work, have been pretty scary, (usually due to other clowns on the road) and I'm used to driving in snow!.
I'll be sorting out spare rims and tyres asap now:o
Oh and for anyone who hasn't seen this yet, this was a Vauxhall Frontera, on standard tyres, after slipping off the flat road into Chopwell Wood.:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFIKa5WYaD4
took nearly 3 hours to get out!
cheers
R.B.
Snow tyres make a massive difference. The best cars in the snow are ones with really skinny tyres that can cut through the snow and slush onto the tarmac and grip.
In Switzerland everyone switches over to snow tyres in November and back to normal ones in April. I've got a friend here and he said he has never had to use his snow chains - just snow tyres.
Like people have said, you only have to have one scary moment then you'll wish you got a pair of proper tyres. Don't assume the cheapest ones are the best as well - check out http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Type/Winter/ for some tests. Nokian ones a really good - I've got michelin pilot alpine 2 and they are good as well.
forestwalker
13-01-2010, 07:45
As everyone else I agree with Robin; proper winter tyres make a world of a difference. And not just in snow, but in any road conditions below 5 C or so. Around here the "standad car" is a normal old Volvo (usually a 945), and there are very few issues. Even though it is rear wheel drive. Proper tyres and sane driving styles are the key (don't gun it, take it easy in curves, slow down in time before you need to stop).
Here we can use studded tyres, the non-studded ones are inferior and much more dependant on quality; basically any studded tyre is ok, while the worst non-studded ones are much worse than the best. But studded ones eat tarmac, causing nasty particles in the air, so are no longer recommeded for urban drivers, only for us country folks (i.e. everyone living/driving outside greater Stockholm).
EarlyRiser
13-01-2010, 11:48
I can thoroughly recommend these (no connection).
I've used them once in the last six winters up till now.
This year I've used them four times on my own car and once on a pal's.
They made very easy work of driving in snow and ice.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa8/tomclaypool/P1010909B.jpg
Cheers,
Tom
Had to us the chains for real tonight when everything got stuck on the hills on solid ice with snow on top
Tricky to fit but made it home safe and sound when even 4x4 's were stuck
Can reccomend them but pactice putting them on would be a good idea
So who else is ordering Autosocks before this years winter? http://www.wayland.me.uk/assets/images/snow-wee.gif
So who else is ordering Autosocks before this years winter? http://www.wayland.me.uk/assets/images/snow-wee.gif
No need... already have a landy :)
Graham_S
24-08-2010, 19:23
I live in Saudi Arabia now, chances of getting snowed in are rather slim
:D
i reckon i will be (if the volvo makes the 200k mark and doesn't blow up).
I might even treat my good lady to pair for her birthday: :drive:
cheers
baggins
ScotchDave
25-08-2010, 21:17
Not me, I'm moving to California, and if we get snow there then there'll be bigger problems than driving.:p
Dave
forestwalker
26-08-2010, 05:30
I won't, but I have studded winter tyres on my Volvo. See, one *more* advntage to living here in Sweden.