snow chains?

[perelaar]

Any of you guys have experience with snow chains? Not for the T2, but for our family car - Seat Leon FR, tyre size 225/40 R18.

We will be doing quite some miles in the snow, and don't want to get caught out in the Alps. We have winter tyres installed.

I've never used chains - but even here in Belgium they can come in handy when visiting the Ardennes, as the smaller roads might never see a snow plow :)

[don simon]

Learn how to install them, they can come off quite easily if not fitted correctly (I sometimes used a jack to raise the wheel).
Remember that they are an aid to get you through the snow and not something that will let you drive a similar speeds to normal.
Fit them the night before (if you thing that snow is on its way) as it's easier to take them off in the morning, if not needed, than puttting them on.

[perelaar]

Indeed, on previous car I practised in the garage. But we never needed them.

Anyway, if there is enough snow as to make driving with winter tyres impossible, we won't be going fast :)
Fitting the night before is not possible, in our case they are meant for the final few km of the journey, always uphill.

[macabethiel]

My experience of snow chains goes back to 1966 when I lived with my parents in the countryside near a village called Sutton on the Hill on Tythe Barn Lane.

In those days you got proper snow and we used to be snowed in until the local farmer (under Council contract) got his snow plough out next day. We found the snow chains were good but if we left them on when the Tarmac was coming through the noise and wear was terrible and the chains would fall apart.

I had a Mini 850 at that time and bought a set of Dunlops with a sort of Town & Country tread with studs fitted on very narrow steel rims -3.5 J . They were very good in snow and ice. Again once the snow was clearing had to revert to normal wheels & tyres (SP3's) on account of the noise and stud wear.

[perelaar]

Stud tyres not possible, due to wear and being highly illegal here in Belgium :)

I know the chains should only be used on actual snow. Chances are we will never need them, but I'd hate to be the idiot who holds up traffic because he didn't take precautions.

[rustic]

Another option is snow socks, I bought a set for our other car, supposed to be good, but we haven't used them yet, but they now live in the car till spring.
You can tear them apart if you drive on tarmac though. A get you home option...

But if we are home, the mav is used of course, never found any ice or snow we can't get through. One foot of fresh snow easy enough, I love the crunch of fresh snow. :thumb2

[Banshee]

You could just get a set of 33's :naughty

I saw a decent set of snow chains in the middle metal bins in Lidl during the summer (go figure :nenau ), there were about 12 sets at first, went back a few days later just browsing again and they were all gone :eek:

They did look decent quality to be fair, I even like the plastic "Peli" style case they came in, not sure they would have fit my tyres though otherwise at the price I'd have considered a set myself

[perelaar]

Snow socks no option - even on snow, they last only a few miles.

Proper chains are needed ;). And especially for going on holiday, the other car is a much more comfortable (and fast) thing to be in. Not to mention less than half the fuel consumption and no issues about long distance driving in a 20 year old car...

[Monaro Pete]

There's a spray you can buy that does actually work.
They had some in my local supermarket. It's on eBay too :thumb2
Much less agro than chains, socks & what ever :D

[perelaar]

Don't know it. But fact remains, some places we'd like to go actually require to have chains (or snow socks, but they suck) with you.

[solarman216]

There's a spray you can buy that does actually work.
They had some in my local supermarket. It's on eBay too :thumb2
Much less agro than chains, socks & what ever :D

I have heard about this spray, but am very sceptical, any idea how it works? Rick

[Lazy-Ferret]

I have an old Swedish device, which you slip over the wheel, open into a cross shape, and wind a sprung handle in the middle to clamp 4 sets of teeth to the wheel tread... You put them on when you need them, and then take them off as soon as you dont, as they shake the car to bits if you are not going very slowly. Worked a dream, and I wish I could get a set for the T2. The ones I have my Dad brought back from Sweden, and were for my old Wolseley 2200 with it's 185/70 14's and don't fit any modern car I have had ever since.

I am trying the remember their name, but I did find these pictures of them on another forum..

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p136/grendel1960/DSCF3735.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p136/grendel1960/DSCF3736.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p136/grendel1960/DSCF3737.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p136/grendel1960/DSCF3738.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p136/grendel1960/DSCF3740.jpg


For my Volvo V70, I got a set of proper Snow chains, and fitted them a few years back while in the Lake District, these were a Halfords set, and they destroyed my tyres in about a mile.

[solarman216]

Very interesting Clive, I have used chains in the past but not easy to put on, Rick

[Lazy-Ferret]

Very interesting Clive, I have used chains in the past but not easy to put on, Rick

Putting chains on when it's minus 10 C, the wheel arch is full of packed snow, and the wind is whipping up drifts all around you, while you are wearing gloves is no joke. Hate the things...

If you search on "Snowgrips christiania spigerverk" and "Knipetak SnowGrip" seems to be a lot for sale in Germany, and they come up time to time in the UK, but not seen anything big enough for our size of tyre. They are just so easy to put on, and taking off is OK, just sods law you always stop with the wrong pair of grips on the road, so you have to do them back up, and roll forward or back one set.

[Paultrol]

I have heard about this spray, but am very sceptical, any idea how it works? Rick

I used the spray in Norway last year, if I was sliding well losing a bit of traction, I'd stop spray the tyres. It seemed to work well enough. :thumb2

[Paultrol]

I must say that I had a lot more grip when the temperature was below -3.

[macabethiel]

I used the spray in Norway last year, if I was sliding well losing a bit of traction, I'd stop spray the tyres. It seemed to work well enough. :thumb2

Back in the late 60's my late Father ran a Company Car an Opel Rekord Coupe Automatic and it had something GM supplied with the "Winter Pack" called Liquid Tyre Chain. It was an Aerosol Spray worked very well with virgin snow included in the pack was a scraper, windscreen cover and deicer.

[Monaro Pete]

Another good idea that works quite well is some substantial cable ties. I've seen these used before.

Lazy Ferret's Swedish Device (why am I thinking "Swedish Erotica") prompted my memory about the cable ties :thumb2

[Thomas61]

Perhaps this is the future for winter tyres, can't see it ever replacing chains though and probably never designed to. I do like that cable tie idea just so incredibly simple and may get you out of a fix.

https://www.nokiantyres.com/innovation/research-and-development/the-world-s-first-winter-tyre-with-retractable-studs/

[Lazy-Ferret]

Another good idea that works quite well is some substantial cable ties. I've seen these used before.

Lazy Ferret's Swedish Device (why am I thinking "Swedish Erotica") prompted my memory about the cable ties :thumb2
Lol.

I like the cable tie idea, you could carry them easily, and they could be useful for an assortment of things. I have heard of someone wrapping rope through the spokes and across the tyre, but the cable ties would be so much easier.

Sent from my SM-T705 using Tapatalk

[rustic]

I must say that I had a lot more grip when the temperature was below -3.

I have driven in Minnesota in their cold winters, -20 C or colder, the ice is like concrete, if you walk on the packed ice with smooth shoes, you don't slip at all, as it's too cold for your weight to melt a thin layer of ice that normally makes you slip.

What I learnt, was never get into the car in the morning, close the door and start the engine, the air is so dry there is no moisture, but if you breath out just once, you need the icescraper on the inside.:eek:
The trick was, to open both front doors, start it from outside or hold your breath, then warm the engine for a good 5 minutes then breath out through an open window until it started to get warm.

I was shown the glass of wine trick where you throw some wine into the air, and it rains down red crystals. In the Uk, we don't know what cold really is lol.

It's getting to the point where we don't know what snow is either.:doh

[GentlemanJacko]

Saw this in poundstretchers yesterday for £11.99. I've never used it so can't comment on whether it's useful or not. But maybe someone else has ?