@mooney058, Yes, I'll spend £300 on chains which will outlive my car plus the next two at least (so far, and which will only cost £100 if you follow the bargains thread!).
I agree that RWD aren't a big issue with some assistance, but having used Mercs for many years in the Alps I don't blame the manufacturer. Mercs are simply crap in snow and I blame the RWD. So are BMWs (although I now drive a 4WD BMW which is magnificent, even on snow).
My economic case is very simple - spend on cheap chains just in case or spend a lot on winter tyres - and still have to have chains just in case.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@rjs, agreed - but my current car does cost that much per corner. If you can get 245/50 all season run flats for less, please let me know! I suspect ahty Google is getting bored with me. There appears to be only one tyre which will fit the requirements and the price is extortionate.
France manages access to resorts very well, IMHO, subject to making people put chains on when necessary.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@rjs, I think that the new law only extends the limits as to where you need to have chains on? I don't think it mandates snow tyres a la Suisse.
@under a new name, the new law is subject to clarification, which isn't expected until the end of October (a strangely familiar date) but whatever it is I will comply. Nothing in any of my posts should be interpreted as encouraging law breaking. If I have to spend £2,000 on unnecessary alternative tyres I will do so.
Yes, I'm keeping my fingers crossed...
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Alastair, ah,yes, of course, it is, isn't it?
I just can't see them passing a law requiring all the Parisiens to acquire snow tyres...
@under a new name, perhaps I just need to keep my yellow jacket (carried as per requirements on the dashboard). Greater grip than any kind of rubber.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Alastair, A more sensible FWD car of the same size with winter tyres would have been a lot cheaper than your 4WD BMW.
I made the mistake of running low on food on a Saturday last winter. It was snowing a bit but a big supermarket is only 15 minutes away so I set off. Got there fine but it took an extra hour to get back as the valley road was jammed up to the police roadblock telling people to fit chains. Once past that I had to slow down to weave around all the cars trying to fit chains in the middle of the road. I suspect the jam stretched back to the autoroute. France needs to get more visitors to switch to fitting winter tyres somehow.
After all it is free
After all it is free
I might have to drive to the alps this weekend and if I do, I want to get some snow chains.
Can anyone give me advice please?
Its a 4WD SUV ... Do I need chains front and back or just on the rears?
The rears are 255/55 R 18
and the fronts 235/60 R18
These are not "full Fat" Winter tyres (With Snowflake) but M&S all seasons
(I know .. I know)
In Germany we used to be able to rent snow chains from garages as you got near to the alps ..
Can we rent them here?
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@DrLawn, best check your manual. My guess is that it will state you only need chains on one set of wheels. For my Volvo (AWD) it's the fronts, since the engine drives the fronts and the electric motor does the rears. When we had a BMW xdrive, it was the opposite because the system was biased towards the rear wheels. The manual should tell you.
Alternatively, roofbox.co.uk is pretty reliable (and their staff v helpful). I'm guessing you will be looking at expensive chains though.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Cheers @mgrolf,
I'll have a look at roofbox.co.uk
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@DrLawn, I can recommend snowchains.com. When I last changed vehicle I phoned them up and talked through what I needed and they agreed to keep them for me to pick up as I was driving past on the way to France (they are based in Kent just off the motorway). When I called they made sure that what they were supplying would fit properly and that there was “clearance” which is apparently an issue these days. They also took back my previous chains and gave me a nice price for them. I gather you can hire from them too if you prefer.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
I keep winter tyres on all year, no problems, get 20k from them, nor do I buy expensive ones, waste of money.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Quote:
I keep winter tyres on all year, no problems, get 20k from them, nor do I buy expensive ones, waste of money.
Not a bad idea but you will still sometimes need snow chains, which is what this thread is about.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I need to buy chains for my Volvo V60 front wheel drive. Primarily to drive to Flaine at Christmas but also for Scottish ski touring trips). I have winter tyres 205 wide on steel rims (my summer 235s were useless on this weekend’s snow, had to swap them in a snowstorm). I understand the norm would be just to fit chains to the front wheels, but would there be any benefit in getting a second pair for the rear tyres?
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
That rational is obvious and not a daft question. In practice it's unlikely that you'd really need to fit to the rear wheels though, with your current mix of tire + carrying chains offering very competent specification to use.
One oddity if handbrake is rear wheels (ordinarily the case on most vehicles) and you park it on decent gradient they can start sliding. More consideration though as left stationary you need it in 1st, reverse or park on and automatic transmission to make sure the front wheels hold too.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I've ordered a pair of AutoSocks from RoofBox
Hopefully I wont need them and I'll just put them on the rear tyres and pray.
I've been riding on Mitchlin Latitudes all weather tyres and managed to get 43k miles out of them with still loads of meat on them.
But I treated the car with a new set two weeks ago.
As an old ski buddy of mine used to say, "With a four wheel drive, you can get really stuck".
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I do remember getting stuck in a village in Austria one night with a BMW 7 series and no chains.
It cost me over £200 to get a pair of chains on it that had to be fitted when the car was off the ground ..
I only had to use them to get out of the village and then took them off.
They have been sitting in the shed since Easter 1996
I think they saw me coming .. and not going.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
pam w wrote:
Quote:
I keep winter tyres on all year, no problems, get 20k from them, nor do I buy expensive ones, waste of money.
Not a bad idea but you will still sometimes need snow chains, which is what this thread is about.
Not needed them yet, had a few seasons, but I avoid driving on Saturdays and have a 4x4.
@DB, just looking at some of those pictures makes my hands cold. I've used chains quite a few times, in 15 winters (with winter tyres). Only twice been forced to put them on by police. But almost never drove in the mountains on change over days, which is when that's most likely. Never used socks but seen some cars with them who seemed to be doing fine. One of the dilemmas with chains is when to take them off (more difficult decision than when to put them on) especially when there are stretches of bare road. It's often harder to take them off than put them on, too and sometimes means moving the car, even though both sets of chains were oriented the same way to start with! Certainly driving on concrete will shred socks, but it's so much easier to put them on and off. I think they're a sensible alternative for someone who is just doing a few drives and has winter tyres. There's still a risk of just getting stuck and going nowhere, but that's just one of the risks when you're planning a ski holiday, and not necessarily the worst. A moment of inattention on the motorway after driving for four hours at 80 mph, or hitting some black ice on a bend, is probably a bigger risk.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Here's a test from the Austrian AA equivalent.
The lower the value the better.
The three products on the right are all textile versions.
Gesamtnote = Overall rating
Handhabung = Handling
Montage =installation
Verpackung = Packaging
Anleitung = Instructions
Schnee = snow
Subjektive Bewertung = subjective rating
Messungen = measured rating
Verschleiß = wear
It's not clear if they tested just on snow or on mixed conditions (ice etc). Some textiles work very well on snow but not so much on ice / compacted snow where they also get chewed up quickly.
The Pewag Servomatiks would have won the test but a chain link broke (hence the bad wear rating of 3). They had the best measured performance though and were slightly easier to install than the top performing textile version.
Having had over 20 years experience while living at the east end of the alps, doing mainly day trips and often traveling between 100 and 200 km each way (once did a day trip to Obertauern with is 370 km each way) I'd only go for a system that were easy to install while on a snow covered surface and I didn't have to manually tension - this would rule out the Brentas for me. Looking at amazon & youtube both the RUD Innov 8 and Pewag Servo Matic have had failure issues (one guy had €900 damage to his car which was not covered by the snow chain supplier).
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
