Driving with chains - how fast

A snowHead

Perhaps an odd question, but how fast do people feel comfortable driving with chains?

We've had to use ours twice in the last few years and above about 15 MPH they start to make a right racket. Of course, driving up the hill at that speed leads to a queue of French school buses, bin lorries, and postmen behind so I'm feeling pressure to go quicker.

I've never seen a manufacturers recommendation or anything like that. What do other people do?

LR

A snowHead

50km/h I think is the manufacturer's recommendation, so I stick to that.

Have stopped to check them a few times after hearing a racket, but all was fine.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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Get up to 30mph -- if something falls off or rattles excessively, you've probably put the chains on wrong. Remember, chains don't increase your ability to *stop* much, if you're wanting to go much faster than 30mph you're probably doing it wrong!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

On the winter driving courses provided for transer drivers ( using vans not small cars ) the reccomended max speed was 30kmh.
As said above if the snow is shallow enough to permit you to go faster, then take the chains off, and let your snow tyres do the work.
If you get a rattle - STOP, and re-tension your chains. If you want to go faster on compacted snow, get studded tyres. ( Fine in France, but not allowed in CH).

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I've not used chains for years as snow tyres are simply better for most conditions. However, when I did use chains the thought of doing 30mph/50kmh is quite terrifying. I don't think I'd go much faster than about 15mph with chains on. With snow tyres you shouldn't need to use chains on a major road anyway; if you have summer tyres and need to use chains then cars with snow tyres will always be faster than you, so you're going to be holding people up whatever speed you dare to drive at.

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What he said.

I'd rather be held up a bit by someone driving slowly and carefully than blocked by stuck vehicles. It's not a race. People who are close enough behind you to give you "pressure" are an accident risk. They need to pass you or keep their distance. I would just ignore them and hope they don't run into you when you have to stop.

After all it is free

Ditto, however when you put the chains on you can do 3-4 revolutions of the tyres to normally tell if you need to tighten them. ie pop back out and jingle the chain... If you can jingle too easily then tighten... Very Happy

On an empty straight road that I know well I have got up to 50 kmph which I understood was the recommend limit. I certainly didn't have any desire to go faster than that - and most of the time I'd be quite a bit slower. Obviously relying on winter tyres is better if you can. But it does get to a stage when you have to have chains on.

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and ignore the rear view mirror, cos there'll be an impatient range rover sport or other fancy 4x4 imposing themselves in the rearview mirror chivvying you along rather than overtaking.

only other thing that annoys me are those that hold back excessively to make way more space than necessary so they have acres of space to keep momentum round hairpins, and steal all of the space that you've tried to create for yourself, so you have to slow down to a stop. have even had them stop completely to let 100m+ of road become clear. wtf is that all about?

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I think there's a thread called "what is wrong with [other] people" for that.

I don't think I've ever had a problem with people driving too carefully. Perhaps I am that person, stealing "your" space. I think you have just to deal with things as they are, not as you'd like them to be. Leave a bigger gap, so you have time to deal with the careful people?

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I leave space. The guy in front leaves space for the same reason. Then stops with loads of spare space. The whole idea of leaving space is to keep momentum, so you don't have to stop and then try pulling away again uphill. Use that space you've been saving, and not the space that I've been saving, then neither of us need to stop, and there's not a blockage.

Thanks for the replies. As it happens I've finally bought winter tyres and started fitting them today. What a palaver. I was expecting it to be a bit of a pain but:

a) One of the rear wheels wouldn't come off. Apparently a problem with the XC90 (judging by the number of hits my google search returned) and it needed to be convinced by a suitably big hammer. If I had needed to replace this wheel because of a puncture at the side of the road - Not a chance.

b) The locking nuts don't fit on the new rims. Hence I've only done 2 wheels until I can pick up 4 more non-locking nuts.

Hopefully this might remove the need for chains, though the last time I used them (Tignes 2 years ago) it was at the behest of the Gendarmes, so wouldn't have made any difference.

LR

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

RobW I've got Vredestein Wintrac xtreme S but I'm not sure that they count as a Snow tyre. ISTR a discussion (probably on here) about the various Winter - vs- Snow - vs Mud tyres available.

A snowHead

@LittleRob, The classic trick for wheels that wont come off is to loosen the wheelnuts a bit (not too much!) and then lower the car back onto the ground. The weight of the car then often breaks the sticktion.

However if the heavy hammer is to hand................

A snowHead

@LittleRob, They've got the mountain/snowflake symbol on them so as far as gendarmes are concerned they are normally an acceptable alternative to chains.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

DJL I did read that, and I think with a hydraulic jack that would be possible, but I'm using the scissor jack that came with the car. I did try it - you should have seen my arms, going like the clappers they were wink

In the end the hammer did it, though of course (for the sake of any future readers) not directly onto the alloy rims. I used a bit of wood to protect them. I've heard that some copper grease might help for next time (not that I had any) but I've also heard that it doesn't make any difference. So take your pick.

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Using a torque wrench when you put the wheels on will help with getting them off again wink

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

When the conditions are really bad, the Gendarmes will insist on chains regardless of whether you have snow tyres or not, although they will sometimes make an exception for a decent 4 wheel drive with good winter tyres (and usually a swift appraisal of how clued-up the driver seems to be...).

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

And today's lesson is: (let me hear you at the back) "Don't forget to fit your spigot rings" wink

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I find copper grease on the friction side of the brake pads is great for extending the life of both pads and discs.

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robapplegate wrote:

@ansta1, Old jokes, don't you love em.
@johnE, good point, never get round to that one

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Driving with chains - how fast

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