Look easy to fit, but at just shy of £400 they seem a bit steep, anyone got some?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Yes I have. If you need them you need them.
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?
£400. I reckon it is worth trading up a bit from the dead basic ones. I have some Konig ones, which from memory were around 80 euros. Easy to fit and they last (I can't remember how much they were because it was so long ago). Coincidentally, having just had my snow tyres fitted I did my annual snow chain practice this afternoon, given it had stopped raining for 30 minutes. Easy enough to fit, can't imagine why anyone would pay £400.
for £400 notes i d want them to fit themselves!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
pam w, you pay the money not for easy fitting but because they do not go around the back of the wheel and keep clear of the suspension etc. This is because many modern cars have very large wheels that give almost no clearance between the wheel and the suspension. If your car manual says you cannot fit snow chains, even narrow ones, then these are what you have to buy.
You can get good Thule quick release ones for around £ 100, unless you have wheel arch clearance issues.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
They're more like £300 anyway, Standee, you need to shop around a bit
After all it is free
After all it is free
sarah wrote:
They're more like £300 anyway, Standee, you need to shop around a bit
That was on EBay, need to be big enough for my car. 255/65/17 's
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.
johnE, well thankfully my car is fine with traditional chains. My chains have been in use for 9 seasons, probably put on only twice or three times, as the snow tyres are so effective. But they've done a fair few miles now, and show no sign of wear. Fingers crossed.
I'd strongly recommend the website of the Roofbox Company - they have a comprehensive list of cars, showing you exactly what chains are suitable. And if you need advice they are great.
If the £400 chains are the only ones that fit your car, then I guess there's no choice. But for the rest of us.....
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
pam w, I think we're talking about the K Summit chains, we have them. Standee, no not on ebay, I just looked on Snowchains.co.uk as I think that's where ours came from but didn't look at the sizes.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
sarah wrote:
pam w, I think we're talking about the K Summit chains, we have them. Standee, no not on ebay, I just looked on Snowchains.co.uk as I think that's where ours came from but didn't look at the sizes.
I just checked, £389 for the right one's for my car, I am getting General Grabber tyres so I probably wont need them, just seem a convenient fitting compared to affing around.
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.
Standee, they're convenient, as these things go, we've had to use them in anger twice. It's quite funny watching the oncoming French point at you and try to attract your attention as they think you haven't fitted them properly as they don't go behind the wheel
We did have a problem with one of them once, it still worked ok but something had bent I think, Thule just sent out a complete full replacement chain absolutely no quibble at all.
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
I suppose it's a bit like insurance, buying something that I hope I wont actually need, just how much easier are they to fit? I don't fancy messing around with a 2 tonne truck at the side of the road with snow tyres on, if it gets to needing chains on that then we're all in trouble!
I'd say that takes around the same time as it takes me to fit my snow chains. Mine are self-tensioning, too, so no need to stop after 100 metres or so to tighten them, as is the case with the very basic ones. That really is a pain, as having stopped somewhere safe to put the chains on, you then have stop somewhere unsafe to check they're tight enough.
I wouldn't spend that much if my car had enough clearance behind the wheel.
I'd say that takes around the same time as it takes me to fit my snow chains. Mine are self-tensioning, too, so no need to stop after 100 metres or so to tighten them, as is the case with the very basic ones. That really is a pain, as having stopped somewhere safe to put the chains on, you then have stop somewhere unsafe to check they're tight enough.
I wouldn't spend that much if my car had enough clearance behind the wheel.
You can fit normal chains, that quick really?
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Standee,
The Austrian AA tested many traction devices for cars that becuase of such things as wheel clearance can't take normal chains. The RUD Comfort Centrax came out much better than the Thule K-Summit. The Thule K-Summit worked really well on ice but wasn't very durable and failed the wear & tear test. The RUD was better on snow, passed the wear tests really well and were eaiser to mount.
Standee, the other half says they are easy to fit and easier than normal chains as you don't have to get the chain round the back. He says the important thing is to have a dry run first to work out which of the supplied wheel nut clamp things is the right one for your car so that when you come to do it for real you know straightaway.
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?
Bought two sets last year for our two cars. They are very easy to fit and do work well, but would not recommend. They fall off far too easy as the clamp is not long enough, flexible enough. Also be extreamly careful when taking off as the bolts that tighten the chain can cause damage to your tyres. Also Thule's customer service left a lot to be desired.
@Standee, those tyres aren't snow tyres are they? If they're not snow tyres, their performance on snow/ice will be just as poor as any other "summer" tyres.
Proper winter tyres make an enormous difference. In 10 years of living in and around the alps, I've never ever felt the need for chains, and our 4x4 is not a proper 4x4.
Back on topic, a chum has a set of a similar looking rig to the Thule but the hub element is left on the car. So to fit them you just unfold. bolt them on and drive off. Really, really quick. Much quicker than on the Thule vidoe iirc. An Italian brand and for his RR Sport £250 I think. Can't recall the brand however.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sun 22-11-15 10:17; edited 1 time in total
I need chains for my Disco this winter.Land Rover recommend the k summit (which cost £400)which they sell re branded as Land Rover for £700 .I popped into the Thuile shop in Windsor to get some advice as to whether I can use something cheaper but they say the same as Land Rover which is that normal chains can cause damage or interfere with electronics.I am sure the manual said that only approved snow chains should be used therefore I assume warranty would be invalid if anything went wrong.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Once you set them up for your wheel they are very easy to put on and take off.
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.
@harrim51, the very ones I was talking about. I was quite impressed.
If I needed snow chains, that's what I'd get.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
We have some of those for our X-trail.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
As mentioned above, shop around dude, they can be got for closer to the £300.00 mark but like ours, they are the only chains recommended for the car we have as the wrap round ones foul the suspension arms and will either wreck them or snap the chains, probably both...
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.
While working for a film last winter in Austria, I was challenged with several sets of these chains for Landrover Freelander´s and Range Rover Evoque´s.
The first problem was decifering the instruction manual, only pictures and no explanation. The chains were the expensive Landrover ones.
I then realised I had to spend 10-15 mins per set (after the 15 mins studying the manual) making them the correct size for the appropriate vehicle. This involved removing different amounts of screws from the chains depending on the tyre size. Almost impossible with the provided cheap Allen key and Spanner. Made a little easier with my own quality tools.
Once sussed out they were simple and fast to fit, though you really need to practice in dry conditions a couple of times. (Good advice for any chains)
You need to mount the upper half and then drive the car a meter to get the other half on.
We had several sets fall off the cars, probably due to driving too fast.
To get them on they have to be able to stretch, so with centrifugal force (when the wheels are turning) they also stretch and become looser around the tyre. The faster you go the looser they get. Too fast and they fall off which could easily cause a lot of damage. (To be fair this can also happen with lots of other chains).
For one off use to get to where you´re going in a snow storm then they are okay, but don´t get tempted to pick up speed. I´d recommend staying under 25 mph.
If you´re going to need them regularly then try and find something more substantial. (The old fashioned/standard ones work best).
Of course if you have the problem of big/wide alloy wheels to make your car look nice, then your options are limited as you can´t use standard chains. Unless you treat yourself to a set of narrower wheels and tyres for winter of course
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 then realised I had to spend 10-15 mins per set (after the 15 mins studying the manual) making them the correct size for the appropriate vehicle. This involved removing different amounts of screws from the chains depending on the tyre size. Almost impossible with the provided cheap Allen key and Spanner. Made a little easier with my own quality tools.
sounds like a bit of a nightmare by the side of the road..... and a bit of a nightmare even once you've got them on. And archi-expensive! Reminds me to go and do my "start of season" chain practice sometime in the next week or so. Same (cheap) car, same (cheapish) chains as last year, but it's an annual ritual now.
My chains are theoretically self-tightening - but I find I do need to stop and fasten them tighter, even so. Can be tricky, finding somewhere safe to do that, when there's a real big lot of snow. They've never fallen off yet.....
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I think this thread was nominally about chains for an LR but has morphed into wider ranging discussion. I purchased a pair of the easy fit Thule chains last winter and they were fantastic, fitted in a couple of minutes at the side of the road.
fitted in a couple of minutes at the side of the road.
it doesn't have to take many minutes to fit normal kind of chains costing much less if people have the wit to practice first in easy conditions. Though the very cheap supermarket ones aren't much cop. The main argument for the super expensive ones seems to be the wheel arch clearance problem. If buying £400 chains saves two minutes a side, and you only fit them once, you're fixing the opportunity cost of your time at £100 a minute.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
It is actually nice to see a thread discussing the relative merits of different snow chains instead of "Help, I have a car with stupid wheels that do not fit chains" or "Do I need chains to drive to the Med in summer". I was actually just about to start my own thread along similar lines (not wanting to revive a 3 year old one).
I am currently looking for chains for a 2010 A3. I really like the idea of the Thule K-Summit but after reading the ADAC review decided against. I also like the Thule CU-9 but they are so large when stored. So I am currently looking at the following.
I currently really like the look of the RUD ones as they seem very easy to use, (despite having to get out twice). Anyone one used either/both, or other recommendations? I now live in Basel and will be heading to the hills every weekend, so there is a good chance they will be needed at least one this season.
They are described as self-tensioning and they are to a degree but I inevitably end up re-hooking them up after half a mile or so, to be on the safe side. £65, and easy enough to put on. It's a knack but not the black art some people imply - just need to practice! When you see people at the side of the road unfolding the instructions you do wonder.
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?
@scski, we use Weissenfels Clack and Go chains on my wife's A3 and they are very good. I bought them from Roof Box Co about 7-8 years ago. Easy to fit and reasonably easy to get off when wet and dirty although usually have to roll the car off of them to get them free. Her car has Michelin Alpina snow tyres on too so only rarely need to use them. Usually drive to Switzerland and generally when arriving in the village the roads are clear enough to not need chains but often find that when leaving very early and if it's snowed overnight I feel safer to slip them on in the garage where it's dry and well lit rather than chancing it on the descent. The valley road is pretty hairy in a couple of places and skid in the wrong place would be disastrous. We have found that the only limiting factor to driving around on snowy resort roads is if the depth of snow causes the car to "bottom out" only then would a 4WD or similar with higher road clearance be more useful. The Swiss are so good at snow clearing that this is never really an issue on public roads just sometimes on the driveway up from the garage. But I am told these days the super rich have heated driveways installed to avoid even this problem.
We have just got these Maggi Trak chains, so he says, from the Roofbox company, which were a chunk of money, but fitted very easily on our dummy run in Sussex last week. They are for a Mitsubishi Outlander which is a 4x4, has winter tyres, and is now sitting outside in the SNOW at the top of the drive. I hope I don't have to report back later on how well they work.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
SPIKES SPIDERS! SOOOOO much better than faffing around with chains. Spent seven seasons in the Alps so bought these about 5 years ago. Only had to install them 3-4 times but worth every penny of the £300 plus I paid for them. They can be fitted literally in 1 or 2 minutes and removed in under a minute! Someone else mentioned The Roof Box Company. They are very good and stock these I think. Oh and they look much better than the other "quick fit" systems.
@Pamski, I'm surprised you think you need them with winter tyres and 4x4.
In 10 years (our car suggests that you can't use chains - not because of clearance I believe but because of its weird transmission) we've never needed chains and our mountain house is up a very, very steep hill above Chamonix...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@under a new name, we didn't ever use them on the recent Suzuki, and only once in three years in the 2WD Berlingo before that, both cars having winter tyres. Similarly in the Freelander with winter tyres and 4WD we never used chains.
But before that we had a Subaru 4WD Outback, no winter tyres and we quite often had the chains on and off up our road and drive.
We have them now and hope not to have to use, rather like our insurance. Belt and braces.
After all it is free
After all it is free
@Pamski, 4WD with summer tyres just means 4 tyres slipping not two...
A perfect example of the gap that's only filled by fitting winter tyres
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.
I do wonder why people spend all the extra dosh on buying and feeding a big 4WD vehicle and then take it to the mountains on summer tyres. It just doesn't add up. I wish I'd thought to check whether the Porsche Cayenne I pulled out of a snowdrift with my Fiat Multipla had summer tyres on.
It's interesting that winter tyres are becoming more mainstream - frequent ads for winter tyres on Classic FM at the moment. Middle England is catching on - you don't need to be driving round the mountains to justify fitting them.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
under a new name wrote:
@Pamski, I'm surprised you think you need them with winter tyres and 4x4.
In 10 years (our car suggests that you can't use chains - not because of clearance I believe but because of its weird transmission) we've never needed chains and our mountain house is up a very, very steep hill above Chamonix...
same here, as long as you think before you park and are mindful of where you drive I've never needed to put chains on with winter tyres.
I've struggled getting up the brevent hill once or twice so just go the long way round now if its heavy with snow!
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
I reckon it is worth trading up a bit from the dead basic ones. I have some Konig ones, which from memory were around 80 euros. Easy to fit and they last (I can't remember how much they were because it was so long ago). Coincidentally, having just had my snow tyres fitted I did my annual snow chain practice this afternoon, given it had stopped raining for 30 minutes. Easy enough to fit, can't imagine why anyone would pay £400.
