 Poster: A snowHead
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does anyone know if these http://tinyurl.com/yxbztxjk are acceptable as snow chains in Switzerland. Car is a 4x4 but i've seen people stopped in those occasionally.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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?
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I can't see anything there that would make them "legal" in conventional terms. TUV marking or something similar would give more indication of something like competent construction, it doesn't exist on these as far as I can see.
It may seem harsh, but I'd not put them anywhere near a car. They even list, as a benefit, "zinc alloy fastening" typical rubbish being sold with highly dubious claims.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Why not just get some chains? Tried and tested solution.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Someone just down the road from us was using them, it enabled their car with summer tyres to struggle along the lane and onto the parking area, where cars with winter tyres just drive normally.
Winter tyres, plus chains when it gets really serious are the way to go.
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Many French visitors to the ski resorts don't have winter tyres. But they seem very ready to put chains on - once it gets snowy there are masses of cars with chains on - they don't seem to think it's a big deal. I don't know quite why UK drivers are so very reluctant. Certainly there are always ninnies who leave it too late and cause problems for everybody - but generally speaking, getting the chains out is not seen as a massive deal.
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@bambi No, get proper chains. Feedback on these sorts of strap things across various forums is fairly negative. Of course, winter tyres or all-seasons (quality all-seasons can be pretty good) are the ideal. This is us the week before last in our 320 BHP RWD with winters going across the Jura mountains, no problem, even when the snowplough forced me to drop the right wheels into fairly deep snow piling-up against the barrier.
https://i.imgur.com/MXE8EyO.mp4
These are exactly the conditions where chains aren't going to be of any use - the snow layer on the tarmac is too thin. But summers would be lethal.
And do some research in your Owners Manual to see what traction settings you should use in snow. My manual is a bad translation of the original German, and takes about 200 words to tell me to press the car-with-wriggly-lines button when I go onto snow, and then again when I'm back on tarmac. Ths is definitely something worth sorting out before you need to use it in earnest.
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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.
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I followed a SUV up a mountain access road using those things last winter (a fairly rough road and not paved) and had loads of fun counting the broken bits laying around, up to the point where the SUV that was using them was stuck. They had all fallen off within half a kilometre. Not something I would trust my safety to. I would also guess that they take longer to fit that normal chains after a bit of practice.
Might perform better on soft snow on a sealed road as a last resort, but what's the point in taking the risk.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@bambi, I think the chances of needing snow chains in Switzerland for the next 10 days are about 1%.
In the unlikely event you do need them though I'm not sure I'd put my faith in those things!
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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.
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@bambi, I'm not sure Switzerland mandates snow chains in the same way France does?
But you definitely want winter tyres.
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@bambi, if you have winters you should not need chains. FYI car rental companies (Hertz group) from GVA Swiss side no longer include chains with 4WD vehicles and are not available as an add-on.
My understanding is that Swiss law does not mandate winter tyres but insurance claims can be affected if you have an accident with tyres not deemed suitable for the conditions. I also believe that autosocks which are approved in France are not in approved in Switzerland. (I stand to be corrected).
In summary you either get proper chains or have winter / winter rated all-seasons.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Ozboy, CH is a bit of a grey area. What I have consistently been told is that if you are in an accident in wintery conditions, and you don't have "appropriate equipment" and the other car does, you are at risk of being presumed to be at fault.
Given the limited range of use of chains, i.e. you actually need enough snow on the road, I don't thinks chains will generally be adequate for those purposes.
According to the Swiss "AA", chains are required if the road is signposted (never noticed one, but rarely drive in high Swiss mountains) https://www.tcs.ch/fr/tests-conseils/conseils/expert-tcs/chaines-neige.php
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I get annoyed by this hire car trend to not supply chains for AWD/SUVs. My daughter went to the shops before her departure from our village Monday morning and sent me a photo of a big hire SUV being towed out of its steep chalet parking by the snowplough. Presumably, no chains supplied. In the end, it looks a better option to go for a conventional hire car with winters and chains than an SUV/4x4/AWD with winters but without chains.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I agree. 4WD entirely unnecessary for a holiday visit. But chains plus winter tyres pretty well bomb proof. Driving a great heavy truck down steep bends....with no chains..... 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@bambi, NOT acceptable as snowchains, but as others have said in you probably don't need.
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