 Poster: A snowHead
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DB,
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Winter tyres save a lot of this hassle as by the time you need chains on a winter tyre everyone is travelling slowly.
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Yeah, judging by how grippy these GT Radial Champiro WT I've got on my car at the moment have been in all this rain we've had lately, I am seriously hopeful I will be able to drive up without putting the chains on at all. Like you say if the WT people are putting chains on as well then everyone will be driving slowly and we will be rejoicing at the snowfall!
Incidentally, if you do happen to have to pull over to the side and get stuck, (wheel spinning etc) what's the best thing to do? I take it that with winter tyres on or with snowchains then this is unlikely as that is the purpose to grip the road?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| VolklAttivaS5 wrote: |
| Incidentally, if you do happen to have to pull over to the side and get stuck, (wheel spinning etc) what's the best thing to do? I take it that with winter tyres on or with snowchains then this is unlikely as that is the purpose to grip the road? |
The trick is to pull over where you won't get stuck. Avoid inclines and don't assume that anything is flat under than nice blanket of level snow. The extent of the road surface is often lost under the snow and it's very easy to clip a kerb. Often two tracks form and it's difficult to get in or out of these tracks, best to pull over into service/petrol stations, hotel car parks etc.
If you need to stop to put chains on the road try and do it in a place where others can get past (e.g. on a longer straight stretch of road away from a bend/corner)
If you do get stuck these tips should help. (I generally have a shovel to dig out snow and an old blanket in the car that can be thrown under the wheels for traction).
http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Your-Car-out-of-the-Snow
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Tue 9-09-08 14:52; edited 1 time in total
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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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DB, thanks you're a good 'un you.
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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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Good tip here from that website:-
Warnings
If you have someone helping to push, don't run them over. It's not a nice way to thank them. 
Sounds like that avalance shovel might come in handy for getting the snow from round the wheels.
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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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(I generally have an old blanket in the car that can be thrown under the wheels for traction).
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If Mrs Boris carries on making sarcastic comments - I know what will be going under the wheels for traction 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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and the usual advice - stay in as high a gear as possible, as little wheel spin as possible. Very light on the gas. Once your wheels spin you just dig in deeper. There's a sort of rocking back and forth thing you can do - I have done that successfully a few times, can't describe how to do it but some petrolhead will be along in a minute and give it a go. I've also successfully used ripped up cardboard beer cartons.....and sometimes the rubber mats out of the car. But best to stay out of trouble, which means stopping to put on chain at the first suggestion of loss of traction, when you still have some choice about where to stop.
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pam w, very sensible advice, thank you.
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VolklAttivaS5,
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| These winter tyres are brilliant considering all this rain we've had lately-I had to stop the other day for a cyclist just crossing wherever without notice and the car stopped loads quicker than my old set so it seemed with no skidding, they're really grippy so I reckon they should work a treat in the mountains. Got the same ones Spyderman got for his car and he only had to use chains for the very last bit of the road. |
I didn't need to put the chains on at all. I made it up the hill with heavy snow falling, the road completely covered in snow also. No slipping or sliding whatsoever. We had snow all of the way from Lyon to La Tania, people with summer tyres were all over the place, yet it wasn't really snowy enough for chains on the motorway.
A winter tyre will easily outperform a summer tyre in the wet, it can clear a lot more water. The GT's have a pretty large operating temperature range, so you'll be fine in summer with the low mileage that you do, especially as this summer has been so cold and wet. If we get a decent summer they won't like it though and it's worth buying some summer ones, as worn winter tyres are nowhere near as efficient. They really need the tread depth to work well.
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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 didn't need to put the chains on at all.
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Spyderman, oh, thought you said you did.  Sorry. Hey that's even better news for me though than it was before!
Yeah, I'll leave them on until end April I think, then buy 4 new summer tyres for next summer, have a look at what tread is left on these WT (I'm sure they will be alright for next winter as well considering my low mileage) and store them in the garage until end November again.
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| pam w wrote: |
| Kel, when I've had dealings with that company I've found them excellent, so I think you could happily get a second hand pair - very good idea in fact. You might get a better quality than spending the same amount in a supermarket on new chains. There are chains and chains and generally you get what you pay for. The more expensive ones are stronger and will last longer - not too big a deal for you, maybe. But they can also be much easier to put on. Which is important. You never know, the nice people at snowchains.co.uk might even give you an on the spot demo of how to put them on! |
Just got back from my weeks travelling and I have bought some used one's for £30 from snowchains.co.uk They are in pretty good nick and not that I am an expert on snowchains the links look to be of a very high qaulity, can't really go wrong for £30 Just hope I get a chance to use them at least once.
Easy to fit though on my flat dry driveway.
http://www.snowmediazone.com/the_zone/uploads/989/DSCF0001.JPG
http://www.snowmediazone.com/the_zone/uploads/989/DSCF00021.JPG
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