 Poster: A snowHead
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Hope someone can help,
I'm looking for snow chains for tyres 245/35 R18
I've looked on several web sites and can't seem to locate them anywhere?
Can someone help?
Also, what's best, hire or buy?
Maybe drive down and hire at the bottom of the mountain if heavy snow
Many Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You could try www.roofbox.co.uk.
They will need to know the vehicle before they will sell you them, not just the tyre size, as chains are not suitable for all vehicles.
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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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Cheers, i'll give them a look, many thanks
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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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saddlerken, I've never heard of anyone hiring chains. What are you driving?
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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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A BMW 1 series. Some of the sites I have visited have given prices for renting the chains. I would rather do this than buy them as they're not cheap....
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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saddlerken, Is that rear wheel drive with low profile tyres? If so it will probably be a pig in the snow, my Merc was.
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Yes it's rear wheel drive and the tyres are like rubber bands! Would you advise against the idea?
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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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Haha looks like i maight be on that £40 ryanair flight then!
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saddlerken, I had the journey from hell in mine in 2006, it was completely uncontrollable coming down from St Sorlin D'Arves in very heavy snow, it took 7 hours to do about 10 miles.. The next year I left the car in the valley and caught the bus up.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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saddlerken, seriously, rear wheel drive + big fat tyres + overpowered engine = FAIL. Mate of mine came up here last week in her Merc (v. pretty, roof folds into boot, low profile etc etc) called me in a stress about 10km away to say yikes there's snow everywhere. She just about got to me then dumped her car at mine while I drove her up to resort on bald tyres and in 30cm of snow  Gave the village gossip lady something to talk about (ooh look at that flash car, her husband's way this week you know etc etc).
On a constructive note, check the weather forecast - if it hasn't snowed for a couple pf days before you arrive and is not due to do so on the day, you are fine.
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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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Lizzard, Agree except my journey up was like that, all the problems were on the way down 
I think it also depends where you are going to an extent. The road up to St Sorlin is realy badly maintained and I doubt they clear it much. On the other hand I drove up to Alpe D'Huez the day after Good Friday this year after half a metre the day before and overnight and they had cleared the road completely. Although a couple of cars which had tried overnight were still buried by the side of the road where the snowploughs had gone round them.
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| Quote: |
Agree except my journey up was like that, all the problems were on the way down
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So you're late for work. And?
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
So you're late for work. And?
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And my daughter was traumatised and at one stage started to walk down rather than get back in the car  One of the main reasons for the bus the next year I don't think I'd have got her to go up in the Merc again.
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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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Sounds a disaster, i dont like the sound of that! Thanks for the heads up i'll have to think about it very carefully...
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Poster: A snowHead
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If you do take a rear-wheel drive car make sure you put the snow chains on the back wheels, not the front wheels. I spent an entertaining 15 minutes last season watching a Belgian driver in a big Merc very adeptly fit chains to the front of his car then try to drive uphill. Not much (forward) progress was made!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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saddlerken, I have a set of alloy wheels with snow tyres for a 1 Series/3 Series that will be going on eBay soon, PM me if interested.
We bought some WEISSENFELS SNOW CHAINS from eBay for around £30, not been 'lucky' enough to need them though so can't say how good they are!!
Edited to add......16" Alloys
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Wed 12-11-08 22:36; 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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saddlerken, I'd be very surprised if anything will fit those. Please don't try to make a set with the correct dimensions work, as your combination of tyre width and profile will both booger up your alloys and risk shredding your wheel arches due to lack of clearance.
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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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saddlerken, Check with your local alloy wheel/phat exhaust bling purveyor cos some numpty is always scraping the 318 badges off his tin and swapping the steels for semicircular lumps of old Chinese milk bottle tops. so they are always getting steel wheels to dispose of. Get them to save you some and stick snow tyres on them . . . and your chains will be a lot cheaper too.
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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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As i've not had the car long and even though I really like the idea of doing the drive maybe i haven't got the most suitable car to do it in. Think I will check a few more things out first but maybe i'll have to admit defeat on this one for now, cheers for the advice though chaps, appreciate it.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Although it seems chains aren't compulsory for 4x4 vehicles, I've always wondered whether you're meant to get a set of 4 or 2, and if the latter whether they go on the front or back?
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| crosbie wrote: |
| Although it seems chains aren't compulsory for 4x4 vehicles, I've always wondered whether you're meant to get a set of 4 or 2, and if the latter whether they go on the front or back? |
Yes they are Mandatory, although the Police rarely enforce the law on 4x4's. Always fit chains to all 4 wheels of a 4x4, or severe transmission damage can occur.
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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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Thanks Spyderman, that's put that one to rest for me finally.
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crosbie, Not aimed at you, but it really annoys me that people because they drive a 4x4, seem to think that chains aren't sometimes necessary. If you're driving on solid ice down hill it doesn't matter if you've got 6 wheel drive, you've still going to the scene of the accident if you don't have grip at the tyres. Chains give the mechanical grip required.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Spyderman, you're right.
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| Spyderman wrote: |
| Always fit chains to all 4 wheels of a 4x4, or severe transmission damage can occur. |
Only if your transmission is the b@stard child of the heathen coupling of a Massey Ferguson and an Austin 7
Check your handbook, some fluid coupled 4WD systems are fine with just a pair of chains on the primary drive wheels . . . BUT CHECK AND MAKE SURE YOUR'S IS.
PS Spidie is incapable of recognising anything built after 1957 and wouldn't know a fluid coupling even if it dribbled over him 
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You know it makes sense.
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saddlerken, my Merc-driving friend was recommended snow socks for her car. I've never tried these, but another friend who uses them reckons they're great.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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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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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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Was once in a snow storm being driven through the peak district in a Merc with low profile summer tyres. The back end of the car just went in the direction of the road camber (sideways). We waited for the snow plough and then drove behind it until the snow plough pulled away car started going sideways again. 15 year old ford fiestas were overtaking us.
saddlerken,
Had a quick look on various snow chain manufacturers sites but struggled to find that tyre size. Suspect that people with that car over here in central Europe put a different size winter tyre (narrower) on it and fit chains to that.
Snowsocks always get really bad marks in motoring organization tests, they don't last long (Verschleiß) and are dangerous on ice.
http://www.oeamtc.at/refresh/frameset.php?p=http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_seiten/schneekettentests/schneekettentest_2008/index.html
(the lower the test figure the better, the Thule CL-10 won the test. Handhabung=ease of installation)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| DB wrote: |
saddlerken,
Had a quick look on various snow chain manufacturers sites but struggled to find that tyre size. Suspect that people with that car over here in central Europe put a different size winter tyre (narrower) on it and fit chains to that.
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DB Here
saddlerken, Here you go: http://www.snowchains.co.uk/main/quattro.htm
Available in 245/35R18
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Spyderman,
That's up to 5 times the price of a full/proper snowchain for less performance.
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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 have a 3 series with similar sized tyres and got some WEISSENFELS snow chains to fit from snowchains.co.uk. However I suggest you read your handbook as mine says not to fit chains onto these sized tyres (I also read somewhere that it was illegal to fit to chains to certain sized tyres in France). The lack of clearance between the wheels and arches and the width of the tyres also makes it difficult to fit the chains (it took me an hour to fit them just to get the car out of the car park and then just to drive two hundred yards to the road. Therefore its not something I would recommend, certainly if you were required to fit them at night by the police to get up to the the resort. Because of this I decided I wouldnt be driving the Beemer to the Alps anymore in winter, but the next hire car I got was a one series (this after many protests saying I didnt want it) and it had snowtyres. This was a relevation, as you could drive on snow or ice with total confidence. So if you plan to keep the car long, do many trips, get some wheels off ebay and buy some snow tyres, otherwise watch the forecast closely and plan accordingly
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| DB wrote: |
Spyderman,
That's up to 5 times the price of a full/proper snowchain for less performance. |
But cheaper than new Wheels and Tyres.
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