Poster: A snowHead
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Fantastic! Got to (Le Pras) Courchevel 1350 and the Gendarmes were stopping vehicles to put on chains. Took precisely 2 minutes to put the socks on and set off......much to the envy of people trying to put chains on in the dark in a blizzard! The Genadarmes never commented on them (ref: debate about them being allowed), although several other people stopped us when we parked up to discuss them!
The grip was great, had no problems with standing starts on the hill, manouvering or braking (obvously took longer than in non snow/ice conditions). They had to be taken off (took a minute), when we arrived at our appartment and left to dry out. apparently if you leave then on a car that is to be parked up for any great length of time then you can end up being 'welded' to the ice!
They worked fine in 6 inches of snow in the area we had to park in. We needed them again to leave and they worked equally well going down to Moutier.
We would recommend them to anyone one!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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What type of car did you have them on.
Saw a Renault espace in VT late January sliding all over the place with socks on! Which has put me off buying them.
Apparently Spikes Spiders are better. Does anyone have experience of both?
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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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boredsurfin, used the spiders myself, the only approved device for alloy wheeled Freelanders, very easy to set up, takes about 30-40 mins at home before you leave, when you actually need to use them it takes less than 30 secs per wheel to clip them onto the pre mounted wheel plates, the wheel plates can be kept permanently mounted, my old freelander had them on for over a year with no ill effects !
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Used them on a Mondeo diesel estate.
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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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D G Orf, Interested to see your comment on alloy wheeled Freelander, regarding Spiders being the only approved device. Was this a Landrover recomendation? I have alloy wheeled Discoveries and although never had to use chains, it is chains that I carry. My wife had a Freelander but the brochure specified chains for 15" wheels and a 'Snow Traction System' for 16" & 17" wheels. I shall have to check the Discovery recomendation from Landrover. Be keen to hear your views.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Bernard Condon, the snow traction system is Spikes Spiders rebadged at an inflated price ! if you use chains on over 15" wheels they will hit the inside of the bodywork on tight turns the Spiders have nothing on the inside face of the wheel so cannot do the same damage, at one point the Snow Traction System was about 190% of the cost of the Spiders but I think the price has come down since then
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D G Orf, I thought it may be something like that! Some years ago I thought the Dealer price for chains was exorbitant, so I contacted a well known manufacturers distributor and gave them the model of vehicle. The price was over 60% less. They even supplied them with the vehicle logo on the bag! I must check the Discovery fit though re the potential bodywork conflict!
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Bernard Condon, I don't know if it effects the Discovery, but I do know that was the reason for the special set up for the Freelander, Landrover parts arte just another example of Rip Off Britain
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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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D G Orf, Spikes Spiders are specified for my Alloy wheels as well, but are they available any cheaper elsewhere?
Lorraine Agass, Thanks for that, I think your car is about the same weight/dimensions as mine.....But I still worry about the disclaimer on the Snow Socks website that reccomends that you use chains in the Alps. Unfortunately chains are not an option for my alloy wheels.
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The cheapest I could find was at http://www.spikesspider.com/ I don't think there are many suppliers in the UK but at arround £200 per pair they are much more expensive than chains
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The spikes spider are easier to fit than chains, with no messing around behind the wheel, but they do have a couple of disadvantages: price, and the space they take up when not fitted. Unlike regular chains which fit in a relatively small box, the spiders are quite bulky things which might be a problem if your car is normally full to the brim when you head to the Alps. LikeD G Orf, the cheapest I could find them was at that website.
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