Snow Chains

A snowHead

I'm not on commission from this lot but I'd recommend them to anyone
You can get them in lots of different shops / websites

We have just ordered a set of Klack and Go snow chains for each of our vehicles.

These snow chains are slightly weird (at first sight) but having used these same chains for the past 3 years now I'd recommend them to anyone.

If you’re buying some make sure you specify that you're looking for the "Klack & Go Quattro" as this company makes loads of different types, so ask for the Quattro.

If you're not used to putting on chains then be aware that it can be sometimes be a little (?) messy and can be a right pain in the butt - being as you tend to be doing this in a blizzard / in the dark / in the middle of nowhere.

These chains are one of the few types that don't require you to reach behind the wheel to put them on. All you do is lay the chains on the tyre and then attach the nut onto one of the wheel nuts and use the (supplied) long Allen Key to give it a slight tighten - that's it. Oh and last thing - you MUST release the red lever to tighten the wire - this forces the holding assembly towards the wheel so stopping in coming off.
Dead quick and no mess.

BUT (dead important) - You MUST set the chains up for your wheel size. When they come in the box there are some instructions and extra chain links that may or may not need adjusting/fitting. You MUST do this when you get them as they are made to fit on a range of sizes.

If you do get some the one thing it will not tell you in the instructions is this.
When you're putting them on it's MUCH simpler to just rest the top of the chains on the top of the tyre and push them around the sides - then either move the car forward (or roll back) so the wheels turn half a turn. Then you can easily slot the other side of chain over the top of the wheel.

Oh and we have just (yesterday) confirmed the order for 40 Aglis Alpin tyres to be fitted all our new minibuses – never used these before but they “seem” to be OK from the spec. If they’re not please will someone come over and tow me out of the ditch sometime next Jan

A snowHead

Not sure if these are available yet:

http://youtube.com/v/_XNrV2gTUOM

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

As with most things there are pros and cons ....
They look similar to Spider Spikes. Spider spikes are great to fit / take off but don't offer the same amount of traction as a conventional snowchain. A 'normal' snowchain covers a wider area and extends over the to the sidewalls of the tyre. (e.g. A conventional snow chain will dig into compacted snow / ice whereas the spider spikes will tend to cut a narrow groove or not bite into the layer below). The spider spike type devices are often very expensive and often used on vehicles that do not have enough clearance to take a normal snowchain.

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altis,
Never seen those before - would they work in deep snow ?
Have any snowHead

's tried them ?

DB,
Yes you're right - the chains I use look like the same design as the Spider Spike Alpine Pro, maybe there are made in the same place ?
I've never got stuck yet (mind there is a 1st time for everything

)

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Wayne, Did you get the ski racks sorted?

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I've got some. Not used in anger yet.

After all it is free

£250 a pair. Shocked

£250.

Wow

OK, let's take this back a step. I'm going to need some snowchains this winter, if we're driving out to the alps. When I check online (as I did last night), prices range from £50 to £300. Sizes also vary - 9mm, 1mm, 12mm, 15mm, 16mm.

I think understand things so far - thicker chains are less likely to snap, more expensive chains offer better performance and easier fitting. What's the balance point? In the ideal world, we we won't need the chains, as we'll arrive and if it's snowing hard enough to merit using chains, we'll be out there enjoying the freshies. However, in the real world we'll inevitably need them at some point. Don't want to spend a fortune on something that only gets used once, but don't want to skimp too much on what is after all essential safety gear - after all, don't want to crash, do we? Wayn's recommended these for ease of fitting, has anyone else any recommendations?

cheers

PS Wayne check the image on your sella ronda page, there's a spelling error you need to correct

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nbt, what size do you need? I have some for sale in Buy and Sell.

Apropos expensive recommendations, the Maggitrak are easy to fit, and take up much less space in the boot than Spikes Spyders.

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nbt, I opted for the "expensive" option on the grounds that they're

(1) good for my current low profile tyres / alloy wheels

(2) usable on just about any car / wheels / tyres I might have in the future and readily lendable to family and friends

(3) easy to fit.

You know it makes sense.

nbt, I went for Klack & Go pro-Tech which is the next range down, they were around £100 http://www.snowchains.co.uk/main/klack_and_go_pro_tech.htm

Is a 9mm chain and I have used them a few times and they have been fine - a little bit more fiddly to fit but not hugely so

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

My adivce.

For occasional use I wouldn't bother buying anything fancy. Even the most basic chains only take a couple of minutes to fit with practise. Don't wait like a guy I saw at La Plagne with his Mercedes a pair of chains and the instructions grovelling in deep snow!

Just take the time to practise fitting them in the dry to avoid a sense of humour failure at night in a blizzard in deep snow. Put a pair of old work gloves along with them and may be a pair of old over-trousers whilst you fit them.

If you are a regular go for snow tyres. I've managed quite happily with snow tyres on the front drive wheels. Just go a bit steadier in the corners.

I'm up and down to Courchevel or Meribel most days from near Albertville and this has worked for me.

A snowHead

Yoda, thanks, saw your post but I need 195/65r15 which is a size yours don't cover Sad

DB, thanks, will have a shufty. Sadly I speak french and spanish and can get by in italian but never got the hang of german Sad

Boris, Tanks, I was kind of discounting 9mm chains as the "budget" end of the market and thus more likely to break (as happened to my pal in Bolton last winter - he had to leave the van at the bottom of the lane and walk up till the snow cleared), it's good to know that I can add them back into the mix

A snowHead

I asked my chauffeur about these and he scoffed and said "You can buy good snow tyres for that, Sir".

I don't think he wants to get his hands dirty but he does have a point.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

bar shaker, mine too, must be from same agency.

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We got Thule K Summit similarly very easy to fit but expensive. And we did need them in resort last Feb even with winter tyres.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

My take on all this is that if you have snow tyres, you're unlikely to need chains often (for people just doing a week or so a year, probably only once every few years) and that a cheap pair is an adequate insurance policy. But without snow tyres I'd go for a chunkier pair of chains - and be sure to practice. I practice every year still, even with the snow tyres and can usually get them on very fast. I wouldn't spend £250 on chains to go on summer tyres. Smacks of fur coat and no knickers.

But cheap chains can, and do, break - sometimes after a couple of hundred yards and is particularly likely to happen if you haven't put them on efficiently (for example if the heavy wire ring hasn't been shoved far enough over the back, or the ratchet wheel is too close to the running surface of the tyre, or if they are a bit loose).

If you don't have the kind which adjust themselves automatically you MUST stop after driving a short distance, to tighten up. And stopping is sometimes easier said than done, if conditions are nasty, and can be quite dangerous.

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After all it is free

[quote="Bode Swiller"]

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Wayne, yes, the worst days often seem to be at weekends! But you are in the mountains all winter and having to pick up people, commercially. So you are not quite comparable to someone who does 2 days possibly snowy driving days each year. Of course everyone "should" have snow tyres and the best possible chains money can buy. But people have to find a sensible compromise and I still assert that for the "holiday" motorist either snow tyres and a basic pair of chains OR ordinary tyres and a super duper set of chains is a sensible compromise. I have snow tyres and very good chains - though they only cost about 100 euros, not £250. They're ordinary fittings (shove wire over back of wheel) but I have no problem with that. Indeed, I don't really know why people make such a production about it. 10 minutes practice on a dry surface - is that too much to ask? And if they have to do it in anger it means there's loads of snow. snowHead

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watching this thread with interest, driving to Stuben on 9th April, so needing a pair in the boot as insurance 'just in case'....

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I still have a set of chains for the range rover I used to have years ago
range rover + chains = grrrrrr

If anyone wants them (for a small donation to DSUK) send me a PM

Edit -
just thought, am going to put them in the buy and sell section (even though it's really a sale)

pam w,

What's the difference between a snow tyre and a winter tyre?

It's unlikely people traveling from the UK with winter tyres will need snow chains as they generally stick to the well travelled routes which are snow ploughed. An exception to this is when driving to higher altitude on steeper access roads where the chain signs are often displayed (e.g. Obertauern & Hochkar Austria)

People without winter tyres will probably need chains during a storm but this actually makes things more dangerous as a car with chains has a speed limit of ca 30 MPH and other cars with winter tyres get held up then overtake. It tends to be that the longer the cars get held up the more risk they are prepared to take in the overtaking manouvre. The person with chains also gets the feeling of someone breathing down his neck and drives faster risking breaking his chains. If you have summer tyres with chains the fair thing to do is to is help the people with winter tyres behind get past (e.g. pull slighty to the kurb, slow down and wave them on when it is safe to do so). You could also periodically pull in off the road when possible and let the build up behind you get past - this saves 142 cars behind you driving bumper to bumper and trying to see why the old dear directly behind you won't overtake until the Subaru driver behind her (who thinks he's one of the McCrae brothers) decides to overtake 2 cars at once and nearly hits the Renault Kangoo van coming in the other direction head on. This causes a lot of swerving, swearing and braking while another guy towards the back of the 143 car convoy with summer tyres on his SUV hasn't put his chains on because, well no one else has yet (as far as he can see). It's at this point that the braking length differences between a small car with winter tyres and a fully loaden SUV with summer tyres come into play. With any luck the outcome is only bent metal and a ruined ski holiday.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

Has anybody got a Honda CRV? The handbook says you should fit RUD DISK chains (or equivalent) to 17 inch wheels. For the 18 inch wheels it says chains are not available. Would I be right in thinking that the DISK spec is to protect the alloy rims? And "not available"? - obviously such a size is available, but should one deduce that there is a clearance problem on the inside? No matter, my winter tyres are mounted on 17 inch wheels anyway.

The choices open to me seem to be conventional chains, which may scratch the alloys (?); Rud classics at £205, http://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4.php?emulate=snowchains&query=7413&vptype=&brand=RUD&prodid=2716&Tyre=225/65-17 which look pretty conventional to me, but slightly easier to disentangle out of the box; Klack n Go SUVs at £190, http://www.snowchains.co.uk/main/suv.htm# which have a self-tensioning and self-centring system; or Maggi Traks at £260 http://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4.php?emulate=snowchains&query=7413&vptype=&brand=Maggi&prodid=17996&Tyre=225/65-17 , which don't infringe on the inside wall of the tyre.

Have I got this right? (Well, perhaps others facing a similar quandary will find the links useful anyway)

Or, for that sort of money I could just stay in the hotel down the valley and drive up the next day after the snow ploughs have been.

A snowHead

Bump.

The Mita (as in vid above) are now available:

http://www.exeros-technologies.com/mita-snow-chains

Anyone try them?

Plus, if anyone wants to make me a (sensible) offer on a set of Clack'n'Go Quattro to fit VW Passat (and a whole host of other cars, but of course, not my new one - model is F30, check the website to see if this is yours) PM me, they will be put on sale in a while - condition is used once, good. Snowchains.co.uk will allow sensible amount of credit on them for a new set, but I'm attracted by the Thule and even more by the Mita on the grounds of space.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

...and now to further complicate matters... these put-and-go jobbies : http://www.put-and-go.com/component/content/article/55-new-putago/104-new-putago.html chunks cheaper, (http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/sis.html?_nkw=NEW+PUT+AND+GO+10+BELTS+SNOW+CHAINS+WHEELS+TIRE+TYRES+13+14+15+16+17+18+19+20) look as if they would work after a fashion, but would they work when you REALLY need them? Anyone out there tried these ?

On the usage front, I only ski once or twice a year, Christmas & Feb to high resorts, and normally try to leave early in the morning. Haven't often had to use chains, but once or twice would not have got anywhere without decent ones.

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As an engineer I prefer the traditional snow chains which can be fixed without moving the vehicle. The anchorage is positive and adjustable. When properly fitted it should not come loose or dislodge from the tyre to damage the drive axle. All it take is the owner spend a little bit of time to learn/study how to install it and not in a dire situation at the side of a road where traffic passing through. The timing of fitting and removing of the snow chains is also important. One should fit them "before" it becomes a must as one needs a layby and time without pressure to install them. The mandatory speed is about 30mph so if there is no need the chains should be removed.

Many UK motorists think the snow chains are to be used with summer tyres. I rather think snow chains are needed on steep gradient when there isn't time to clear the snow. Summer tyres should never be used on any road where they are liable to be covered with snow for prolonged period. That is why some European countries ban them in winter.

Personally I think UK skiers driving in the Alps should always have winter tyres or the very least all-season tyres. If they go to a resort where there are mountain passes then carry a set of snow chains too. If they want to minimise the use of the snow chains, which are not safe for speed faster than 30 mph, then choose a AWD or a 4x4.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Well after my shenanigans, I ended up buying the Mita Tyre Chains but it was not a happy experience at all. I can't recommend them at all, especially since I couldn't get them to fit at all

http://goo.gl/0RnfI for the short version of the review

http://goo.gl/PrSMW for the long (keep awake at the back)

Still very curious to hear any truly positive review of the Mita chain in use (Blumec http://www.blumec.it/ are the manufacturers and Exeros http://www.exeros-technologies.com/ - the folk who confuse serving a customer with customer service - are the UK distributors) in use, given that these have been on the market for over six months now through a winter you would expect SOME positive reviews, surely? alternatively, my negative assessment is all there is, but I find that hard to believe.

It is also interesting to know that after a visit to these helpful folk http://www.snowchains.com/ we measured up the clearance talked it over and decided that standard 9mm chains can be used (they also have a 7mm chain, too http://www.snowchains.com/car-snow-chains/thule-ck-7 )

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I saw the real difference between summer tyres & chains and winter tyres last week on our break. I could drive up into the car park behind the building with ease (in my RWD winter tyre clad car) and thought no more until I came out 15 minute later and saw several people chaining up to go where my car was parked.

Almost all (90%) of the non-local French had summer tyres and socks/chains/some ropey thing rather than winter tyres. Made me wonder why we have all the threads on winter tyres. Puzzled

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I wish I could justify the cost of a set of snow tyres .... and the storage Sad

After all it is free

Most people in normal passenger cars only need ladder cables rather than full on chains - easier to fit and cheaper. Shame they're not as readily available as the heavier engineered options.

Help!!

Snow Chains

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