Chains or winter tyres?

Gloomendoom

Thanks Doris.

That was a very well timed post. I have spent the last hour humming and harring over whether to buy socks or chains.

Unfortunately, the cheapest chains come in at nearly £300 :eek:

A_Doonhamer

As much as I want to kit myself out with chains and winter tyres I will be holding off until next year. The chains I will likely get from Ebay for half the current price if I get them 'off peak' and if I get the tyres early it will be much the same story. Until then I will make do with being sensible and knowing the limits of myself, my car and common sense.

andy8442

Winter tires wins hands down for me. I have a Merc Vito people carrier, RWD and last year was useless. This year I've fitted winter tyres all round on a cheap set of steel wheels (£50 ebay) and my god the difference is amazing! I've been through all the worst snow this week and haven't even come close to spinning the wheels. I've even taken to finding snow covered slopes to try them out and as yet there is no stopping me.

The key thing for me is not only the traction you get but the stopping ability in snow as well.

Chains have to be removed has soon as you hit tarmac (you'll wreck your car and the road if not), my winter tires will stay on until March ish.

If only more people had them, some of the jams I've sat in the last few days would have been smaller. There again if people had half decent tires in the first place and the ability to drive correctly in snow.......

Another thread I think!

Eton_Rifle

I think you'd have to be in a very rural area to justify chains.

I don't live in the UK but do live in a northern US climate where the sort of snow you've got now is standard for us in the winter, sooner or later (we haven't got it yet!) and if people bother at all, they have snow tyres. I don't think I've ever seen anyone with chains.
We put snow tyres on the little 2 wheel drive car but don't do anything to the 4x4.

Although because the snow is anticipated, we're a lot more organised with it and armies of snow ploughs are out by dawn and the roads are clear enough to pass with a little care.
So I imagine your driving situation is more serious.

mikey72

I've had a set of chains for years.
I've never used them. They just gather dust in the box.
I've reguarly driven over Winnets Pass, Snake Pass, the Cat and Fiddle, all year, a few times they've been closed while I've been half way over, in a rwd as well as fwd more recently, it's been "difficult" at times, but I've never not made it. I have had the shovel and the sleeping bag in the car though.

Gloomendoom

The reason I am considering chains is because we are going abroad over Christmas so may need to carry them anyway.

A full set of winter tyres for my car is around £1000.

andy8442

Gloomendoom wrote: »

The reason I am considering chains is because we are going abroad over Christmas so may need to carry them anyway.

A full set of winter tyres for my car is around £1000.

Well chains it is! If as I suspect you are going to the Alps, winter tyres or not you still have to carry chains by law.

Js_Other_Half

Has anyone any experience of Jeko Universal Snow Belts? http://www.outdoorbits.com/jeko-universal-snow-belts-p-775.html


I too drive around back roads of Huddersfield, and wondered if they were worth having?

mikey72

The snow belts are a ladder style, so not bad for driving, no good for braking, as the wheels will lock when you are on the tyres between the chains. Best style are ones with links between the ladders, to keep contact with the road.
This sort of style
http://www.snowchainwarehouse.co.uk/snow_chains/car.html
(worth checking the requirements for chains abroad as well, as to which type, if any is required to be used)

AdrianHi

dorisday wrote: »

To be honest I would forget about the autosocks, I bought 2 sets last year had one set on once last year and then 2 times this week and they are worn out large holes in them and their effectiveness didnt work. Second pair I used yesterday and today and they are also just about worn out and thats driving around side streets and going slow. These came at a cost of £60 each set.
I have now ordered a set of snow chains very easy to put on and at a cost of £125 including express postage. both are only to be used on snow and if you get stuck so think I would rather pay my money for the snow chains as they are not going to wear out after several uses.
I also have snow tyres on which I bought 3 years ago but now chains are also neccesary if you get stuck.

Although you can drive the autosocks on bare tarmac without damaging the road they are not meant to be used this way. Your meant to take them off when you get back onto tarmac otherwise they will wear away quickly.
I took delivery of a pair just after the snow in January / February this year and have found them to be very effective in getting out of side roads that don't get ploughed or gritted. Even allows you to drive uphill on ice with a RWD car.
Next time I change car I'll be investing in a second set of wheels with winter tyres, they are beneficial once under 7 DegC even if it doesn't snow and if it does will cope with most conditions except an icy slope. Might keep the autosocks for this situation.
I was off the road for 15 business days last winter which is 15 days of lost income for me, I could have bought many sets of cheap wheels and decent winter tyres for that money.
I also live in a rural area and my village is on a hill that attracts more snow that the surrounding area.