Snow socks

wannabe_sybil

Hi, I am posting this on behalf of my husband. I don't drive, and I can't find any reference to them.

Has anyone used snow socks, and are they worth it?

Many thanks for any help, I know how to open the car door and while my husband can drive he can't refill oil/windscreen wash etc, so we are at the mercy of places unless we get good advice first, and I know I can rely on MSE. Thank you

scheming_gypsy

As far as i'm aware they're to get you moving when on snow / ice; ie to help you get traction and once you're moving you pull over (on normal ground) and take them off.
they're not something you keep on while you're driving so it probably depends on if you'd get much use out of them.

wannabe_sybil

Scheming Gypsy - thank you. The situation is this. If the weather is like last year, or even just a short icy spell, OH would go around fifty yards along our unmade road with potholes filled with water, frozen and then covered with snow. That bit is more excitement than Monday morning deserves. Then he turns onto a road that, unless it is suddenly hit, will usually be okayish and then onto duel carriageways and major roads that are normally gritted, right until the last stretch. Last year OH described how he lost momentum going up the hill to work as someone paused to turn off and then couldn't get his car going again, when he put his feet out to try and move the car they just slid away.

Like most of the county experienced at one point or another.

So if he got stuck on the hill the snow socks would be ideal, from the sound of it, but not for the main run?

Thank you for your help.

anotherbaldrick

wannabe_sybil wrote: »

Many thanks for any help, I know how to open the car door and while my husband can drive he can't refill oil/windscreen wash etc, so we are at the mercy of places unless we get good advice first, and I know I can rely on MSE. Thank you

As said , but if hubby cant manage to top up the washer bottle I don't expect him to be able to fit a set of snow socks .

wannabe_sybil

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

As said , but if hubby cant manage to top up the washer bottle I don't expect him to be able to fit a set of snow socks .

This is an extremely good point. :o:o:o:o

anotherbaldrick

Joking apart if we have another winter like the last they could be an investment . If only to get you up the hill . I was ok most times , but when someone stalled in front of you ( usually a rear wheel drive BMW) it was stuffado. I have on previous cars used chains but you can't run them on cleared roads and laying on your back in the slush having to get the hands up the slimy backs of wheels to fit and remove the chains was no fun.

wannabe_sybil

anotherbaldrick - I have seen that there are instructions and videos online, so I suppose that could help. And our lovely, lovely, mechanic neighbour would help him learn, I suppose. OH has never really had the chance to learn a lot of stuff, but he can be really clued up. Also, I might give him this thread to read.

I am not volunteering. I have dislocated four shoulders and I am staying away from that sort of stuff.

Also, I know this is a very strange question, but how do you find out what sized wheels a car has?

cootuk

The snow sock size you need depends on your tyre size - which is on the tyre sidewall.

We have snowsocks. They are very easy to put on - slip over top half of wheel, pull forward a few inches, slip on (new) top half of wheel.
Fitted. Very quick to take off too, but will be dirty.

They can't be run for long on clear roads as they will wear heavily, but are ok on uncleared roads.
They are good enough to get some grip on snow, so are good for getting from side roads onto cleared roads.

The biggest obstacles are people getting stuck in front of you, or the snowplough effect of going over uncleared roads after a 4x4 has gouged two trenches and a large central hump.

wannabe_sybil

cootuk - thank you for letting me know where to look for the size. It sounds sensible, and ideal for the two short stretches of bad road.

It would cost a lot for winter tyres and we have nowhere to store tyres that are not in use eg summer tyres in winter or winter tyres in summer so winter tyres are not a first choice.

martinthebandit

Sorry OP but they, like winter tyres, are a waste of time and money in the UK

In the unlikely event you did ever need them to get you going, you would just end up stuck behind all the other cars that have got stuck because the drivers had no idea how to drive on snow and ice.

anotherbaldrick

wannabe_sybil wrote: »

anotherbaldrick -

Also, I know this is a very strange question, but how do you find out what sized wheels a car has?

If you look on the side wall of the tyre you will find a series of numbers in large In this number will be an R with a number after it, this number is the tyre size , probably 15,16, or 17