Snow socks

wannabe_sybil

agrinnall wrote: »

£400 seems a lot, I got a set of 4 steel wheels and winter tyres from mytyres.com (delivered by courier from Germany) for £260. What size are your tyres, have you found out yet? Also, if you have a front wheel drive car and conditions aren't likely to be too bad then you could just put winter tyres on the front wheels, it's not as good as all 4 but would probably be enough to keep you moving.

You will probably find that tyre fitters will store the tyres that you're not using, they'll charge for it but it may not be a lot. I have enough room to store my wheels but two of my neighbours both used fitter storage, one with an independent and one with KwikFit.

This is really, really helpful. Because we are so useless, we do rely on good advice from people on here. Storing two tyres isn't quite so bad, though they will probably end up under a bed or similar! I will have a word with the lovely mechanic next door, who will keep a straight face for me, and be able to tell me what fitters to trust. It does sound like the winter tyres would be a better bet than the snow socks, but I am juggling the ideas of cost, storage and also the chance of a lovely warm winter.

I really appreciate the advice.

gasmanmartin

Please don't waste your money on snow socks. I tried them last winter and yeah they work well in deep snow, once you have fitted them, which is a pain in the backside - took me ages! What you MUST do is remove them once you are driving on a clear road because they wear away very quickly. So you can imagine, on, off, on, off .etc and remember they will be filthy.

I would seriously consider winter tyres, i have just had mine fitted for this year, no need to change them for 6 months and they DO work!

I need them to work so i can justify the expense, if you can't then leave the car in the drive and walk.. If its anything like last year you will probably be quicker

flyingscotno1

I also got all season tyres which might well be a jack of all trades, master of none, but I find for our climate, a good set all seasons are decent enough to keep you out of trouble in snow and handle fine in the dry.

Shimrod

wannabe_sybil wrote: »

This is really, really helpful. Because we are so useless, we do rely on good advice from people on here. Storing two tyres isn't quite so bad

Be careful about only buying two winter tyres. There was a discussion on here last year about whether it was safe or not. Have a look at this thread from post 43 onwards and make up your own mind....

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2878342

Ghostrider

martinthebandit wrote: »

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.

I have to say that is quite possibly the least useful post I have ever read on MSE. :T

Winter tyres are exceptionally good and contrary to many people's idea are actually not just for driving in snow - they are "winter' tyres for a reason and are made from a different rubber compound and will far out perform a normal summer tyre in braking distance, cornering, traction on slippery surface, once the temps are below about 7c. They are not cheap, but then neither is crashing your car in the bad weather. If you do a lot of driving then they are worth considering, some cheap steel wheels on ebay will cost you peanuts (far less than £200!) and the costs are offset in the medium to long term by putting less wear on your summer tyres.

Snow socks are good to keep in the boot to help you if you get caught out - but in my experience they tend to slip a bit on anything more than a slight incline and they wear out very quickly, but good as a back-up.

mikey72

I'll be putting my two back on the front again this winter.
There's still decent tread on the summer/all season tyres on the back, and they were ok last year.

edit - my winter Nokians were cheaper than my summer Michelins when I bought them.

ventureuk

I bought snow socks last winter and used them three times.

On these occasions they worked superbly and once when the snow was fresh and deep only my 200hp front wheel drive car and a Range Rover were moving.

They climbed a steep Pennine hill fully coated with fresh snow when nobody else could.

They were a little tricky to fit first time but I quickly got the hang of them.

I found that using cruise control made progress even easier as it maintained a constant throttle response.

They should not be used when the tarmac is very visible or in slush, they are for whiteouts only.

A set of winter tyres for my car is £400 to £1k so for less than £60 snow socks are a no brainer and I wouldn't be without them in the car now.

KierNet

I've heard lots of good things about Snow Socks on a car forum I go to. If you want I can PM you the link to the threads.

boyse7en

are snow socks any good on compressed snow/ice? We couldn't get a car out from our house for nearly a fortnight last year, because the ungritted minor road we have to drive along (with a couple of steep hills) got glacier like after it had been driven over a few times.

When the top layer melted in the daytime and then re-froze overnight, it was seriously slippery. In fresh snow, I managed to coax the car out, but after that we were stuck, even when the main roads were clear for days.

sunshinetours

Winter (M&S marked) tyres are ideal for cold weather (less than say 7 degrees) and snow/ice

Snow socks are ideal for getting you along and out of snowy roads

Winter tyres and snow socks would make you pretty much unstoppable in 95 % iof a British winter with suitable driver knowledge

The best thing you can possibly do is get educated how to drive in slippery conditions ie when to use brakes and when not to and what gears to use.

Those who slate or don't rate winter (M&S) tyres usually haven't tried them