Snow Chains - worth their weight in gold

MrsE_2

izzzzythedog wrote: »

snow chains are over kill in the uk given the roads are ploughed , you will hardly find a use for them almost all the time , last year then yes but the previous 20 then no , also its a joy to have to take them on and off as you go from deeper ( side roads ) to slushy ( main roads ) , its also questionable if its legal to use chains , i know studs arnt legal

winter tyres however will deal with anything uotp and including a foot deep plus ice and general slush , simply put buy snow tyres when the temps drop consistently bellow 7 degrees , retain your old tyres and have them refitted in the spring , winter tyres dont cope with general temps very well and suffer massive wear lasting 10-20 thou so its worth swopping over as and whens needed at a cost of £40 a time and use your summer tyres through the rest of the year

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Vredestein/Wintrac-4-Extreme.htm

I fitted these on my 4x4.

Gloomendoom

izzzzythedog wrote: »

snow chains are over kill in the uk given the roads are ploughed , you will hardly find a use for them almost all the time , last year then yes but the previous 20 then no , also its a joy to have to take them on and off as you go from deeper ( side roads ) to slushy ( main roads ) , its also questionable if its legal to use chains , i know studs arnt legal

Perfectly legal, unless you damage the road surface with them.

WTFH

Not all the roads in the uk are ploughed, but if you live in a town you should be OK.

izzzzythedog

Gloomendoom wrote: »

Perfectly legal, unless you damage the road surface with them.

no problem , thats a massive help to all , thank you

thankfully cops are always fair and people will stop to remove/refit the chains every 10 minutes or pull out/refit 1200 studs every time it gets slushy , if of course you find the snow isnt deep enough to work ( over 12 inch remember ) and you say run over someone or into something im sure the fair minded cops in the country will just say its ok and not find you automatically to blame

The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986
Regulation Number Subject Area
Regulation 24 Indicates the types of vehicle covered and also temporary use spares
Regulation 25 Details tyre loads and speed ratings
Regulation 26 Stipulates the requirements for tyre mixing
Regulation 27 Details condition and Maintenance of Tyres

have a browse whilst your there

Iceweasel

izzzzythedog wrote: »

no problem , thats a massive help to all , thank you

thankfully cops are always fair and people will stop to remove/refit the chains every 10 minutes or pull out/refit 1200 studs every time it gets slushy , if of course you find the snow isnt deep enough to work ( over 12 inch remember ) and you say run over someone or into something im sure the fair minded cops in the country will just say its ok and not find you automatically to blame

The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986
Regulation Number Subject Area
Regulation 24 Indicates the types of vehicle covered and also temporary use spares
Regulation 25 Details tyre loads and speed ratings
Regulation 26 Stipulates the requirements for tyre mixing
Regulation 27 Details condition and Maintenance of Tyres

have a browse whilst your there

What's all this about police?

Like your last post it's mainly ball locks.

Why bother posting this?

WTFH

Izzzy, i take it you are a townie with a BMW, not a real person. If snow on the road is over 6 inches deep, most cars will not be able to drive through it safely.

In the last 5 years I have driven from a major London airport with snow chains on, I've also driven in and out of towns with them on. At no time did I break any laws or regulations. But what I did do was drive up roads that other vehicles couldn't get up, and I did shopping for elderly neighbours who could not get out.

Gloomendoom

izzzzythedog wrote: »

no problem , thats a massive help to all , thank you

thankfully cops are always fair and people will stop to remove/refit the chains every 10 minutes or pull out/refit 1200 studs every time it gets slushy , if of course you find the snow isnt deep enough to work ( over 12 inch remember ) and you say run over someone or into something im sure the fair minded cops in the country will just say its ok and not find you automatically to blame...

Ask the Police...

Q What is the law relating to using snow chains on car tyres?


A There is no specific legislation referring to snow chains.

However regulation 27(1)(a) of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 states - the tyre must be suitable having regard to which the vehicle or trailer is being put or to the type of tyres fitted to its other wheels.

This could mean that a person may commit an offence if they use snow chains when there is no snow.

Please see the related website for further information.

Source

Lum

Sounds like the chains gave all the same advantages that winter tyres have, only with the hassle of having to remove them every time you get to a ploughed road.

That said, at £20 as an emergency measure, it's worth keeping a set in your boot if you don't plan on going out in the winter enough to fit winter tyres.