Can any one help with snow chains Audi A6

cosyc

Wonder if anyone has an experience of using or buying snow chains? We are going skiing to Austria in February and understand it is compulsory to carry them. However we are need help about buying and fitting them. We have an audi A6s with 245-40-18 wheels.

At first audi said they would lend us a pair and to call in nearer the time but audi have now said they can't do this and it fact there are no SC suitable to fit the car. They said as it has low profile wheels, chains would scratch the wheel archs. At first their suggestion was to buy to new set of wheels and tyres, yeah right! When we said that wasn't an option Audi suggested we ring Audi in Austria to see what they did out there.

So has any one come across this before and any experience of snow chains. Cheers for any relevant info.

Greensprout

I can't really help with your query but with 40 profile surely there's as much clearance as a smaller wheel with a bigger profile?

KeithP

cosyc wrote: »

...Audi suggested we ring Audi in Austria to see what they did out there.

Why don't you ask your local Audi dealer, or Audi UK to contact Audi Austria?
Then they would know next time they are asked.

davetrousers

Are there any Audi Forums you could post on?

mrtg0525

Finding an Audi forum and posting there is a good suggestion.

@Greensprout - the problem is likely to be clearance on the side of the tyre. 40 section tyres are likely to be wider and may well not have enough clearance on the inside towards the suspension to clear snowchains.

While the advice of the Audi dealer may not be what you want to hear, it may well be that a set of cheap (steel) wheels with winter tyres + chains are the most cost effective option you have. Cheaper than having to fix the suspension because the chains damaged it.

BTW, is the car 4WD (quattro) or a normal FWD car? It used to be the case that that Switzerland at least had a provision that you needed snow chains on certain roads unless you had 4WD. This may well apply to Austria as well.

thescouselander

cosyc wrote: »

Wonder if anyone has an experience of using or buying snow chains? We are going skiing to Austria in February and understand it is compulsory to carry them. However we are need help about buying and fitting them. We have an audi A6s with 245-40-18 wheels.

At first audi said they would lend us a pair and to call in nearer the time but audi have now said they can't do this and it fact there are no SC suitable to fit the car. They said as it has low profile wheels, chains would scratch the wheel archs. At first their suggestion was to buy to new set of wheels and tyres, yeah right! When we said that wasn't an option Audi suggested we ring Audi in Austria to see what they did out there.

So has any one come across this before and any experience of snow chains. Cheers for any relevant info.

Tis true, you cant normally put snow chains on low profile tyres - I had the same problem on a car I used to have. In climates where they have bad winter weather people often have separate winter and summer tyres and wheels.

I'm not sure what the law says but maybe you could carry some snow chains and just keep them in the boot incase you are stopped. Of course, you would be a bit stuck if you had cause to really need them.

vikingaero

40 sections are pretty low profile. The higher the profile and the more sidewall then the easier it is to fit snowchains. We in the UK like ultra low profiles to impress the neighbours and the Euros like to be able to fit chains. Standard steelies + winter tyres + snowchains are probably the way to go. Try these guys for advice:

http://www.snowchains.co.uk/

I've only ever bought Thule roofboxes and stuff from them but they are very helpful and fitted the stuff on my car for free and gave me plenty of advice.

vaio

Are snow chains compulsory? We were in Austria last year and our hire car came with winter tyres but no chains.

If it is winter tyres you need there are a couple of places on ebay that sell second hand ones (I’ve had some on my S4 for the last couple of years and they make a tremendous difference in snow/ice and even just low temperatures.)

I swap them in nov/dec and back in feb/march. You could think about getting some second hand 17” Audi wheels for winter use, tyres will be easier/cheaper to get and you don’t need to pay to get tyres changed when ever you swap.

I suppose another option would be to fly & hire a car, we did that and the petrol/ferry saving more than paid for one of Mr Ryan’s special offers plus the car hire. Austria is a long way and, depending how good your skiing is, driving back with a leg in plaster might also be interesting

mountain_biking_addict

I also have an A6 Avant S line with 245/40R18. these don't take snow chains due to limited clearance. Best (only) option is to buy winter tyres (= snow tyres). Look on inside of petrol cover and see the list of the tyre/wheel combinations (and trye pressures). choose types with M+S (mud and snow). get these fitted to your existing wheels OR you can buy new cheap steel wheels and fit the M+S tyres to these. I found R16 tyres are the cheapest. It is vital that the right combination of wheel and tyre is used so that the overall outside diameter of the tyre is the same. If you have winter tryes marked with M+S (not all winter tyres are) these are as good as snow chains and so you don't need them. you MUST get all four wheels done though. happy skiing!

boysp

I know it may be a year out of date now for you but just returned from Austria where we had to fit chains owing to conditions. Used 'Michelin extreme grip automatic' chains bought a while back in Belgium for € 59. These fit 245/40 18s on my Audi A6 S-line and apart from a small amount of alloy chafing ( a lot less damage than potentially without chains on!) these have worked a treat and are relatively easy to fit and a doddle to remove. Hope helps

Checkboard

In continuing the tradition of continuing threads after a year or so ...

I have low profile tyres on my Mercedes (CLK 320), which normally can't take chains (there is the same clearance issue), so I bought a set of these:

"Trak Sport
Trak that are only 10 millimetres wide,for narrow spaces between fender and tyre."

*There WAS a nice pic here* :mad:

They clamp onto the wheel nut, and the leaf springs hold the chains onto the tyre. They are very easy to fit, as you don't have to fit the chain all the way around the tyre - you just drape it over the top, attach the springs to a wheel nut (using a clamping system), apply a little tension to the springs, then just drive off. The springs force the bit of chain that was at the bottom of the tyre onto the wheel within a couple of rotations as you drive. :T

I bought them for a skiing holiday in Germany three years ago, and each winter I keep them in the boot just in case. I used them two days ago - and wouldn't have made it home without them. There is an evil pleasure in driving around stranded drivers, spinning their wheels as you motor up the hill without a problem. :A

Edit 1: The system won't allow me to provide a link (as a new register) so you'll have to google them!

Edit 2: it won't allow me to post a pic, either. :mad: