Snow Chains?

After yet again struggling to get to work I thought i'd look into getting some snow chains. Can anyone advise me please?

As my wheels are alloys will they be scratched by the chains or are they rubber coated or something on the sides. Is there much difference between 9mm and 12mm chains in terms of grip/ noise. Whats it like driving on clear roads with chains on as main roads always get cleared and i use both main/side roads to work. Can anyone reccomend a good brand?

The car is a suzuki swift so clearance around the wheels isnt an issue. Tyres are 155/70/13

Thanks in advance.

Reply to
Kirky
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the chains should be clear of the wheel when fitted. bigger chains give better grip and more noise, chains are completely unsuitable for use on cleared roads and would be dangerous to use.

a better option would be to change car or get a spare set of wheels with winter tyres.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

Wot he said.

TBH I'm a little surprised that a car like a Swift is struggling - just a pair of winter tyres on the front wheels should have it sorted. My classic Mini takes me everywhere in the snow and that's also small & front-wheel-drive. It's generally bigger rwd cars that have problems (like my wife's automatic Previa which is useless in snow), or fwd with wide tyres.

Reply to
asahartz

Try winter tyres, the difference is amazing. I bought some in that size for about £38 each fitted from my local garage just before christmas. They were about the same price without fitting from mytyres.co.uk.

Chains are a bit serious and are a pain when you have to put them on and off as you cannot drive on cleared roads or exceed about 30mph with them on.

Reply to
Douglas Payne

Snow socks might be an alternative - less rugged wearing, but then less trouble than chains.

Reply to
Mike Dodd

Thanks for the replies.

There's some pretty steep hills round here, the worst one being between my house and work(cromford hill in Derbyshire)

Snow tyres sound good. How much more grip do the offer in snow compared to normal tyres. I've got plenty of tread on the Michelins currently on the front, they were fine in the snow until I tried to go up the big hill.

If i was to go for some i was thinking that I might as well get some that were as knobly as possible. Any reccomendations? Also would I need to take them off during summer months? Maybe a spare set of rims would be usefull.

Snow socks also interest me but I cant find any information on how much of an improvement in grip they offer.

Rob

Reply to
Kirky

michelin do some very nice winter tyres, the extra grip is largely due to a different compound, they grip much better. You can always change them back for the summer.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

The difference in grip is remarkable, not just in snow. The compound of winter tyres behaves differently to normal tyres at snowy temperatures, below about 6 degrees celcius. It was -10 here at 9am this morning.

You will notice it even if you have been managing with normal tyres. There are a few converts here, the only people who react negatively IME are those who have never tried winter tyres.

I have Vredestein Snowtrac 3s on my Peugeot 106. They have a tractory V tread. They behave a bit differently to normal tyres in warmer weather, they sweat a bit and don't grip so well.

My advice would be to switch back to normal tyres when the frost has gone. You can use the snow tyres again next winter.

Not tried them myself, but know of someone round here who swears by them on his 350Z.

Reply to
Douglas Payne

Kirky gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

_Winter_ tyres, not "Snow" tyres.

They start to grip far better (than the "summer" tyres we use in this country all year round) from about 5degC down. Seriously - it's chalk and cheese.

You can use them all year round, but they don't grip as well when it warms up, will probably wear very rapidly, and give a harsher and noiser ride than "normal".

I started using them a couple of winters ago - my commute is across some very exposed and back-lane part of the Chilterns - and am thoroughly converted. If I was still up in the Peaks (I know Cromford well) it'd be a no-brainer.

Reply to
Adrian

Douglas Payne gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Indeed.

It's not about "knobbly". It's about the rubber compound.

SnowTrac 2s on a Saab 900 Turbo.

Reply to
Adrian

Mike Dodd gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Still don't do anything more than normal summer rubber on cold tarmac, and won't help a bit when you hit that slippy-slidy patch unexpectedly.

Reply to
Adrian

I had a very good set of chains but when I changed my car I found that there was not enough clearance between the wheel and the mcpherson strut or shock absorber - uner load the chain touched it. If you buy then make sure you check that out.

Reply to
Stewart

(More devils advocate and general musing than negative ...)

Not tried winter tyres yet but do have real M+S tyres on the jeep kitcar and know how well they work in real M + S.

FWIW I drove the Rover 218SD to Scotland and back over this Xmas (through the snow and ice in both directions, std tyres) and am not sure anything but chains or studs would make *enough* of a difference when the going got really tough (and I'm talking about being able to get up that otherwise impassable snow / ice covered hill, not just how tyres 'handle' on damp tarmac at -10 degC here).

Like having a 4x4 with std summer road tyres sort of thing (in the summer), I'm sure it (4x4) helps but by how much and how often in this country, for yer average Jo I mean [1]? Do they work well enough that you would offer to tow a stricken car out with the 100% reassurance you wouldn't end up in the dame ditch?

The other consideration for some (other than extra cost and how much use would someone in London get out of them ) is where to store an extra pair or worse 'set' of wheels when you swap over? Not all of us have gardens / sheds etc and we need the boot and back seats for other things. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[1] I'm talking about basic traction rather than performance or safety here.
Reply to
T i m

Ah, got you now. I know it well - I live in Mansfield and commute to Ilkeston. I recall Cromford Hill when I attended a course in Matlock on a snowy day last year (yes, we did have a few). Great driving roads in summer though!

Reply to
asahartz

I wasn't there. But I live in rural Aberdeenshire. It snows fairly seriously here almost every year and it's been pretty bad this year.

Whether or not you believe the difference between normal tyres and winter ones is worth it is up to you I guess. I am a convert.

They need to be combined with a bit of technique, and of course you can still get stuck (ground clearance is the killer on my Peugeot 106), but the grip threshold is much higher.

Heheh, I wouldn't offer to tow anything in my 106, but wouldn't hesitate in a properly shod 4x4 with the right equipment.

I've never lived in London, but I'd still consider winter tyres from October-March if I had to drive there every day.

Reply to
Douglas Payne

I guess that could make a difference.

I believe there is a difference, just not sure the end justify's the means (for me, in London). However, I was suggesting to daughters b/f up in Scotland that a set of winter wheels might be a good idea for them (they have loads of space to keep a second set of wheels).

OK. Don't get me wrong, given the money and space I'd be interested to try a set but I'm not sure when I'd get round to testing them in earnest? For example, during the recent batch of bad weather the only bit they may have been some use is the 500 yards to the high road (from then on it's been ok throughout). Then there's the fact that the

500 cars in front and behind you won't be fitted with winter tyres either. I stop and they don't or they are in my way when I can get up the hill? When you are the only car on the road for a few miles it may well be different. ;-)

Hmm, so they don't offer *that* sort of grip then ... the sort of grip you might get with studs or snow chains? (ignoring the limitations of both and that question was rhetorical of course). Also I guess you

*could* keep a set of chains in the boot?

Well I've lived in London 53 years and driven here and all around since I was 17, never been stuck on snow or ice and never had winter tyres . Maybe modern all year tyres are worse than they used to be for winter use [1] or I have just been lucky or kept away from the bad bits?

I did get the Sierra stuck trying to get out of a very boggy camping field once (it chucked it down while we were away from the tent for the day).

Cheers, T i m

[1] Including commuting to work on my Lambretta SX150 and watching folk falling over in the snow and ice on the pavement and cars sliding about.
Reply to
T i m

Agreed, it's a waste of time faffing around with changing tyres in London. Most routes were pretty much clear of snow all the time this year. And the last two years have been the worst for around 20 years. In any case, there are enough idiots around who can't get through that you'll be stuck behind them anyway.

Reply to
GB

It doesn't have to be icy or snowy for winter tyres to be better, it just has to be below about 6 degrees. You have more capacity to stop/go/drive round a hazard with winter tyres in cold weather.

I guess if you don't often get to the limits of adhesion anyway it will make less of a difference, and of course they don't help in gridlock. (c:

Reply to
Douglas Payne

Yeah, I work shifts, it was -13 when I got in the car yesterday at

0430am and -12 at the same time this morning.

I'd still reccommend them to anyone who drives in conditions where frost is likely. If I lived in London, I doubt I'd drive as much as I do now, so as you say it might not be worth it.

I leave big gaps between me and the car in front and if the person in front's driving looks dodgy, I overtake them or go another way.

It's pretty quiet here compared to London, so I realise thats not an option for everyone.

Never tried studs and I've only mucked about in my mother's Saab on chains on the track outside their house. I've concluded that if its too bad for winter tyres on my 106, chains wouldn't really help me. The 106 is the right formula for snow anyway.

There has only been a couple of days where I could have used chains on all of my route to work anyway, and even then, some parts of the route would have been cleared by the time I was going home.

The right equipment for me is a Land Rover with the right tyres, a couple of shackles and a good towing strop or 2. (c: Even in non wintry conditions it's quite easy to end up just as stuck as the towee.

I certainly wouldn't bother with much of a tow on summer tyres in any 4x4.

Heheh, I've only had a licence for 10 years or so and I've never thought I had a problem in the snow in anything (till I got the MX-5) till I fitted winter tyres.

I do agree that a lot of modern all year tyres are pretty rubbish in the cold. I have a friend with an Audi which is pretty terrifying on snow and ice largely I think because of the tread and compound of the tyres which are fine when it isn't cold.

I think one naturally just stays away from dodgy situations in the snow though. There are far fewer dodgy situations on winter tyres.

Have happily driven up roads I couldn't have walked up without crampons since having the winter tyres. Like this one:

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(jpg of a local wintery road)

Reply to
Douglas Payne

Yup.

If it ever does become a real issue for more people more of the year (global cooling?) then I guess they will make it mandatory we all use winter tyres (during the winter) as I believe they do in some other countries already.

Most of our back roads were covered in sheet ice for a few days at a time but I wasn't aware of any incidents (that doesn't mean there weren't any of course).

I did hear tales of people having issues on hills nearby but that would only be 'improved' if everyone had winter tyres and sufficient skills.

I saw on telly recenty further examples of people taking risks in the floods (Essex), cars and (even 4x4's) abandoned all over the place where people have tried to get through and not made it.

Maybe we should all have balloon tyres or floats for when the snow and ice thaws! ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

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