Snow Chains

[Steve13]

I have managed to get myself stuck again this morning in heavy snow

I have a Merc E class so rubbish in the snow I know , but comfy and reasonably economical for 99% of the time

I was told to get some snow chains but have no experiance of them , any help would be good

 

[Oblio13]

Chains are a lot of trouble to put on and take off. If you're only getting stuck occasionally, maybe just put a shovel and a couple traction mats in your trunk.

 

[BorderReiver]

Chains are fine if all the roads you are driving on are covered in snow.

The shovel and mats are your best bet when only a few of the roads are dodgy.

 

[korvin karbon]

http://www.autosock.co.uk/

shovel and 2 rough mats.

 

[bikething]

I've been looking into them today as well... lots of options here as a starting point

Chains are fine if all the roads you are driving on are covered in snow.

The shovel and mats are your best bet when only a few of the roads are dodgy.

The problem I've got is I live in a village with 3 routes out to a 'main road'. 2 of the routes are gentle getting out of the village (albeit usually icy as they're sheltered from the sun), but will both eventually involve a steep-ish decent before you get to a 'main' road that has been gritted.

My usual route involves a 200 yrd climb out of the village on a 1-in-4 gradient that snakes around a hillside. Once up that, it's a gentle slope up and over the hill to the next village and the main road about 1.5 miles away.

I don't fancy shovel-and-matting my way up that hill, 5 yards at a time... and there's always the risk of some muppet losing control coming down the other way and wiping my car out on the way, so the quicker I can get up it, the less risk there is to me

(And having got out of the village, I still have to drive across Dartmoor to get to work and back!)

 

[Dave Budd]

I've the same problem, only my village is on the top of the hill with three routes out. Last year when we had the sudden cold bit and snow I got out of the village (ie down hill) but wasn't able to get up the hill to the main roads Normally snow isn't the problem, it's more the ice that stops us from getting out of the village here.

I just stay put and apologise to customers that I coldn't get to the workshop without risking my life!

 

[Adze]

Chains are a 'get you home' thing not an every day use thing. Apart from anything else you stand a chance of damaging the car if one of the chains lets loose (quite badly if it takes your brakes out).

The shovel and matting is a good idea... if you also take a bucket full of sharp sand mixed with road grit you'll likely go a lot further than 5 yards at a time.

Don't forget to tie the mats to the back of the car by their trailing edge so they both follow the car once you get going, but they 'stand up' out of the muck you've just pressed them down into instead of digging in and snapping the cord.

If it's likely to be bad long term... invest in a set of spare wheels from ebay and put some winter tyres on them - they make a world of difference to traction.

 

[stooboy]

I think people are looking for an in the boot solution to these short harsh cold snaps that seem to hit us out the blue and leave the council unable to clear the roads.

I don't think there is an easy answer.

 

[Martyn]

Modern chains are easy to put on and tension, but it's not something you'd do for a few hundred yards. As said earlier, you really need deep snow everywhere to justify them. If you drive on tarmac with them on, you'll knacker your tyres. It is a good idea to own a set though, in some parts of Europe, carrying a set in your boot in winter is required by law. I've a full set of 4 chains for my Landy, but have only ever put them on to practice doing it and check the fit. It'd have to be pretty freaky weather to justify them. For short "get me up that hill" type of thing, a set of "AutoSocks" is the way to go.

 

[johnnytheboy]

I always wondered why BMW and Mercs were so bad in the winter they are designed so well for everything else, but it turns out the germans run with snow tyres in the winter.

Dunno if it would be worth getting a couple of cheap back tyres for the winter, dunno the price of snow chains eiter right enough

I have managed to get myself stuck again this morning in heavy snow

I have a Merc E class so rubbish in the snow I know , but comfy and reasonably economical for 99% of the time

I was told to get some snow chains but have no experiance of them , any help would be good

 

[rancid badger]

Where I live, is a bit hilly and the estate itself, can be snowed up for days on end. Once you make it out onto the main road your away usually.


My current car, a ford fiesta, is the first one for 20 + years, that I have not bothered to get a pair of spare rims, fitted with mud and snow type tyres
I never once, got stuck in snow during this time. I ran an SRI Cavalier, Fiat UNO, Skoda Fabia estate then a Fabia hatch ( both particularly good in snow)

In the past, I fitted the spares around the back end of November and took them off again around March, all weather dependent of course.

We have now had about 2 weeks of conditions in which snow tyres would have made my driving to and from work and shopping etc, a damn sight easier and safer. I've not been stuck yet but came very close at 5 this morning.

So I need to decide whether to get kitted out with some rims and chunky tyres or invest in these 'autosock' things.

Now then; Me and the Mrs. were down the wood on Friday for our daily walk.
A BMW was stuck on one of the tiny little slopes on the forest road.
As we got nearer, we could see the driver faffing on around the rear wheels, then get back into the car and drive away up the hill and into the car park as if on tracks! I noticed what looked a bit like a tyre blanket on the rear wheels ( the sort of thing they use to keep F1 tyres warm?)

Now I look at the picture; they were actually blocking the road!

They were I now realise; autosocks and they performed extremely well, as the car was going nowhere without them.

Hmm.......decisions decisions

atb

R.B.

 

[Steve13]

Thanks all


Just spent a small fortune on new tyres so don't realy want to go the whole hog and have a winter pair as well

Have been playing with the auto box and discovered comfort mode and set the thing to manual in 2nd on tick over is good

Have gone for the shovel and mat with a bucket of grit in the boot for the time being

Like the look of the autosock though will have to do a bit more investigation

Roll on spring

 

[Leonidas]

I'm very fortunate and have a Range Rover V8 auto (Great combination off road) so do not get stuck up or down hill.....
However most cars, even 2WD, if fitted with snow tyres will manage all but the very worst of UK roads in snow conditions.

Was interested to see the autosocks but the Autosocks site has crashed

Tom

 

[Martyn]

I always wondered why BMW and Mercs were so bad in the winter...

A lot of BMW's are rear wheel drive, with the engine in the front it makes for an awful combination in snow.

 

[R3XXY]

Get rid of the Merc and get an AWD Volvo. Mine eats steep snowy hills for breakfast
just as comfy and smooth as a Merc.

 

[njc110381]

Get rid of the Merc and get an AWD Volvo. Mine eats steep snowy hills for breakfast
just as comfy and smooth as a Merc.

That would be my suggestion. If I lived in a place like you do then I'd be wanting something a little capable. You don't have to go mad and buy a Range Rover or Merc ML, there are a lot of cars that now offer 4x4. The Subaru Forester (if that's classy enough for a Merc driver?) is excellent, or one of the Volvos or an Audi allroad. They have running costs nearer to your car but are a lot better in soft off road conditions. When you get it fit it with some half decent tyres too. You'll lose a couple of k off of the milage you'll get out of them but if you can afford a Merc I'm sure you can deal with that!

I'm lucky enough to be in the position that I need a Defender for work so I just use that if I need to. Our car is a Golf 4motion and even that copes a lot better than most without costing too much to run.

Change the Merc, you know you want to!

 

[Mikey P]

I always wondered why BMW and Mercs were so bad in the winter they are designed so well for everything else, but it turns out the germans run with snow tyres in the winter.

Dunno if it would be worth getting a couple of cheap back tyres for the winter, dunno the price of snow chains eiter right enough

My BMW is rear-wheel drive and, hence, rubbish in the snow. I had snow tires in Germany and they made a massive amount of difference. Also had - and still have - set of snow chains in the boot. I used them a few times in Germany and also over here (twice in Dorset!). They take a few minutes each to put on/take off and, contrary to one of the posts above, they are perfect for travelling a few hundred yards to get you through the worst bits. Just pop them off when they snow/ice is thin enough to give you traction again.

My chains were bought in Germany for about 30 Euros and, whilst they are not designed for consistent heavy-duty use, are perfect for that occasional nightmare bit of road.

They are not difficult to drive with - just keep the speed right down (20mph maximum) and keep an eye on them to make sure they haven't become loose.

 

[stooboy]

the autosocks looked like a bit of a gimmick but checking the web and youtube seems they are ok, anyone on here had first hand experience?

 

[Jock]

I used to put a large chunk of steel H beam in the boot of my RWD BMW it helped the traction no end

 

[Bodge]

I have a pair of snow chains which I chuck in my boot through the winter months. Never used them yet as have never been stuck so much as to need them, but they make good insurance cover. I used to pop some mud and snow tyres on my mark 2 escort and a couple of bags of sand over the rear axle for traction and never got stuck. Now we don't seem to have that much snow I think I should be ok with the chains in the boot.. Also it doesn't matter what you do to prepare it's the people who don't, who block the road and cause grid lock anyway. 2 inches here and the city stopped, wouldn't matter if you had a snow mobile you'd still go nowhere.