Snow chains....................????!!

And finally, as ise pointed out on the other thread, a lot of mainland Europeans tend to swap to winter tyres in the winter (when else?). So well before the 'A', 'D', 'CH' etc. and locals are putting on their chains, we Brits will be in the ditch. If you're driving down on English Summer tyres, don't wait for the locals to put their chains on.
If you can afford it, winter tyres are worth considering, as you're only paying for the swap-over twice a year (one car can't wear both sets at the same time, after all) and winter tyres are still good in the UK as they shorten braking distance in temperatures under 8C or so (up to 25%+ if it's below 0C). But I can appreciate it won't be worth it for most people.
What irks me is that a lot of the UK chain sales/hire companies don't explain this, and are happy to provide chains which, for many higher-performance English cars, either won't fit at all, or cut it very fine in terms of potential damage to the suspension/steering.
If you're driving your UK car to the mountains, check the manual, as I said. If your wheel/tyre combination takes chains, that's great. If not, then you may have a problem, even if someone's willing to sell/rent them to you.

msej449 wrote:If you can afford it, winter tyres are worth considering, as you're only paying for the swap-over twice a year (one car can't wear both sets at the same time, after all)

absolutely, people seem to miss that fact. We buy winter tyres at the first winter when we get the car and the two sets last until we change the cars.

And Meercat's additional tips for getting the knack for snow chains.

1. When you practice at home, by all means do it in the comfort and stability of a warm windless day. Then try it when it's raining. Then when it's also dark. Then when your partner points the hose pipe at you, throws buckets of ice over you and.... it's dark and windy as well.

Once you've done it in these conditions - you should be ready.

2. If you have chains of your own, check the instructions. If they are not printed on laminated plastic, then get the laminated at a photocopy shop. Soggy instructions are....... useless.

3. When you fit the chains..... drive a few yards and check them for tightness. Do this a few times until they no longer need adjusting. It's really really embarassing to be the first to fit them only to find yourself half a mile up the road blocking everybody because...... they've come loose.

4. Never be tempted to go fast with chains.

5. Never brake harshly. This can cause a nerve wrenchinbg jar on them and they...... snap.

6. After fitting your chains and you're ready to move off...... look around to see if there's somebody 'in distress' with their chains. They'll be very grateful for you helping them out, and who knows...... they might be staying in your resort.... hotel.... cable car....? (Blokes - you're made if you sort out a damsel like this).

7. If you can - take a collapsable shovel with you. It's amazing how much better a shovel is at digging your car out of a drift compared to a pair of hands.

8. If you stop somewhere and it's a blizzard outside, people in the car will want you to keep the engine running to keep warm. If you *do* do this - please make sure that you don't lean down by the exhaust pipe or let people (children?) fool around in the car so that you get run over.

9. Take your time... do it slowly. That gets best results with least damage to car - and quicker in the long run.

10. When you park up at your destination, park with the idea in mind 'what if it dumps heavy before we leave?' Park your car where you'll be able to dig it out easily and also put the chains on.

Happy holidays.......... :)

Meercat wrote:And Meercat's additional tips for getting the knack for snow chains.

Good tips, it might be worth also checking your car manual as well. Tests show that chains and some traction control systems don't interoperate properly and some need turning off.

In fact that's true without chains at least moving off on ice sometimes, the sliding Laguna I mentioned the other day had that problem it turned out, I found the switch to turn the traction control off and we got moving properly in the end.

:mrgreen:

Blimey.. and there was me wondering if i'd get a reply..
Obviously a popular subject.. 8)

thanks for all the replies.. will go through them in more detial at the weekend..

Some info..

we've hired a VW Passat estate, which i presume will have a pretty standard 16 or 17 inch wheel..? but obviously wont know until we collect the car..?!?! Presumably it'll be FWD so chains only required on the front..

the only thing i can presume is we will have to get them from a petrol station.. or similar, not an ideal situ as the last thing you want is to try and find snow chains to fit your wheels when in a foreign country and on holiday,..

i presume theyre easily purchasable from most garages..?

BTW, we're renting from the Swiss side of Geneva airport having read that elsewhere on here..

James

Hi All, been skiing a number of times now and have always used ski chains, but now i have a 4x4 and the tyres are abit bigger and the chains dont fit :cry: However I was searching the net and found this site that contained a sort of "tie rap" with studs that fit through the tyre and fastends back on it's self. I think it might have been Italian???? but then I lost the site, does any one know what make these straps are?? cheers :wink:

James Bushell wrote:we're renting from the Swiss side of Geneva airport having read that elsewhere on here..

Almost certain to have chains in the boot when you collect it - and if it doesn't, have a word with the staff; you're very unlikely to need to buy your own.