Best Snow Traction Device

[zakelwe]

Anyone tried this?

http://tyre-grip.com/

Andy

[fatboy18]

zakelwe said:

Anyone tried this?

http://tyre-grip.com/

Andy

Oh Wonder if that would be any good for old tyres on track days

[fatboy18]

Don said:

davidspooner said:

What are these 'socks' of which you speak?

Things like this:

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

For general weather road conditions we have in the UK they don't look half bad Look easy to fit and as the Advert says its a get you home type of product The down side is durability and price, Chains I'm sure would last longer, and price wise they are on a par with chains. I do like the idea though speed of fitting is the key

[parapaul]

F i F said:

Don said:

FiF - I know winter tyres are the "right" solution. This thread is about having something in the car to help with sudden bad conditions. The sort of thing that happened in Basingstoke yesterday...

Interesting that you say studded tyres are road legal in the UK. I'll have a look out of interest, as my bro uses them in Sweden, and they are excellent but I agree that studless winter tyres are probably the best UK solution - but not if you haven't fitted 'em!

I know you know, but many don't.

There is an argument that sec 27 of Constr and Use Regs can be interpreted to mean that studded are illegal in UK.
"the tyre is not maintained in such condition as to be fit for the use to which the vehicle or trailer is being put or has a defect which might in any way cause damage to the surface of the road or damage to persons on or in the vehicle or to other persons using the road."
ie the inference is that the studs will wear the road and this is interpreted as damage etc etc etc.

And there's the bit you missed, I think. There is no way that studded snow tyres, designed as such and fitted properly, could ever be classed as a defect. The driver's brain, possibly, if used inappropriately, but not the tyres themselves.

And the snow socks are fantastic pieces of kit. We use them at work, they're standard issue on each vehicle, and they transform 3.5 tonnes of converted builder's van into something driveable and safe.

Just looked on the website - £65 for a pair for my car. I think I'll be investing in a pair of those before the next snow!

Edited by parapaul on Sunday 27th December 03:34

[F i F]

People who quote selectively, don't you just love 'em?

[7db]

F i F said:

People who quote you love 'em

[Villan57]

I found the ski doo the best thing on snow whilst in Lapland on cold climate test!

Seriously though studded tyres and less right foot are also pretty good , not worth the expense for the UK really .
So less right foot it is ! failing that keep off the roads and let the rest of us have first go!

[fatboy18]

Found these ones, same type of thing diffrent company (bit cheaper) Looking at these, I think they are a very good idea as having used chains, you have to make sure you have the correct size chains for your tyre. With these it looks like there is a bit of play so if you change cars you might be able to use them on the new car
http://www.rockshore.uk.com/snow-socks-by-multi-gr...

[chandrew]

After living in Switzerland for 6 years I now think that not putting on winter tyres is pretty bad economy. At any temperatures below 4 degrees - which from memory includes a decent number of winter England mornings - they work far better than all season or summer tyres. If you have two sets of tyres then they tend to last twice as long (I've got rid of my last set as they were going hard after 5 years but were still legal). Most people here have 2 sets of wheels so don't have to worry about swapping tyres over. The winter ones are just plain black steel wheels and I don't bother with any hubcaps.

Driving with winter tyres on snow is pretty much like driving on summer wheels in the rain. They also work on ice, compact snow etc. Last week we had an exceptionally cold snap where max daytime temperatures were about -13. Of course salt stops working at about 6 below so it was a mixture of ice and powder snow. Sure you drive a bit more carefully but country roads at the national speed limit is hardly a problem. There is no issue with ABS on the snow.

I have to say I've never fitted chains but with a 4WD on the car I don't have to. Of course the 4WD helps only acceleration - braking and turning are the same whatever drive you have.

Studded tyres will be no help on mixed conditions and will be worse than winter tyres.

I also have a car where I don't bother with winter wheels. I just don't take it out if it's below about 6 degrees.

[Mrs Muttleysnoop]

Don said:

Assuming proper Winter Tyres and changing them over isn't happening. What's the best device for a Front Wheel Drive car to aid traction in snow and ice. Please comment as to why or what your experience has been with them if you would.

Number 1 Brain

Number 2 Gentle right foot using soft soled shoes ie race boots

Number 3 Start off in the right gear


The 10 people who got stuck in our road with a steep incline and a 90 degree turn in the snow in FWD cars were men, however 3 out of the 4 people who got up our road were woman the only man was my husband. We were all driving FWD cars ie 2 Renaults, 1 Fiat and 1 Ford Ka

[SVS]

www.vredestein.co.uk/Banden_Bandtypes.asp?Usersess...

F i F said:

Modern studless cold weather tyres are a godsend and not just in snow but even clear tarmac cold conditions ... I have yet to meet someone who has tried proper friction tyres who doesn't wonder why they didn't do it years ago.

... and you can add me to that list.

Whilst I can't be bothered changing between summer and winter tyres, but I discovered "all season" tyres like Vredestein's Quatrac 3 to be utterly brilliant for driving in Britain, including the recent snow.

Last year I changed to Quatrac 3 tyres and they have been brilliant in mild weather, heavy rain and the recent snow. Only sheet ice was beyond them. I haven't done sufficient mileage to comment on longevity, but they are quiet to boot. Handling has been great, with an improvement (reduced understeer) compared to my old Conti's.

[Pilgrim20vt]

waremark said:

... and my BMW could not start to move - though its traction control did its best, and I could not do better without the traction control.

You should turn BMW traction control off in the snow.

[gdaybruce]

gdaybruce said:

Stevesh said:

Those socks look good in the company videos. I would be interested in hearing from someone who has used them for an impartial view of their effectiveness.

Steve

I've oredered a pair, which probably guarantees no more snow this winter! Still, if they arrive while there's still planty of snow around I'll report back.

Well, with great timing my snow socks turned up yesterday and I've just been out to try them in 4" of fresh white stuff.

Firstly, they come in a neat compact bag and don't weigh much, so they're easy to stick in the boot for when needed. However, they're nowhere near as easy to fit as I was expecting, partly (largely) because my car has very limited clearence betweent the tyres and the wheel arches. I'm hoping it will be easier with practice and in daylight (but I was keen to get out there and try them asap!).

Once on, however, they're very effective. Completely smooth running, I took the car down the hill I couldn't get up in the snow before Christmas, around the roundabout at the bottom, and then straight back up again. I've never driven on chains so I can't compare them but my impression is that you still need to drive as you do when on snow - a high gear and keep the torque down to the minimum required, but the traction levels are so much better. And the brakes work as well, which is a bonus! Cornering is interesting because, of course, you have more grip on the front than the back so if you so wish you can have a front wheel drive oversteering monster. Fun for empty spaces but otherwise due care is required.

As a get you home solution to a problem that only crops up occasionally, first impressions are that they should do the job pretty well. Probably not quite well enough to let me get to the office tomorrow morning, however ...

[smallgun]

Pilgrim20vt said:

waremark said:

... and my BMW could not start to move - though its traction control did its best, and I could not do better without the traction control.

You should turn BMW traction control off in the snow.

My SLK owners manual says to use winter tyres at temps below +7 deg C and on snow and ice covered roads The tyres will allow ABS and ESP to function optimally.
Deactivate ESP when pulling away with snow chains or in deep snow.

Edited by smallgun on Wednesday 6th January 07:39

Edited by smallgun on Wednesday 6th January 07:40

[Funkateer]

zakelwe said:

Anyone tried this?

http://tyre-grip.com/

Andy

I remember something like this on Tomorrow's World many years ago - except a system was fitted to the car with a nozzle on the inside of the wheel arch which sprayed the compound onto the tyre tread. This worked in their tests, at least.

I live on quite a steep hill, and keep a bag of grit handy along with a spade and a good stiff haired broom for those moments when I need to get on or off the drive without the inconvenience of sliding sideways down the hill! In fact they're being kept in the boot at the moment!

To drive up the hill, for some reason letting the wheels 'creep' (just at the point where they are almost starting to lose grip) isn't working at the moment, but spinning them is! Perhaps it's the tyres I've got fitted, or the 'wrong type of snow'

I like the sock idea, though.

[lexham]

Used these autosocks when we were in Lancashire over Christmas - took us from the M6 to Chipping across untreated back roads with no problems at all.

Fitted them in 5 mins at a petrol station forecourt and drove off with no issues whatsoever. Front felt very stable and hard to break traction, and the ESP / DSC / ABS all work well with them.

Added bonus - after taking them off, pop them in the washing machine and clean them off. Better than chains as they are easy to fit, don't damage the wheels and can be used on tarmac / snow combinations.

They are TUV tested: http://autosock.com/default.aspx?did=9049909&t... and seem to be well rated in test.




Thoroughly recommended.

[julianm]

You need one of these red "V4" devices:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_q6od57VcI&fea... !

[Robert060379]

None of the above. How about some common sense.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[BertBert]

Just had some Avon Ice Touring STs fitted this afternoon and they are superb. Got them direct from Avon and in discussion they said some of the guys there use them all the year round. At £60 a corner that doesn't sound a bad idea.

Bert

[BertBert]

have to say though that the new tyres have *ruined* my fun. Before in the snow (on private land), just a touch of handbrake was all that was needed to get the back swinging around wonderfully. Now even with locked rears, they seem to just track very nicely.

Bert