Range Rover Sport, French Alps - Snow Chains
Discussion
I've driven to Tignes in a late December on regular tyres in an Audi A1. When that time came to be pulled over by the gendarmes, out came the snow socks and we were on our way again. We left them on the car all week and for a decent part of our journey back down. Much over 30mph and they started to flap and rub but upon removal they were intact and barely worn. The scariest thing is having a good front end round the hairpins meant you didn't need to use the handbrake ...
camel_landy said:
I can't remember off hand but I think there's an option you have to set within the dashboard setup pages...
M
I took a 2014 RR Sport TDV6 to Avoriaz last season on the stock 19" rims & tyres, I borrowed some enormous spider like chains but didn't use them - the gendarme were enforcing them when we left and stopped us to ask if the tyres were "pour la neige" to which of course I said "oui" as they are all terrain including snow M
The other gendarme was having a good look at the tyre walls but I kept crawling in the hope he wouldn't be able to read them & sure enough I was waved on.Didn't have any problems including driving through a good 50cm of fluffy snow to get out of the car park, just took it slow & steady.
I've used chains on 2 wheel drive cars over the years (Galaxy & Civic) and I think I'd choose the RR even on stock rims & rubber if I had to drive through Narnia, obviously it would've been even better with the chains & a set of winter tyres, only a piste basher is likely to beat that!
The setting in the dash system is just to change the auto full beam setting for driving on the other side, I had a similar experience though with oncoming cars & trucks flashing (their lights
) at me.Taking a TDV6 Hybrid to 3V next week on 21" rims which might be harder to blag as they look more road like, we'll see how it goes.
I work in Meribel and spend a lot of time driving here. I would strongly recommend winter tyres to anyone driving on these roads, they are generally very well cleared, but summer tyres offer very little grip on snow and you really don't want to have to fit chains everytime you drive down a side street or into a car park etc. When we get heavy snow fall, in my opinion the majority of the problems are caused by people who think they need to drive at 5km/h to be safe or people who stop and fit chains in the road, often when it is completely clear of snow. I drive a VW Caravelle 4motion on full snow tyres, I have never once needed chains although I always carry them.
I have had personal experience of how useless summer tyres are, even on a RR in the snow having had to pull one out that had been parked on soft snow and sunk into it. I was using a 70 series Land Cruiser with diff lockers and I still had to use heavy duty ladder chains on all wheels to be able to tow the RR out using a snatch strop.
I have had personal experience of how useless summer tyres are, even on a RR in the snow having had to pull one out that had been parked on soft snow and sunk into it. I was using a 70 series Land Cruiser with diff lockers and I still had to use heavy duty ladder chains on all wheels to be able to tow the RR out using a snatch strop.
andrewt1982 said:
Biggest irritation of the trip was the car headlights - I purposely checked the owners handbook which states:
HEADLAMPS - DRIVING ABROAD
The headlamps have a beam pattern that eliminates the need to mechanically adjust the lamps or add any external stick-on decals.
Every oncoming car I passed seemed to think this was complete rubbish!!
I've got a 2014MY SDV6 and done 2 big trips to Europe this year, including one to Val d'Isere during that big dump. Both times I've been almost afraid to drive at night for fear of blinding all the oncoming traffic. Almost everyone flashed me. HEADLAMPS - DRIVING ABROAD
The headlamps have a beam pattern that eliminates the need to mechanically adjust the lamps or add any external stick-on decals.
Every oncoming car I passed seemed to think this was complete rubbish!!
It got so bad, that whilst in Val, I popped open the bonnet and "wound down" the lights, so they were aimed a bit lower. Voila, no more flashing. I think they are a bit too low, but I haven't gotten around to calibrating them property.
The dashboard adjustment is just for which side to detect oncoming cars for the auto hi-beam. It does nothing to the beam pattern or alignment unfortunately.
Still don't really believe the handbook as I can clearly see that the beam pattern is asymmetric.
leemind said:
andrewt1982 said:
Biggest irritation of the trip was the car headlights - I purposely checked the owners handbook which states:
HEADLAMPS - DRIVING ABROAD
The headlamps have a beam pattern that eliminates the need to mechanically adjust the lamps or add any external stick-on decals.
Every oncoming car I passed seemed to think this was complete rubbish!!
I've got a 2014MY SDV6 and done 2 big trips to Europe this year, including one to Val d'Isere during that big dump. Both times I've been almost afraid to drive at night for fear of blinding all the oncoming traffic. Almost everyone flashed me. HEADLAMPS - DRIVING ABROAD
The headlamps have a beam pattern that eliminates the need to mechanically adjust the lamps or add any external stick-on decals.
Every oncoming car I passed seemed to think this was complete rubbish!!
It got so bad, that whilst in Val, I popped open the bonnet and "wound down" the lights, so they were aimed a bit lower. Voila, no more flashing. I think they are a bit too low, but I haven't gotten around to calibrating them property.
The dashboard adjustment is just for which side to detect oncoming cars for the auto hi-beam. It does nothing to the beam pattern or alignment unfortunately.
Still don't really believe the handbook as I can clearly see that the beam pattern is asymmetric.
Gassing Station | Land Rover | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff