16 replies to this topic

[Lucydog]

Help I need snow chains and I need them now! Anyone have any experience of them, would I be able to fit them ok, which are the best? We've been stuck in the house 2 weeks as we at the top of a 25 degree hill and the ice is so bad plus the snow i cant even get to the car at the moment.

Going slightly bonkers
thanks
L

Edited by Lucydog, 09 January 2010 - 11:29 PM.

[Tetracyclone]

Lucy,

I've been around snow chains all my life and I'm stumped as to how a person in a chair would get them on and off. No help at all.

[allis53ca]

you could put these on....more $ but easy on/off

http://www.sportsimp...ite=google_base

Edited by allis53ca, 09 January 2010 - 11:47 PM.

[guido]

allis53ca, on Jan 9 2010, 11:47 PM, said:

you could put these on....more $ but easy on/off

http://www.sportsimp...ite=google_base

These look really neat!

[qman]

they only times have needed snow chains people have stopped and helped.

but i am certain i could do it myself. even if i have to transfer to the ground on a cushion to do the difficult bits.

dont think it would be impossible at all

[chickadee]

Pwuff, on Jan 9 2010, 05:15 PM, said:

Lucy,

I've been around snow chains all my life and I'm stumped as to how a person in a chair would get them on and off. No help at all.

Snow pants and good boots? I'd figure it would require a lot of sitting in the snow. That's what's happened to me a couple of times so far this winter.

What are you thinking about putting snow chains on precisely, Lucy? I used to put them on my cars when I lived up north. Here in Minneapolis, I stock up in fall with play sand (they use it in sand boxes for kids) and salt/deicer. I leave them in my truck, along with a shovel that I can collapse and put behind my seat. I always try to have my snow gear in the truck with me, along with a good emergency kit and a charged phone. If I do get stuck, I pull on the snow pants, grab the salt and gravel, and the little shovel.

It also takes forever, and I'm swearing and cursing the weather the entire time. Why I haven't figured out snowbirding is beyond me.

[ClaraTaylor]

For curiosity sakes I've just taken the chair outside and had an attempt to fit my snow chains from the sitting position. I did have to give up and sit on the ground in the end but if you can transfer from the chair to the ground (and back up) it shouldn't be impossible.

Good luck finding freedom!

[russ1]

You'll need to check your handbook too as many modern cars cannot accomodate chains within the wheel arches with the size of tyres supplied with the car. This was true on my last saab and on my colleagues current passat.

[tmcph]

the spike spyders work really good & are easy on & off

[Lucydog]

Hi Thanks for all this info. Im seriously looking at the spikes as Im getting a new car in about 6 weeks so I want somthing I can use for that one as well. The spikes seem pretty easy to adapt to different vehicles with just a few more links.

Edited by Lucydog, 10 January 2010 - 06:54 PM.

[guido]

I'm getting Spike Spyder envy.... Have watched the video several times today.

Cabin fever? What's that......

Edited by guido, 10 January 2010 - 10:52 PM.

[chickadee]

Hey, as FYI, that site says it won't ship outside US/Canada, my lovely across-the-pond friends.

Although. I haven't seen those before, and after getting stuck more times this winter than in the past 10 since moving down here, they would have been handy A LOT this winter. Although, even I would just throw in the towel when Christmas Day storm brought 24" (60 cm) onto Duluth, a town perched on a hill and where I was to go for the holidays. Still, living where I do means the day after I got back into town at the beginning of the month, I was stuck four separate times trying get out of my block.

...and every morning I had to go uphill, both ways, in the driving snow getting frost bitten, etc.

[guido]

So it seems they are Swiss made - god bless those clever people who make everything good - and their (english version) site is http://www.spikes-spider.ch/en

and their video shows how you put the base unit on as well as the actual spikes spider. very cool piece of kit.

Edited by guido, 11 January 2010 - 11:39 AM.

[pikey]

I have doubts that snow chains would be the answer, they would be okay on snow but as soon as you start driving on a gritted road they may start to eat into the tyres. I suggest giving your local tyre center a call as I am sure you can get all weather tyres or even snow tyres fitted to a second set of wheels for winter.

I hope this helps, good luck finding a solution.

[t4_5para]

I have had similar problems with being stuck in the house, luckily for me/us, we did our shopping the day the snow came down and my misses went out on the weekend and had a taxi back but, again we are luckt as major retail outlets are within a mile of us.

All the main roads are fine but, like everywhere else the side roads are not. For snow chains you need a minimum clearence of 10cm, so it may require you going down a size or 2 in wheel diameter, say from 16" to 14", this shouldn't be too much of a problem as you can probably get a set of wheels of a smaller car of the same make as yours. What I'm going to do is get the chains and fit them to spare wheels, which I luckily have, with a set of winter tyres (you could probably find a cheap set of spare wheels in your local scrappy) and keep these to one side until needed, then just change the drive wheels. You can't travel over 30mph with chains either but, if you like me, all you will want them for is to be able to get to out to get what's needed, so it will probably be local.

Oh yeah too, in order to gain the clearence by chainging down wheel size, you will also have to change down tyre size. So if you've got 16's with 205/50's on them, you might need 14's with 195/60's fitted. If this is the case, then I would advise you use them for as small amount of time as possible, as the difference in tyre size will affect the gearing and possibly cause problems with the gearbox if used for long preiods. I'm lucky, I have a spare set of smaller wheels for one car and the same size chains would fit out other, as that has the required clearence, without any changes.

I've looked around and a pair could cost around £70. I will be getting a set from Halfords, they are £68 but, I'm fortunate to have a discount card do to owners club membership.

Edited by t4_5para, 11 January 2010 - 08:38 PM.

[COOL Mobility]

I have an old SAAB 900 that has tons of wheel arch space. I've tried old ladder chains - useless and hard for anyone to put on, "Rud" Diamond chains - much easier but still require reaching behind tyre to position. I've also tried rigid metal ones similar but much more simple (only four spokes) that were east to mount but gave a horid ride. They were great in mud though to get out of bogs and could be fitted once bogged - can't remember the brand though but were around in the 80s and 90s.

Edited by COOL Mobility, 27 February 2010 - 10:33 AM.

[edlee]

Chains are a last resort,,, should NEVER be used on dry pavement,, and even the thirty MPH mentioned above is a little fast .

An all wheel drive or four wheel drive is really the way to go. With agressive all weather tires, you will get where ever it's safe to go. At one time they sold tires with spikes embedded in the rubber. They were very effective, but were illegal during most of the year. I'm not sure they are available anymore, as I haven't seen them for some time.

That idea about spare tires with chains already mounted, is an idea from the sixties,,, but it is still valid.
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