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snow socks or snow chains

29K views 56 replies 16 participants last post by  urbanfoxkensington 
#1 ·
Hello,
Im a new member with a Brand new F Pace & Loving it! :D
Im going to France skiing shortly and should by Law in France even though its an AWD have snow chains or sock i guess in the car prior to going up the mountain to resort.

Can anyone advise if they have used either?
I guess they would be fitted to the rear wheels rather than the fronts?

I would be grateful if anyone has used them and could advise accordingly and where they purchased them?

Regards,
Johnnyboy
 
#2 ·
Hi,

Am going to the alps too. My first move was to get M+S tyres fitted (Goodyear Wrangler HP). They've actually immediately improved grip and traction in the car, which feels a bit more of a real 4x4 now :) My summer tyres, with only 1000 miles on, are in the "tyre hotel" (£60) until April.

On my Freelander I used the Spikes Spider snow traction system (same as the LR and Jaguar one). Seemed to work fine - only used them in anger once. Website says they fit a 20" wheel, would recommend. Practice fitting before you leave!
 
#3 ·
Hello,

Also going to the French Alps 2 times a year and need snowchains +/- every 2 years. Last january i was glad i did not buy the socks. Saw a few FWD cars with socks in trouble on the steeper parts. My 4x4 with regular snowchains did not have a problem.

I did buy the ones from Jaguar. Actualy Thule/Konig K-Summit XXL. They seem easy to fit and do not tangle but the bag is quite large.



But always do a practice fit first. And do it on your actual winter tyres. I made that mistake once. Practiced on the summer tyre and the winter tyres were marginally wider/higher/less used. You don't want that in -10, dark & snowy conditions.
 
#4 ·
Hello Johnnyboy,

Thank you for your post as this is one of my favourite / specialist subjects :geek:

Your best bet, for a completely stress free and happy skiing holiday, is to bite the bullet and buy yourself four proper winter tyres. You have 20" wheels so there will be a decent choice of different brands and price points. Why do I recommend this? Well, many reasons: If you use your summer tyres and a pair of chains, socks or spikes then, whilst you will have a degree of traction from your rear wheels, you will have no steering grip from the front wheels! If your chains are just needed to get you out of the car park, chalet drive or tiny side road then maybe..... but with these things mounted you will be limited to not driving above about 15-20mph before the centrifugal force will throw them off. Meanwhile, when you look in your mirrors you will see a loooong line of frustrated alpine traffic, including the dreaded ski bus with the crazy driver, all stacked up behind you - with their winter tyres they woiuld normally be driving at around 40mph in snow.

If you mount winter tyres then I doubt you will ever need to fit your socks, chains or spikes. You will be unstoppable with your AWD. Fitting these things in freezing conditions, often while snow is falling on you and sometimes in the dark is horrible. I have done it many years back and it ain't my idea of a holiday while the others in your party sit inside a freezing car waiting for you or your young Son stands by your side asking questions about why it's taking so long. My lad even thought it was a good idea to actually video me so that my penance and failing poker face could be captured for future viewing as a laugh by the rest of my family and friends - Patience ;) You still need chains, socks or spikes as it's the law - but I have a set in my boot and they have never seen the light of day for the last ten years despite navigating through some heavy, deep snow as well as the lighter stuff.

So, in summary, if money is tight (you own a Jaguar, really) or you are tight (you own a Jaguar, really) then you could try and get away with the cheapest option which would probably be the socks or spikes. Maybe if you only plan to go ski-drive once then this might be worth taking a chance. Some years the skiing is good but you get a week or two when the snow doesn't fall from the sky in the resort. But if it does fall from the sky you will look like a right twot. For example, even if the roads are black, you will be using your car to ferry the family to the ski lifts and parking your car at the chairlift / cablecar - these car parks are not always properly cleared of snow and ice so your choice of parking in a busy area could be limited. It all makes for stress, whether the issue materialises or not, and for me that isn't what my holiday is about.

I once tried summer tyres and chains, just mounted on the front as it was FWD, many years back. Every time I got to a hairpin going down from the resort to the valley floor to join the autobahn, the back kicked out. Frightening.

I hope this helps. There are some other threads on winter tyres if you search on this term.

Best wishes and a happy holiday. We are off on 23 December to the Austrian Tyrol until 8 January. It's magical, you get their New Year firework celebrations and, on 1 January 2017, Austria is going 'smoke free' - at last! We will be able to sit in restaurants and actually enjoy our meals now. And, new for this year, I have a 'Top Gun' style ski helmet along with my favourite skis which are hanging in the garage! Can't wait! They're forecasting -16c on Xmas day.

Best wishes,

Arianne

PS. Winter tyres drive just like summer tyres, unless you push them at the extremes. They don't have studs (they only use them in deepest, darkest Scandanavia). They have a slightly softer compound so that they don't harden in cold temperatures and become more effective than summer tyres at 7c, which is the tipping point for performance even without snow. In snow, they use the hundreds or tiny cross-cuts in the tyre blocks (called sipes) to grip snow. Each sipe, on its own, doesn't provide much contribution to the grip but, together, they combine to provide almost magical levels of traction and steering control allowing you to drive at up to 40mph and stop safely. Once the tread is below 4mm they start to lose their magic and the sideways control is usually the first tell-tale sign as the sipes and blocks on the outside edges of the tyres are the first to wear out. I then just run these tyres into the summer at the end of their life. Your dealer will swap the tyres on your existing rims for about £12 a corner, using your existing tyre pressure monitoring valves. Never use Kwik Fit. Your dealer will be more careful with the TPMV and your alloys so that neither are damaged. I store my tyres on a rack, mounted on the wall in my garage. But my Son has his stacked vertically in the corner. They're tyres so don't believe all the hype about cosseting them in storage! They'll survive, mine always have! And remember that some winter tyres, depending upon which brand you choose, may have a lower speed rating than your summer tyres - so think about that before experiencing the thrill of 120mph on the unrestricted German autobahn and wondering why, this year, none of the Germans seem to be driving so fast behind you (they are all on winter rubber as, if they have an accident in the winter in Germany, there is an automatic presumption of liability if they still are running summer rims).

PPS. And if you do nothing else, buy yourself a plastic or aluminium snow shovel. They are lightweight but strong. Shove it in the boot as it will save you at some point. Or it will make you a hero with some other stranded driver - either in The Alps where they will be amazed that a Brit (we are notorious for being completely hopeless in winter snow conditions) has actually got properly prepared or in Britain (we rescued someone from the HardKnott Pass in TheLake District). About £30 should do it.
 
#6 ·
JLRnumber5 said:
^ you never disappoint Arianne! :)

Have a jolly super time away. For the first year in ages we won't be skiing this year. I have no idea what I will do with myself!
That's because I actually started my holiday today :) My October break was disrupted by my boss needing to access the magic inside my brain for two days right in the middle of the week just after we had returned from The Lakes. I brokered a deal whereby the price she paid was me taking an extra week holiday tagged onto the front of my existing two week Xmas / New Year break! Good deal :idea:

So, Mrs A being the kind loving and selfless person that she is, brought me breakfast in bed and I decided to surf the Jaguar forum! It don't get much better than that for Day One of your holiday. Oh yes it does...... someone decided to post a question about winter snow driving, fab!

Well, that's me off then. I have a nice indulgent day planned, will be seeing Star Wars tomorrow night and then off to Edinburgh for a meal on Sunday night at Amarone, St Andrews Square before taking in the Winter Market in Princes Street Gardens - JLR5, you should make Edinburgh a destination as it's great at this time of year at night.

Have a lovely day people.

Arianne
 
#7 ·
Arianne said:
Shove it in the boot as it will save you at some point. Or it will make you a hero with some other stranded driver - either in The Alps where they will be amazed that a Brit (we are notorious for being completely hopeless in winter snow conditions) has actually got properly prepared or in Britain (we rescued someone from the HardKnott Pass in TheLake District). About £30 should do it.
Arianne,

I've seen 'completely hopeless in winter snow conditions' people from almost every nationality. That is not reserved to Brits.

I am going on ski trips since 1978 and a lot of that with 3,5 ton motorhomes when winter tyres did not exist and snow chains were cut to lenght at the local hardware store. I have seen many drivers with 4X4's with winter tires crashing on ice patches. I always put winter tires on and have snowchains in the trunk. Better safe than sorry.

If i go to a ski ressort higher than 1.500 meters i always take with me:

1) Shovel
2) Snow chains
3) Big heavy plastic to place on the ground to kneel on
4) Flashlight
5) An oversized rain jacket and trouser to protect your ski clothing when mount/unmount snow chains
6) Waterproof overgloves
7) Before starting the trip pray that you don't need any of the above.

Going to La Plagne from 7-14 january if snow is starting to fall. Otherwise i have to review my options.
 
#8 ·
^^ Totally agree! That's the short version of my earlier post for those with less time on their hands.

About whether the snow is falling in time or not..... the temperatures are now lower so any resort worth it's reputation will be able to roll out their state of the art snow making equipment. Unless you are desperate to ski off-piste then it can actually be quite pleasant skiing in sunny, calm conditions on well prepared and groomed pistes of artificial snow.

We stay in Niederau. It's not a high resort as we like to ski through the tree line and enjoy the more sheltered conditions and beauty of the lower resorts. This valley (Wildschonau) isn't world class on artificial snow so, because we have the car and Niederau is the first village in the high valley, we travel 20mins to Scheffau which is part of the SkiWelt region. They have the most amazing technology because they are vulnerable to snow drought. Last Xmas was the worst year I remember but we had a good time above Scheffau skiing from the first cable car ascent at 8:30am through to midday, having spent 30mins for morning coffee on the mountain.

On balance though, I prefer the excitement of super wintry conditions and deep snow. That's what it's all about.

Best wishes for your break, Arianne
 
#9 ·
Scheffau, we were there long time ago in hotel Waldhof located on the left of the big parking were the cable car start. Nice place if enough snow. Now always going to France, La Plagne, Valmorel, Les Menuires. We never use the car during the week. Last year there was no covered parking available and i had to dig 3 hours to get it out the snow. :(

As snowboarder i don't like groomed and prepared runs. Getting too old to go off-piste alone. :cry: :cry: :cry:

Have a nice and safe Holiday. Looking forward for your travel blog.
 
#10 ·
Val d'Isere for us, for the past 3 years running. Take the ski-train down. Leave London 10am and arrive in resort 6pm having enjoyed two three-course meals in the company of friends and watched the scenery change. Very relaxing way of travel, but really thinking that next year we'll take the FP!
 
#11 ·
Travel itinerary for us.....

DFDS Newcastle to Amsterdam overnight ferry. Leaves at 17:00 and arrives in IJmuiden at 9:30am. We have a suite on the top floor, dinner in the restaurant and the most wonderful breakfast before travelling to our apartment in Austria. Arrive around 8pm. Volvo seats mean that you step out as fresh as when you started the journey, their seats are widely recognised as being some of the best in the business. That's why we went for the top 14 way sports seats in the F-pace.

Best experience we ever had :cry: ........ stopped for an overnight fill up at the Autohof on the German autobahn in the early hours. Temperature was -12c. Alfa Romeo's petrol filler cap had frozen. We were almost out of fuel. Try as I might we couldn't get the key to budge the lock of the petrol filler cap. Mrs A then asked to have a go and promptly broke the key in the cap :roll:

Nest stop ADAC rescue. Having nearly frozen my hand to the receiver of the handset in the phone booth to make the call, they told me that they didn't start until 7am so we almost froze in our car with a small baby (the people in the Autohof at that time of night / morning looked like folk from the bar at Mos Eisley from Star Wars). Ah, the joys of Alfa Romeo and the wonderful Mrs A.

ADAC man came and, after we had waited for hours for his expert, skilful magic - he proceeded to lift a heavy flat-blade screwdriver from his toolbox and hammer it through the plastic filler cap. He then used it to swivel and unscrew the cap which was then no good to man or beast :eek: We spent the rest of the holiday using the top of a Pringles crisp tube as a temprorary filler cap so that our fussy Alfa girl wouldn't ignite if some comical Tyrolean guy flicked his Austria Tabak *** end into the filler neck!

Life, you can't beat it!

Arianne
 
#12 ·
Off to Val d'Isere just after New Year. I have the 22" wheels so somewhat restricted winter options (still no chains advertised as fitting) but after some sound advice from Arianne on another thread and some detective work by me I have gone for the Pirelli Scorpions (full winters with the three peak mountain and snowflake) with a set of snow socks which I hope are to make me legally compliant rather than for actual use. The new tyres look fabulous and have been used successfully in semi anger in a very muddy sports ground and some gradient and lots of parked cars and they were great (whilst it was warm I think the summers would have struggled for grip). Hoping for some serious snow for the drive down, both to see what the F Pace is like in those conditions, but also because I ski off more than on piste so snow making not that helpful!

S.
 
#13 ·
StevenH said:
Off to Val d'Isere just after New Year. I have the 22" wheels so somewhat restricted winter options (still no chains advertised as fitting) but after some sound advice from Arianne on another thread and some detective work by me I have gone for the Pirelli Scorpions (full winters with the three peak mountain and snowflake) with a set of snow socks which I hope are to make me legally compliant rather than for actual use. The new tyres look fabulous and have been used successfully in semi anger in a very muddy sports ground and some gradient and lots of parked cars and they were great (whilst it was warm I think the summers would have struggled for grip). Hoping for some serious snow for the drive down, both to see what the F Pace is like in those conditions, but also because I ski off more than on piste so snow making not that helpful!

S.
Where did you get your tyres from may I ask?
 
#14 ·
I got them from a local branch of Merityre, who I think sourced them from Germany. They were quite some way off being the cheapest option, but they do store the other tyres properly at their main depot for no cost whereas most other people seemed to charge something, if they could store at all. My dealer could not store and I would rather not have the bother.
 
#16 ·
Ok I think we can all agree socks or chains are not good compared to a good tyre.

However for me it's more an emergency situation where I'm caught out and about and it snows.

In that situation and assume I've still got normal 22" wheels and summer tyres .... would me carrying socks be any benefit? Or will I just be stuck ?
 
#17 ·
StevenH said:
I got them from a local branch of Merityre, who I think sourced them from Germany. They were quite some way off being the cheapest option, but they do store the other tyres properly at their main depot for no cost whereas most other people seemed to charge something, if they could store at all. My dealer could not store and I would rather not have the bother.
Thanks, I'll give them a call. Any ideas on cost?
 
#18 ·
I swear by snow tyres, have used them for the past 9 years, don't like the thought of digging out snow, fumbling to put the chains on with frozen hands and then on top of that all the black muck you get on your hands. Then taking them off because theres no more snow on the road, nope, thats too much of a rigmarole. Its worth spending the extra and not think about if and when you will have to get the socks or chains out of the boot. Besides, theres no big significance in performance between winter and summer tyres depending the quality and the speed limit you chose on the winter tyre.
Order your tyres online, way cheaper.
 
#19 ·
Jasonfpace said:
StevenH said:
I got them from a local branch of Merityre, who I think sourced them from Germany. They were quite some way off being the cheapest option, but they do store the other tyres properly at their main depot for no cost whereas most other people seemed to charge something, if they could store at all. My dealer could not store and I would rather not have the bother.
Thanks, I'll give them a call. Any ideas on cost?
Cost was £1,500 fitted. If you google the tyre size and winter tyres you will get a selection of suppliers, some a little over £300 each, but you will pay to fit. My issue was storage (and confidence in that storage) and in the end I was happy to pay a bit more for what seemed a better solution overall.
 
#21 ·
JLRnumber5 said:
StevenH said:
Off to Val d'Isere just after New Year.
Maybe see you on La Face .. I will be the slightly out-of-control one.
I should be easier to spot. Assuming the tyres work driving up and down the high street I will be the one attempting to drive up La Face to see just how good those tyres are!

You driving? I had assumed I would be only F Pace in the village.
 
#23 ·
Gdank said:
Ok I think we can all agree socks or chains are not good compared to a good tyre.

However for me it's more an emergency situation where I'm caught out and about and it snows.

In that situation and assume I've still got normal 22" wheels and summer tyres .... would me carrying socks be any benefit? Or will I just be stuck ?
Don't know as I've never used them. Have had 2 XF's and always used Thule k Summits with summer tyres and they got me through although probably not that pretty. Bit hairy getting out of Val Thorens last April (i.e. Going downhill with little grip on the steering wheels).

I suspect that in the same way the sock people originally said that there were no socks to fit the 265 40 22 but after a bit of further questioning changed their mind, that in the end Thule/Koenig will eventually decide that there is a k Summit that fits our wheel. After all they do quote it fitting a 275 40 22, which as far as my understanding extends is simply the same size but a bit wider. Given the fact these simply attach to the front of the wheel attached to a wheel nut I struggle to see why the same size would not fit, and given the choice of sock or k Summit I would choose the latter because I know they work.

I was kind of going with your argument for a while but in the end decided it was a bit illogical to spend £60k+ on a 4 wheel drive car and then find I couldn't actually drive around in the snow, and whilst a new set of tyres is expensive, it's more about cash flow than real cost as my tyres will last twice as long.
 
#24 ·
rsport_paul said:
I once went to Runcorn Dry Ski slope, does that count?
I did that when I first learned to ski. Better to learn the basics in the UK so you can enjoy your first holiday in the resort properly. What's the point of travelling hundreds of miles and paying all that money just to spend hours with some instructor telling you how to put your boots on, how to fit them in the ski bindings and learning to snowplough stop - all in some kind of funny mix of German and English mixed language. Nope, learn the basics here and then enjoy how forgiving real snow is afterwards. Just be careful not to fall, put your hand out to catch yourself on the matting and then break your thumb as it gets trapped in the matting but your body is still moving forward. Done that, been there - it's called Hillend Thumb up here in Scotland after the big dry ski centre outside Edinburgh in the Pentland Hills. The NHS people went the extra mile and made a bespoke splint for me that slipped into my glove to protect my hand and thumb - how good is NHS Scotland? Very, very good.

Gdank said:
Ok I think we can all agree socks or chains are not good compared to a good tyre. However for me it's more an emergency situation where I'm caught out and about and it snows. In that situation and assume I've still got normal 22" wheels and summer tyres .... would me carrying socks be any benefit? Or will I just be stuck ?
22" fat summer tyres in snow, even with AWD = going nowhere and looking a right dip. Same combination + snowsocks and you will just about get out of trouble providing conditions are not too awful, the gradient isn't too steep and you're not planning to travel far. They will give you a bit of traction to get you out of trouble. Better than nothing.

As for buying some proper winter tyres now for the 22" wheels - that's looking like a challenge. Just checked my usual websites and they're all sold out. They only stock a limited supply as, for cash flow reasons, they don't want to be stuck with excess stock after the winter has ended. MyTyres.com, Camskill and Black Circles don't have any....

Arianne
 
#25 ·
My top tip:
Save your money for a PROPER holiday. You know - the ones where it's sunny and warm and you can walk around / lie around in shorts and a T-shirt.
Snow you say? No mate - don't go outside in that shit
 
#26 ·
Gdank said:
Ok I think we can all agree socks or chains are not good compared to a good tyre.

However for me it's more an emergency situation where I'm caught out and about and it snows.

In that situation and assume I've still got normal 22" wheels and summer tyres .... would me carrying socks be any benefit? Or will I just be stuck ?
If your 22" are P-Zeros you are going nowhere on snow or ice. My BMW 1 with those tyres can't even get out of the driveway in the snow. Google P-Zero+snow and you will now why it is not a good idea.
 
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