snow chains

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You will need snow chains in winter when some heavy snow has fallen. Despite what you might think, it is actually fairly easy to fit snow chains to your tyres. The most challenging of fitting snow chains is putting them on your wheels in the cold with stiff fingers.

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www.mister-auto.co.uk - 0844 338 00 21*Please note: free and informative document for which Mister-Auto does not accept any responsibility or liability.

Snow chains consist of metal rings or diamond-shaped links which together form some sort of net which is placed around the tyres. Their purpose is to increase your grip onto a snowy or icy surface. Snow chains are fitted around the driven wheels (usually the front wheels.) However, if you have all-wheel drive, technically you’ll need snow chains on all four wheels but only at the front is sufficient.

Tyre size :

The best way to select the right snow chains for your car, is by taking your tyre size and enter that into the menu on our webpage.

Wheel clearance :

Before choosing your snow chains, you will need to pay attention to the link thickness and the clearance between the wheels of your car and the suspension parts. If you have very little clearance, you will need snow chains with relatively thin rings to avoid them running against suspension parts, such as the suspension struts.

Chain shape :

Choose your chains based on their shape. The chain shape is a decisive element when starting, braking and controlling the vehicle. Different chains have different shapes although a crossed net is most common as it provides the best grip. Thanks to the link-crosses your chains will always be in contact with the ground which is important when driving on slippery surfaces.

SNOW CHAINS

IMPORTANT

• Snow chains do not replace winter tyres but comple-

ment the latter.

• When driving with snow chains, do not drive faster

than 30 mph.

• Take off your snow chains as soon as you start driving on cleared roads to avoid damaging your tyres or even parts of your suspension.

Snow chains are used in two cases :

1. When roads are snowy, icy or glazed and winter tyres do no longer provide sufficient grip.

2. When the use of snow chains is compulsory – this will be indicated by a round blue traffic sign in certain skiing areas for example.

- The type of car

- Clearance

- Tyre size

- Your personal needs

- Chain shape

We choose snow chains based on :

WHAT ARE SNOW CHAINS FOR ?

HOW DO I CHOOSE SNOW CHAINS ?

http://www.mister-auto.co.uk/en/chains/



FITTING SNOW CHAINS IN 10 EASY STEPS

Prepare your vehicle properly if the weather forecast predicts snow.

Use a parking space of about three meters long to be able to move back and forth a bit.

Always set your hand brake to avoid accidents.

Step

Step

Step

Step

Step

Step

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1 2

3Brace your car if necessary with wheel chock or a wooden wheel block to prevent it from rolling or sliding.4

Make sure the roughest side of the chains points towards the ground. Then slowly drive about 60 centimetres forward.

Fix the chains with the two designated ends at the top of the chains when you’ve fitted them around our tyre.

Let two to five centimetres loose, then fix the closures on a ring on the opposite side.

6

7 8

Place your chains underneath the ve-hicle, against the driven wheels (either at the front or at the rear).5

Start your car and drive a small distance to check if everything is well attached.10

Fasten the attaching hooks on the side of the rim.9

SNOW CHAINS



Always practise fitting your snow chains before leaving. Choose a well-lit, flat

and dry surface for your first fitting.

• Keep your snow chains in the boot of your car or another easily accessible place.

• To carry out a fitting, remember to equip yourself with warm clothes, lined gloves, a cloth and a torch.

• If you need to use snow chains, always park well away from the carriageway (if on a motorway, do not use the shoulder or even an emergency refuge area but always an official car park).

• After having fitted your snow chains, remember to stop once more after having driven a few miles and check the chains’ tension.

• Avoid driving on cleared roads with snow chains fitted.

If you have no choice but to do so, drive very gently, avoiding strong accelerations or sudden braking.

• After use, take good care of your snow chains. Snowy or muddy roads are often gritted. Road grit has an extremely wearing effect on your snow chains. To pro-long your chains’ life, wash them in lukewarm water, let them dry properly and check them for broken links or connectors before putting them away.

The proper upkeep of your snow chains starts with practising to fit them.

• Like tyres, snow chains are car accesso-ries subjected to wear and tear. Depending

on how frequently you need to use your snow chains, they will wear over time and eventually

need replacing. To avoid the links breaking while driv-ing, remember to tighten your chains once more after having driven a couple of miles. To enjoy optimal safety on snowy roads, the correct tension is essential.Also drive gently with snow chains fitted and do not exceed 30mph. At higher speeds you risk damaging both your snow chains and your car.

• Avoid driving on cleared roads with snow chains fit-ted as much as possible. However, when holidaying in mountainous areas in winter, it is almost inevitable to occasionally having to drive on cleared roads. If you need to, remember to drive very gently indeed and do not exceed 25mph.

• Lastly, a final important point for the upkeep of your snow chains: their cleaning. At the end of every season, when you won’t be using your chains anymore, plunge them in a tub of warm water for two hours. Then rinse them thoroughly with lukewarm clear water. Let them dry properly before putting them back in their case. These steps are essential for prolonging your snow chains’ life as much as possible. Without cleaning, they would rust quickly and become fragile.

WHICH PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE BEFORE FITTING SNOW CHAINS?

THE WEAR AND UPKEEP OF YOUR SNOW CHAINS

SNOW CHAINS



Despite giving them a good clean after every season, your

snow chains will eventually wear so much over the years that they

become fragile.

It is possible that you will notice a couple of bended links. The risk of the links bending increases if the chains are not correctly fitted or tightened.

Unsurprisingly, the most important cause of premature wear to snow chains is a bad fitting. To be able to use your snow chains as long as possible, it is of the utmost importance that all the links are well positioned onto the tyres. To ensure they are, there is only one thing to be done: practise!

Quite a number of years after the introduction of the tradi-tional snow chains, the first winter tyres and snow socks were issued. Before thinking about buying either of those, bear in mind that neither replace the more effective snow chains. However, snow socks are a good alternative to snow chains if you only need to drive short distances on relatively flat and thinly snowed roads (5% slopes at the most).

Please note: the lifespan of snow socks is very short in-deed: they will only last about 12.5 miles. Snow socks are made of a sturdy fabric, but textile still, and therefore they remain rather fragile. They should at no point be used on gritted roads.

The majority of snow socks are however B26 accepted so you are allowed to use them when the use of special snow equipment is compulsory.

DRIVING WITH SNOW CHAINS FITTED

ANOTHER SOLUTION: SNOW SOCKS

SNOW CHAINS

http://www.mister-auto.co.uk/en/chains/

snow chains

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