Snow chains

[Aiiress]

Hey, i’m driving to Switzerland in my DH to do some snowboarding in February and wanted to prepare snow chains just in case if i needed some.

Have you guys had any experience with that? What chains did you buy? What do i have to be on the lookout for?

Also these are the tires and rims i’m running.

Thankss!

Sponsored

 

[LETHAL]

Be on the lookout for a VEHICLE THAT IS MEANT FOR SNOW..

 

[Aiiress]

Be on the lookout for a VEHICLE THAT IS MEANT FOR SNOW..

There is absolutely no reason not to drive your car in snow.

 

[LETHAL]

There is absolutely no reason not to drive your car in snow.

... OK

 

[agreywolfe]

from my experience of daily driving my old S197 through 5 New England winters i can give you some advice. not sure what your experience with RWD high torque cars is so ill just throw out general advice for you or anyone whos considering driving in the snow.

1. put weight over the rear axle, it can be sandbags, cement, or just some heavy plates. the car is light in the rear so more weight will help the tires grip better
2. only drive on plowed roads. this isn't a Subaru outback, any serious snow accumulation of more than a few inches can cause the car to bottom out and lose traction more easily if not plowed routinely.
3. its not snow that makes your car rust, its the shit they use to melt it. anytime you drive on plowed roads rinse the car whenever temperatures get above freezing again, or apply a rust preventer beforehand.
4. learn to drive the car hard without traction control, because in snow/ice that's how the car will drive when feathering the throttle.
5. the less the better: shift way sooner and use slippery mode at all times to prevent tires breaking traction, brake sooner and lighter to prevent tires locking on a slippery surface, avoid slow, steep slopes that could make the car slide back.

lastly if you're driving in an active snowstorm blizzard remember, snow compacts as it accumulates and gets beat down by cars and plows. what may have been a calm fluffy drive one way will be an icy hellscape the other way. always drive with caution and be aware of your surroundings at all times.

as for the tire chains, just look for a brand that has car specific chains. a quick google shows people tend to like the THULE owned Konig chains

 

[JimC]

If those tires are the standard summer tires for the Dark Horse, get some snow tires and swap them. You will have no grip at all with the summer tires.

And as far as weight in the trunk. I never found any need to do that. Good tires are enough.

Plus IF you do have an incident, that weight isn't going to just sit there. It will continue to move and the seat backs will simply fold down as the weight comes through - and it will conveniently be stopped though when it connects with the back of your head.

 

[keithwalton]

If those tires are the standard summer tires for the Dark Horse, get some snow tires and swap them. You will have no grip at all with the summer tires.

And as far as weight in the trunk. I never found any need to do that. Good tires are enough.

Plus IF you do have an incident, that weight isn't going to just sit there. It will continue to move and the seat backs will simply fold down as the weight comes through - and it will conveniently be stopped though when it connects with the back of your head.

The blizzaks are a winter tyre. I put them on my merc during winter last year and they’ve recently gone back on for this winter. They are a really nice tyre although it hasn’t snowed in my parts for over a year so I haven’t tested the snow grip. They are highly rated.

If you wanted to go chains I’d find a narrow tyre as wheel well clearance on stock tyre isn’t that great and last thing you’d want is the chains eating the car.

For those championing 4x4’s they only help you get going (and probably faster) they are limited help in steering and do nothing for braking.

Full winters and even Nordic winter tyres make a massive difference to all 3 compared to American all seasons (3 season really) and summer tyres that won’t even get off your driveway

 

[keithwalton]

I clearly jinxed this one, two inches of snow on my cars this morning.

The blizzak lm005's performed perfectly on the Merc, pulled away on my 5 degrees incline road covered in snow no issue, zero slip or slide for the rest of the drive whilst everyone else was struggling or stuck by the slightest hill

 

[Wiley Marmot]

I drove my former '94 Firebird Formula (LT 1 V 8) and '98 Z28 (LS 1 V 8) for a combined total of 9 winters on Blizzaks, Commuted to work 5 days/wk; plus plenty of discretionary trips to places near and far. NEVER got stuck or felt less than confident when mushing through my Winter Wonderland.

I always used 80lbs of water softening salt in the trunks to get better contact between my tires and the road. Those noting the risk of weight shift in the event of an accident (or even hard braking for that matter) are correct. It is a risk. And, if you do get stuck you can use the WS salt as a traction multiplyer under your drive wheels.

Good write up/advice by @agreywolfe !

Snow boarding in Switzerland! Man, that is the shit!

 

[Grabber1]

Snow socks are also an option

 

[Farmer Fran]

I dove my 2004 GTO in the snow all the time. It was a mid-11 full engine build, 392 gears and a 3800 stall. You just have to do it correctly.

x2 on the snow socks.

 

[BuckeyeJake]

I saw Snow Chains in the title and had a chuckle.

Sponsored