Snow Socks

[paramaniac]

Hi all, I just wanted to see if anyone has used snow socks for their car. They are sold as an alternative to winter tyres or snow chains and I'm thinking of getting a pair.

Does anyone have any experience of them and know which ones on the market are the best?

[Sara Fiesta]

My friend at work uses them I don't know what brand but she said they are easy to fit and she's really happy with them, she has used snow chains before and recommends the snow socks as an alternative, she not originally for the UK and where she lived before they had lots of snow. I was thinking of getting some as I got stuck last year and they say this years snow is going to be as bad????

[Preee]

Just watched a video of them , first part showed a car trying to pull away spinning its wheels no grip , once the sock's were fitted it only showed the car moving. They may be ok if you were on snow all of your journey. I would not use them personally. Driving on snow is mostly about how you drive and your tyres. I don't think these would last long on british roads of heavy salt and slush.

[Lenny]

I wouldn't recommend you buy Michelin Easy Grip Composite Snow Chain's

If I was buying again id purchase snow socks and four of them.

I bought a set last year, and as Pree says when driving on slush, I couldn't drive over 30mph or the car would pound off the road, and when driving on slush i got around 2 miles down the road before I had a re-enactment of the Movie Forest Gump..

The chains snapped and sprung off in to the air landing in the hedge and leaving a nasty scratch on my wheel arch, thankfully I'm unemployed this season and i don't have to travel,

But if I did have to travel again in the snow id purchase the snow socks, and four of them, as when driving with grips on the front only, it can be a hairy situation when cornering, the tail tends to slip out to meet the oncoming traffic, happened me a few times too.

I'd carry in the car:

Cigarette plug Mobile Phone Charger,

Can Of Anti-Freeze

High Visibility Vest and spread it out in the rear window.

(This helps when the rear lights get caked with snow)

First aid kit, they have foil heat blankets in the kit Click Here

(Even if you don't know first aid, the person potentially saving you will)

but if not a first aid kit the atleast this Foil Blanket Click Here

Nestle Fruit Bar and bottle of water or similar (keep it in the glove box if you ever get stuck keep sugar levels up)

Full sized Garden spade with a good handle (Keep it in the boot) like this one Click Here

A warm blanket (keep it in the back of the car, within reach)

And a torch (recommend this torch Click Here great light from them, ive got two)

Also most Sat Navs will display your exact location down to within 5 feet in the event of phoning for help, as everywhere looks to be the same in the snow.

This is all geared towards the worst case solaria but I used to commute on country roads which on a normal day took me 40 minutes, but in the snow took me two hours fifteen minutes. :D

[johnH]

after doing an artic weather driving course in the falklands, the biggest thing is the driver.... i managed to get across the moors last year easily, only getting stuck once due to not enough ground clearance on the car.

pull away in 2nd gear, not using loads of revs

keep your speed down

anticipate braking and brake gently even feather the pedal. use your gears more than your brakes to slow down.

biggest annoyance is when i was travelling down the a1 last year and you got the !Removed! in the audi/merc or bmw who would bomb past at stupid speeds and spin out...no sympathy at all..so dont try and keep up with these choppers and ignore those behind you, if they want to go fast, let them overtake and possibly die.

using that advice you can get anywhere, even places that look daunting. just take your time.

[ONETrueSaturday]

Thanks for the mention, look pretty good, gonna give them a try.

[jeebowhite]

I am definately getting some as soon as i can afford them, as johnH said its as much about the driver, but the car sometimes needs a little help. They are designed only for use on snow, so take them off at any other point, otherwise they are a worthwhile investment!

[dmozz]

Best thing since sliced bread!

Got some snow socks for my S-Max two years ago as I found out that on any incline, the weight of the S-max combined with the wide tyres meant it did not pull away at all, and downhill was line the cresta run. I live on a hill and would not be able to get home without them. When they are on you can confidently pull off or stop when other cars are skidding around like dancing on ice.

I got a goodyear brand, but I think that there is an unbranded version that is identical, for £40 from eBay.

Easy to fit (after the first few fiddly attempts - the thing to bear in mind is that you dont need to get them dead centre - as soon as you start driving, the centrifugal force will centre them)

The worst things are:

when you hit tarmac you must remove them or they will shred within a mile. Mine are a bit worn around the edges from this, but I have had 2 years wear so far and hope to get another year from them.

Also they are sopping wet when you take them off so you either have them wet in your boot or take them in to dry (but have to remember to put them back in your car!)

DO NOT leave them on or they will freeze on and be impossible to remove!