Snow socks R ORSUM

[garethj]

Yesterday I was on the A507 from Amptill to Milton Keynes, if you had the radio on you'd have heard it mentioned on the travel news

 

Tesco stopped their home delivery but said I could go to the MK branch and pick it up to save me mooching around the store with all the other proles. Sounds good, so off I went.

 

Half a mile into the journey there's a TNT lorry drifted nicely into a signpost and a few people failing to dig it out. About 10 cars between me and the lorry and no sign of going anywhere, so on this unclassified road I do a rather nice 7 point turn and head back to another side road. 2 cars ahead of me, an Audi does the same and gets stuck halfway.

 

Just as the smug grin threatens to permanently deform my face, a lady in an Astra comes towards me on the wrong side of the road, full left lock wound on, front wheels locked and an OMGWTF look about her. She slithers gracefully into the hedge at 5mph and I drive on.

 

Onto another unclassified road to pick up the A507 and it's clearly very slippery indeed. The road surface is shiny and the snow is a few inches deep, the road is quite hilly and steeply cambered in places, so what happens is this:

 

1. Car gets stuck (very often an Audi or BMW on hugereeeallywide tyres)

2. Lorry behind has to slow down because of cars coming the other way

3. Lorry can't start on the incline

4. Nobody can see past the lorry to overtake so they stop on the incline.

5. Goto 1 and repeat

 

After a few times of slithering past at an angle of 30 degrees, I stopped and put the snow socks on. This is where I wished I'd read the instructions beforehand, but they were both on within 2 minutes and from that point it was only me and 4x4s on the road. Very impressive.

[scooters]

Snow socks are brilliantly. Because I am cheap I bought chains instead. It's a very good idea to read the structions and test fit em.

 

I also keep a Macintosh square and a stiff bristled scrubbing brush and an old coat. Not for molesting young fillies but to bake sure you have somewhere to kneel and the brush is to get friend snow off the types and wheel arches. Coat to ptotect your clothes. A torch is a good idea specially one wich you can hold in your mouth.

 

With chains I also take some decent pliers and a flat headed screw driver and make sure you take spare links with you.

 

I spent last night replacing several links and coating all in wd40 as rusty ones stick together more and can snap.

 

R

[scooters]

Sorry about typos fuggin predictive HTC text!

[M'coli]

Sorry about typos fuggin predictive HTC text!

It's an aunt, isn't it!

 

A torch is a good idea specially one wich you can hold in your mouth.

Cheap Argos headtorch FTW -

[scooters]

Yeah those aunts are fuggin ace got one in halfords but keep forgetting it

[michiel]

get friend snow off the types

 

LOL

[DCLane]

I've just got a pair of snow socks for the Saab vert - but am yet to need them. They seem to be good though at first look.

 

Thanks for the tip of trying them out before actually needing them ... will do.

[Shep Shepherd]

I may not ever need them, but I think I'll get a pair anyway. What's their life expectancy, in terms of miles?

[garethj]

I may not ever need them, but I think I'll get a pair anyway. What's their life expectancy, in terms of miles?

Dunno, but I did 20 miles in them yesterday. I think you should keep under 30mph, and the run back was 10 miles at 30mph on fairly clean tarmac and they were fine. I imagine if you did loads of 3 point turns in a FWD car you'd cut life down a bit

[Louise2cv]

I think the instructions say use on clear surfaces will dramatically reduce the life of them, so whip them off once you are "un-stuck". It also said the a set of four was recommended for RWD.

[dieselnutjob]

last year I had new winter tyres on the front and legal limit summer tyres on the back

this was my FWD 607

drifting round roundabouts rally car style was fun

I'm guess snowsocks only on the front could be similar

[CreepingJesus]

Lately, I've seen a Mondeo and a 307 with snow socks...only on the front. So I'd imagine that was the way to go. I had wondered about the longevity of them: I know snow chains need some looking after, but the socks look like they couldn't be repaired.

And, are they really that size specific? I looked at a few myself recently (wonder why?), and got to wondering if one pair would do both the Mondeo with its' 205's, and the Meg with its' 185's? There's only (nominally) 20mm of difference, so surely that could be taken up in adjustment. Surely?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I've never bothered with snow socks, just put two pairs of ordinary socks on

[barefoot]

I've never bothered with socks,

 

me either