Volkswagen Jetta (2006 - ) - Help with snow chains.

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Sat 17 Jan 2009 19:38
Help with snow chains. - v8man
I am driving to Italy next month on a skiing holiday and obviously I will need snow chains.

However, my Jetta TDI Sport has 17J alloys with 225 - 45- 17 tyres. According to my handbook my wheel size is unsuitable for chains. I' assuming this is because of clearance issues with the suspension/braking components.

Does anyone know of a chain system that will fit my car? I will ask at my VW dealer on Monday when it goes in for a service.
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Sat 17 Jan 2009 19:44
Help with snow chains. - Manatee
Snow socks?

www.roofbox.co.uk/autosock/

Discussed before:

www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=57872

Edited by Manatee on 17/01/2009 at 19:47

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Sat 17 Jan 2009 19:49
Help with snow chains. - v8man
Thanks Manatee. I have looked into these and they are allowed in Europe. The regulations for alpine roads state that the system must be constructed of metal elements.

There are systems that fit onto the wheel bolts with adaptors but they're hugely expensive. £199 is a bit steep for one week a year for something I may not even need.
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Sat 17 Jan 2009 19:56
Help with snow chains. - Pugugly
Can you hire them out there - I thought I read it here.
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Sat 17 Jan 2009 20:00
Help with snow chains. - v8man
I will need them before I arrive as I will be driving through the Brenner in Innsbruck.
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Sat 17 Jan 2009 19:59
Help with snow chains. - hillman1 {p}
Have a look at this website- the company are located near to me but do nationwide rental on snowchains. May be worth considering. I have used them several times for roof racks etc and can highly recommend them

www.snowchains.co.uk/

Have a good trip.

Nick
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Sat 17 Jan 2009 20:07
Help with snow chains. - v8man
Thanks for that. The low profile chains look like they may fit the bill.

As they are only in Borough Green I will pop in and speak to them.
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Sat 17 Jan 2009 20:31
Help with snow chains. - hillman1 {p}
No problem. Good luck
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Sat 17 Jan 2009 20:37
Help with snow chains. - loskie
Get a set of steel wheels from scrapyard to fit for about £60. Fit with winter tyres. Get both wheels and tyres that'll accommodate chains if still necessary. Don't know if you could hire them but if you plan on a couple of years worth of trips purchase may not be too bad. Of course I've never had to do this so don't know exactly but £15 wheel was what I was quoted for wheels for my octavia before fitting Vredestein Quatrac 3 but you'll need more aggressive winter tyres. Wintrac Extreme. There is a wide range
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Sat 17 Jan 2009 22:27
Help with snow chains. - v8man
This would seem a costly option for such little use. I don't think Leaseplan would like the idea much either.
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Mon 19 Jan 2009 11:14
Help with snow chains. - Mike H
You might look at this previous thread:

www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=59206

.....you'll potentially be on the wrong side of the law in Austria if you don't have winter tyres, and potentially uninsured. And, BTW, you won't be able to use the german autobahns if snow is falling unless you have winter tyres.

For info, 205/55x16 tyres are a virtually identical rolling radius to the 225/45x17 - I visit Austria regularly in the winter and have a set for my Saab 9-5 Aero which runs on the 17s in the summer.

Edited by Mike H on 19/01/2009 at 11:15

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Mon 19 Jan 2009 11:28
Help with snow chains. - Bagpuss
Agreed. If you are planning on driving to the alps in February you will need winter tyres. It's not untypical to reach -15C here in southern Germany and last week we reached -20C. The roads can be very slippery and you are not allowed to use snow chains except on deep snow.

By the way, the skiing is excellent in the alps this year;-)
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Thu 4 Feb 2010 03:30
Help with snow chains. - shurikx
8< snip - if you wish to advertise / promote your own product, then go through the correct channels - www.honestjohn.co.uk/advertise/ads.htm

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 04/02/2010 at 10:28

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Thu 4 Feb 2010 06:39
Help with snow chains. - ipsfr
These studs do look interesting, but don't sound like the kind of things you fit and remove easily at the side of the road like chains or alternative coverings. I wonder too whether they are legal on non-snowy asphalt in all countries.

As I have mentioned elsewhere Michelin Easygrip look like a solution as a close alternative to chains when you don't want winter tyres and clearance is an issue, but when I downloaded the multi-language user manual and looked through it I found that they appear to be approved as proper equipment in France (big surprise) but not in any of the other European countries, or not yet I guess. If I ever have to use my chains, and if I ever wear them out which looks pretty unlikely, I would look seriously at these things.

Ian
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Thu 4 Feb 2010 07:53
Help with snow chains. - ijws15
AFAIK studded tyres for cars come with the studs fitted. To scew in studs you would need tyres designed to take them.

Last time I saw studded tyres in the UK was in around 82, we had a film crew in the factory and as the trainee I was their escort. Their last job was Sweden and he still had the studded tyres on the car - was complaining that the asphalt was wrecking the tyres and tearing the studs out.

You would need normal tyres to drvie to the snow anyway so studs don't really help.
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Tue 15 Dec 2015 12:43
Help with snow chains. - JOCL

From my understanding you will need a chain with an inner tyre clearance of 7mm. The Veriga SEVEN or Thule Ck-7 snow chain are a recommended fit for your tyre size and should look at xxxx who can supply both.

(Link deleted - pathetic attempt at free advertising.)

Edited by Avant on 15/12/2015 at 17:37

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Tue 15 Dec 2015 13:13
Help with snow chains. - Mike H

I suspect the OP is back by now...... ;-)

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Tue 15 Dec 2015 13:27
Help with snow chains. - jc2

Lots of people don't look at the dates just as they don't look at previous posts on radio codes!!!

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