6:39 - discussion about ABS not working on ice? When driving on really low-friction surfaces with inappropriate tyres, a sudden application of brakes will instantly lock all 4 wheels. If the ABS system reads all wheel speeds at 0, it will not be able to infer which particular wheel needs brake-release to rotate again, and it cannot just completely release the brakes on all wheels. More sophisticated systems may do a few partial-release/application cycles on individual wheels, but a short and partial release of brake pressure may not be enough for the wheel to start rotating again if the surface is very slippery. Therefore all wheels remain locked and the car slides to a stop. We live in central Europe and, personally, I think winter tyres on all wheels + snow chains in the boot are the way to go. :)
ABS systems have come a long way and old systems would probably behave that way. In summer, I went to a driving safety course that also included very slippery conditions. Even with all 4 wheels locking up, they all released the brake and started rolling again. The surface friction was that of densely packed snow and I used UHP summer tyres. I believe there is something else at play here. It might be the ABS system itself, that's faulty. Which is a bit worrying on a Civic Si. It's not super powerful but it's not slow either.
Thanks for writing, I was in bed when this video was published. As with tire testing we were full abs braking for every traction device, and on this ABS system and at such a low start speed, with such low grip, it seemed to have made the car think we stopped instantly. We didn't have time to try from a faster speed on ice (we were braking from 12 mph), but that ice was really really slippy. The other thing to remember is most ABS systems are programmed to lock the fronts when it's at low speed and it thinks it's on snow as you get better braking that way, so that might have been at play too. Either way, interesting test but I think the traction results are more relevant than braking.
@@tyrereviews In my experience (eastern Canada), ABS is just downright scary in winter for "most" cars. It's usually programmed to be very aggressive at preventing lock ups and that'll give you a dead pedal so quickly, in the Mazda3 I had I would sometimes have no braking whatsoever. My Veloster N is not too bad, but most other cars I've been in have been terrible compared to having no ABS. And then like in this test here, sometimes it'll get confused, which isnt ideal because you dont know what to expect ever in the end. ABS is fine on asphalt where there's a lot of grip and you're rarely anywhere near the limit of grip, it'll allow control for the less experienced, but any situations where you would be near the limit (track driving.... or winter driving), no thank you. Would be nice if we legally had the option to have ABS settings like we do TC and ESC !
@@WilliamLevesqueineX I owned a 2006 mazda 3 and a 2010 mazdaspeed 3 and am also in Canada...both have seen severe snow/ice conditions (like barely making it anywhere, even on good winter tires (xi2's on the speed 3)) and I never had those issues with the ABS system. Per the ABS not working - I would have thought the ABS system would use accelerometer data, not just wheel speed sensors to determine if ABS is needed...especially given that stability control systems definitely use the accelerometer to detect difference between steering position and movement. You'd think that would have the necessary data to say "hey all 4 wheels are stopped but we are clearly still moving".
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I have kept a pair of Autosocks in my cars for years, they come very handy. My experience with them is opposite from yours. The more slippery it is, better they work. I'm in Norway. Last winter, with nordic winter compound, I slid backwards on a slightly inclined road and ended up in small ditch. Thick layer of ice on an unmaintained road had melted a bit and refroze overnight, so it was as smooth and slippery as it gets. The road was shiny as a mirror. I opened the door to get out and fell immediately as well as anyone who tried to come and push my car out. It was unbelievable. A tractor with spiked chains (with actual spikes) had come to pull me out of the ditch. I then put my autosocks and drove away quite easily. They sticked to the smooth ice like glue. To make it all more interesting this happened a couple of kilometers away from the village where the inventor of autosocks is from :)
That's really interesting, thanks for sharing. I was very surprised at the results of the autosocks, but data is data. I wonder if we had a combination of things that made the autosocks underperform. I can't think what though, other than the fact they'd run in snow which could detract from ice performance, however this is a realistic use case scenario.
The theory behind the autosock comes from what people would do ages ago to walk safely on ice, they would put a wool sock over their shoes and problem solved. Today they just buy shoes with studs.@@tyrereviews
I wonder if the scenario they had was the key. I'm not sure how the socks work for traction. But perhaps, they got stuck, put the fresh socks on, which wouldn't have the chance for snow to coat the sock, and it gripped the ice? I know snow grips snow well, so perhaps that's how the socks perform well in snow by picking it up, but I'd need to know how the socks achieve their traction to come up with conclusion. Thoughts?
@@reigndown They definitely work in snow by becoming a rolling ball of snow, but for ice that might be detrimental, like the snow already on the sock would make it slip as ice doesn't really grab onto ice or anything smooth.
@@joey_f4ke238 that's what I thought might happen if that's how they worked. If that's the case then it would work nicely in ice if it hasn't touched snow, but otherwise once snow is accumulated on them then they don't work so well on ice.
In one of your earlier tests you were comparing tires and you mentioned that the summer tire was still doing 40 miles an hour when the winter tire had already completely stopped I really enjoy that kind of context and I feel like it really shows "what the data means real world"
Go for one drive on Summer tires in snow and you'll never ever even consider driving on Summer's in cold weather. I got caught in a suprise snow storm in mid October with our Mitsu Evolution 8. It was like driving on wet ice - no exaggeration at all. I couldn't accelerate, turn, stop, nothing!
@@stevemaxwell8550 Keep in mind studded tires actually have much *less traction* over the same tire without studs in all conditions other than ice. If you are already carrying chains, why get studded tires? Do you drive on frozen lakes regularly?
As an arctic trucker, I can tell you that you where trying to put on the chains the wrong way. You don't put them on from the bottom, as you were doing. You put them over the tire, connect the inside, then the outside, maybe roll a quarter turn, then tighten the tension, and you're ready to go.
This “light” chains have to be slid behind the lower part of the tire. Then you connect the wire ring behind the top of the tire. Then there is a locking mechanism on the outside of the top of the tire. At last there is an automatic tightening mechanism on the outside of the lower part of the tire that has to be pre tightened. I have used these types of chains many times, when the conditions are too extreme for studded winter/snow tires.
I was about to respond, but you did a great job explaining. As a trucker I know with regular chains you either lay down or put over the tire and then drive over them, but these diamond chains have to be installed the way you described. I actually find these really easy to install, not sure why the guy had such a difficult time with them.
Incredible that studless round smooth-rolling RUBBER (what we call 'tires') can be anywhere near as good as having jagged METAL sticking out over your wheels on sheer ice. Tire technology is amazing!
There's a reason studded nordic winter tyres are better at snow and ice than non-studded ones. Especially on ice, there's no competition. There are days where I don't dare to drive my non-studded AWD car and borrow my dad's or friend's car with FWD and studded tyres. I don't care about getting up that hill, I don't wanna die when my tyres just slip eternally in a bend and I go off.
@@JakkeJakobsen I want to see the places you drive! Must be beautiful! I live in southern Ontario in Canada, and studded tires are banned, lol. Wouldn't be very useful here anyway.
As an 'elderly gentleman' I have a simple answer to snow and ice on the road. A hot chocolate drink by the fire! I did buy snowchains for my cars some 25 years ago, they worked like a charm, It hasn't snowed here for years. (South Hampshire)
Even if you don't have any snow, just cool temperatures below 44° F, good winter tires are much safer than summer tires. And all-year tires are just mediocre in winter and in summer. So yes, the only way to drive as safely as possible in both winter and summer is to change tires every 6 months. At least when you live at a place where it gets below 44° F on a regular basis.
If you get snow chains I highly recommend spending a bit more and getting the automatic tensioning ones from Thule or Konig. They are much easier to install and once you get the hang of them they take about 1-2 mins to install and drive off.
Spike Spider Alpine Pro chains provide the best traction I have found, especially on ice in heavier vehicles(van derived cars). The combination of chain and metal cross pieces really bite into ice and snow and provide traction as well as resistance to latteral slides (ladder chains are not as good at preventing latteral slides, say on roads with an adverse camber). The Alpine Pro are very easy to put on as they slot onto pre installed plates mounted on the wheel studs. This is more than a bonus when trying to get the chains on quickly and safetly at the side of a chaotic dangerous road with other users skidding and sliding all around you. I say this as somebody who has used many pairs of diamond pattern chains with all manor of mounting systems and has become very efficient at putting them on and off. I have snapped a couple of pairs of diamond style chains(12mm links, normal road use, no wheel spinning!) and so usually carry a whole spare pair as back up. The Alpine Pros are very robust so I feel that just spare parts suffice, so far, I have never broken one. The down side is that they are bulky and expensive. I concur that snow chains are no substitute for winter tyres and I need both when I know I'm going to encounter snow and ice. Without winter tyres, in a heavier vehicle especially, there may well be enough traction with chains on the front, but there is a real danger that the back will overtake the front when breaking or descending a hill. The only way out of this situation is to speed up, terrifying when the only safe speed is crawling. Similarly, I have found that winter tyres without supplemental chains are a a problem on bad ice or in certain types of snow. I have found this to be true even with the most expensive full depth premium winter tyres. Sometimes I just just needed that metal biting on ice to get safely out of trouble.
Studded is banned pretty much everywhere except Norway Sweden Finland Russia. Anyway, there are ice conditions where studded tires need chains too, for reasons unknown ice surface can get really hard in coastal areas where the wind carries salty air for day after day, studs will glide like very small skates on the ice surface, the studs are mainly pushed back into the rubber, whereas chains obviously will not.
Also used in Canada and the US AND there are more countries where they are legal vs countries where they're banned Almost like when they're tested they would confirm or disprove what you're saying?
@@marcjampolsky5280note that the tire studs used in North America is really pathetic compared to Nordic ice tires. In most situations, a studless winter tire would end up working better.
Good video, the results were as expected. I bought chains for my XC70 this year and put on new Hankook winter tires. With AWD and winter tires I reckon it should handle most of my needs but for some mountain passes here in Europe chains are legally required so I keep them in my trunk just in case. I agree chains are awkward to install but if you get stuck it might come more handy than devices you have to drive up. In ideal world you prepare beforehand but realistically people use these devices when they get stuck. Another great video - looking forward to the next one. :)
Fantastic review that answers AMOST all my questions regarding these devices. The only ONE item missing in the test for me would be the Micheline X-Ice Snow North but... Excellent review in every way.
I'm a bit sad that the Michelin Easy Grip Evo weren't included. These are textile "chains" with small metal braces and I'm fairly happy with them. I got to use them on my Fiesta ST a few weeks back and they completely blew me away in terms of snow traction. I'm running the Michelin CC2 since I don't usually get into a lot of snow, but I got to test them and the chains in some pretty snowy Austrian mountain roads and I'm happy with both the tires and the chains.
I am considering buying Michelin easy grips for this year's winter holidays. Have you tried them in relation to snowsocks. Do they provide better grip? Are they more durable??
I also keep in my trunk Michelin Easy Grip ...I haven't had to use it yet...But it is logical that they are good, they have the shape of snow chains and they are easy to put on like snowsocks
Yes, I have Michelin Easy Grips for our Subaru XV, enough clearance to make it easy to fit, and I use diamond chains over Cross Climate 2 when there is ice and deep snow about, on my Landcruiser, as there is plenty of clearance to fit them, so its an easy job.
Great info! Everyone's situation is probably different. I live in the metro area of a snow state. In my experience, unless frequently traveling out of the metro, I'm sticking to 3 peak all seasons. If the conditions are truly that bad, I stay home wait for the plows to clean it all up, usually in half a day... and then go back to life as normal. I have purchased many sets of snow tires in the past, but have come to appreciate modern tire technology and not having the chore of swapping wheels and also having to find somewhere to store the offseason tires.
@@duramaxadventures5832 Agreed. I have 3 peak rated Falken Wildpeak AT3W tires *as my summer tires* and switch to Blizzaks for the winter. However, I live in the mountains at ~8000feet and we saw over 800 inches of snowfall at my house last year, so I concede I am an extreme example.
@@dubious6718 not completely most three peaks are going to have a slightly more temperature optimized compound. However yes many people think three peak means fully winter-rated and it's just not even close. I'm actually currently driving on AT3W's and they don't really have the road holding ability under braking very peaky but especially under turning. Acceleration, as expected, is one of their strong suits so you get to the obstacle quicker and carrying more speed...
In Canada, all-seasons tires have been superseded by all-weather tires a few years ago. Not as good as winter tires but good enough to be a substantial safety improvement step up from all-seasons for people who drive enough to ruin winter tires in one summer yet don't drive enough to justify separate winter and rest-of-the-year tires.
Great video! Really showcasing what i thought would be the "right" equipment.. I worked as a taxi driver in Norway for a couple of years. I drove a Mecedes Sprinter, a car that is a nightmare on winter roads. We had OnSpot tire chains installed for icy road conditions, and had AutoSocks for when there was heavy snow. Ofc, a good set of Winter Tires are always a must aswell. With this combination, regardless of type of car. I think you would have no problem going trough winter, if you live in places with low temperatures and heavy snow as long as you have this trio of items. Only add on would be a 4x4 car :)
FANTASTIC! This is extremely useful to us, is very valuable data and can really help so mammy drivers that live in areas with intermittent snow. Thank you, well done!
Even TH-cam's algorithm agrees that this is one of the best channels out there! (Sorry, it was the first thing that popped in my head) But, it is TRUE!
I agree with you, winter tyres are great and you don’t need to put them on so you always have them, even when you’re not expecting to need them. Tried (cheap) snow chains they have all the pros and cons you identified- taking them on and off in the U.K. climate is a horrible experience, maybe not so bad when it’s super cold - plus I don’t think you can drive them on asphalt in the U.K. I have gone to European all seasons in the last few years. I don’t need to swap them out for the summer and their snow performance is acceptable for the amount of snow I see. (Already seen the white stuff a few times).
It takes around one minute each side to mount the snow chains if you have trained a few times, and you can completely mount them without moving the car forward or backward, which is essential when you are stuck. I drive with studded winter tires (Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10) which are great, but when you put on the snow chains there’s nothing stopping a front wheel drive car from going anywhere.
Last year on ski holiday we had our challenges getting up to the cabin we had rented. The car was fitted with winter tires from Continental. When we fitted the snowsocks it went straight, so the socks improved the grip, maybe not much compared to the winter tire itself, but enough to make the difference. But it was quickly worn to pieces. They lasted the holidays, but then they were also worn out. We also tried spraying tire adhesive on the tires and it actually worked, to our surprise. Not for a long time, but enough to get up the driveway to the house (30 meters) This year we must have both snow socks and tire stickers in the car. For the snow chains, it is something F... to mount. PS....Yes, I would also very much like to see a test of Michelin Easy grip "snow chains" vs Michelin snow socks, mounted on winter tires.
I have the Michelin Easy Grip EVO Composite snow chains and the snow socks. And I recently changed to Cross Climate 2. I was hoping to see how the composite chains and snow socks perform compared to cross climate 2. Too bad the composite chains and cross climate 2 were not included in this test. Looking forward to see them in the future
I have used Cross Climate 2 on snow, it works but make no mistake, they are NOT winter tires. Michelin Xice Snow is what you want, jawdropping ice performance for non-studded tires.
@@pflaffik Winter tires don’t make sense for me. I’m sure a lot of people are in the same situation. We only have a few days of snow per winter. I don’t want to put on winter tires just for those few days
After watching the video and as someone who had done the research (before getting winter tires), I purchased a set of AutoSocks and never needed to use them on AllSeasons. After upgrading to the X-Ice from your recommendation, I reached out to AutoSock to see if there'd be any use for them with winter tires, their response: "even with winter tires, you will find them very valuable. Especially going uphill, depending on where you are. You will find value in using them as an emergency aid rather than something you will look to use full-time." Based on your video, I can't really see any reason to use them alongside winter tires. Meanwhile I was pretty surprised and disappointed by their failure to perform on ice. Another great video, and appreciate the content for those of us who already have winter tires and not looking to purchase for a while!
I'm sure there are some combination of conditions where they will better a winter tyre, I was also surprised by the performance on ice, can't explain it but that's what the data was.
So with the traction tire did you break it in first? I see a lot of winter tires be tested without being broken in first. They need roughly a thousand miles of dry pavement use before they are broken in. These tires have a special rubber compound and you must wear the moulding skin away first.
Nice review. Couldn't agree more. I was introduced to a set of Nokian's about 20 years ago on a 2wd, mid-engine Toyota MR2 Spyder. That little crisp of a car was going better than my 01 4x4 Ford Ranger that had off-road all terrain tires on it! It climbed a VERY steep snow covered hill like a mountain goat! From that season on, all my daily driver cars get a set of snows for winter season. I purchased a used set of OEM wheels and just had snow tires mounted on. This way all I have to do is swap tires/wheels around the first week of November and we are good to go. A lot of tire stores will even do free snow tire change overs for the life of the tire if you purchase the tires from them.
@@noobasdfjkl Very loose snow and 20cm deep is enough to get stuck even with snow tires. Hard packed snow no problem like in the video, but if tires start to dig themselves in, then doesn't really matter if they're winter tires or not. Not that I'm saying winter tires are useless, they are in my eyes very much a must in winter season or cold season with a lot of rainfall (mid October to end of April).
It is not uncommon for some mountain passes to require chains or socks on cars, no matter what kind of tires they have fitted. Just about one week ago, Snoqualmie Pass in WA had that requirement active. In one direction, you were allowed with winter tires only with AWD/4x4, but in the other direction, it was chains mandatory, period. I'm sure a fresh set of Blizzaks on a 2WD car would have been fine for a non-idiot driver, but WSP were up there in numbers writing $500 tickets for it. So sometimes the legal requirements exceed the physical requirements.
Around here NOBODY is deciding whether to get winter tires or chains. Everybody has winter tires (although not the nordic ones). Everybody is deciding what to get IN ADDITION to the tires if you're about to get stuck....
I live in WA state and drive a FWD hatchback with a limited slip differential on Blizzak WS90s to go skiing. One issue I run into is when some mountain passes say that chains are required UNLESS your car has 4WD/AWD. So many people with Subarus and other AWD vehicles have crappy all-season tires (what you'd call "3 season") and yet they are legally allowed to drive during these storm conditions despite the fact that their braking and handling will be much worse than my car that has proper winter tires. Your tests in this video also show that for starting up an incline, proper winter tires are as good or better than chains on a FWD car, so again it feels unfair that I would need to use chains on top of my snow tires. When it comes to ice braking, it's also unfair to demand 2WD use chains when a 4WD car with crappy tires will struggle to brake even worse on ice, but they don't need chains. I feel like the rules should be more flexible like both 4WD/AWD and 2WD needs chains unless you have 3peak M+S winter tires.
Those who don't know, there is TIRE GRIP spray, alternative of chains and socks, its a spray can, yellow sticker with blue top, search online, you spray it on a thread, not on side like tire shine, it forms a fresh rubber layer and improves traction, always in my trunk in winter, did used a couple of times on all season tires, worked very well, suggest to try...
Great test. I can see those devices having a role to love in the trunk of a vehicle in a southern climate that rarely sees snow or ice. One day every year or two, it ices up and you put them on your three season tires. For a vehicle driven below 32F/0C every winter, these are in no way am alternative to snow tires! They're a huge hassle (even the easiest to install) to have to install in the cold, probably outdoors, maybe on the side of the road, and you have to keep installing and removing them because none will work for extended pavement use. People who drive in the snow and ice all winter on three season tires confuse me. Snow tires are basically FREE when you realize that you buy two sets of tires instead of one set and then replace each set half as often. Plus, if you get tires that are truly good below freezing for the winter, you can get tires that are truly good in warm weather for the summer instead of driving craptastic "all season" tires in August!
I really like that perspective on the cost of winter tires being free, unless you don't use them enough to wear down the tread before the rubber compound gets dry / hard and need to be retired early. But if you're like me and have snow tires on from late November to at least April every year, both sets of tires will last twice as long!
@@strobi0001 the ice is actually what makes them work so well. The “sock” absorbs the moisture, and when it gets wet, it grips the ice. Just like if you were to grab a piece of ice with wet hands, the ice would stick to your fingers. Same with the wet tire socks on ice, just on a more industrial scale.
I'm sure chains on a winter tire would be no worse than chains on an all-season tire, which would be no worse than a summer tire. The underlying tire might help, but all things being equal, I think this test does a good job showing the added traction with the devices.
Good test and I'd agree with the results. I drive a 4x4 up a steep hill and good tyres will get me through snow fine. Sheet ice is the killer. I have a full set of chains for the odd time the hill freezes into a bobsleigh run. They take a little practice to get on and off but definitely grip the ice.
Great Video content and will be a 'must-watch' for many I expect. As an Ex UK Military individual (30yrs), with many a Norway & Alaska winter exercise under my belt, arguably allowing a basic knowledge, I found the following.. 1. Plastic Ties (Abundant in the Military & stronger than ones shown!) work for emergency, get me out of a situation for 10m to 50m. The issue is plastic in cold becomes brittle and snaps quickly. 2. Cable Ties with studs & straps, never used! (Maybe a better version for civilian plastic cable ties!) 3. Snow socks (Cars, not really 4x4's) will get you home for a journey maximum 30 miles, realistically 15 miles before tearing, ripping & coming off, depending on road gradients (Not great for real-world driving on steep gradients for any real distance), depth of snow and ice. Issue is, as soon as you hit normal parts of the road (tarmac), they then disintegrate very quickly. This means only use when a full covering of snow is on the road surface and not designed really for ice, due to this reason. 3. Metal ladder Cables, work well, easy to put-on, but as highlighted, not as good as full snow chains. For the average/normal driver as a safety snow/ice device stored in the boot (trunk) for an emergency, then as the video highlighted, it would be the best choice for most people and easiest fitting. 4. Snow Chains (Carried by all Military vehicles when exercising in snow/ice areas, especially with Temps ranging from -0 to -50 Celsius +) can not be beaten, on & off road. As video highlighted, best to pre-fit ideally inside a garage or covered area, before driving-out into bad snow/ice conditions. 5. Winter tyres, especially winter tyres with metal studs, can't be beaten and saves so many issues for 'on-road' driving (Still need snow chains if going off road). It is why our family vehicles we change from summer to winter tyres (My Son & Daughter vehicles, we keep on UK All Season tyres), depending on type of winter, usually between mid November to late March-early April in Northern UK. A very informative video with good sound advice.
I have personally driven cable chains, real chains, and tire socks. And I have fitted them on hundreds of other peoples vehicles. I really appreciate your testing, but I have a few thing to add from my experience. First, on cable chains, notice the round spring-like guard/traction pieces over the cross cables. With ice on pavement, I have seen these spin under the tire providing a minimum increase in traction. I towed a vehicle up a moderate hill that it could not climb it on its own with the cable chains. A driver with more ice/snow experienced likely would have been able to get up the hill with cable chains, but in my view chains need to work for the inexperienced driver too. Second, cable chains can only take a little abuse. If you are using chains in bad conditions, it is likely you will do some tire spinning -- though I guess it is much less likely with today's traction control. I've seen a lot of broken side cables on cable chains as they just can't handle much tire abuse before they break. Once broken, they are basically impossible to repair. Personally, I don't recommend cable chains, but will say they are a lot better than nothing. As you say, the diamond pattern chains are complicated. But once you have practiced how to install them, they are faster to install than cable chains as the vehicle doesn't need to be driven onto the carefully aligned chains. Like you mentioned for the cable tie type, the diamond chains can be instilled when the vehicle is stuck -- I think this is a big advantage. I also recommend that all chains -- cable, diamond patter, or the old fashion ladder-style chains -- be re-tightened after moving the vehicle a few feet. With ladder-style chains (cable or real chain ladders), you can often make this final tightening on just the outside adjuster. But if they are particularly loose, you will need to tighten the inside adjuster first. This is annoying because you must move the car to get in just the right position so you can reach the inner adjuster. The diamond pattern chains are easier to tighten. Because they are easier to tighten, I think there is a better chance they will be tightened properly and thus there is less chance they will be banging on the car when driving.
@tyrereviews I only have limited experience with snow socks. I used them over my Yokohama Geolander AT G015 tires (which you tested in a recent video). I've only used them a couple of times. The conditions were untraveled deep snow (probably around 1 m deep) with my tires inflated to just 5 psi -- not typical road conditions. 🤣 The temperatures was around freezing with snow that packed and polished easily into a very slippery state (with traction little better than ice). The snow socks (actually I think mine are the white ISEE brand ones) made a noticeable improvement in traction, but not an astounding improvement. I've only ever tried them in this "snow-wheeling" context, not on maintained roads. I would agree that durability is not good on the snow socks. I was considering getting a set for my wife's new-to-her car (a Volvo XC40 Recharge), but your review came in the nick of time. Based on the ice performance you saw, I think I'll get her real chains. FYI -- If you are interested, the use of snow chains when snow-wheeling in deep snow is very tricky. Under the right conditions they will improve traction, but at a greatly increased risk of getting stuck. When you are driving on top of 1, 2, or 3 meters of snow, you don't want the tires to dig. If you dig holes, you end up with the frame bottomed out on the snow. Tire chains can dig holes really fast. 😖 I got the tire socks 2 years ago to see if I could improve traction without digging holes so fast. They seem to do okay at this, but they are not so spectacular that I go to the trouble of putting them on and taking them off very often.
" have seen these spin under the tire providing a minimum increase in traction" You mean like in braking the part in contact with the ice may be the rubber? Or it also affects other conditions?
@@fredherbert1312 No, sorry about my poor description. As you can see at 9:41, there are a series of spring-like pieces on each cross-cable (other brands use little rolled tubes of sheet metal). Under the right/wrong conditions, these can act like rollers under the tire. I haven't seen it often, so I'm guessing a little about the cause. But I think it takes a combination of: a tire without an aggressive tread (an aggressive tread would hold the rollers in place), the road surface being hard, like a thin layer of ice over pavement (this keeps the rollers from digging in), and the cable chains not being real tight (this allows the tire to spin more easily inside the chain).
It's so good to see a proper comparison like this, really shows how inept an all season tyre in winter! 2 cents from us living in a place where winter exists - if you know you might hit snow, get WINTER tyres! Yes it's some money and some hassle, but cheap ones will do and you can have them ready on a cheap old set of steel wheels ready to swap quickly when the snow comes. All-seasons and summer tyres are hopeless on snow, do not risk it. Snow chains are cheaper and completely ubiquitous here, for gnarly terrain they're amazing as you've clearly proved. Hassle to put on, although gets much quicker with practice. These ladder things actually seem great, never seen them before but look like a great alternative to chains! Rest is junk as expected.
Nice review, very informative! A few years ago when I was driving a FWD sedan, I considered (and shopped) the orange cable ties from Amazon, and I'm glad I never got around to ordering a set. Lol.
Great review! I carried and used chains when I had a 2wd car with Micheline alpine tires. I had to use the chains (diamond like in your test here) several times to get up a steep incline near my house. Now I have an awd with hankook winter icept evo 2 tires, I haven't had to drive in extreme winter conditions with this setup yet and I'm hoping I don't need an additional traction device. The challenge in the past has been 4 to 6 inches of heavy wet snow right at the freezing point. This saturated snow is extremely slick and creates a barrier in front of the tire and even a bit of spin wasn't enough with the 2wd. The taller tire and awd may very well be able to do the job as the rear tire can follow the track that the front has cleared and get the needed traction.
Great video. I would have wanted to see real Michelin winter tires + Passanger cables combined. That's the kind of setup you sometimes have to use for extreme winter conditions and it would have been nice to see a demonstration about that kind of performance.
Michelin Xice Snow is amazing, i used that from october 5 to late november, best ever non-studded winter tires. But, mostly i use studded Michelins, still the best.
@@pflaffik Yeah, I'm currently running a set of X-ice North 4 and I wouldn't want to have anything worse here in Finland. Last gen studded Michelin is definitely better than Nokian Hakkapeliitta set I previously had and those were not bad winter tyres either.
I live in Canada and I run a combination of UHP summer tires and proper winter tires on my RWD BMW. With how wildly changeable our weather is, I keep a set of tire socks in my car in the event that a freak snowstorm blows through while I'm on my summer tires. They've saved me a couple of times, but I wouldn't want to rely on them as anything more than a "get out of jail free" card.
I avoid snow driving, where I live it hasn’t snowed in a long time but legally have to carry snowsocks. they work well enough to get me out of bother if ever there was an emergency situation, easy to fit and lightweight in the back of the car. Previously when we skied I had winter tyres, which I found to be fantastic just like in your test results.
Nice video to see, as much as some of us want the right tyre in the car for the job most of us don’t have a lorry following around with different sets, so when you driving though the Alps or Norway and going from Sun to snow, chains can come in handy. The RUD Centrax chains are a lot easier to fit and remove and are pretty heavy duty too.
We can do this over and over. Moral of the story is: There is no substitute to a good winter tire! End of the story Ps: thank you very much for another insightful video. Greetings from snowy Canada 🇨🇦
I fitted Continental AllSeasonContacts for this winter as we usually get very mild one. And if course, we got snow for two weeks straight 😂 but the tires are really doing great job so far! I am really happy the all seasons improved so much over the years that I don't have to be afraid to use them in snow at all, especially with AWD SUV.
Hey Jon! When you eventually get around to testing mud tires, do a test with a set fitted with chains. A lot of the old timers here in Alberta’s oil field still swear by them for getting out of mud and myself personally have seen them do some real work even when fitted to more street friendly tires and would love to see them compared.
Talk to pretty much any logger. Real thick gooey mud will plug up even the best tire, which is one of the few times you WANT spin, to fling the mud out of the treads. You get a skidder and you put ring chains with 3" lugs on all 4 tires, mud isn't plugging those up.
I had great success with snow socks on my front-wheel drive Mazda, but found them impossible to fit on my BMW because of the tight access through the wheel arch. Great review - definitely some things to avoid on this list!
Glad I watched your video a few days ago. I got a pair of chains instead of the cheap plastic stuff and socks that the shop was promoting... Guess what: next day I saw a guy lose control 2x ahead of me while I was still in control of my car thanks to chains... I agree chains are not super easy to mount but they literally saved my family from a trip to the hospital! 👍
I found some snow socks that were the correct size for my car in a Charity Shop (Thrift Store) for £1 ($1.25) about ten years ago so snapped them up. They got me out of snowy situations on a couple of occasions, but I would agree about their wear resistance. Once I had to drive about 300 yards on a road without snow to get to a point where I could safely stop to remove them, and you could see that they had been scuffed by this short drive. Much further and I expect they could have been ruined. I didn't realise how poor they would be on sheet ice, so the video was really useful. Luckily I'm not likely to encounter enough ice to have time to fit the snow socks. Great video!
I had a situation like 12-13 years ago going on a winding road to the mountains. Winter tires fitted Continental Winter something (the current model at that time). FWD vehicle with No stability control inly ABS. As I was going up, the road had snow and Ice on different side of it, depending on the corner with a lot of uphill U turns. And also clear asphalt. At this point I had socks (but different than those in the test) and chains, but chains are forbidden on asphalt in EU. The car was struggling as it had no traction control system and the differential was doing it's thing when one side is on asphalt and the other is on mix of snow, Ice, slush. Also on the shady side it was all snow and on the sunny side a mix of asphalt and snow/slush ans sometimes Ice in between. The choice was only the socks. And they did perfectly, the car was in control in the corners and was pulling up. The main goal was to get up and down in a couple of days safely and responsibly to my family in no hurry. Try chains on clear asphalt or only on one side - it's not nice at all and it'squite dangerous too as when they snap on asphakt they could tare upnthe underside and could even damage a brake or a fuel line. That is why they are forbidden on asphalt. So thank god for those socks and for getting them from the local hardware store. Yes nower days in order for a manufacturer to sell a car in the EU it's mandatory to have traction control and stability control. And in this situation a car with winter tires and stability will probbably not struggle as much. From that moment I ditched the chains and have only socks in the trunk, that I have used on 2 more occasions and have some wear and tare but will last at least a couple of more.
I wonder if it would be worth keeping one of these in your car if you do have winter tires on. Maybe the fat cable ties for when you do get stuck, since you can put them on without rolling.
The diamond chains are reasonably easy to put on if you practice at home a couple of times before a situation occurs. Living in the countryside in Sweden, I have used such chains many times and for deeper snow (which I would have liked you to test) they are extremely competent. I have driven a rear drive Volvo 245 with chains in snow so deep that I had to stop a couple of times to get the snow off the hood to see properly. I plowed through without any problem. I had a 2,5 km unplowed forest road before getting to the public road on my way to work and I got pretty good at mounting/unmounting the chains. Maybe the deeper snow isn't something that many experience, but that is when the proper chains are unbeatable IMO.
Exactly. Chains are really the only thing guaranteed to keep you going when you drive from hard pack to a 2-foot deep blanket of snow. This can happen when an overnight blizzard has blown a deep layer of snow on the road, and the plowman hasn't cleared your village road yet, and you need to get to work or take the kids to school. And once you've put them on a couple of times, it really isn't that hard. They also last a long time and can be fixed by replacing broken chain links with new ones, so they are my choice, too. Hälsningar från Finland!
I would love for you to test different snow chains. Price from them can be crazy wide. They are Snow chains at 20€ (1st contact - Contact II) to 469€ (König K-Summit XXL n°77). Yes both of theses chains are not for the same kind of tire/car, but it's just to demonstrate the point, you can still find very cheap and very expensive chains from the same size of tire.
I have a different brand of ladder cables and haven’t had to use them but a handful of time but boy am I glad I had them I usually run studded snow tires but ended up on a road that even they were struggling to deal with so threw on the chains for extra safety and it’s such an improvement
I live in a place where theres severe snow once a year. Mild to moderate maybe 3 4 times, so a total of 5 times a year I need snow and ice traction. Changing summer tires to winter and back once costs as much as a pair of snow socks over here, not to mention storage of the unused tires (most people don't have garages). I started out using snow paddles (spike spider) worked very well, pain to carry around, moderately easy to put on and remove. Snow tires are best except the price compared to how many days I actually need them. Chains are great but extremely hard to use and hard to carry around (especially after you take them off, all wet and dirty). Auto socks are the easiest, I've used them in the exact circumstances mentioned in the video, a ski trip or two. Easy to put on when needed, easy to take off when you don't. Still messy to carry after removal. Excellent performance, I don't think I've ever driven them on clean ice, but that doesn't happen in this country. So my conclusion is I use summer tires and have a set of snow socks for use the few times a year I need them. On longevity: yes they do get damaged easily if you run them on an uncovered road but they continue to function until they are completely destroyed, still haven't been able to kill one pair.
This is interesting because I have very different results: I have used snow socks in harsh winter conditions in Switzerland before on a 1 series BMW with RWD only. Despite having had new Michelin Alpine winter tyres, I couldn't get up the steep hill (around 10%) to my house in the mountains. With the snow socks on, it wasn't a problem at all... Even from a total stand still, I would get enough traction to get up the hill.
All wintertires arent made for the same conditions. The Michelin Alpine is refered to as a "middle european wintertire" here in the nordics, made more for rain and frosty roads, with occasional slush and snow. If you have harsh winters, and live in an alpine region, you need nordic winter tires, which are specifically designed to work best on snow and ice.
This is the first (1) time i read or see anyone successfully using a snow sock. In all the tests i saw and read (mostly german and austrian) the snow socks always desintegrated realtively quickly and didn't provide any traction advantage over normal winter tyres. @eriks and @nilshenrikkvale7174: here in the alps often times people have to put snow chains onto winter tyres because of the inclines or ice. And in most of these situations even nordic winter tyres aren't superior anymore: Collegues of mine use a awd VW bus with studded nordic winter tyres. And yet due to the conditions on the mountain they have to drive up and down they have to put on snow chains additionally frequently. Their predecessors wet up and down that mountain for 30 years and always made sure to have good studded winter tyres, awd or before that 4wd, and diff locks, and good snow chains.
I picked up a pair of snowsocks a few years back to supplement my X-Ice3s for the niche case where I encounter snow that's particularly deep and fluffy and need a big contact patch.
Let me start by saying thank you for doing this test, educational! The method to put the chains on is to drape them over the tire, reach behind and hook the inside ends together, then connect the outside portion. Drive the a short distance and snug them up. Most chains like these come with some rubber tensioning circles to keep the chains snug. They should take about two minutes to put on per tire. The cable ties should go on the same way.
If you’re not dressed warm enough to stay outside 10-15 min, that is a problem. Anyway, about the diamond chains. I’ve had to use them only once and they were very easy to install. And they were awesome. All you have to do is practice installing them a couple of times in summer time. And be a little careful when you put them in the box so they aren’t all tangled up already. When you go to places with extreme conditions and weather you have to be prepared. If go in jeans and have no idea how your tools and equipment work.. well… And yes. Snow tires make a tremendous difference. I drove a Mustang for 5 years. In Wisconsin
May you twst whether snow chain plus winter tire is better than winter tire alone? Living in northern BC, I have car in winter tires also having chains in my trunk just in case.
Wish you had tried the chains on the winter tire as an added test - otherwise best review I've seen ❤ Myself I use winter tires and carry 4 chains for steep icy grades - going down a grade is more dangerous than up if you have less traction at the back
I was in the austrian army as a truck driver. In my training we did put on snow chains countless times and it also was a way of punishing us later on. So somehow now I really like snow chains 😅 I have winter tires (Pirelli Sottozero) on my car and I am consithering to keep snow chains in my trunk. The Problem is that I don't really need them. Maby onze in two years. 😅
I would love for you to get your hands on the North America special Blizzak tire. As well as compare it to a Nokian and a Firestone winter (Bridgestone owns Firestone however Firestone seems to be very popular for a winter tire in the States)
The braking results show a very important point: even with the best traction devices on your heaviest axle, you're still using only two tires to stop the car whereas the winter tires will use all four of them. It becomes particularly obvious when you look at snow acceleration vs braking: acceleration only uses the front tires in any case, and it shows that winter tires have a somewhat similar grip to chains and socks, but then under braking you can apply that grip to the whole vehicle instead of just a part and the difference grows, a lot. Bonus: you are also giving ABS twice as much reliable data to work with so it's more likely to avoid misdetecting the actual vehicle speed.
I have used cable chains on a car that can't have chains. Didn't do any damage. I really like them. But seeing here how real snow tires work, I am rethinking it all.
Best setup is a good set of winter tires, and konig xg chains. If the snow is deep, or you are stuck, you can drive and/or get diamond chains on. Chains are so enjoyable in deep snow. Yes they are frustrating at first, but do it once and with the konig, it auto-tensions. Super handy feature to make chains easier. Take the unplowed lane!
This is great, thanks. I'm happy to see that studless winter tires perform so well. So I'll keep on going with my Hakka R3s, knowing I'm doing about as well as I can do. Thanks! I would have been interested to see an all-weather tire too. Is an all-weather tire good enough to get up a hill without needing chains? Obviously, the all-weather tire isn't as good as a studless winter tire. But is it at least barely adequate for someone who sometimes experiences ice? My girlfriend just moved from Texas to Michigan, and while I couldn't convince her to buy a 2nd set of wheels, I at least persuaded her to get Nokian WR G4s for year-round use. I know that's not perfect, but I hope it at least makes her decently safe.
I absolutely recommend the ladder chains. Pretty simple to get on, just a couple of adjustments needed, and they drive pretty smooth on mixed road conditions. But yes, snow tires are the way to go. Drove a sports car with winter tires and never had an issue. Add the security of the ladder chains and you will be gold!
Love the X-Ice snow, and I really abuse them since Denver has a crazy shoulder season. One time it was 80 degrees in the city when I was driving up to go skiing and I hit a blizzard on the way back
I would’ve loved to see chains on the Nordic winter tyre as well as something like konig easy-fit, which seems much easier to put on than standard chains. First time I put on chains (after I already got stuck, was a disaster and broke one of the chains. Bought a second set and made sure to practice putting it on in a heated garage. Next time I had to use them it was almost easy.
For here in the Peak District of the UK I'm very happy with my current set-up - a 2006 Subaru Outback on Goodyear Vector 4-Season Gen3 tyres with a full set (4) of snow chains as backup (along with the shovel, rope, blankets etc, etc as I'm a pessimist) I have had the chance to try the tyres on hard packed snow at minus 10C last winter and minus 6.5C this winter and had no need to deploy the chains. As is usual with UK weather the cold spells were book-ended with about plus 15C with rain showing the value of decent, true (3PMSF rated) all-season tyres for the UK. As for the chains, practice in fitting is well worth the effort - despite being an old f@rt I can get all 4 chains on in 10 minutes. I refresh my memory of the job in the autumn when the weather is pleasant so I'm not going to fool about trying to do it reading the instructions if I ever have to do it for real by torchlight. Tip#1: There is a good chance the colour coding of the chains differs from those in the instructions - not something you want to find out when deploying them for real. Tip#2: Keep a decent head-torch and gloves in with the chains.
I live on the edge of the Peak District and wished more drivers were as prepared as you are. I set off in the snow one day to go to work, but was met by a wall of traffic that was trying to get from Bakewell to Buxton. I turned around and got stuck behind more people stuck at Owler Bar outside Sheffield. I was the only person with a shovel in their car! Luckily a snow plough turned up and the driver also had a shovel, so he and I dug 12 cars out just so I could get home!
@@tlangdon12 Thanks for the reply. I have the same frustrations. I can't believe there are people living in this area that seem to have zero appreciation of what it takes to keep moving when it snows. It's not helped by manufacturers sending out brand-new AWDs and 4x4s on extreme summer tyres. Some new neighbours treated themselves to a new AWD SUV thinking that this was going to work for them but after the first couple of centimetres of snow fell they became fully paid-up members of the automotive branch of the Totvil and Dean appreciation society until they bought some new appropriate tyres.
I can’t get diamond chains for my Audi etron due to low clearance, but I’ve managed to get some ladder type snow cables on a US business trip. Looks like they’ll do the job well. I’ll let you know how they do on my trip to the French Alps. Used to use Vredestein all weather tyres on my last car (Hyundai Santa Fe)but my lease company in the U.K. won’t fund winter rubber, so I’m stuck with summer tyres.
There are winter tyre mandates in parts of france. showing up with summer tyres could mean a fine, but worse: if something happens an insurance will "show you the middle finger". Also "not a snow chain" doesn't count as a snow chain when there's a chain mandate on a mountain pass. Edit: just checked: the snow socks seem to actually qualify in france. Haven't found anything about the ladder thing though.
I had the same situation, my only choice was to buy the steel rims and winter tyres myself. Galling when the tyre maintence was included in the lease! I got through a couple of sets, but at least I could sell them with what was left of the last set when the lease car went back. I've seen absolute carnage on the roads on most of our French ski trips, mostly caused by folks without winter tyres, so for me, I think it was worth the investment to have a stress free trip. I should add that we are using the car every day to get to remote spots, so more critical than a drive in drive out type trip.Having said that, I've had trips with snow on the road all the way back to Saint Quentin, so was really glad of the winter rubber on that trip. On another trip the roads between Gap and Grenoble were both blocked, I don't think I would have attempted the Col du Lautaret without winter tyres, especially in the middle of the night. In the event it was deserted and easy with winter tyres, didn't see tarmac until Lyon! Without the winter tyres I think we would have been late for work! Or had to leave days earlier. We also use the car to get the mountains in the UK whenever there is snow, so worth having just for that. Never got stuck, always able to drive around the stuck traffic via smaller roads!
My car has an amazing abs system. We recently had about six inches of snow that melted and refroze a few times to where some areas were just pure slippery wet ice. I was on all seasons and wanted to see if I could get the wheels to lock up, the abs engaged every time and even worked as slow as 1 or 2 mph without me even realizing that I was sliding.
I would love to see you test out worn tires on the front axle and new tires on the rear and then vice versa, on fwd. I want to see if it's safer what they teach you having new tires on the rear or if it's safer to have the new tires up front and worn on the rear.
It is indisputably safer to put the new tires on the rear. If the front tires slip you'll understeer and plow on straight ahead. If the rear tires slip you oversteer and spin. This is vehicle dynamics 101, something they should teach in school. If the good tires are on the front and it's a FWD it's even worse because you won't notice the lack of traction in the rear and you'll have no problem getting up to speed till you try turning and end up backing yourself off the road... If you aren't a total crayon munching novice none of this matters, you know the rear is liable to step out and you drive accordingly.
@@yamahass66 I wasn't into the nordics during that period so I'll have to take your word. There's actually a test of the 8 vs 10 here: www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2023-Studded-Tyre-Test.htm
@@tyrereviews Intresting to see a used hakka 8 better on snow stop & go. May be why i like it more then the 9. Did not try 10. I think we will more from hankook tyres in the future.
Hi! I'm from Texas, USA and I drive a BMW X3 (AWD of course). Since I do vacations every year in Colorado, I fitted my X3 with Sport All Season Tires. They ended up behaving INCREDIBLY well in light ice/snow conditions for road driving. And when approaching a more extreme Scenario, I carry a set of 4 SnowSocks. I've used them once only when going through a Blizzard over a mountain pass. As soon as we were back at lower altitude and the road was less steep and a bit more 'watery', got out of the car, took the snow socks off in like 5 seconds, and kept going. I'd say winter tires + snowsocks in the trunk of the car (if you live in a cold-weather place) is great and GOOD all-seasons + SnowSocks is awesome for those like me who drive 1000 miles to get to the mountain and then for improved traction or emergency situation, I can get off the car and install something SUPER quick. I had snow-chains in SouthAmerica (originally from there) and goooshhhh they were a nightmare!)
I also live in texas and am currently considering like some chains for my car, as far as I've seen snow here isn't that bad it's the ice I'm more paranoid about. After the 2021 freeze and the seemingly yearly freezes at this point probably a good thing to get something rather than getting caught lacking. Snow tires would be nice but not worth the price for using em for a week out of the year since i don't travel much.
Wonderful review as always. Years ago, studded snow tires were the benchmark. I vaguely recall that they were deemed illegal in many or perhaps all states due to road damage. Is this correct? Are they allowed anywhere these days? Is it a state by state thing? Do you have any positive or negative experience with studded snow tires? Thank you?
I've tested studs a few times now. I think they're legal in a lot of states, and a lot of Europe but are banned in certain cities. They're great on ice
Only thing I would have wanted to see as a swede is a base with a tire like X-ICE NORTH 4, a dubbed winter tire since it was a lot of discussion about ice. But you probably have a video about such comparinson already.
I have winter tyres here in Germany an (for the just in case case) chains in the boot. I think you have to practice a few times putting them on in the dry and warm... which I did. I also had my daughter do it, when she started driving three years ago, until she could fit them easily.
One important thing that needs mentioning is the rated speeds of these devices. Say you put one on to get out of your unplowed neighborhood road onto the plowed main road, would you be limited to say, 25 MPH unless you take them off?
I'm going to have to disagree with the recommendation for the ladder style chains. The problem with the ladder style chains is that they Only provide longitudinal traction. So if you're actually driving, they will do nothing or at least very little to help with any sort of steering input. Yes they work decently in acceleration and deceleration, but with deceleration you have the same issue of ABS locking between the rungs of the ladder as it would. This is obviously tire size dependent as larger tires will have a larger gap between the rungs depending on manufactured. But the diamond chain pattern is significantly better especially for front-wheel drive. As you also get your steering from that axle and they provide lateral traction as well as longitudinal. As far as I can see, your only Mark against the diamond pattern chain is the ease of use. And I can tell you that there are many products that fit the category in this market segment and some are much easier to use than others. But if this was your first time using them then yeah they will be difficult to fit as you have to figure out what the heck is going on. As with any product, I would recommend testing and learning how to use them before them being needed. Koenig chain makes some excellent chains of that type, that have very quick installation and removal.
6:39 - discussion about ABS not working on ice?
When driving on really low-friction surfaces with inappropriate tyres, a sudden application of brakes will instantly lock all 4 wheels. If the ABS system reads all wheel speeds at 0, it will not be able to infer which particular wheel needs brake-release to rotate again, and it cannot just completely release the brakes on all wheels. More sophisticated systems may do a few partial-release/application cycles on individual wheels, but a short and partial release of brake pressure may not be enough for the wheel to start rotating again if the surface is very slippery. Therefore all wheels remain locked and the car slides to a stop.
We live in central Europe and, personally, I think winter tyres on all wheels + snow chains in the boot are the way to go. :)
ABS systems have come a long way and old systems would probably behave that way. In summer, I went to a driving safety course that also included very slippery conditions. Even with all 4 wheels locking up, they all released the brake and started rolling again. The surface friction was that of densely packed snow and I used UHP summer tyres. I believe there is something else at play here. It might be the ABS system itself, that's faulty. Which is a bit worrying on a Civic Si. It's not super powerful but it's not slow either.
Thanks for writing, I was in bed when this video was published. As with tire testing we were full abs braking for every traction device, and on this ABS system and at such a low start speed, with such low grip, it seemed to have made the car think we stopped instantly. We didn't have time to try from a faster speed on ice (we were braking from 12 mph), but that ice was really really slippy.
The other thing to remember is most ABS systems are programmed to lock the fronts when it's at low speed and it thinks it's on snow as you get better braking that way, so that might have been at play too.
Either way, interesting test but I think the traction results are more relevant than braking.
@@tyrereviews In my experience (eastern Canada), ABS is just downright scary in winter for "most" cars. It's usually programmed to be very aggressive at preventing lock ups and that'll give you a dead pedal so quickly, in the Mazda3 I had I would sometimes have no braking whatsoever. My Veloster N is not too bad, but most other cars I've been in have been terrible compared to having no ABS. And then like in this test here, sometimes it'll get confused, which isnt ideal because you dont know what to expect ever in the end.
ABS is fine on asphalt where there's a lot of grip and you're rarely anywhere near the limit of grip, it'll allow control for the less experienced, but any situations where you would be near the limit (track driving.... or winter driving), no thank you.
Would be nice if we legally had the option to have ABS settings like we do TC and ESC !
Always know what number the ABS fuse is!
@@WilliamLevesqueineX I owned a 2006 mazda 3 and a 2010 mazdaspeed 3 and am also in Canada...both have seen severe snow/ice conditions (like barely making it anywhere, even on good winter tires (xi2's on the speed 3)) and I never had those issues with the ABS system.
Per the ABS not working - I would have thought the ABS system would use accelerometer data, not just wheel speed sensors to determine if ABS is needed...especially given that stability control systems definitely use the accelerometer to detect difference between steering position and movement. You'd think that would have the necessary data to say "hey all 4 wheels are stopped but we are clearly still moving".
Those cable ties were one of the most epic product fails I've ever seen.
I was waiting for it to slip and split the valve stem.
5/5 for ease of removal though. You can't take that away from it :)
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I have kept a pair of Autosocks in my cars for years, they come very handy. My experience with them is opposite from yours. The more slippery it is, better they work. I'm in Norway. Last winter, with nordic winter compound, I slid backwards on a slightly inclined road and ended up in small ditch. Thick layer of ice on an unmaintained road had melted a bit and refroze overnight, so it was as smooth and slippery as it gets. The road was shiny as a mirror. I opened the door to get out and fell immediately as well as anyone who tried to come and push my car out. It was unbelievable. A tractor with spiked chains (with actual spikes) had come to pull me out of the ditch. I then put my autosocks and drove away quite easily. They sticked to the smooth ice like glue. To make it all more interesting this happened a couple of kilometers away from the village where the inventor of autosocks is from :)
That's really interesting, thanks for sharing. I was very surprised at the results of the autosocks, but data is data. I wonder if we had a combination of things that made the autosocks underperform. I can't think what though, other than the fact they'd run in snow which could detract from ice performance, however this is a realistic use case scenario.
The theory behind the autosock comes from what people would do ages ago to walk safely on ice, they would put a wool sock over their shoes and problem solved. Today they just buy shoes with studs.@@tyrereviews
I wonder if the scenario they had was the key. I'm not sure how the socks work for traction. But perhaps, they got stuck, put the fresh socks on, which wouldn't have the chance for snow to coat the sock, and it gripped the ice? I know snow grips snow well, so perhaps that's how the socks perform well in snow by picking it up, but I'd need to know how the socks achieve their traction to come up with conclusion. Thoughts?
@@reigndown They definitely work in snow by becoming a rolling ball of snow, but for ice that might be detrimental, like the snow already on the sock would make it slip as ice doesn't really grab onto ice or anything smooth.
@@joey_f4ke238 that's what I thought might happen if that's how they worked. If that's the case then it would work nicely in ice if it hasn't touched snow, but otherwise once snow is accumulated on them then they don't work so well on ice.
In one of your earlier tests you were comparing tires and you mentioned that the summer tire was still doing 40 miles an hour when the winter tire had already completely stopped
I really enjoy that kind of context and I feel like it really shows "what the data means real world"
I'll try and include that more in the future.
Snow tires with studs, and a set of real chains in the trunk. I drive through the canadian rockies twice a month
Go for one drive on Summer tires in snow and you'll never ever even consider driving on Summer's in cold weather. I got caught in a suprise snow storm in mid October with our Mitsu Evolution 8. It was like driving on wet ice - no exaggeration at all. I couldn't accelerate, turn, stop, nothing!
@@stevemaxwell8550 Keep in mind studded tires actually have much *less traction* over the same tire without studs in all conditions other than ice. If you are already carrying chains, why get studded tires? Do you drive on frozen lakes regularly?
@@JViello studs and chains aren't interchangeable. I can't recall but I think you used cable chains in your test.
As an arctic trucker, I can tell you that you where trying to put on the chains the wrong way. You don't put them on from the bottom, as you were doing. You put them over the tire, connect the inside, then the outside, maybe roll a quarter turn, then tighten the tension, and you're ready to go.
This “light” chains have to be slid behind the lower part of the tire. Then you connect the wire ring behind the top of the tire. Then there is a locking mechanism on the outside of the top of the tire. At last there is an automatic tightening mechanism on the outside of the lower part of the tire that has to be pre tightened.
I have used these types of chains many times, when the conditions are too extreme for studded winter/snow tires.
I was about to respond, but you did a great job explaining. As a trucker I know with regular chains you either lay down or put over the tire and then drive over them, but these diamond chains have to be installed the way you described. I actually find these really easy to install, not sure why the guy had such a difficult time with them.
Does the installation method detract from the performance of the finished product?
@@aaronbounds1336There is only one way to install these.
It was hard to tell tge difference on camera but the 15% and 20% was referring to the steepness of the hill.@user-iy2bc6yi8e
Incredible that studless round smooth-rolling RUBBER (what we call 'tires') can be anywhere near as good as having jagged METAL sticking out over your wheels on sheer ice. Tire technology is amazing!
Yeah would have never believed that If I didn't see it.
There's a reason studded nordic winter tyres are better at snow and ice than non-studded ones. Especially on ice, there's no competition. There are days where I don't dare to drive my non-studded AWD car and borrow my dad's or friend's car with FWD and studded tyres. I don't care about getting up that hill, I don't wanna die when my tyres just slip eternally in a bend and I go off.
@@JakkeJakobsen You live in Norway ?
@@JakkeJakobsen I want to see the places you drive! Must be beautiful! I live in southern Ontario in Canada, and studded tires are banned, lol. Wouldn't be very useful here anyway.
@@philojudaeusofalexandria9556 so, wait.... Studded tires are banned in ontario, but multi-car pileups on the 401 and 405 are okay???
As an 'elderly gentleman' I have a simple answer to snow and ice on the road. A hot chocolate drink by the fire!
I did buy snowchains for my cars some 25 years ago, they worked like a charm, It hasn't snowed here for years. (South Hampshire)
My husband is from Europe and changed our tires to winter tires every year. Now it makes so much sense! (I did trust he knew what he was doing)
Even if you don't have any snow, just cool temperatures below 44° F, good winter tires are much safer than summer tires. And all-year tires are just mediocre in winter and in summer. So yes, the only way to drive as safely as possible in both winter and summer is to change tires every 6 months. At least when you live at a place where it gets below 44° F on a regular basis.
especially when you traveling frequently in winter towards his family
If you get snow chains I highly recommend spending a bit more and getting the automatic tensioning ones from Thule or Konig. They are much easier to install and once you get the hang of them they take about 1-2 mins to install and drive off.
Gosh I appreciate your humor and frankness about these products. A breath of fresh air.
Spike Spider Alpine Pro chains provide the best traction I have found, especially on ice in heavier vehicles(van derived cars). The combination of chain and metal cross pieces really bite into ice and snow and provide traction as well as resistance to latteral slides (ladder chains are not as good at preventing latteral slides, say on roads with an adverse camber). The Alpine Pro are very easy to put on as they slot onto pre installed plates mounted on the wheel studs. This is more than a bonus when trying to get the chains on quickly and safetly at the side of a chaotic dangerous road with other users skidding and sliding all around you. I say this as somebody who has used many pairs of diamond pattern chains with all manor of mounting systems and has become very efficient at putting them on and off. I have snapped a couple of pairs of diamond style chains(12mm links, normal road use, no wheel spinning!) and so usually carry a whole spare pair as back up. The Alpine Pros are very robust so I feel that just spare parts suffice, so far, I have never broken one. The down side is that they are bulky and expensive.
I concur that snow chains are no substitute for winter tyres and I need both when I know I'm going to encounter snow and ice. Without winter tyres, in a heavier vehicle especially, there may well be enough traction with chains on the front, but there is a real danger that the back will overtake the front when breaking or descending a hill. The only way out of this situation is to speed up, terrifying when the only safe speed is crawling.
Similarly, I have found that winter tyres without supplemental chains are a a problem on bad ice or in certain types of snow. I have found this to be true even with the most expensive full depth premium winter tyres. Sometimes I just just needed that metal biting on ice to get safely out of trouble.
It would be interesting to also see STUDDED winter tires.
As usual, great video
Studded is banned pretty much everywhere except Norway Sweden Finland Russia. Anyway, there are ice conditions where studded tires need chains too, for reasons unknown ice surface can get really hard in coastal areas where the wind carries salty air for day after day, studs will glide like very small skates on the ice surface, the studs are mainly pushed back into the rubber, whereas chains obviously will not.
Also used in Canada and the US AND there are more countries where they are legal vs countries where they're banned
Almost like when they're tested they would confirm or disprove what you're saying?
@@pflaffik Chains are also banned in many places.
@@pflaffik pretty much everywhere = two countries in europe
@@marcjampolsky5280note that the tire studs used in North America is really pathetic compared to Nordic ice tires. In most situations, a studless winter tire would end up working better.
Good video, the results were as expected. I bought chains for my XC70 this year and put on new Hankook winter tires. With AWD and winter tires I reckon it should handle most of my needs but for some mountain passes here in Europe chains are legally required so I keep them in my trunk just in case. I agree chains are awkward to install but if you get stuck it might come more handy than devices you have to drive up. In ideal world you prepare beforehand but realistically people use these devices when they get stuck. Another great video - looking forward to the next one. :)
Love my Michelin X-Ice Snow !!! Best snow tires I've had by far.
Fantastic review that answers AMOST all my questions regarding these devices. The only ONE item missing in the test for me would be the Micheline X-Ice Snow North but... Excellent review in every way.
Next time :)
I'm a bit sad that the Michelin Easy Grip Evo weren't included. These are textile "chains" with small metal braces and I'm fairly happy with them. I got to use them on my Fiesta ST a few weeks back and they completely blew me away in terms of snow traction. I'm running the Michelin CC2 since I don't usually get into a lot of snow, but I got to test them and the chains in some pretty snowy Austrian mountain roads and I'm happy with both the tires and the chains.
Agreed, I actually had these in the UK but I couldn't find them at time of test :(
I am considering buying Michelin easy grips for this year's winter holidays.
Have you tried them in relation to snowsocks.
Do they provide better grip?
Are they more durable??
I haven't comparative tested them but having used both at different times I personally would take the easygrips
I also keep in my trunk Michelin Easy Grip ...I haven't had to use it yet...But it is logical that they are good, they have the shape of snow chains and they are easy to put on like snowsocks
Yes, I have Michelin Easy Grips for our Subaru XV, enough clearance to make it easy to fit, and I use diamond chains over Cross Climate 2 when there is ice and deep snow about, on my Landcruiser, as there is plenty of clearance to fit them, so its an easy job.
Great info!
Everyone's situation is probably different. I live in the metro area of a snow state. In my experience, unless frequently traveling out of the metro, I'm sticking to 3 peak all seasons. If the conditions are truly that bad, I stay home wait for the plows to clean it all up, usually in half a day... and then go back to life as normal. I have purchased many sets of snow tires in the past, but have come to appreciate modern tire technology and not having the chore of swapping wheels and also having to find somewhere to store the offseason tires.
3 peaks only define acceleration, not ability to stop or turn
@@duramaxadventures5832 Agreed. I have 3 peak rated Falken Wildpeak AT3W tires *as my summer tires* and switch to Blizzaks for the winter. However, I live in the mountains at ~8000feet and we saw over 800 inches of snowfall at my house last year, so I concede I am an extreme example.
@@duramaxadventures5832 yep, so the symbol is useless.
@@dubious6718 not completely most three peaks are going to have a slightly more temperature optimized compound. However yes many people think three peak means fully winter-rated and it's just not even close.
I'm actually currently driving on AT3W's and they don't really have the road holding ability under braking very peaky but especially under turning.
Acceleration, as expected, is one of their strong suits so you get to the obstacle quicker and carrying more speed...
AWD only helps with acceleration, 3pmsf all weathers or 3pmsf a/t tires have more grip so it improves acceleration, handling, and braking.
Every time a new video drops it feels like Christmas!
💖
In Canada, all-seasons tires have been superseded by all-weather tires a few years ago. Not as good as winter tires but good enough to be a substantial safety improvement step up from all-seasons for people who drive enough to ruin winter tires in one summer yet don't drive enough to justify separate winter and rest-of-the-year tires.
Great video! Really showcasing what i thought would be the "right" equipment..
I worked as a taxi driver in Norway for a couple of years. I drove a Mecedes Sprinter, a car that is a nightmare on winter roads. We had OnSpot tire chains installed for icy road conditions, and had AutoSocks for when there was heavy snow. Ofc, a good set of Winter Tires are always a must aswell. With this combination, regardless of type of car. I think you would have no problem going trough winter, if you live in places with low temperatures and heavy snow as long as you have this trio of items. Only add on would be a 4x4 car :)
FANTASTIC! This is extremely useful to us, is very valuable data and can really help so mammy drivers that live in areas with intermittent snow. Thank you, well done!
Glad it was helpful!
@@tyrereviews Michelin Easy Grip
Even TH-cam's algorithm agrees that this is one of the best channels out there! (Sorry, it was the first thing that popped in my head) But, it is TRUE!
:D
I agree with you, winter tyres are great and you don’t need to put them on so you always have them, even when you’re not expecting to need them. Tried (cheap) snow chains they have all the pros and cons you identified- taking them on and off in the U.K. climate is a horrible experience, maybe not so bad when it’s super cold - plus I don’t think you can drive them on asphalt in the U.K. I have gone to European all seasons in the last few years. I don’t need to swap them out for the summer and their snow performance is acceptable for the amount of snow I see. (Already seen the white stuff a few times).
It takes around one minute each side to mount the snow chains if you have trained a few times, and you can completely mount them without moving the car forward or backward, which is essential when you are stuck. I drive with studded winter tires (Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10) which are great, but when you put on the snow chains there’s nothing stopping a front wheel drive car from going anywhere.
Last year on ski holiday we had our challenges getting up to the cabin we had rented.
The car was fitted with winter tires from Continental.
When we fitted the snowsocks it went straight, so the socks improved the grip, maybe not much compared to the winter tire itself, but enough to make the difference.
But it was quickly worn to pieces.
They lasted the holidays, but then they were also worn out.
We also tried spraying tire adhesive on the tires and it actually worked, to our surprise.
Not for a long time, but enough to get up the driveway to the house (30 meters)
This year we must have both snow socks and tire stickers in the car.
For the snow chains, it is something F... to mount.
PS....Yes, I would also very much like to see a test of Michelin Easy grip "snow chains" vs Michelin snow socks, mounted on winter tires.
I have the Michelin Easy Grip EVO Composite snow chains and the snow socks. And I recently changed to Cross Climate 2. I was hoping to see how the composite chains and snow socks perform compared to cross climate 2. Too bad the composite chains and cross climate 2 were not included in this test. Looking forward to see them in the future
I have used Cross Climate 2 on snow, it works but make no mistake, they are NOT winter tires. Michelin Xice Snow is what you want, jawdropping ice performance for non-studded tires.
@@pflaffik Winter tires don’t make sense for me. I’m sure a lot of people are in the same situation. We only have a few days of snow per winter. I don’t want to put on winter tires just for those few days
After watching the video and as someone who had done the research (before getting winter tires), I purchased a set of AutoSocks and never needed to use them on AllSeasons. After upgrading to the X-Ice from your recommendation, I reached out to AutoSock to see if there'd be any use for them with winter tires, their response: "even with winter tires, you will find them very valuable. Especially going uphill, depending on where you are. You will find value in using them as an emergency aid rather than something you will look to use full-time." Based on your video, I can't really see any reason to use them alongside winter tires. Meanwhile I was pretty surprised and disappointed by their failure to perform on ice. Another great video, and appreciate the content for those of us who already have winter tires and not looking to purchase for a while!
I'm sure there are some combination of conditions where they will better a winter tyre, I was also surprised by the performance on ice, can't explain it but that's what the data was.
Michelin Easy Grip
@@tyrereviews
So with the traction tire did you break it in first? I see a lot of winter tires be tested without being broken in first. They need roughly a thousand miles of dry pavement use before they are broken in. These tires have a special rubber compound and you must wear the moulding skin away first.
Jonathan, you really live for the tyres! Take it as a compliment!
Nice review. Couldn't agree more. I was introduced to a set of Nokian's about 20 years ago on a 2wd, mid-engine Toyota MR2 Spyder. That little crisp of a car was going better than my 01 4x4 Ford Ranger that had off-road all terrain tires on it! It climbed a VERY steep snow covered hill like a mountain goat! From that season on, all my daily driver cars get a set of snows for winter season. I purchased a used set of OEM wheels and just had snow tires mounted on. This way all I have to do is swap tires/wheels around the first week of November and we are good to go. A lot of tire stores will even do free snow tire change overs for the life of the tire if you purchase the tires from them.
1 thing I would have liked to see as well is the winter tyres with the chains. would that ever be something worth doing?
You are probably in some pretty deep shit if snow tires aren’t cutting it for you lol.
@@noobasdfjkl Very loose snow and 20cm deep is enough to get stuck even with snow tires.
Hard packed snow no problem like in the video, but if tires start to dig themselves in, then doesn't really matter if they're winter tires or not.
Not that I'm saying winter tires are useless, they are in my eyes very much a must in winter season or cold season with a lot of rainfall (mid October to end of April).
It would be better on ice. I guess the question is would the winter tyre and chains perform even better than chains ⛓️ on just snow?
It is not uncommon for some mountain passes to require chains or socks on cars, no matter what kind of tires they have fitted. Just about one week ago, Snoqualmie Pass in WA had that requirement active. In one direction, you were allowed with winter tires only with AWD/4x4, but in the other direction, it was chains mandatory, period. I'm sure a fresh set of Blizzaks on a 2WD car would have been fine for a non-idiot driver, but WSP were up there in numbers writing $500 tickets for it. So sometimes the legal requirements exceed the physical requirements.
Around here NOBODY is deciding whether to get winter tires or chains. Everybody has winter tires (although not the nordic ones). Everybody is deciding what to get IN ADDITION to the tires if you're about to get stuck....
I live in WA state and drive a FWD hatchback with a limited slip differential on Blizzak WS90s to go skiing. One issue I run into is when some mountain passes say that chains are required UNLESS your car has 4WD/AWD. So many people with Subarus and other AWD vehicles have crappy all-season tires (what you'd call "3 season") and yet they are legally allowed to drive during these storm conditions despite the fact that their braking and handling will be much worse than my car that has proper winter tires. Your tests in this video also show that for starting up an incline, proper winter tires are as good or better than chains on a FWD car, so again it feels unfair that I would need to use chains on top of my snow tires. When it comes to ice braking, it's also unfair to demand 2WD use chains when a 4WD car with crappy tires will struggle to brake even worse on ice, but they don't need chains. I feel like the rules should be more flexible like both 4WD/AWD and 2WD needs chains unless you have 3peak M+S winter tires.
Those who don't know, there is TIRE GRIP spray, alternative of chains and socks, its a spray can, yellow sticker with blue top, search online, you spray it on a thread, not on side like tire shine, it forms a fresh rubber layer and improves traction, always in my trunk in winter, did used a couple of times on all season tires, worked very well, suggest to try...
Would love to see this test having studded snow tires as the baseline against these products paired with non-studded snow tires.
Great test. I can see those devices having a role to love in the trunk of a vehicle in a southern climate that rarely sees snow or ice. One day every year or two, it ices up and you put them on your three season tires. For a vehicle driven below 32F/0C every winter, these are in no way am alternative to snow tires! They're a huge hassle (even the easiest to install) to have to install in the cold, probably outdoors, maybe on the side of the road, and you have to keep installing and removing them because none will work for extended pavement use. People who drive in the snow and ice all winter on three season tires confuse me. Snow tires are basically FREE when you realize that you buy two sets of tires instead of one set and then replace each set half as often. Plus, if you get tires that are truly good below freezing for the winter, you can get tires that are truly good in warm weather for the summer instead of driving craptastic "all season" tires in August!
That's only true for a fwd car... if it's rwd you want all tyres to have good grip or you would go stright to the wall the very first corner.
I really like that perspective on the cost of winter tires being free, unless you don't use them enough to wear down the tread before the rubber compound gets dry / hard and need to be retired early. But if you're like me and have snow tires on from late November to at least April every year, both sets of tires will last twice as long!
Man you read my mind! I have been searching on TH-cam for exactly that just last week, with very little success. Thanks for the great test!
Snow socks are awesome….so easy to use, it’s no issue taking them on and off, and they just work …👍😉👌🇮🇲
I’ve never had problem on snow just using winter tires. What are you doing if there is ice under the snow? Or simply, ice.
@@strobi0001 the ice is actually what makes them work so well. The “sock” absorbs the moisture, and when it gets wet, it grips the ice. Just like if you were to grab a piece of ice with wet hands, the ice would stick to your fingers. Same with the wet tire socks on ice, just on a more industrial scale.
Would be interesting to see if the tire that the traction device is mounted too has an influence.
I'm sure chains on a winter tire would be no worse than chains on an all-season tire, which would be no worse than a summer tire. The underlying tire might help, but all things being equal, I think this test does a good job showing the added traction with the devices.
The cable ties would certainly get an advantage from being mounted to a winter tire, but as JC said, chains and socks would not.
Good test and I'd agree with the results. I drive a 4x4 up a steep hill and good tyres will get me through snow fine. Sheet ice is the killer. I have a full set of chains for the odd time the hill freezes into a bobsleigh run. They take a little practice to get on and off but definitely grip the ice.
Great Video content and will be a 'must-watch' for many I expect.
As an Ex UK Military individual (30yrs), with many a Norway & Alaska winter exercise under my belt, arguably allowing a basic knowledge, I found the following..
1. Plastic Ties (Abundant in the Military & stronger than ones shown!) work for emergency, get me out of a situation for 10m to 50m. The issue is plastic in cold becomes brittle and snaps quickly.
2. Cable Ties with studs & straps, never used! (Maybe a better version for civilian plastic cable ties!)
3. Snow socks (Cars, not really 4x4's) will get you home for a journey maximum 30 miles, realistically 15 miles before tearing, ripping & coming off, depending on road gradients (Not great for real-world driving on steep gradients for any real distance), depth of snow and ice. Issue is, as soon as you hit normal parts of the road (tarmac), they then disintegrate very quickly. This means only use when a full covering of snow is on the road surface and not designed really for ice, due to this reason.
3. Metal ladder Cables, work well, easy to put-on, but as highlighted, not as good as full snow chains. For the average/normal driver as a safety snow/ice device stored in the boot (trunk) for an emergency, then as the video highlighted, it would be the best choice for most people and easiest fitting.
4. Snow Chains (Carried by all Military vehicles when exercising in snow/ice areas, especially with Temps ranging from -0 to -50 Celsius +) can not be beaten, on & off road. As video highlighted, best to pre-fit ideally inside a garage or covered area, before driving-out into bad snow/ice conditions.
5. Winter tyres, especially winter tyres with metal studs, can't be beaten and saves so many issues for 'on-road' driving (Still need snow chains if going off road). It is why our family vehicles we change from summer to winter tyres (My Son & Daughter vehicles, we keep on UK All Season tyres), depending on type of winter, usually between mid November to late March-early April in Northern UK.
A very informative video with good sound advice.
I have personally driven cable chains, real chains, and tire socks. And I have fitted them on hundreds of other peoples vehicles. I really appreciate your testing, but I have a few thing to add from my experience.
First, on cable chains, notice the round spring-like guard/traction pieces over the cross cables. With ice on pavement, I have seen these spin under the tire providing a minimum increase in traction. I towed a vehicle up a moderate hill that it could not climb it on its own with the cable chains. A driver with more ice/snow experienced likely would have been able to get up the hill with cable chains, but in my view chains need to work for the inexperienced driver too.
Second, cable chains can only take a little abuse. If you are using chains in bad conditions, it is likely you will do some tire spinning -- though I guess it is much less likely with today's traction control. I've seen a lot of broken side cables on cable chains as they just can't handle much tire abuse before they break. Once broken, they are basically impossible to repair.
Personally, I don't recommend cable chains, but will say they are a lot better than nothing.
As you say, the diamond pattern chains are complicated. But once you have practiced how to install them, they are faster to install than cable chains as the vehicle doesn't need to be driven onto the carefully aligned chains. Like you mentioned for the cable tie type, the diamond chains can be instilled when the vehicle is stuck -- I think this is a big advantage.
I also recommend that all chains -- cable, diamond patter, or the old fashion ladder-style chains -- be re-tightened after moving the vehicle a few feet. With ladder-style chains (cable or real chain ladders), you can often make this final tightening on just the outside adjuster. But if they are particularly loose, you will need to tighten the inside adjuster first. This is annoying because you must move the car to get in just the right position so you can reach the inner adjuster. The diamond pattern chains are easier to tighten. Because they are easier to tighten, I think there is a better chance they will be tightened properly and thus there is less chance they will be banging on the car when driving.
Great advice, thanks for sharing! What are your thoughts on snow socks?
@tyrereviews I only have limited experience with snow socks. I used them over my Yokohama Geolander AT G015 tires (which you tested in a recent video). I've only used them a couple of times. The conditions were untraveled deep snow (probably around 1 m deep) with my tires inflated to just 5 psi -- not typical road conditions. 🤣 The temperatures was around freezing with snow that packed and polished easily into a very slippery state (with traction little better than ice). The snow socks (actually I think mine are the white ISEE brand ones) made a noticeable improvement in traction, but not an astounding improvement. I've only ever tried them in this "snow-wheeling" context, not on maintained roads. I would agree that durability is not good on the snow socks.
I was considering getting a set for my wife's new-to-her car (a Volvo XC40 Recharge), but your review came in the nick of time. Based on the ice performance you saw, I think I'll get her real chains.
FYI -- If you are interested, the use of snow chains when snow-wheeling in deep snow is very tricky. Under the right conditions they will improve traction, but at a greatly increased risk of getting stuck. When you are driving on top of 1, 2, or 3 meters of snow, you don't want the tires to dig. If you dig holes, you end up with the frame bottomed out on the snow. Tire chains can dig holes really fast. 😖 I got the tire socks 2 years ago to see if I could improve traction without digging holes so fast. They seem to do okay at this, but they are not so spectacular that I go to the trouble of putting them on and taking them off very often.
" have seen these spin under the tire providing a minimum increase in traction"
You mean like in braking the part in contact with the ice may be the rubber? Or it also affects other conditions?
@@fredherbert1312 No, sorry about my poor description. As you can see at 9:41, there are a series of spring-like pieces on each cross-cable (other brands use little rolled tubes of sheet metal). Under the right/wrong conditions, these can act like rollers under the tire. I haven't seen it often, so I'm guessing a little about the cause. But I think it takes a combination of: a tire without an aggressive tread (an aggressive tread would hold the rollers in place), the road surface being hard, like a thin layer of ice over pavement (this keeps the rollers from digging in), and the cable chains not being real tight (this allows the tire to spin more easily inside the chain).
@@andrewsnow7386 that makes a lot of sense, thanks for clarifying!
The "JUNK" part was funny. Thanks for good advices ! Great work mate!
It's so good to see a proper comparison like this, really shows how inept an all season tyre in winter!
2 cents from us living in a place where winter exists - if you know you might hit snow, get WINTER tyres! Yes it's some money and some hassle, but cheap ones will do and you can have them ready on a cheap old set of steel wheels ready to swap quickly when the snow comes. All-seasons and summer tyres are hopeless on snow, do not risk it.
Snow chains are cheaper and completely ubiquitous here, for gnarly terrain they're amazing as you've clearly proved. Hassle to put on, although gets much quicker with practice.
These ladder things actually seem great, never seen them before but look like a great alternative to chains! Rest is junk as expected.
Nice review, very informative! A few years ago when I was driving a FWD sedan, I considered (and shopped) the orange cable ties from Amazon, and I'm glad I never got around to ordering a set. Lol.
Great review!
I carried and used chains when I had a 2wd car with Micheline alpine tires. I had to use the chains (diamond like in your test here) several times to get up a steep incline near my house. Now I have an awd with hankook winter icept evo 2 tires, I haven't had to drive in extreme winter conditions with this setup yet and I'm hoping I don't need an additional traction device. The challenge in the past has been 4 to 6 inches of heavy wet snow right at the freezing point. This saturated snow is extremely slick and creates a barrier in front of the tire and even a bit of spin wasn't enough with the 2wd. The taller tire and awd may very well be able to do the job as the rear tire can follow the track that the front has cleared and get the needed traction.
Great video. I would have wanted to see real Michelin winter tires + Passanger cables combined. That's the kind of setup you sometimes have to use for extreme winter conditions and it would have been nice to see a demonstration about that kind of performance.
Michelin Xice Snow is amazing, i used that from october 5 to late november, best ever non-studded winter tires. But, mostly i use studded Michelins, still the best.
@@pflaffik Yeah, I'm currently running a set of X-ice North 4 and I wouldn't want to have anything worse here in Finland. Last gen studded Michelin is definitely better than Nokian Hakkapeliitta set I previously had and those were not bad winter tyres either.
I live in Canada and I run a combination of UHP summer tires and proper winter tires on my RWD BMW. With how wildly changeable our weather is, I keep a set of tire socks in my car in the event that a freak snowstorm blows through while I'm on my summer tires. They've saved me a couple of times, but I wouldn't want to rely on them as anything more than a "get out of jail free" card.
I avoid snow driving, where I live it hasn’t snowed in a long time but legally have to carry snowsocks. they work well enough to get me out of bother if ever there was an emergency situation, easy to fit and lightweight in the back of the car.
Previously when we skied I had winter tyres, which I found to be fantastic just like in your test results.
Nice video to see, as much as some of us want the right tyre in the car for the job most of us don’t have a lorry following around with different sets, so when you driving though the Alps or Norway and going from Sun to snow, chains can come in handy.
The RUD Centrax chains are a lot easier to fit and remove and are pretty heavy duty too.
Been asking for this for years thank you!
We can do this over and over. Moral of the story is: There is no substitute to a good winter tire! End of the story
Ps: thank you very much for another insightful video.
Greetings from snowy Canada 🇨🇦
I fitted Continental AllSeasonContacts for this winter as we usually get very mild one. And if course, we got snow for two weeks straight 😂 but the tires are really doing great job so far! I am really happy the all seasons improved so much over the years that I don't have to be afraid to use them in snow at all, especially with AWD SUV.
Hey Jon! When you eventually get around to testing mud tires, do a test with a set fitted with chains. A lot of the old timers here in Alberta’s oil field still swear by them for getting out of mud and myself personally have seen them do some real work even when fitted to more street friendly tires and would love to see them compared.
Nice idea, thanks for the tip
I have used tire chains in the past on clay which plugs up just about every mud tire tried.
Talk to pretty much any logger. Real thick gooey mud will plug up even the best tire, which is one of the few times you WANT spin, to fling the mud out of the treads. You get a skidder and you put ring chains with 3" lugs on all 4 tires, mud isn't plugging those up.
I had great success with snow socks on my front-wheel drive Mazda, but found them impossible to fit on my BMW because of the tight access through the wheel arch.
Great review - definitely some things to avoid on this list!
Glad I watched your video a few days ago. I got a pair of chains instead of the cheap plastic stuff and socks that the shop was promoting... Guess what: next day I saw a guy lose control 2x ahead of me while I was still in control of my car thanks to chains... I agree chains are not super easy to mount but they literally saved my family from a trip to the hospital! 👍
I found some snow socks that were the correct size for my car in a Charity Shop (Thrift Store) for £1 ($1.25) about ten years ago so snapped them up. They got me out of snowy situations on a couple of occasions, but I would agree about their wear resistance. Once I had to drive about 300 yards on a road without snow to get to a point where I could safely stop to remove them, and you could see that they had been scuffed by this short drive. Much further and I expect they could have been ruined. I didn't realise how poor they would be on sheet ice, so the video was really useful. Luckily I'm not likely to encounter enough ice to have time to fit the snow socks. Great video!
I had a situation like 12-13 years ago going on a winding road to the mountains. Winter tires fitted Continental Winter something (the current model at that time). FWD vehicle with No stability control inly ABS. As I was going up, the road had snow and Ice on different side of it, depending on the corner with a lot of uphill U turns. And also clear asphalt. At this point I had socks (but different than those in the test) and chains, but chains are forbidden on asphalt in EU. The car was struggling as it had no traction control system and the differential was doing it's thing when one side is on asphalt and the other is on mix of snow, Ice, slush. Also on the shady side it was all snow and on the sunny side a mix of asphalt and snow/slush ans sometimes Ice in between. The choice was only the socks. And they did perfectly, the car was in control in the corners and was pulling up. The main goal was to get up and down in a couple of days safely and responsibly to my family in no hurry.
Try chains on clear asphalt or only on one side - it's not nice at all and it'squite dangerous too as when they snap on asphakt they could tare upnthe underside and could even damage a brake or a fuel line. That is why they are forbidden on asphalt.
So thank god for those socks and for getting them from the local hardware store.
Yes nower days in order for a manufacturer to sell a car in the EU it's mandatory to have traction control and stability control. And in this situation a car with winter tires and stability will probbably not struggle as much.
From that moment I ditched the chains and have only socks in the trunk, that I have used on 2 more occasions and have some wear and tare but will last at least a couple of more.
I wonder if it would be worth keeping one of these in your car if you do have winter tires on. Maybe the fat cable ties for when you do get stuck, since you can put them on without rolling.
Chains or ladders for sure would always give you an advantage
Great timing. I am investing in "chains" for my three cars as I recently moved to Oregon and they are required including some areas of Portland.
The diamond chains are reasonably easy to put on if you practice at home a couple of times before a situation occurs. Living in the countryside in Sweden, I have used such chains many times and for deeper snow (which I would have liked you to test) they are extremely competent. I have driven a rear drive Volvo 245 with chains in snow so deep that I had to stop a couple of times to get the snow off the hood to see properly. I plowed through without any problem. I had a 2,5 km unplowed forest road before getting to the public road on my way to work and I got pretty good at mounting/unmounting the chains.
Maybe the deeper snow isn't something that many experience, but that is when the proper chains are unbeatable IMO.
Exactly. Chains are really the only thing guaranteed to keep you going when you drive from hard pack to a 2-foot deep blanket of snow. This can happen when an overnight blizzard has blown a deep layer of snow on the road, and the plowman hasn't cleared your village road yet, and you need to get to work or take the kids to school. And once you've put them on a couple of times, it really isn't that hard. They also last a long time and can be fixed by replacing broken chain links with new ones, so they are my choice, too. Hälsningar från Finland!
Watching this makes me never wanting to drive in snow, even with snow chains haha. Thx for the reviews!
I would love for you to test different snow chains. Price from them can be crazy wide. They are Snow chains at 20€ (1st contact - Contact II) to 469€ (König K-Summit XXL n°77). Yes both of theses chains are not for the same kind of tire/car, but it's just to demonstrate the point, you can still find very cheap and very expensive chains from the same size of tire.
I'll try to rerun this in a year or so with more options.
Just bought Hankooks rs2 ice pike studded. Very impressed with them in deep snow and ice. I would recommend!
Really happy i had proper chains with me going skiing a few years ago when my studded tyres didn't cut it on an icy hill.
Wow! Socks are more effective than an all-season tire. Very interesting. Thx for the video
I have a different brand of ladder cables and haven’t had to use them but a handful of time but boy am I glad I had them I usually run studded snow tires but ended up on a road that even they were struggling to deal with so threw on the chains for extra safety and it’s such an improvement
I live in a place where theres severe snow once a year. Mild to moderate maybe 3 4 times, so a total of 5 times a year I need snow and ice traction. Changing summer tires to winter and back once costs as much as a pair of snow socks over here, not to mention storage of the unused tires (most people don't have garages). I started out using snow paddles (spike spider) worked very well, pain to carry around, moderately easy to put on and remove. Snow tires are best except the price compared to how many days I actually need them. Chains are great but extremely hard to use and hard to carry around (especially after you take them off, all wet and dirty). Auto socks are the easiest, I've used them in the exact circumstances mentioned in the video, a ski trip or two. Easy to put on when needed, easy to take off when you don't. Still messy to carry after removal. Excellent performance, I don't think I've ever driven them on clean ice, but that doesn't happen in this country. So my conclusion is I use summer tires and have a set of snow socks for use the few times a year I need them. On longevity: yes they do get damaged easily if you run them on an uncovered road but they continue to function until they are completely destroyed, still haven't been able to kill one pair.
This is interesting because I have very different results: I have used snow socks in harsh winter conditions in Switzerland before on a 1 series BMW with RWD only. Despite having had new Michelin Alpine winter tyres, I couldn't get up the steep hill (around 10%) to my house in the mountains. With the snow socks on, it wasn't a problem at all... Even from a total stand still, I would get enough traction to get up the hill.
The Michelin X-Ice Snow in the Video is a nordic winter tire. Much better in snow than the Pilot Alpin
If you had the Michelin X-Ice Snow you would probably get up;)
All wintertires arent made for the same conditions. The Michelin Alpine is refered to as a "middle european wintertire" here in the nordics, made more for rain and frosty roads, with occasional slush and snow. If you have harsh winters, and live in an alpine region, you need nordic winter tires, which are specifically designed to work best on snow and ice.
This is the first (1) time i read or see anyone successfully using a snow sock.
In all the tests i saw and read (mostly german and austrian) the snow socks always desintegrated realtively quickly and didn't provide any traction advantage over normal winter tyres.
@eriks and @nilshenrikkvale7174: here in the alps often times people have to put snow chains onto winter tyres because of the inclines or ice. And in most of these situations even nordic winter tyres aren't superior anymore: Collegues of mine use a awd VW bus with studded nordic winter tyres. And yet due to the conditions on the mountain they have to drive up and down they have to put on snow chains additionally frequently.
Their predecessors wet up and down that mountain for 30 years and always made sure to have good studded winter tyres, awd or before that 4wd, and diff locks, and good snow chains.
It was also our experience that the snow socks gave better grip in semi-deep fresh snow than the winter tires alone.
I picked up a pair of snowsocks a few years back to supplement my X-Ice3s for the niche case where I encounter snow that's particularly deep and fluffy and need a big contact patch.
Let me start by saying thank you for doing this test, educational!
The method to put the chains on is to drape them over the tire, reach behind and hook the inside ends together, then connect the outside portion. Drive the a short distance and snug them up. Most chains like these come with some rubber tensioning circles to keep the chains snug. They should take about two minutes to put on per tire.
The cable ties should go on the same way.
If you’re not dressed warm enough to stay outside 10-15 min, that is a problem. Anyway, about the diamond chains. I’ve had to use them only once and they were very easy to install. And they were awesome. All you have to do is practice installing them a couple of times in summer time. And be a little careful when you put them in the box so they aren’t all tangled up already. When you go to places with extreme conditions and weather you have to be prepared. If go in jeans and have no idea how your tools and equipment work.. well…
And yes. Snow tires make a tremendous difference. I drove a Mustang for 5 years. In Wisconsin
Great video. Very informative. I've got winter tyres, but might just get a set of those chain ladders as well.
Always wanted to know! Thanks for this test!
I just bought whatever was popular online
Can you include a test regarding the limited slip diff on the civic SI vs a regular civic? Would be interesting to see how much the LSD helps.
May you twst whether snow chain plus winter tire is better than winter tire alone? Living in northern BC, I have car in winter tires also having chains in my trunk just in case.
Wish you had tried the chains on the winter tire as an added test - otherwise best review I've seen ❤ Myself I use winter tires and carry 4 chains for steep icy grades - going down a grade is more dangerous than up if you have less traction at the back
I was in the austrian army as a truck driver.
In my training we did put on snow chains countless times and it also was a way of punishing us later on.
So somehow now I really like snow chains 😅
I have winter tires (Pirelli Sottozero) on my car and I am consithering to keep snow chains in my trunk.
The Problem is that I don't really need them. Maby onze in two years. 😅
Perhaps you have stockholm syndrome with chains?
I would love for you to get your hands on the North America special Blizzak tire. As well as compare it to a Nokian and a Firestone winter (Bridgestone owns Firestone however Firestone seems to be very popular for a winter tire in the States)
The braking results show a very important point: even with the best traction devices on your heaviest axle, you're still using only two tires to stop the car whereas the winter tires will use all four of them.
It becomes particularly obvious when you look at snow acceleration vs braking: acceleration only uses the front tires in any case, and it shows that winter tires have a somewhat similar grip to chains and socks, but then under braking you can apply that grip to the whole vehicle instead of just a part and the difference grows, a lot.
Bonus: you are also giving ABS twice as much reliable data to work with so it's more likely to avoid misdetecting the actual vehicle speed.
I have used cable chains on a car that can't have chains. Didn't do any damage. I really like them. But seeing here how real snow tires work, I am rethinking it all.
Excellent test - especially the use of the slopes and different surfaces etc.
Best setup is a good set of winter tires, and konig xg chains. If the snow is deep, or you are stuck, you can drive and/or get diamond chains on. Chains are so enjoyable in deep snow. Yes they are frustrating at first, but do it once and with the konig, it auto-tensions. Super handy feature to make chains easier.
Take the unplowed lane!
This is great, thanks.
I'm happy to see that studless winter tires perform so well. So I'll keep on going with my Hakka R3s, knowing I'm doing about as well as I can do. Thanks!
I would have been interested to see an all-weather tire too. Is an all-weather tire good enough to get up a hill without needing chains? Obviously, the all-weather tire isn't as good as a studless winter tire. But is it at least barely adequate for someone who sometimes experiences ice? My girlfriend just moved from Texas to Michigan, and while I couldn't convince her to buy a 2nd set of wheels, I at least persuaded her to get Nokian WR G4s for year-round use. I know that's not perfect, but I hope it at least makes her decently safe.
This video was clear, concise, and very helpful. Thank you!
I absolutely recommend the ladder chains. Pretty simple to get on, just a couple of adjustments needed, and they drive pretty smooth on mixed road conditions. But yes, snow tires are the way to go. Drove a sports car with winter tires and never had an issue. Add the security of the ladder chains and you will be gold!
Love the X-Ice snow, and I really abuse them since Denver has a crazy shoulder season. One time it was 80 degrees in the city when I was driving up to go skiing and I hit a blizzard on the way back
I would’ve loved to see chains on the Nordic winter tyre as well as something like konig easy-fit, which seems much easier to put on than standard chains.
First time I put on chains (after I already got stuck, was a disaster and broke one of the chains.
Bought a second set and made sure to practice putting it on in a heated garage.
Next time I had to use them it was almost easy.
Dude just buy a good AWD car and good winter tyres. You won't have any problems.
I have AWD now, would still like to carry chains
@@Dveedy winter with studs are good mate
I would love to see your test about Michelin EasyGrip Evolution. I got one pair in my garage but couldn't test it yet
For here in the Peak District of the UK I'm very happy with my current set-up - a 2006 Subaru Outback on Goodyear Vector 4-Season Gen3 tyres with a full set (4) of snow chains as backup (along with the shovel, rope, blankets etc, etc as I'm a pessimist) I have had the chance to try the tyres on hard packed snow at minus 10C last winter and minus 6.5C this winter and had no need to deploy the chains. As is usual with UK weather the cold spells were book-ended with about plus 15C with rain showing the value of decent, true (3PMSF rated) all-season tyres for the UK.
As for the chains, practice in fitting is well worth the effort - despite being an old f@rt I can get all 4 chains on in 10 minutes. I refresh my memory of the job in the autumn when the weather is pleasant so I'm not going to fool about trying to do it reading the instructions if I ever have to do it for real by torchlight.
Tip#1: There is a good chance the colour coding of the chains differs from those in the instructions - not something you want to find out when deploying them for real.
Tip#2: Keep a decent head-torch and gloves in with the chains.
I live on the edge of the Peak District and wished more drivers were as prepared as you are. I set off in the snow one day to go to work, but was met by a wall of traffic that was trying to get from Bakewell to Buxton. I turned around and got stuck behind more people stuck at Owler Bar outside Sheffield. I was the only person with a shovel in their car! Luckily a snow plough turned up and the driver also had a shovel, so he and I dug 12 cars out just so I could get home!
@@tlangdon12 Thanks for the reply. I have the same frustrations. I can't believe there are people living in this area that seem to have zero appreciation of what it takes to keep moving when it snows. It's not helped by manufacturers sending out brand-new AWDs and 4x4s on extreme summer tyres. Some new neighbours treated themselves to a new AWD SUV thinking that this was going to work for them but after the first couple of centimetres of snow fell they became fully paid-up members of the automotive branch of the Totvil and Dean appreciation society until they bought some new appropriate tyres.
I can’t get diamond chains for my Audi etron due to low clearance, but I’ve managed to get some ladder type snow cables on a US business trip. Looks like they’ll do the job well. I’ll let you know how they do on my trip to the French Alps. Used to use Vredestein all weather tyres on my last car (Hyundai Santa Fe)but my lease company in the U.K. won’t fund winter rubber, so I’m stuck with summer tyres.
There are winter tyre mandates in parts of france. showing up with summer tyres could mean a fine, but worse: if something happens an insurance will "show you the middle finger".
Also "not a snow chain" doesn't count as a snow chain when there's a chain mandate on a mountain pass.
Edit: just checked: the snow socks seem to actually qualify in france. Haven't found anything about the ladder thing though.
I didn't think about really low arch clearance! I hope they work out for you.
I had the same situation, my only choice was to buy the steel rims and winter tyres myself. Galling when the tyre maintence was included in the lease! I got through a couple of sets, but at least I could sell them with what was left of the last set when the lease car went back. I've seen absolute carnage on the roads on most of our French ski trips, mostly caused by folks without winter tyres, so for me, I think it was worth the investment to have a stress free trip. I should add that we are using the car every day to get to remote spots, so more critical than a drive in drive out type trip.Having said that, I've had trips with snow on the road all the way back to Saint Quentin, so was really glad of the winter rubber on that trip. On another trip the roads between Gap and Grenoble were both blocked, I don't think I would have attempted the Col du Lautaret without winter tyres, especially in the middle of the night. In the event it was deserted and easy with winter tyres, didn't see tarmac until Lyon! Without the winter tyres I think we would have been late for work! Or had to leave days earlier. We also use the car to get the mountains in the UK whenever there is snow, so worth having just for that. Never got stuck, always able to drive around the stuck traffic via smaller roads!
My car has an amazing abs system. We recently had about six inches of snow that melted and refroze a few times to where some areas were just pure slippery wet ice. I was on all seasons and wanted to see if I could get the wheels to lock up, the abs engaged every time and even worked as slow as 1 or 2 mph without me even realizing that I was sliding.
I would love to see you test out worn tires on the front axle and new tires on the rear and then vice versa, on fwd. I want to see if it's safer what they teach you having new tires on the rear or if it's safer to have the new tires up front and worn on the rear.
It is indisputably safer to put the new tires on the rear. If the front tires slip you'll understeer and plow on straight ahead. If the rear tires slip you oversteer and spin. This is vehicle dynamics 101, something they should teach in school. If the good tires are on the front and it's a FWD it's even worse because you won't notice the lack of traction in the rear and you'll have no problem getting up to speed till you try turning and end up backing yourself off the road...
If you aren't a total crayon munching novice none of this matters, you know the rear is liable to step out and you drive accordingly.
What are your opionion about
Hakkapelitta R3 vs R5?
And Hakkapelitta 9 vs 10?
What you you think about those and why?
Newer = better :)
@@tyrereviews Not always the case, 8 was better then the 9 😉
@@yamahass66 I wasn't into the nordics during that period so I'll have to take your word. There's actually a test of the 8 vs 10 here: www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2023-Studded-Tyre-Test.htm
@@tyrereviews Intresting to see a used hakka 8 better on snow stop & go. May be why i like it more then the 9. Did not try 10.
I think we will more from hankook tyres in the future.
Hi! I'm from Texas, USA and I drive a BMW X3 (AWD of course). Since I do vacations every year in Colorado, I fitted my X3 with Sport All Season Tires. They ended up behaving INCREDIBLY well in light ice/snow conditions for road driving. And when approaching a more extreme Scenario, I carry a set of 4 SnowSocks. I've used them once only when going through a Blizzard over a mountain pass. As soon as we were back at lower altitude and the road was less steep and a bit more 'watery', got out of the car, took the snow socks off in like 5 seconds, and kept going.
I'd say winter tires + snowsocks in the trunk of the car (if you live in a cold-weather place) is great and GOOD all-seasons + SnowSocks is awesome for those like me who drive 1000 miles to get to the mountain and then for improved traction or emergency situation, I can get off the car and install something SUPER quick.
I had snow-chains in SouthAmerica (originally from there) and goooshhhh they were a nightmare!)
I also live in texas and am currently considering like some chains for my car, as far as I've seen snow here isn't that bad it's the ice I'm more paranoid about. After the 2021 freeze and the seemingly yearly freezes at this point probably a good thing to get something rather than getting caught lacking. Snow tires would be nice but not worth the price for using em for a week out of the year since i don't travel much.
Wonderful review as always. Years ago, studded snow tires were the benchmark. I vaguely recall that they were deemed illegal in many or perhaps all states due to road damage. Is this correct? Are they allowed anywhere these days? Is it a state by state thing? Do you have any positive or negative experience with studded snow tires? Thank you?
I've tested studs a few times now. I think they're legal in a lot of states, and a lot of Europe but are banned in certain cities. They're great on ice
Only thing I would have wanted to see as a swede is a base with a tire like X-ICE NORTH 4, a dubbed winter tire since it was a lot of discussion about ice. But you probably have a video about such comparinson already.
I have winter tyres here in Germany an (for the just in case case) chains in the boot.
I think you have to practice a few times putting them on in the dry and warm... which I did. I also had my daughter do it, when she started driving three years ago, until she could fit them easily.
One important thing that needs mentioning is the rated speeds of these devices. Say you put one on to get out of your unplowed neighborhood road onto the plowed main road, would you be limited to say, 25 MPH unless you take them off?
I'm going to have to disagree with the recommendation for the ladder style chains. The problem with the ladder style chains is that they Only provide longitudinal traction. So if you're actually driving, they will do nothing or at least very little to help with any sort of steering input. Yes they work decently in acceleration and deceleration, but with deceleration you have the same issue of ABS locking between the rungs of the ladder as it would. This is obviously tire size dependent as larger tires will have a larger gap between the rungs depending on manufactured. But the diamond chain pattern is significantly better especially for front-wheel drive. As you also get your steering from that axle and they provide lateral traction as well as longitudinal.
As far as I can see, your only Mark against the diamond pattern chain is the ease of use. And I can tell you that there are many products that fit the category in this market segment and some are much easier to use than others. But if this was your first time using them then yeah they will be difficult to fit as you have to figure out what the heck is going on. As with any product, I would recommend testing and learning how to use them before them being needed. Koenig chain makes some excellent chains of that type, that have very quick installation and removal.
Totally valid points, thanks for the comments