OT - Snow Chains, Snow Socks, Silent Spikes, etc.

[DerbyDad03]

I don't live where chains are normally (or legally) required, but there certainly have been times when a little more traction would have been nice.

I stumbled upon this video that shows some alternatives to chains. (Warning: it's 20 minutes long)

The Snow Socks look interesting; there's even a similar product made by Michelin, which I guess gives the concept some credibility. There are also individual "traction strips" that go through the wheel and wrap around the tire perpendicular to the treads.

My concern with the sock type is that all the installation instructions seem to indicate that you need to move vehicle forward just a bit to finish the installation. Maybe just rolling the *wheel* itself, i.e. slipping it a 1/4 turn on the ice, is enough, assuming you don't spin the sock right off of the tire. Of course, everything works perfectly in the video.

Has anyone tried any of the "chain alternatives", especially to get out of a stuck situation where the tires just spin and/or slide sideways?

[Retired]

1. Bucket or bag of sand
2. Full size chains, but just lay them out in front or back of tires to get out of bad spot
3. Metal mesh strips, laid out like #2
4. Thru wheel strap types can be a problem with interference with brake calipers, and/or no hole in wheel rim.

[rbowman]

Cat litter... Often what they sell as 'traction sand' is slightly moist and will be a 50 lb. sandsicle when you try to use it. Cat litter is inexpensive, light, and dry.

Speedy Dry or one of the other oil absorbers works the same but almost any grocery store will have Kitty Litter.

[micky]

Does anyone know a video player that would play in fast forward, like a VCR? One that would play in reverse would be nice though that might be technically more difficult, but one that at least has a 10, 20, 30 second rewind would be nice and not hard to do It's been 20 years, I think, that the player in Youtube has been around and it's not been improved.

I don't know why it would have more traction than the tires?

Without the engine? I don't think you'll be able to turn the wheel.

The way to do this is to make a line note one yard from the car seat in the snow, or if there's less snow, some landmark on the ground, and another mark by the driver;s door. Open the driver's door and drive until that first mark is where the second mark was. And you'll know youve gone a yard (or use whatever is half the circumference.)

assuming you don't spin the sock right off

I had a couple of the "traction strip" style that I kept in the trunk for about 20 years until they broke when I bent them. Never needed them.

She uses 8 on one wheel but I would think one or two would be enough to get you out of a rut.

All-plastic ones you could just drive until they wore out and fell off.

I note that he claims they're endorsed by a bunch of makers, but no American companies, Feh.

My father in 1955 left behind a pair of things, looking like a metal rod rectangle, bent up 4" from each end, so that they were the two most popular tire widths. (Think about it.) They were meant to be put on when one was stuck, just to get you out of the problem. I carried them around for 10 years and never used them, until I think tire width changed and they woudln't fit anymore. I have been stuck a couple times in the snow but I got out by shoveling and/or rocking, and once in the sand, when I had to be towed out by a nearby fisherman.

[micky]

I've read that it's good to put a square of wood 1/2 or 1" thick under the tires so that the chains move freely while attaching.

[micky]

I note that the second snow socks shows her putting it on even on the bottom of the tire. She must have pushed it through that crack that always exists between the snow and the tire.

[DerbyDad03]

While viewing a video in youtube, click the Gear in the lower right corner (Settings) You should see a Speed options with choices from .25x to 2x. Caveat: it is not available during Ads, just the actual video.

The availability of the option may be limited by your browser, but it's there in Chrome and IE, at least on my machines.

You do know that you can drag the "dot" backwards to rewind, right? But I agree, a button to rewind some amount of seconds would be nice.

Because of the coarser material that the socks are made from and the fact that they won't(?) get packed with snow. In the case of the Michelin product, it's more of a corded matrix with metal rings at each junction. I guess that not really a "sock", more like a fishnet stocking.

I like the way the line runs up the back of the stockings. I've always liked those kind of high heels too. You know, I... No no no no, don't take 'em off, don't take... Leave 'em on, leave 'em on.

Van Halen - Everybody Wants Some!!

Of course not "without the engine". Picture the wheel spinning on the ice, not moving forward when the accelerator is pressed. The sock goes over 3/4 of the wheel, then the accelerator is depressed just enough to "slip" the wheel on the ice. Hopefully the sock moves with the tire so that the remaining 1/4 can be put on. It would take a delicate touch which some might not be able to accomplish.

You are assuming that the vehicle can actually move forward. That's my point. If the tire is spinning in place on ice, the vehicle may not move. Again, hopefully the sock will stay on the tire when the tire rotates that 1/4 to 1/2 turn so that the rest of the sock can be slipped over the rest of the tire.

Litter bug.

[rbowman]

You can always jack the tire up. I've never used snow socks but sometimes that the fastest way to get a conventional chain mounted properly.

Fortunately this state allows studs and they've worked well for me. I've hung enough iron in my life and don't need any more practice.

[Terry Coombs]

I jacked up my (yard) tractor and put the chains on a few days ago and there wasn't even any snow ... but then its only task in the winter is plowing the ice/snow off the gravel road so we can get to the (sometimes) unplowed highway . Depending on the severity of the storm and how pressing the need to go somewhere I might put the chains on the SUV too . Sometimes it will take 3-4 days before the county gets out to plow our road ...

[Tekkie®]

rbowman posted for all of us...

I'm sure you have. Then there are the drivers passing through PA that get stuck. I can never figure out what classification to give them. A) No chains, B) Chains but only used 1) Never or 2) Don't know how or 3) Too lazy or 4) Incompetent.