Snow Chains

[Davey]

I think you're right. 'Snipes' are large birds, which conjures up an interesting vision if used in this context.

[Bill Wright]

The best thing to do is stay at home.

Bill

[geoff]

In message , Bill Wright writes

Ah, but which home

I was travelling from my Milanese home to my Nuernberg home

[Steve Firth]

Yep, leave the roads free for those who can drive.

[fred]

If you want to try the winter tyres route then maybe play with the sizes and aspect ratios eg:

215/55 is the same rolling radius as 195/60 205/55 is within 2% of 185/60

Playing round a little like this (and being very careful with making sure that the new width is still ok for the rim) may get you fixed up but of course 4 new winter tyres will cost a few bob more than some Lidl chains.

[Jules Richardson]

Biggest pain is having to swap them at the start/end of the season; most people around here keep a second set of wheels and just swap those over instead (and nice alloys for the summer if the car has them and whatever cheap and crappy junkyard steel wheels will fit for the winter)

cheers

Jules

[Jules Richardson]

That's a pretty healthy pile 'o snow.

Here's a quick one of a passing plough taken through the office window a couple of years ago:

've not had a good snow storm yet this season; normally there's a good blanket of the stuff by now, but it's been unusually warm lately - there was a dusting this morning but it had all gone again by noon.

cheers

Jules

[Jules Richardson]

Oh, and one of the lake in the local town:

huts are all ice fishing houses)

cheers

Jules

[Nightjar]

Which would rather defeat the object of fitting winter tyres (required in Germany in winter conditions) and carrying snow chains (required in France if driving on snow).

Colin Bignell

[polygonum]

With the exception, so they claim, of one brand of fabric snow sock thing - apparently approved in France. But they still advise downloading a document from some gendarmerie saying so.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Studs.

[Bill Wright]

No it wouldn't. The object of those things is to reduce accidents. By not making non-essential journeys accidents would be reduced even further. I think people need to get a sense of proportion about this. In the UK there are only two or three days in the years when snow makes driving more dangerous. To simply not go out on those days is a very good defensive driving technique. Most people can employ themselves profitably at home for a couple of days. Surely you'd agree that unnecessary driving in thick fog, or when you've got the flu, is just plain daft. This is only the same. It's actually a public duty to stay at home on bad days. It avoids accidents, each of which costs the taxpayer a fortune. It helps keep the roads clear for essential users. It reduces stress, which helps the NHS. There's no point in being stubborn and setting off for work when the journey is obviously going to be a nightmare and might end in disaster. Stubborn stupidity doesn't make you a hero.

Bill

[The Natural Philosopher]

I am running M&S all year round On the land rover

[polygonum]

There is a lot of sense in that - and if it is likely bad all the way, I would stay at home. It is very much the hill issue round here. Once escaped from that, can probably drive perfectly well. Decent gritting/clearing might even sort that but it does not happen. There are, in total, four roads from my 'plateau' - two were not cleared at all, the very steepest was partially cleared by council but still impassable, and one was fairly well cleared by local farmer!

[Dave Liquorice]

Even less practical in this country having to change tyres on rims or whole rim/tyre combination when going from snow to tarmac. B-)

Not even sure that studded tyres are street legal in this country.

[Dave Liquorice]

Yep brain fade into "little cuts" being "snips".

Sea shore wader, often seen in groups running up and down the beach chased by waves. Wouldn't call 'em large, small/medium.

[The Natural Philosopher]

whilst all you say is totally true I w3as merely repsonding to 'not a lot will help on ice' and of course studs do.

[Dave Liquorice]

have expected larger versions of this:

be far more common on your roads.

We normally expect snow from late Oct/early Nov on, so far at our level we've only had a bit of sleet. The tops were well covered for a few days at the begining of the month but the snow line was just above us.

[Nightjar]

They would be completely eliminated by never making any journeys at all, although staying at home is statistically even more dangerous.

Winter tyres are a legal requirement when driving in Germany in winter conditions and I don't know where you can get accurate weather forecasts for the whole of a two week trip. In any case, winter tyres are superior to summer tyres whenever the temperature drops below 7C. Not an unusual event, even in the UK, in winter.

On average, it gets 16.5 days of settled snow every year - 27.7 days in Scotland. In 2010, Germany, which is of rather more interest to me, had

80-120 days of settled snow in various parts.

If possible, but certainly not practical two and three winters ago.

However, not so much when abroad and scheduled to be travelling on those days.

I have radar for the fog and if you have real flu, you won't even be getting out of bed.

Not really. You can train to drive in winter conditions - there is an excellent school in Austria - and, if you have taken the proper precautions, driving in snow is no more dangerous than driving in heavy traffic.

You seem to have missed the point that I was talking of being abroad on holiday, not driving to work, which I don't have to do on a good weather day.

Colin Bignell

[Nightjar]

I can't say that I am convinced that snow socks work, at least not as well as snow chains. I certainly wouldn't want to try to explain that they do to a, probably harassed, French policeman who is telling me I cannot drive any further.

Colin Bignell