Snow chains on 4matic GLC - fit front or rear ?

[Teckno]

Snow chains on 4matic GLC - fit front or rear ?
Hi,
I have read the user manual and it is not clear if low profile snow chains should only be fitted to front or rear tyres.
We have All Season Eagle Goodyear M&S RFT fitted and I understand our all wheel drive - 4Matic - system with traction control should be sufficient, however our Parks Authority staff insist we must fit chains if road/weather conditions dictate.

Any assistance or advice greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[optimusprime]

Not knowing anything about your car .But if it is a 4 wheel drive then i would hazard a guess and say you will have to fit chains to all 4 wheels .Because all 4 wheels rotate at the same speed

 

[grober]

Since the GLC is based on a 4WD version of what was originally a RWD platform I would fit the chains to the rear. If you had a GLA the reverse might be true. I don't know what "Parks Authority" you refer to but a vehicle with decent winter tyres and a sophisticated 4wd system like your vehicle has, should cope with most winter conditions without reverting to the use of snow chains ??

 

[Bellow]

For which axle to fit them to (why not both?) you will need to understand the operation of the centre differential. TC (alone) will limit power to the point of no progress.

Parks Authority staff insist we must fit chains if road/weather conditions dictate.

Any assistance or advice greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Have you used chains before? They are anything but easy to fit and doing so at the roadside (you cannot drive at any speed with them fitted) in the freezing cold is not to be taken lightly. Ask for a risk assessment to be conducted on this and see where it goes.

As per Grober - on appropriate tyres the 4WD should do the rest. Ground clearance will be the limiting factor and that is true with chains also - bellied, expect the chains to go flying.

 

[Teckno]

Many thanks.
In Australia not a lot of snow, but we do get large dumps and the few roads have limited grader snow Plow clearing. Parks Authority is the local Govt people who control the park and road access. We tend to be a little backward in regulations and usually only allow diamond pattern chains, other types such as snow soxs, ladder types are ‘verboten’. I have snap on units that I imported from UK and think they are ‘approved’ for use in Oz ?
Have driven and fitted snow chains before in my lifetime on a front wheel drive Renault, with success.
Many thanks so far for your kind responses.