Snow Socks rule ok!!

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

robtt

Active Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2006
Messages
189
Location
north yorkshire
Car
C250cdi coupe cavansite blue,,auto,pan roof,leather
Well first real snowy winter weather round North Yorkshire and,as usual, my C Class gets stuck! Anyway,this year I bought a pair of snow socks put 'em on the rear wheels and hey presto traction and off I went no problems.They are a must if you have rear wheel drive , auto and live in the sticks.Get some
 
Interesting. This is the first real world feed-back I've seen on Snow Socks. Are they easy to put on and off?
 
Absolutely ,about two minutes a side.Mind you I got a bit of ribbing from people watching asking when I was going to buy my car some mittens! Seriously,though, I was well and truly stuck and once the snow socks were on I got immediate traction and no further problems...felt quite smug as I passed other stranded vehicles
 
I require photographs... my mind can't comprehend socks on wheels...:crazy:
 
Mud; just imagine some nice Argyle patterned ones over the alloys:p
 
I had a fun trip in to work too today!!! Skated off the estate then a very steady drive in - no more than 30mph. The roads were bad!! Took me an hour where it would normally take about 35 mins!

The snow socks sound funky!!!
 
Is there a limit to the speed you can/should go with these socks like chains?
 
Yes, 30mph max.They are very common in Sweden,Finland etc.
 
Last edited:
I actually went a bit quicker than 30mph with no problems I could perceive
 
Last edited:
They do work well but are not for anything more than temporary low speed use, so best to consider them as a more user friendly alternative to snow chains.

As an "alternative to winter tyres" not really unless you also hold the view that having a set of snow chains is also an viable alternative to winter tyres. It is not, both are really just short term fixes but then maybe that is all most people need.

To put it in context, when I drive to Austria in winter always have winter tyres fitted but also carry chains. But in recent years I have never had to use them despite encountering really vile autobahn conditions (chains and snowsocks useless there) and very treacherous mountain roads.

In this country though snowsocks have a lot to offer for those without winter tyres , just do not expect too much. As it says on their website:

"The bottom line is that AutoSock will provide a massive boost in all round confidence when driving on ice and snow, and hopefully "Get you home" or to wherever you're going, but don't overcook it, i.e. you should always drive with particular care in wintry conditions."
 
Thing is,

If your the only one with them surely everyone around is stuck so where can you go?

:)
 
how do you get them on?

Do you roll forward with it half on the wheel then stretch the rest over?

From the website
FITTING: It could hardly be simpler. Stop the vehicle and apply the handbrake. Fit AutoSock to the driving wheels of the car, starting at the top of the tyre and working downwards. Move the vehicle approximately 1 metre and put the remainder of each 'Sock' into position - see the "movie" sequence above. The AutoSock will automatically self-centre when you start driving.
 
I used some last year in Italy on a Punto grande.

They did the job nicely and we got up the hill ok which was otherwise impossible sans socks, but they were rather troublesome to fit to say the least. It took two of us at least 20 minutes of huffing and puffing and kneeling down on wet slushy snow to put them on and the same trying to get them off. On removal, we also managed to slightly tear one so I suspect the lifespan is rather short.

Sure, they do work ok and will likely get you to your destination but the pain of taking them on and off would make me think twice before bothering, especially if its lifespan is short. They're not cheap for what they are.

Looking at them, manufacturing costs cant be more than about £5 so there's a very healthy markup on them.
 
Last edited:
can only say I have fitted them twice today and each side took about two minutes to fit and about the same to remove.Each occasion they got me out of trouble and made a huge difference driving.We have suffered with packed ice on the road and then an inch or two of snow .Loads of accidents both minor and not so minor.

From reading the web pages of the makers there are cheaper alternatives but I would recommend the proper jobs from my experience today.I will be re fitting them for the journey home tonight
 
The socks come in a few sizes with one size sock fitting a mixture of sized wheels.

I suspect that some combinations are easier to fit than others, hence the disparity here.
 
LOL, look at the video where they cut the scenes.

These are the exact points where I got stuck with fitting and removal of the socks. :D

I'd like to see a video (one scene with no edits) of this process.
 
..you mean where a man runs in to fit them for the silly girl! :D

It's a bit more useful than the AutoSocks video:
http://www.rbc-pressoffice.co.uk/press/autosock/autosock_master7b.wmv

Glad to see them in use though - I bought a set of AutoSocks for emergency use when I first got my Merc 3 yrs ago.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom