How To Put Snow Chains

When you drive a car you use tires that are suitable for most types of pavement, both on highway and urban pavement, and in general they respond well to all types of weather, be it dry cold, rain or ice and snow or mud. However, if the snow or ice is not mild and you find roads or streets covered in snow, then it is advisable to put chains on the wheels, although in many sections it is already indicated as mandatory.

Actually, given the weather in the countries where the use of the car was introduced in its early days, such as Germany and France, from the beginning there was  a need to use some tool that would facilitate movement on snow -covered or very muddy roads. For this reason, it was in 1904 when snow chains placed on tires appeared for the first time.

Since then, the shape of these chains has evolved little, based on metal links, although different models have appeared, based on fabric or mixed. Placing snow chains and low-grip pavements is relatively simple, contrary to what is popularly thought. And it is important that you know that with the chains installed the maximum speed at which you can drive is 50 kilometers per hour, and that as soon as you leave a snowy or muddy or impassable area where you are driving, you must stop and remove them. because if you do not expose yourself to destroying them and making them useless for a new use.

What do you need to put some snow chains?

• Your vehicle.
• Snow chains, classic, or textile, mixed or spider.

Instructions for putting snow chains

1. Where are they placed? If you have never used snow chains, you will wonder where they should be placed, on which wheels. They must be adjusted on the drive wheels, that is, those that receive energy from the engine directly. Therefore, if you have a front-wheel drive vehicle, that is, with the engine placed in the front – which is the type of 75% of existing cars – then you must place the snow chains on the front wheels. If, on the contrary, the engine is located in the back, then you should place them on the rear wheels. What if my model is all-wheel drive, all four wheels? Well, the ideal is to install chains on all four wheels. In any case, this depends on each 4×4 model and there are all-wheel drive cars that allow chains to be placed on the wheels of a single axle.
2. The classics. The classic link chains, the usual ones, have the advantage of being the cheapest, and the disadvantage that their assembly is somewhat more complicated than that of the most modern fabric or mixed chains. You must remove them, and, on the ground itself, you stretch them to check that no link has been caught that prevents their correct placement.
3. The hitch. You have to stretch the steel cable that it has and hook it on the inside of the wheel to fix the chain. It is the most uncomfortable part of its placement and it is easy for you to get your hands and arms dirty, so it will not be a bad idea to have a cloth and some cleaning liquid nearby to clean yourself after each other. You have to stretch the chain over the entire rolling area of ​​the tire, and then you must push the car a few centimeters so that the wheel steps on the links and thus finish hooking the chain. Next, hook up all the turnbuckles. You’ll see which one goes with which, because they only fit one way and because when you start driving again, they will adjust automatically and will be placed on the wheel in its correct place.
4. Cloth chains. They are actually nylon covers, which you must open and unroll so that when mounting them you do so in the proper direction. Put the boot over the top of the wheel first, and carefully position it over the tread and sidewalls, making sure it fits snugly. To fit the cover over the remaining part of the tire, release the parking brake and push the car a few inches so that the uncovered part is on top. Don’t worry if you notice that the cover is not centered on the hubcap, because as soon as you start the engine and move the vehicle, it will tighten and stay in place.
5. Mixed chains. These are a combination of the ease of assembly of cloth chains with the greater efficiency of traditional metal ones, and they are the most expensive of all. To install them, place them on the ground to verify that nothing is caught. They are placed like the textile ones, and are characterized in that the links cover the part of the tread, and the nylon fabric is the material of the rim that fits the sides of the wheel.
6. Spider chains. They are more evolved chains and are called that way because of the shape they have, anchoring to the rim bolts. They are the most efficient and the most comfortable when installing them. Its disadvantage is its high price, which can reach several hundred euros, which makes it only advisable for use in areas with long snow seasons.

Tips for putting snow chains

• The chains must be removed immediately when you access an area where there is no snow or mud, especially traditional metal chains and mixed and spider chains, because they easily destroy tires in a few hundred meters, especially if the metal used is aluminum.
• It is recommended that you do not buy the cheapest ones because they do not have automatic tensioners, which makes their assembly more work.