Snow socks or chains

[Nick72]

Hey y'all 

Wrong time of year but planning ahead. Up in the Lakes a lot in the mountains throughout the year.

Hopefully the GR Sport R4P gets delivered in September, replacing my 2021 R4P. Planning to swap tyres to CC2 SUV for significantly better snow, ice, wet performance. 

But I also wondered about keeping some snow socks or chains in the boot for winter time. Just in case. Or just all year around. Good example in April a few years ago. Sunshine and 18C. Next day the weather changed, it snowed. We went up a mountain in the morning and snow was everywhere. 0C. Came down the mountain in the PM and all the snow had melted and it was 17C blue skies. So you never know these days especially in the Lakes.

Anyone used socks or chains before including on their RAVs?

More an insurance policy than anything else. Get me outta here.

[1.33]

I keep a set of snow socks in the boot. They are suitable for speeds up to 25mph and I've found them useful on untreated side roads.

I prefer snow chains but I was advised that they can mark or damage alloy wheels.

[ernieb]

Not used socks and not sure chains would be suitable but I do think your CC2’s will work pretty effectively. I’ve not had these fitted yet on the RAV4 but I’ve used them on Subaru XV and Skoda Yeti and they have performed well above my expectations. My experience is generally around the Derbyshire area as well as the Chilterns in Bedfordshire where I’ve often seen the ‘4 seasons in a day’ that you’ve indicated above especially in Derbyshire. I generally have a good quality 2 part snow shovel (aluminium) to give me a better initial clear track if I’ve been parked.

Where our family lodge is in Derbyshire we’ve got through a good 30cm of overnight standing snow in the XV + CC2’s.

 

[philip42h]

1 hour ago, Nick72 said:

But I also wondered about keeping some snow socks or chains in the boot for winter time.

TBH if I even dreamed that my all season tyres might not be sufficient in the winter time, I'd bin them and go back to running summer tyres in the summer and proper cold weather tyres in the winter ... 😉 

[TonyHSD]

Absolutely no need any of these and as mentioned if your all seasons tyres can’t get you out of situation in the winter means there’s no point of driving on them. , just use standard summer tyres.
Chains are the best in extreme situations, but those conditions hardly ever happens anywhere in uk where you gonna need chains or socks. 
All season tyres is all you need. 👌

[Roy124]

I used chains in Cyprus. 

In UK you can infrequently need assistance but it is rare.  In the Lincolnshire flat lands on 30 years I needed chains twice.  The first, around 1986/7 drifting snow left snow about a foot deep, at one part the snow plough left a cutting about 8 feet high.

The next event was probably around 2004.  Unlike the first, this left us with packed snow on the roads for 2-3 weeks.  I was now using socks.

If you are prepared then you can cope in the unlikely event of bad conditions.   If you are not prepared then you may cancel or abort trips needlessly. 

PS, I am toying with the idea of getting those nylon tie-wrap style chains for emergency use.

[Nick72]

10 hours ago, 1.33 said:

I keep a set of snow socks in the boot. They are suitable for speeds up to 25mph and I've found them useful on untreated side roads.

I prefer snow chains but I was advised that they can mark or damage alloy wheels.

Good point. Does Toyota do their own snow socks for the RAV?

[Nick72]

10 hours ago, ernieb said:

Not used socks and not sure chains would be suitable but I do think your CC2’s will work pretty effectively. I’ve not had these fitted yet on the RAV4 but I’ve used them on Subaru XV and Skoda Yeti and they have performed well above my expectations. My experience is generally around the Derbyshire area as well as the Chilterns in Bedfordshire where I’ve often seen the ‘4 seasons in a day’ that you’ve indicated above especially in Derbyshire. I generally have a good quality 2 part snow shovel (aluminium) to give me a better initial clear track if I’ve been parked.

Where our family lodge is in Derbyshire we’ve got through a good 30cm of overnight standing snow in the XV + CC2’s.

 

Thanks Ernie I may just try the CC2s put put some get me out of a rut snow socks in the boot. I've got an extending mil spec shovel multi tool under the boot floor panel.

[Nick72]

9 hours ago, philip42h said:

TBH if I even dreamed that my all season tyres might not be sufficient in the winter time, I'd bin them and go back to running summer tyres in the summer and proper cold weather tyres in the winter ... 😉 

All a question of degree. So there may be situations I end up in where the CC2s can't get me out given we got a place the other side of a mountain. Unlikely but for the small price of snow socks it feels like a better plan?

[Nick72]

9 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Absolutely no need any of these and as mentioned if your all seasons tyres can’t get you out of situation in the winter means there’s no point of driving on them. , just use standard summer tyres.
Chains are the best in extreme situations, but those conditions hardly ever happens anywhere in uk where you gonna need chains or socks. 
All season tyres is all you need. 👌

I'd probably disagree for the mountain roads 2k ft up in the North Lakes mid winter 😅. But I'm not sure how much of a difference snow socks would make versus the CC2s?

[Nick72]

8 hours ago, Roy124 said:

I used chains in Cyprus. 

In UK you can infrequently need assistance but it is rare.  In the Lincolnshire flat lands on 30 years I needed chains twice.  The first, around 1986/7 drifting snow left snow about a foot deep, at one part the snow plough left a cutting about 8 feet high.

The next event was probably around 2004.  Unlike the first, this left us with packed snow on the roads for 2-3 weeks.  I was now using socks.

If you are prepared then you can cope in the unlikely event of bad conditions.   If you are not prepared then you may cancel or abort trips needlessly. 

PS, I am toying with the idea of getting those nylon tie-wrap style chains for emergency use.

So I think this is where the weather extremes and large snow falls in already treacherous mountain roads in the North Lakes comes in. Not that I'd go out in treacherous conditions deliberately but when you're up there you can get caught out given rapid changes. I've not seen the Tue wrap chains but that sounds intriguing.

Looking now at the options. As I say it's just a get me out of here insurance policy atop of the good all season snow rated tyres I'll be putting on, which should get me out of here but I'd just like the next level up policy. I've seen land rovers struggle on occasion. 

[Ex Tiff]

I kept a set of Michelin composite snow chains in my RAV 4.3 for Continental trips on routes that require snow chains to be carried. These are as easy to fit as socks and do the job, if you have ever fitted chains on a frozen snow covered road you would appreciate the difference. My own preference is to stay off the road if conditions are bad enough to need chains, probably the only advantage of retirement!