Snow chains for your car

Snow chains Function 

Snow chains are designed to increase your safety while driving in winter by improving the traction of your tyres. This guarantees that your tyres do not spin and that the driving force of the engine is still converted into forward motion. To fulfil these basic functions, snow chains consist of square chain links. These provide the necessary grip for the tyres and consequently prevent them from spinning. In addition, most snow chains incorporate loosely mounted elements that prevent either slush or snow from sticking to the snow chain.

How do you fit snow chains and how fast can you drive with snow chains?

You should fit snow chains as early as possible. Especially if a general obligation to use snow chains is prescribed by traffic sign 268. To fit the car with snow chains in accordance with the regulations, park it in a suitable parking bay. It is also advisable to use the parking brake to prevent your car from rolling away, as it should not move during the entire fitting process. If the installation site is also covered in snow, you must remove the snow from around the contact surfaces of the tyres in order to be able to put the chains on cleanly during installation.

Place the snow chain in front of the wheel in a crescent shape so that there are no snags or knots. Now guide the ring behind the tyre so that you only see the ring ends at the front. Lift these ends upwards onto the tyre tread, where you finally close them. Now push the closed ring behind the tyre and all other tangible elements in front of the tyre. When the chain is properly attached to the tyre, you can close it at the front of the wheel using the locking mechanism provided. However, as the fitting of snow chains differs somewhat depending on the manufacturer, you should always take a look at the enclosed instructions before fitting. Once your snow chains are on, it is important that you tighten them as much as possible so as not to cause any damage while driving. You should also check them again after driving about 100 km and tighten them if necessary. Furthermore, after fitting the snow chains, you should make sure that you do not exceed the generally applicable maximum speed for driving with snow chains, which is 50 km/h.

How exactly do snow chains have to fit? What size do I need?

Snow chains must fit the tyre size of your car exactly. If you choose snow chains that are too small, they will not fit over the tyres. If, on the other hand, the chain is too large, damage can occur to the bumper, wheel arch and mudguard. To avoid this damage, it is particularly important to pay attention to the right size when buying snow chains. In order to determine the correct size, you need the ratio between the height and width of the tyre as well as the rim diameter in addition to the tyre width. You can find this information in your vehicle registration certificate. However, it is possible that this information may differ slightly from the winter tyres currently in use.

To ensure that the snow chains really fit, it would be better to take a look at the casing of your current winter tyres to determine the size. In most cases you will find an indication in the form 195/65 R15. The first number of this specification shows you the tyre width in millimetres. The number after the slash gives you the value of the sidewall height in relation to the tyre width as a percentage. In the example described, the sidewall height is 65% of the tyre width of 195 mm. Accordingly, the example tyre has a sidewall height of 126.75 mm. The last important parameter is the number after the R, which indicates the rim diameter in inches. For example, the example tyre has a rim diameter of 15 inches. With this information, you now have all the important measurements that you need to buy a suitable snow chain.