When the rainy and snowy season approaches, in addition to preparing your car for the coldest time of the year, you must also prepare yourself as a driver. Both the cold and the bad weather in general demand our best skills as drivers on roads that are not always in the best condition. Driving in the snow is not easy, you have to adapt to the environment and the circumstances, and for that the chains are well worth it.
There are special chains for your car
Driving on snow is a very different experience from driving on asphalt, in the rain or on dirt or mud roads. The grip is much less, the conditions are much more delicate and there is a risk of encountering a layer of ice that will cause the car to skid out of control (the same can be said of icy roads, the so-called black ice).
That is why it is vital to know the state of the vehicle, the tires and those who travel in it… and everything we can have about it. And that’s where the chains become more important, especially with regard to their placement and the types that exist on them.
In the same vein, most vehicles can use classic or standard chains, but some require special chains . This is usually because they have a smaller wheel well, which means that using standard chains can cause damage to the vehicle.
What to know
As in Spain the temperatures vary greatly depending on the province, it may be enough to drive on the road with summer tires and, occasionally, have a set of chains in the case, sometimes extraordinary, that you find snow on the road .
For this reason, and as something to watch out for, we have to be clear about the dimensions and size of the tyres, what are the dimensions of the rims or what type of traction it has, the latter as something more than important. And it is that when driving with snow the chains must be mounted on the drive wheels of our car. If it is a 4×4, it depends on the type of traction, although it is advisable to mount them on all four wheels or, failing that, on the front ones.
Currently, there are several types of snow chains.
- Metal chains with steel links (the most popular).
- Textile covers for tires or textile chains.
- Composite or ‘net-like’ chains.
- Spider or semi-automatic chains.
All of them are also joined by a type of spray chains . These are not chains to use, their effect is quite limited and they are not valid before the authorities, so they simply allow us to get out of a specific situation.
How to easily place them
In this, and being the best for driving on snow, fear metal chains , which are the most reliable solution to guarantee the safety of all types of vehicles in adverse winter weather conditions. Thus, they allow frequent use without quickly deteriorating or losing their benefits.
They are very resistant and heavier than the textile ones that, without being a bad idea, will hold less than the first ones. Given this, what we see is that they require some skill and practice in the installation, so we are going to give you the simple steps to make it easier for you to assemble them.
- Make sure the chains are not tangled .
- Always install it on both drive wheels .
- Thread the rigid rim behind the tires and attach the rim . Position the chain well on the tire. The ring, which is usually colored, has to be surrounding the rim.
- Tighten and join the chain in each of its hooks, but make sure that the chain is well tightened by circulating a few meters.
