Anyone had any experience of using these Winter traction aids?
www.autosock.com/
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I've been trying to access their website but me and about 10,000 other people stopped it working.
I am seriously considering buying these just so I can get out of my driveway plus I am off to the outlaws in Cumbria over Xmas so they may come in handy.
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...am off to the outlaws in Cumbria over Xmas so they may come in handy...
I see the UK importer/stockist is that way on:
John Jordan Limited (The Roof Box Company)
Unit 1A, Toll Bar Estate
SEDBERGH, Cumbria, LA10 5HA
Phone :+44 (0)15396 21884
Fax :+44 (0)15396 21886
Contact :
Website :www.roofbox.co.uk
Mail : info@roofbox.co.uk
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How much do they cost?
Do they need to be put on all 4 wheels?
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...Do they need to be put on all 4 wheels?...
The video on the site shows a pair fitted to the driven wheels of front drive car.
No prices mentioned that I can see.
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£50 - £60 ish.
I wouldn't want to put them on just to get off a drive. You must take them off if you're not on snow or they'll be shredded in nothing flat.
George Fisher web cam shows snow on tops, nothing lower down.
John
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>> You must take them off if you're not on snow or they'll be shredded in nothing flat.
That makes them almost useless for daily use where part of journey is on motorway.
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They're for emergency use. Not intended to be put on and forgotten. Watch the video if the site ever clears. They appear to be nothing more than horticultural fleece and someone who has (had? Sorry, can't remember who) confirms this. Put some fleece in your boot for when you get stuck. Or old rubber mats. Or old carpet or....
John
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>> How much do they cost?
Dont worry about it, UK stocks have gone
>> Do they need to be put on all 4 wheels?
Driven wheels only
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Do they clear the cars without socks that are blocking the road?
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 29 Nov 10 at 14:43
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...Do they clear the cars without socks blocking the road?...
What cars are those?
Lots of slippery roads around here, but no abandoned cars.
Are there dozens around your way?
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Yes. A9, M90, A82, A93 all blocked, And the M8 ws earlier, don't know if it still is.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 29 Nov 10 at 14:47
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...Yes...
Looks like an Autosock would assist me, but not you.
No product can appeal to everyone.
My motoring is curtailed at present not by blocked roads, but by slippery roads.
I suspect the majority of us are in the same position.
Last edited by: Iffy on Mon 29 Nov 10 at 14:49
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Missed the edit,
Most side roads are impassible, the snow is too deep and cars become bulldozers and soon stop.
If you haven't got the sense to figure it out.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 29 Nov 10 at 14:54
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...If you haven't got the sense to figure it out...
OK, what part of the following sentence don't you understand?
"There are no cars blocking roads in my locality."
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Not you iffy, the drivers trying to bulldoze snow. :)
It's just started snowing heavily here, must be the next foot of it arriving. :-(
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 29 Nov 10 at 15:48
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...Not you iffy, the drivers trying to bulldoze snow. :)...
Apologies for seeing a stick and picking up the wrong end.
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>> Do they clear the cars without socks that are blocking the road?
Ho ho ho! :-) I can just about bring myself to laugh at this now... It's taken all weekend!
i've 2 cars with good quality winter rubber on. They're both presently stuck behind the car with summer sports tyres which wont move a whole 12 inches, on flat ground (no tread as such, just longitudinal bands cut into them to displace water, effectively slicks for snow purposes).
Cleared my driveway but not worked up enough courage yet to take a runner onto the road (it's on a slight hill at the top of a big hill).
Debating buying winter alloys and tyres but it doesn't make sense that car's got about 15cm ground clearance. If i could just move it to the empty driveway in front of the door.
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These seem to be a "get you going" rather than "keep you going" - I take it that they wear out PDQ on non-icy roads?
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I've read some test results for Snow Socks by the German TÜV organisation and a few others. Very mixed results.
The newer types with steel reinforcement and soft spikes do very well in comparison with snow chains, except on sheet ice and deep snow. The simpler ones don't do so well and become very quickly unusable. In one case the tyre/ sock combination actually produced less traction in snow than just the tyre.
The police in the Alps don't accept them as a replacement for show chains anyway so it looks like I'll stick to carting a heavy set of chains around in the boot.
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They're available at Amazon ~
www.amazon.co.uk/s?ie=UTF8&tag=firefox-uk-21&index=blended&link_code=qs&field-keywords=auto%20sock&sourceid=Mozilla-search
The Jury is still out as to whether I'll be buying them, they may have come in handy this morning after doing 30 miles on ice and snow, no trouble until I almost arrived home ...
uphill :(
Better to spend £50 on them (and never have to use them) than have to abandon my car :)
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I see them as an aid to getting in or out of icy side roads and driveways before being able to get onto main roads that have been kept clear by traffic or gritting. Then I'm happy to slip them off and stick 'em in the glovebox.
I drove from Cumbria to Essex last night and although the A1 was slow, the traffic kept moving and nothing seemed to be skidding or sliding but I would have felt more confident with 'socks' if I had come to a halt on a hill.
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>> I see them as an aid to getting in or out of icy side roads
>> and driveways before being able to get onto main roads that have been kept clear
>> by traffic or gritting. Then I'm happy to slip them off and stick 'em in
>> the glovebox.
I am *not* putting a pair of huge filthy torn-up pieces of partially-frozen "autosock" material in *my* glove-box.
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Makes me wonder how I've survived these 34 driving winters without snow tyres or snow socks/chains. I feel jolly lucky to be alive. Odds must be stacked now with my mileage. Anyone know where I could get a rabbit's foot?
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Rabbits foot is no good, they fly off the tyre once you go above 10 mph.
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As long as the rest of the rabbit is wound round the tyre you should be ok though....
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>> Makes me wonder how I've survived these 34 driving winters without snow tyres or snow socks/chains.>>
You have got enough common sense to know when to stay put.
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Any traction aids you fit will not stop an idiot or incompetent driver sliding into you.
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>>Any traction aids you fit will not stop an idiot or incompetent driver sliding into you<<
How right you are, and unfortunately there are far too many of them about!
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>> Makes me wonder how I've survived these 34 driving winters without snow tyres or snow
>> socks/chains. I feel jolly lucky to be alive.
I am convinced that modern high efficiency tyres are far worse in snow than tyres a few years ago. And the trend for wider tyres doesn't help
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>> I am convinced that modern high efficiency tyres are far worse in snow than tyres
>> a few years ago. And the trend for wider tyres doesn't help
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No, its the drivers that are crap.
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>> No, its the drivers that are crap.
Drivers were always crap, that doesn't explain anything ON :-)
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A driver with some skill will drive within the capabilities of the tyres, or knows when to stop.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 29 Nov 10 at 21:25
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>>I am convinced that modern high efficiency tyres are far worse in snow than tyres a few years ago<<
I must admit that my Falken Ziex tyres didn't instil confidence in me after today's episode in Cornwall,
I seem to recall the previous Yokohama's had better grip in snow/ice :(
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i didnt get stuck today in an empty twin wheeler transit with no weight on the back but hey i have, as others, have also been driving for many years and am aware of my surroundings
the only socks i wear are the two pairs in my boots when my tootsies get cold in this weather
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I bought a pair in the summer!!
We've only just had a light dusting down here, so haven't used them yet. I have had a trial fitment. Took two minutes to fit. I was stuck for a week last year, if they prevent that it's money well spent.
If they don't work, then it's only £40. (And you get given a nice bag to put them in to throw in the boot)
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>>I was stuck for a week last year, if they prevent that it's money well spent.
If they don't work, then it's only £40<<
Ah ha! - A fellow Vulcan (logic) ... Greetings comrade.
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Apparently Vauxhall dealers have them in stock for £55.
Daylight robbery if you ask me :-) but might help someone looking to get them because most places are sold out.
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The prices vary considerably , depending on the tyre size. May or may not be a competitive market price.
Mine are safely tucked in my car (for an emergency) ,which is up to the sills in snow, as I work remotely from home. 3' drifts here in the car park. I'm hoping for better weather and I do not have to use my traction aids.
For a change, Buxton has less snow than the lower eastern parts of Derbyshire.
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Well, I ordered mine when we had the big snow and ice a year ago. They arrived to late to use but have been in the boot, just in case.
Went to Strasbourg by car on Tuesday. Headed to Channel Tunnel to meet a collegue but could not get across from where I live in Sussex, my normal route via Ashford, so went north to join the M20 at Maidstone.
The A267 was a sheet of ice and snow between two villages on a steep downhill / up hill bit. I pulled up in a layby to see what happened, principly waiting to see if any rearwheel drive cars could get all the way down the hill and up the other side.
I then watched Fiat Pandas and even a BMW X5 start sliding down sideways and then I got the socks out of the boot, fought them on (tight fit and on my car there is not much clearance between tyre and wheel arch) and then I rejoined the carriageway.
Wow. All the way down and up with complete confidence.
I have two sets but just used the rear ones. Worth every penny as I would not have got down or up the other side without them for hours.
Took them off a few miles up the road when it was clear and threw them in the boot.
Got back to the UK Thursday and all the way home along the A259 from Folkestone, Hythe, Romney Marsh, Rye, Hastings, Eastbourne without needing them, but then got stuck trying to park my car in our village car park. Used the socks again to get me out when there was not a cat in hells chance otherwise, (apart from using my shovel for a few hours).
The only thing they don't work on is snow / ice covered loose gravel.
A worthy £55 a pair for saving my bacon twice in a week.
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Good report Sfd ... bit like emergency fan belts & jump leads, you don't need them - until you need them.
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www.snowchains.co.uk/main/weisssock.htm
These seen to be the same thing under a different name.
John
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Well mine have proved to be excellent. I got the 2' of snow dug out of my car parking space and enough to allow a 3 point turn. Just managed to get out of the car park uphill then downhill and got bogged down. Put snow sock lookalikes on with a struggle and the traction was amazing. Turned the car around on the snow and ice no trouble at all. Virtually no wheel spin under most conditions. Only used them for a few hundred yards to get on the clear main road.
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Auto sock - TheManWithNoName
