Chains on wheels
Even the best winter tires can't handle certain conditions. You must get to the chains.
When choosing chains, you need to know the size of the wheels. Chains are available in several sizes and you need to choose the right one so that they do not fall off. This also applies to self-tensioning chains. Tensioners are designed to eliminate the slight play that occurs after the chain is installed, not to fit the wheel size. In other chains, after driving ten meters, you have to stop and tighten the chains.
Overrunning chains that need to be spread on the snow in front of the car and then fastened are becoming less and less common. Currently, they are mainly found on trucks. Quick assembly chains are used for passenger cars. In this case, the chain is placed next to the wheel and then attached to it.
Fat and skinny
When choosing a chain, you should also consider the size of the links. Typically twelve millimeter cells are used. Owners of cars with large wheels that barely fit in the wheel arches can choose chains with links with a section of 10 and even 9 mm. They look softer, but are made of stronger steel. On the other hand, owners of SUVs or minibuses, larger vehicles with higher axle loads, should choose stronger chains (14–16 mm), since thinner chains can break with faster gas injection.
The operation of the chain is affected by the shape of the links and the pattern of weaving. The size of the nets, in turn, determines the driving comfort - the smaller, the less we feel them. Round wire links cut into the road worse than flat links with sharp edges.
– The steel from which the chains are made is also very important. Some manufacturers in the Far East use materials with too low strength, which increases the risk of chain breakage, says Marek Senchek from Taurus, which has been importing chains for 10 years.
Rhombus or stairs?
The simplest chains have a so-called staircase arrangement. The chains only run across the tread. They are mainly used for small cars with small weak engines. This type of weave works mainly when driving on hard snow. With such chains it is also difficult to move, i.e. drive across the slope - the car may start to slip, since the ladder chains do not prevent side skidding. In such conditions, the “diamond-shaped” weave works better, where the transverse chains are still connected by longitudinal chains passing through the center of the tread.
Tape driving
You don't have to wait until the last minute to install chains. You may find yourself exhausted in deep snow, with a line of impatient drivers behind you waiting to get through. – Before installing new chains for the first time, it is better to practice in the garage or in front of the house, advises Marek Sęczek. We put chains on the drive wheels. It is not allowed to drive on asphalt for a long time and exceed the speed of 50 km/h. When we go back to the asphalt surface, we remove the chains. First, they reduce driving comfort by causing increased vibration. Secondly, such driving leads to faster wear of chains and tires. Do not accelerate or brake sharply, because it may break. If this happens, remove the chains quickly to avoid damaging the vehicle. Even if only one breaks, remove both. Some manufacturers have provided the possibility of chain maintenance. You can buy spare cells. Other than repairing broken links, the only maintenance activities are cleaning and drying the chains after the winter. With proper use, chains can last several seasons.
look at the signs
Chain marks have recently been introduced in Poland. - Such signs often appear on mountain roads in winter. Chains can also be used on roads without such signs if they are covered with snow or ice, says Deputy Inspector Zygmunt Szywacz from the Traffic Department of the Silesian Provincial Police Office in Katowice. When skiing in the Alps, don't forget about chains, because in some regions of Switzerland there are signs requiring them to be worn, and in the Italian region of Val d'Aost they are even mandatory.
To the top of the article
