Snow Chains for MkV

[John Deere]

Nice work. Good price.

Be interesting to see how they are to fit in the snow and how they drive.

I must admit, being a lazy f**ker the centrax are pretty sweet for getting on and off.

[Sammy125TDi]

lazy??... it took me about 3 minutes to fit that chain, which includes opening the box.

[Axis]

Not trying to sound stupid but how do snow chains actually work? Is it simply a matter of the chains being able to dig into the snow a bit where the tyre would just slip over the top? Is there a limit to how deep the snow is before they're ineffective?

Just curious really - I've never driven in the snow.

[Sammy125TDi]

Very very loosely......

They basically work like really rough caterpillar tracks, they cut trough ice and provide 'bite' in slushy or snowy conditions. The chains are applied to the tyres, they don't slip on the tyre due to tension and the sandwich effect on the chains between the road and tyre.

Cars with chains are not impervious to snowy conditions, and often a 2wd car with chains will perform better than a 4x4 with normal road tyres.

The limit of effectiveness is determined by the ground clearance of your car... but i suggest you would really struggle in anything deeper than 60mm or so of fresh snow.

[John Deere]

lazy??... it took me about 3 minutes to fit that chain, which includes opening the box.

Yep...lazy.....having fitted many types of chains in many types of weather, centrax are far and away the quickest and easiest in all conditions...no tyre hugging, no tensioning, just drape them on, do up the clip and drive away.

[xplainwhy]

Yep...lazy.....having fitted many types of chains in many types of weather, centrax are far and away the quickest and easiest in all conditions...no tyre hugging, no tensioning, just drape them on, do up the clip and drive away.

Yeah i agree.

I've seen friends put on normal chains at the snow, and it's fine when you're warm and doing it on a flat dry surface, but in the middle of a winter snowstorm with a strong cold wind, slippery road, snow/mud everywhere and either with gloves on or freezing bare hands it would be a different story!

[Sammy125TDi]

Yep...lazy.....having fitted many types of chains in many types of weather, centrax are far and away the quickest and easiest in all conditions...no tyre hugging, no tensioning, just drape them on, do up the clip and drive away.

To be honest i couldn't really justify the number of 'chain days' that i encounter on the way to perisher (thredders gets almost none) to spend up on the centrax.... I used the last set of Konig chains i bought for my toyota kluger once in two seasons...

[John Deere]

The pics I posted of putting the chains on are on the way to Mt Hotham....I have been there 3 times and had to fit my chains twice. That day we were still 25ks from the resort!

My chain days are pretty high, have probably fitted them 10-12 times in 2 and a bit seasons, and always in blizzard conditions wher I was glad to be taking the easy option.

But I agree, if your not fitting them much, the cheaper the better if your ok with the small inconvenience.

[maca]

I find it hilarious that every year around this time, there's a thread regarding snow chains

[Sammy125TDi]

maca i was inspired after i bought myself a new boarding jacket... i then got a little concerned after reading that my tyre size was unsuitable... the search function revealed one or two dead ended threads....

[maca]

maca i was inspired after i bought myself a new boarding jacket... i then got a little concerned after reading that my tyre size was unsuitable... the search function revealed one or two dead ended threads....

I have no idea what a boarding jacket is but it sounds like fun. I hope to make a dash to the snow fields sometime this year.. What a perfect car to do it in

[Sammy125TDi]

I have no idea what a boarding jacket is but it sounds like fun. I hope to make a dash to the snow fields sometime this year.. What a perfect car to do it in

boarding = snowboarding....

[xplainwhy]

To be honest i couldn't really justify the number of 'chain days' that i encounter on the way to perisher (thredders gets almost none) to spend up on the centrax.... I used the last set of Konig chains i bought for my toyota kluger once in two seasons...

Agree with you Sammy, the number of times i'll need the chains will probably be very few, but for us GTI owners, unfortunately normal chains doesn't give enough clearance between the tyre's inner wall and suspension, so the centrax was the only choice.

[Sammy125TDi]

Agree with you Sammy, the number of times i'll need the chains will probably be very few, but for us GTI owners, unfortunately normal chains doesn't give enough clearance between the tyre's inner wall and suspension, so the centrax was the only choice.

The jetta and GTi front end are the same i believe? and we both run 225/45-17...

I tried the regular Konig T2 magic chain and there definately wasnt enough room... these K7's leave plenty... so i'm pretty happy for 1/3 the price.

[brentondm]

Just received my Konig K-Summit (K23) set today. (225/45/17) YouTube - K-Summit fitting and removing

very similar in design to the RUD Centrax.

$540 + $20 shipping (to CBR) from Rays ski shop, vic.

I'll try to remember to get some pics when i next head up.