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Unfortunately VW Australia were hopeless. Kept referring me back to the manual but of course the manual doesn't have the specs for the Australian R-Line wheels and tyres. I had them checked by chain hire in Bright last time we were there. Said unlikely can fit to the front but rear shouldn't be a problem. So answer as far as I can ascertain is, if required to fit chains then use diamond pattern on the rear and drive cautiously. Whilst not the best solution, as far as I can read - it's legal for all resorts including Hotham.
Or just don’t go to Hotham.
Go to a ski field without these draconian rules with European chains that will fit.
The manual's very clear. There are only two wheel sizes "officially" suitable for chains... 17x7 or 17x6.5s. It also specifies the chain width, up to about 9mm chains for 17x7 and up to 13mm for 17x6.5 rims.
I knew this going in but, as you say, the dealer was hopeless. I persisted and they eventually got me a printout of the manual before I would sign. This is not just a VW Dealer issue though. All the dealers I visited, bar Merc, were clueless about chains for their vehicles.
I ended up swapping my 18x7 ET43 235/55R18s for Comfortline 17x7 ET40 215/65R17s allowings 9mm chains.
Change in rim offset from ET43 to ET40 gained 3mm clearance on the inside. The 215/65R17 tyres gave an extra 10mm clearance on the inside over the 235/55R18s.
So, I ended up with an additional 13mm of clearance.
I couldn't find 9mm chains but managed to get a set of discontinued 10mm Thule CS-10 Size 104 chains. I test fitted them and they had plenty of room.
They were also used without issue for a weeks stay at Hotham in August last year at the start of the big storm that closed the road from Harrietville for several days.
Has anyone here tried those other options - Norwegian AutoSock or Weissenfels Clack and Go (or any others) for their 162 R Line’s stock 20” wheels? (For mountains other than Hotham)
Has anyone here tried those other options - Norwegian AutoSock or Weissenfels Clack and Go (or any others) for their 162 R Line’s stock 20” wheels? (For mountains other than Hotham)
For the Tiguan Highline R-line 20", you need the 'Norwegian AutoSock HP 697'
It costs US $109.90 on Amazon USA
Do you know where to buy it in Oz ?
Here is a video on an Autosock install on a VW Golf in the snow: YouTube
For the Tiguan Highline R-line 20", you need the 'Norwegian AutoSock HP 697'
It costs US $109.90 on Amazon USA
Do you know where to buy it in Oz ?
Here is a video on an Autosock install on a VW Golf in the snow: YouTube
Thanks, checked out a bunch of videos on this one last night. Looks pretty nifty. Couldn’t find a video of someone fitting this onto a Tiguan (let alone R Line) or commentary where someone did so. But even if it’s a bit tricky to fit, got a pretty good sense that it would fit and works pretty well. Just doesn’t tolerate non-snow conditions (where it’s patchy).
Thanks, checked out a bunch of videos on this one last night. Looks pretty nifty. Couldn’t find a video of someone fitting this onto a Tiguan (let alone R Line) or commentary where someone did so. But even if it’s a bit tricky to fit, got a pretty good sense that it would fit and works pretty well. Just doesn’t tolerate non-snow conditions (where it’s patchy).
Did anyone end up trying these?
MY18.5 Tiguan 162TSI - R-Line/DAP/Sunroof in Indium Grey
Ok boys I got R line with 20” wheels, what are the options with snow chains??
Go on the sunny days and don't stay over night
It's specified in the manual the max size you can fit chains on is a 225 tyre I think. Have a look at the earlier posts, I believe someone mentions it.
1. 0mm clearance chains such as the Thule K Summit and Weissenfels Clack and Go Quattro are acceptable everywhere except Hotham.
2. In 2017, 4WD/AWD vehicles don't need to carry chains for going to the snow in NSW. It's possible this will change in future (apparently the regs in NSW are from the 70s, predating SUVs/AWDs).
3. Winter tyres do not negate the need to carry diamond-pattern chains at Hotham.
4. Fitting wheels/tyres to increase clearance and then using diamond-pattern chains is an option. See this post for specifics.
Alternatively, fit wheels with winter tyres (and more clearance) for the 3 months of winter (and still carry chains).
5. Hire a car? Nope. Apparently car rental companies don't allow their cars above the snowline
6. After-market spacers? Nope. Illegal. Invalidates new car warranty. Invalidates insurance.
7. Other suggestions - Get the bus. Borrow a car. Avoid Hotham.
Just copy pasting the best summary/overview from earlier up in the chain, pardon the pun.
I have a bit of an update - I took my R Line up to Buller last weekend.
To elaborate on the Weissenfels and Thule/Konig - both are very expensive, are not available for hire, and are still not accepted at Hotham. These fit because they only sit on the outside of the wheels. But they don’t satisfy Hotham requirements because they’re not “diamond” chains.
There’s a 3rd option discussed in this topic: Norwegian Autosocks HP 697. However, I’ve discovered that Autosocks are not legal in Victoria, because they’re not counted as “chains” (though they’re OK in NSW). (When I say legal, I mean whether having these satisfies the requirement to have chains)
The rules at Buller are that all overnight vehicles must carry chains.
I called ahead to one of the hire places in Mansfield (Ski Chute 4) and they looked up the R Line tyres, which showed the following chains as applicable:
The front R Line tyres are described by Volkswagen as having only 9mm clearance. And Volkswagen say we need to fit chains for the Tiguan to the front tyres.
So I thought these chains probably wouldn’t fit on the front tyres. My backup plan was to convince the attendant to test these chains on the rear wheels. However he first tested them on the front, and was happy that they fit the front wheels OK. I was surprised but happy with that.
I was staying overnight for a couple of days when there was no snowfall in the forecast, so I was happy to go ahead with these, knowing I wouldn’t have to use them. The best news is that these are diamond chains.
I defer to others in this forum if they think despite the fact that these chains seem to fit easily enough, that they’d damage the car?
But at the very least, this seems to be an easy solution for situations when you need to carry chains but don’t expect to need to use them.
MY18.5 Tiguan 162TSI - R-Line/DAP/Sunroof in Indium Grey
Just copy pasting the best summary/overview from earlier up in the chain, pardon the pun.
I have a bit of an update - I took my R Line up to Buller last weekend.
To elaborate on the Weissenfels and Thule/Konig - both are very expensive, are not available for hire, and are still not accepted at Hotham. These fit because they only sit on the outside of the wheels. But they don’t satisfy Hotham requirements because they’re not “diamond” chains.
There’s a 3rd option discussed in this topic: Norwegian Autosocks HP 697. However, I’ve discovered that Autosocks are not legal in Victoria, because they’re not counted as “chains” (though they’re OK in NSW). (When I say legal, I mean whether having these satisfies the requirement to have chains)
The rules at Buller are that all overnight vehicles must carry chains.
I called ahead to one of the hire places in Mansfield (Ski Chute 4) and they looked up the R Line tyres, which showed the following chains as applicable:
The front R Line tyres are described by Volkswagen as having only 9mm clearance. And Volkswagen say we need to fit chains for the Tiguan to the front tyres.
So I thought these chains probably wouldn’t fit on the front tyres. My backup plan was to convince the attendant to test these chains on the rear wheels. However he first tested them on the front, and was happy that they fit the front wheels OK. I was surprised but happy with that.
I was staying overnight for a couple of days when there was no snowfall in the forecast, so I was happy to go ahead with these, knowing I wouldn’t have to use them. The best news is that these are diamond chains.
I defer to others in this forum if they think despite the fact that these chains seem to fit easily enough, that they’d damage the car?
But at the very least, this seems to be an easy solution for situations when you need to carry chains but don’t expect to need to use them.
MY18.5 Tiguan 162TSI - R-Line/DAP/Sunroof in Indium Grey
Super interested in the same thing here - Falls Creek is my usual and I’ve got the 162 R Line - Not interested in changing my wheels, and given I live close enough to falls I only go up when weather is looking ok so I really just want something I can carry that fits in an emergency and to avoid a fine! I’d drop on the Konigs/Thule K55 but given the price and they still aren’t accepted at Hotham, it’s hard to justify! If these would do the job and fitting to the rear is an option I’d jump on them..
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