Automatic snow tires throw chains at your wheels [video] • Hacker News Board

Re: Automatic snow tires throw chains at your wheels [video]

#131

Post by ash » Tue, Jan 03, 2023, 12:56 PM UTC

presto8 wrote: post #120

analog31 wrote: post #25

Granted a passenger car is not a heavy truck or bus, but living in the upper Midwest, I've learned that snow tires make a huge difference for winter driving. I'd heard the folklore that snow tires are more important than all wheel drive for handling on both snow and ice, and having used them for a few years now, I'm a believer. So called "all season" tires are not snow tires. You can get a complete set of snow tires,…

My ordering based on personal experience would be: AWD + Winter > AWD + All-Season > FWD + Winter > FWD + All-Season There are plenty of videos[1] showing the above. I guess it should come as no surprise that it comes down to the vehicle, the tires, the conditions, and the driver. At least for me driving in the PNW (temps usually not too much below freezing), Kumho Crugens (all-season) on my AWD SUV are way superior…

> ... AWD + All-Season > FWD + Winter ...

> Braking is longer on snow and ice with all-seasons

I think braking performance is more important. I would choose FWD but on "proper" winter tires. It's better to risk not making up the icy hill, rather than to risk crashing into a front car or even injuring a pedestrian.

By the way, the video doesn't explore braking performance.

(For the unfamiliar with these TLAs: AWD - all-wheel drive, FWD - forward-wheel drive.)

Re: Automatic snow tires throw chains at your wheels [video]

#132

Post by rtkwe » Tue, Jan 03, 2023, 3:04 PM UTC

chipsa wrote: post #22

rtkwe wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe slightly as the chain is slung under the tire so it's travelling faster than it would otherwise just being mounted onto the tire?

The chain gets compressed between the tire and the ground. It can’t really have a much different speed than the tire itself.

I was thinking about the initial swing in.

Re: Automatic snow tires throw chains at your wheels [video]

#133

Post by id02009 » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 2:02 PM UTC

maztaim wrote: post #84

I was a firefighter in a past life. These were installed on all our engines and trucks. They worked OK in snowy conditions up to an inch or so, then thy stopped having enough clearance to throw under the tire. We rarely used them and made sure to follow forecasts closely and chain half our equipment in anticipation. Anecdotally, these may work OK in areas where snow is not as common or often, but wind up next to usel…

Do you have any thoughts about how they help with breaking? The "rotation of the wheel rotates the chain" makes me think they'll not help during breaking that much. They would probably slip from under the tire, and the next chain would not go under...

Re: Automatic snow tires throw chains at your wheels [video]

#134

Post by zeckalpha » Sun, Jan 08, 2023, 1:16 AM UTC

askvictor wrote: post #11

zeckalpha wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And rough on the pavement

Possibly the opposite if they can be dis-engaged easily on sections without snow, where drivers would otherwise keep chains on

I live in Minnesota which gets plenty of snow, and chains are banned on public roads.

Re: Automatic snow tires throw chains at your wheels [video]

#135

Post by maztaim » Tue, Jan 10, 2023, 12:33 PM UTC

id02009 wrote: post #133

maztaim wrote: post #84

I was a firefighter in a past life. These were installed on all our engines and trucks. They worked OK in snowy conditions up to an inch or so, then thy stopped having enough clearance to throw under the tire. We rarely used them and made sure to follow forecasts closely and chain half our equipment in anticipation. Anecdotally, these may work OK in areas where snow is not as common or often, but wind up next to usel…

Do you have any thoughts about how they help with breaking? The "rotation of the wheel rotates the chain" makes me think they'll not help during breaking that much. They would probably slip from under the tire, and the next chain would not go under...

You aren’t stopping by slamming the breaks with chains, onspots, or neither. There will still need to be tire rotation to control direction. I don’t recall which was worse. Fact is snow and ice requires a lot more of everything to drive in. I stay home if I can these days.