Snow Socks

[Solent]

Does anyone have experience of using these on a Berlingo? Reports on cars in general seem quite good, I'm considering getting a pair just in case (Mk3 1.6d), more as a get you home measure rather then daily use.

[Gadgetman]

They're in use even on Jaguars, so...

Personally, I keep a set of quick-mount snow-chains in the car.

No matter what 'get loose/home solution you pick, make certain to test it BEFORE you need it.
Sure, the sock 'fits itself', but if it's a freezing, windy, snowy night and you're half-panicked because you need to get home to see the latest Doctor Who episode...

[pidgeonpost]

We have a set as 'insurance' but have never had cause to use them yet. The set we have says (basically) that you should fit the sock over the top half of the wheel, and then roll the car forward (or maybe backward if you're facing uphill and you're on snow or ice with no grip?) before fitting the remainder of the sock. The sock should centralise in use.
I reckon they should be a good 'get-you-home', but if I had to do much driving in snowy/icy conditions I'd be looking for chains or similar.

[ntm1275]

My question about Snow Socks is what happens if you have patchy snow?

i.e. you put them on an drive a few miles before reaching a section of road that is fairly clear, if you continue to drive with the snow socks on the fairly clear road, will this destroy them as they will be in contact with the road surface and not snow?
If you decide to take them off so they don't get damaged, and then find that 800 yards down the road the road is covered in snow again and you have to stop to put them back on

At least with chains, I would expect them to survive brief sections of clear road

What is the durability of snow socks when running them on the road surface for brief periods?

[Solent]

Some years ago I got stuck half way up a hill. It just needed that little bit of extra grip to get started. If conditions are really bad then the roads are likely to be blocked with traffic anyway. Maybe a shovel would be as good as socks?

[Solent]

Typical, I didn't do anything about getting socks. Today we had a slight covering of snow and I got stuck on a hill again.

Not just me, many others in the same position, but annoying. It doesn't seem to have much grip at all, I did have quite a bit of weight in the boot though which didn't help.

[pau1]

Some years ago I got stuck half way up a hill. It just needed that little bit of extra grip to get started. If conditions are really bad then the roads are likely to be blocked with traffic anyway. Maybe a shovel would be as good as socks?

You can drive around on the tarmac so long as you don't go too fast. They wont get instantly destroyed but it will shorten their lifespan.

[CourierJim]

A pair of snowsocks saved my skin one night when I had to get from Darlington to Glasgow. The A66 was closed between Barnard Castle and Brough through snow, and the A69 was choked solid with diverted Scottish traffic. My sat nav guided me along the B6276 over the moors to Brough, and I must have driven for over 10 miles with the snowsocks on. The snow was a foot deep or more in places, and I was "ploughing" snow with my front bumper at times, whilst following 2 wheel ruts left by a 4 x 4 which must have passed that way some time earlier. When I got back on gritted tarmac at Brough and stopped to remove them, I found that I'd lost one sock on the drivers side completely! I did not go back to try to find it! I got to Glasgow safely without further incident that evening.