the guys at Brindley Chains were able to recommend some. Worked like a charm.

What did they recommend?

... for info if you don't go the Brindley chains route, I've ordered some Autosocks in case the snow is 'good'

Hi,

I haven't tried the Scout in snow but living in the Cairngorms I use my 4x4 in the snow & ice all the time & yes the it works best with the ES thingy off.

I asked Skoda about this the other day and they tell me that with ESP off, ASR (i.e. traction control) and EDL are also switched off. I never asked them about the Haldex system though.

I assume from your answer that the Haldex is still operational with ESP off? Can you confirm what they told me about ASR and EDL though?

Given the clearance is tight I went for Pewag Sportmatik SMX75, they've got an overall chain-height of 9mm which is well within the clearance. A bit on the pricey side but you get what you pay for. I've used them in anger 2 or 3 times without issue, very easy to get on and off and the self-tensioner actually works.

The Brenta-C XMR75 have a link height of 13.1mm and would have been OK, but the clearance was a little too tight for my liking. Hence my choice.

I made the clearance from inner tyre wall to the shock @ about 15 - 17mm, once I'd squeezed my hands into the gap. If anyone can get the car up on a ramp I'm sure they'd get a more accurate measurement.

Speaking from bitter experience: If the Scout has 17" wheels, you can't fit snow chains or winter tyres (check out the handbook). You'll need to buy 16" wheels, recommended tyre is 205/55 x 16. I only found out the day before a trip to the Alps. Only option was to go for it on standard 17" wheels and Summer tyres. Made it, but it wasn't a pleasant experience. Snow tyres are mandatory in Austria in winter whereas chains are an option. I now have a set of 16" wheels with snow tyres - £475 via the local dealer but I wasn't prepared to buy second hand wheels

whats wrong with second hand wheels? Steel or alloy. They could come from a cars wheels being upgraded not just accident damaged.

Had a play in the 4x4 on the ice and snow last night and this morning and was pretty impressed even on normal summer tyres.

On slightly uphill junctions where the ABS was kicking in when stopping it just pulled away after what seemed like a seconds thought (presumably for the Haldex to work out what was going on). I also tried trickling along in second and then flooring it - the car picked up and accelerated rather than spinning it's front wheels but once the peak torque came in it did lose traction (funnily enough!). What surprised me though was that it was the back end that gave way first - just like in a rear wheel drive car - and that this was then followed by some nice four wheel drifts (4 top 6 inches of light snow on top of black ice!)

Just showed though that the traction would allow you to go faster than would really be appropriate given the ABS was kicking in and the associated inability to stop - so prudence is still the name of the game.

I bought some second-hand steel wheels off one of the other members here. I run a 1.9TDi estate on standard 16" wheels and Bridgestone Potenza's that are uttlery useless on even light snow.

I got 195x65x15 wheels (offset 32) and shod them with Avon "Ice Touring" rubber. In deep snow on a car park, I had to try really hard to get any wheel-spin at all - and I really did want to just for some fun! What I'm trying to say is that there was sooo much more traction available. When you inspect the tyres, they're full of tiny "sipes" that move around when you press them and remain flexible even in the -10 deg C we had one day. There's also a patented, serrated "snow groove" in the tyre as well.

In one day, we drove the Alpinestrass from south-east to south-west Germany (max, elev. 1200mt in thick snow) and another headed up 1800m to a ski resort. It would have been very scary to say the least driving in summer rubber across some ski slope runs that intersect the road on the way up.

I paid £250 quid for four, fully fitted through Mytyres, delivered from Germany to Blackburn in three days - they've a massive selection of winter rubber. Although mine is a company car, I bought and paid for them myself as you can't put a price on your safety. Don't hesitate - buy them and stay safe.

I bought some second-hand steel wheels off one of the other members here. I run a 1.9TDi estate on standard 16" wheels and Bridgestone Potenza's that are uttlery useless on even light snow.

I got 195x65x15 wheels (offset 32) and shod them with Avon "Ice Touring" rubber. In deep snow on a car park, I had to try really hard to get any wheel-spin at all - and I really did want to just for some fun! What I'm trying to say is that there was sooo much more traction available. When you inspect the tyres, they're full of tiny "sipes" that move around when you press them and remain flexible even in the -10 deg C we had one day. There's also a patented, serrated "snow groove" in the tyre as well.

In one day, we drove the Alpinestrass from south-east to south-west Germany (max, elev. 1200mt in thick snow) and another headed up 1800m to a ski resort. It would have been very scary to say the least driving in summer rubber across some ski slope runs that intersect the road on the way up.

I paid £250 quid for four, fully fitted through Mytyres, delivered from Germany to Blackburn in three days - they've a massive selection of winter rubber. Although mine is a company car, I bought and paid for them myself as you can't put a price on your safety. Don't hesitate - buy them and stay safe.

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Another vote for Avon Ice Tourers here!

Recently had 2 weeks in Germany on them,

down to -14c & upto 1000m above sea level

Nice quiet commute to work this morning at 2am,

6 miles town & 12 miles on the A1 saw 2 cars and 8 trucks.

Roads totally white over, even A1 at that time.

Cleared another 3-4 inches of snow off car at end of shift,

drove out of our work car park ramp (20% slope)

without the traction control light flashing at all.

Several people had to be pushed up by colleagues.

Does anyone know how the OEM fitted tyres on the standard 4x4 fare? I think they are Dunlop SP Sport 01...

Hi,

I haven't tried the Scout in snow but living in the Cairngorms I use my 4x4 in the snow & ice all the time & yes the it works best with the ES thingy off.

I have Goodyear tyres fitted that have to deal with sticky mud, snow, ice - everything including our woodland track leading to the house & cant complain about them. Guess making sure their at the right inflation & in good condition is the important bits.

Hope it's of help

Gibby

Just out of interest, what difference does turning the ESP actually make? What's the problem when it's turned on?

Does anyone know how the OEM fitted tyres on the standard 4x4 fare? I think they are Dunlop SP Sport 01...

I had the SP Sport 01's fitted and they looked a fairly chunky tread but don't know to be honest as they cracked circumferentially earlier on this year so I dumped them for Vredestien Sportrac 3's which have been surprisingly good, despite them being a directional summer tyre!

Having had a scan on the internet the reviews indicate the SP01's are not meant for cold conditions and are pretty useless in the snow. They seem to be rated lower than the Sportrac3's in this regard.

Just out of interest, what difference does turning the ESP actually make? What's the problem when it's turned on?

From my experience over the last couple of days the ESP tries to correct sliding and wheelspin by braking individual wheels and that seems to make the car less stable in the snow. Turn it off and the car just sorts itself out by via the 4x4 and your steering inputs!

From my experience over the last couple of days the ESP tries to correct sliding and wheelspin by braking individual wheels and that seems to make the car less stable in the snow. Turn it off and the car just sorts itself out by via the 4x4 and your steering inputs!

I see, so ESP was very much designed for higher speed tarmac issues then?

I had the SP Sport 01's fitted and they looked a fairly chunky tread but don't know to be honest as they cracked circumferentially earlier on this year so I dumped them for Vredestien Sportrac 3's which have been surprisingly good, despite them being a directional summer tyre!

Having had a scan on the internet the reviews indicate the SP01's are not meant for cold conditions and are pretty useless in the snow. They seem to be rated lower than the Sportrac3's in this regard.

I actually finally got the chance to try them out today. I have no idea how they compare to other tyres, but they drove up a fairly snow-covered road by my house with very little fuss at all.

Out of interest, what tyres are fitted to the standard 2WD Octavia? Have Skoda selected a different tyre for the 4x4s, or is it the same? I ask because this page makes interesting reading (look at the tyre types further down):

4x4 Tyres Test

I wonder if the 4x4 Octavia tyres were chosen to fit into the OE category? Or is that wishful thinking?!