Hi, picked up my new vRS TFSI yesterday and it is rubbish in the snow, close to ordering some snow socks from auto sock via www.roofbox.co.uk (thats if they have any in stock!!), they will be mainly for getting up to my street so I can put in garage, has anyone had any experience with snow socks and if they are any good? Cheers!

Hi, picked up my new vRS TFSI yesterday and it is rubbish in the snow, close to ordering some snow socks from auto sock via www.roofbox.co.uk (thats if they have any in stock!!), they will be mainly for getting up to my street so I can put in garage, has anyone had any experience with snow socks and if they are any good? Cheers!

A mate has them on his IS200 and he says they made a world of difference, (The IS200/300 is notoriously bad in the snow), I'm about to get a couple of pairs for our cars but am going for the GoodYear/Fix&GoTex one's which are the same brand as each other just that they changed the name etc... They work out about £20 cheaper than the autosock one's at around £47-£49 on ebay brand new with free delivery.

Cheers

Dave.

Edited 30 November, 201015 yr by WaveyDavey

yes, snow socks are very good but faffy putting them on then off again!

Hi, picked up my new vRS TFSI yesterday and it is rubbish in the snow, close to ordering some snow socks from auto sock via www.roofbox.co.uk (thats if they have any in stock!!), they will be mainly for getting up to my street so I can put in garage, has anyone had any experience with snow socks and if they are any good? Cheers!

as soon as you use them on cleared roads they last no time at all, so considering the price it can be an expensive hobby. they are a get you home when stuck bit of kit and i wouldnt personally rely on them. get some winter tyres and you will not be worrying about the snow anymore believe me

Yes and no.

Yes, they got me off my drive and to the road, but of course once I took them off I was all over the place on the main road. The problem is that you need to find a safe place to put them on and take them off. Round here, everything is single track at the moment, so i had to take them off before I got on the main road. They also damage easily if you end up wheel spinning or getting stuck with gravel or stones under the snow.

I ended up up biting the bullet and getting a set of steel wheels and winter tyres from my local Skoda dealer. I wasn't overjoyed at having to spend the money, but boy are they impressive. My traction control hasn't come on once in the last 2 days, and I'm driving on slush, ice or snow almost the whole time.

Edited 30 November, 201015 yr by pixor

I reckon the winter wheels/snow socks argument can be boiled down into 2 simple choices:

1) Do you balk at the idea of spending around £400?

Yes: You're probably not going to enjoy the idea of buying winter tyres/wheels

No: Buy winter wheels/tyres.

Feel happy in the knowledge that you're probably safer than without

2) Do you live North of Birmingham or East of Watford?

Yes: You're probaby going to be better off with winter tyres at some point.

If you answered Yes to 1 you're in for annoyance when you can't get thru the snow. Accept the fact that you're a tightwad and don't whine when you're stuck

No: You can probably get buy on normal tyres.

Pack some snow socks as an emergency item if you're that way inclined

For the record I live in the South where we rarely get snow, £400 for winter wheels/tyres doesn't seem great value, if I get stuck I'll remember not to whine about it

Edited 30 November, 201015 yr by Lou_O

I reckon the winter wheels/snow socks argument can be boiled down into 2 simple choices:

1) Do you balk at the idea of spending around £400?

Yes: You're probably not going to enjoy the idea of buying winter tyres/wheels

No: Buy winter wheels/tyres.

Feel happy in the knowledge that you're probably safer than without

2) Do you live North of Birmingham or East of Watford?

Yes: You're probaby going to be better off with winter tyres at some point.

If you answered Yes to 1 you're in for annoyance when you can't get thru the snow. Accept the fact that you're a tightwad and don't whine when you're stuck

No: You can probably get buy on normal tyres.

Pack some snow socks as an emergency item if you're that way inclined

For the record I live in the South where we rarely get snow, £400 for winter wheels/tyres doesn't seem great value, if I get stuck I'll remember not to whine about it

Is that £400 for all 4 or just for the front 2 wheels?

It's more like 400-600 for all 4. Don't just put 2 on, or you will likely spin and crash.

And look at it this way. How much would it cost if you crashed, and would you want to get stuck with your family in the snow?

I never bothered when I lived in urban England. Now I am in Scotland, it's a different story.

Edited 30 November, 201015 yr by pixor

Thanks for all the info , my daily commute is only 6 mile round trip and only really struggling in the streets so think I'll try some socks and see how they manage. Cheers!

A mate has them on his IS200 and he says they made a world of difference, (The IS200/300 is notoriously bad in the snow), I'm about to get a couple of pairs for our cars but am going for the GoodYear/Fix&GoTex one's which are the same brand as each other just that they changed the name etc... They work out about £20 cheaper than the autosock one's at around £47-£49 on ebay brand new with free delivery.

Cheers

Dave.

Looked on ebay and they don't have the right size for the vRS wheels - 225/40 18, might just have to pay the dearer price for the autosock.

I bought autosock snow socks last winter for my FL VRS. I didn't need them then, and they remained un-used .. until today.

I commute between Wetherby and Doncaster, and setting off this morning in Wetherby the roads were OK. In Doncaster, however, 10 inches of snow had fallen overnight, and it was still snowing when I arrived. A quick cup of tea at work, and I decided I should go home before it got any worse.

I put the snow socks on at work, and they worked a treat getting me to the M18 (N) .. the only major road open / I could get to. They took a while to get on ... maybe 5 minutes.

I took them off on the slipway onto the M18 (thanks to the truck behind who waited patiently). They were easy to get off... maybe 2 minutes. The definite downside is finding a spot to put them on / take them off, particularly when there is so much snow off the beaten path. You need to find a spot to take them off, which is safe and you will be able to get going again afer removal.

After teatering around on M18, M62 and A1 at 30 mph without socks, I got to Wetherby. I got stuck going uphill in the highstreet and scewed off into a bus stop to put socks on. This time the tyres were icy and wet, and there was an angry van driver chelping off at me for 'stopping' half way up a hill. It took me 3 attempts .. maybe 10 minutes to get the socks on this time. Once on I was able to get up 2 fairly steep hills where others were struggling.

Overall ..... they are tricky to get onto 18" wheels because there isn't much clearance between tyre and wheelarch to get your hands in, it is hard to find somewhere safe to put them on, and somewhere safe with traction to take them off, but once on they do a very good job (just remember that the back end has no grip, so oversteer is very likely.

I think I will still investigate winter wheels.

Used mine for the first time this week on Sunday (they're still on the car which hasn't gone anywhere since), worked great getting me up the hill in my village then parking outside my house. I found it easier to put the wheels on full lock, put as much of each sock as I could on, then change to the opposite lock and do the remaining top part before reversing a little to be able to fully cover the tyre.

Mine have arrived in the post today, but the roads are clear

Used mine for the first time this week on Sunday (they're still on the car which hasn't gone anywhere since), worked great getting me up the hill in my village then parking outside my house. I found it easier to put the wheels on full lock, put as much of each sock as I could on, then change to the opposite lock and do the remaining top part before reversing a little to be able to fully cover the tyre.

Having used mine once last week, your lock to lock advice before finally reversing seems an excellent idea. I will certainly try that fitting technique next time I use them.

Mine have arrived in the post today, but the roads are clear

That's what you call sods law!

In short, yes, they are great

However, its a pain that they can't run on tarmac/gritted roads. My drive to work is about 2 miles on local roads, 10 miles on the A2 then the same again the other side of the blackwall tunnel.

last night i fitted my snow socks and this morning (at 4am) started the drive to work. I had no problems plowing through the uncleared roads up until i got onto the A2.

It was then I encountered my first problem - nowhere to stop and take the socks off. So I carried on in the uncleared local traffic lane until an area where i could stop safely. I pulled into 6" of standing snow, drivign through without a problem, as if driving on tarmac, then however once removing the socks, could I get out of the snow? Could I F**K!!!

next year I will be investing in some winter tyres I think

Socks get quicker to put on and take off after a little practice, using 2 sets (front and rear), it used to take me about 5 minutes to get them on and 2 minutes to get them off; it helps to have enough space between the tyre and the wheel arch though.

I have not had a problem finding anywhere suitable to stop either, just make sure it is not too deep in slush and hopefully, pointing downhill; if you can find a spot where someone has been parked and is clear of snow, even better.

I have owned mine since 04 and they are still going strong.

The real tyre v sock test will come soon, my sister has just splashed out on Winter tyres and I am sticking with my socks!! We have some real, steep hills and narrow roads around here!!

I was out on my bicycle yesterday for a gentle short ride - 12.5 miles up & down some hills around Croydon. The only vehicles getting up or controlled getting down were those equipped with winter tyres, snow chains (very noisy) and snow socks. The vehicle with snow socks got up the hill very easily.

There was a new Bug at the bottom which couldn't get over a 1" ridge in the road.

I just cycled past all but the properly equipped vehicles. So satisfying. I was using Bontrager Mud X tyres with huge knobblies on them.

Just for the record, I took 2 1/2 hours to do the ride, the steep down hill I had plenty of practice honing my steering into skid skills. I recon it took me about 45mins to do the 2 1/2 miles downhill stretch. Faster than the pedestrians around me.....just.

Mike

I got some in January, just as the last load of snow cleared so didn't have a chance to use them.

They came out at midnight Friday night/Saturday morning on the A1 in Newcastle as 2 or 3 inches of fresh snow had come down in a couple of hours onto the snow and ice that had buit up over the last week. I had been trundling along at 15-20 miles an hour, but a combination of a long hill and various other vehicles being pushed and sliding around forced me to stop. I tried a few times to get going again, but only succeeded in moving sideways across the slope so thought I'd give the socks a go.

The last time I'd looked at how to put them on was back in January when I got them, but in no more than 10 mins, in standing traffic on a slip road/lane 1 of the A1 I got them on, then proceeded to gently drive off up the hill, with the only other vehicle moving being a Police BMW X5 that was trying to tidy things up. As others have said, it feels just like being back on clear tarmac, but do watch out for the back end going away from you on corners and roundabouts (If you get some and have a big snowy car park it might be an idea to get a feel for how the car handles with them on).

I did about 5 miles on them with no apparent wear or change in how they looked at all. If you're planning on doing lots of serious winter driving, sure, go for winter tyres, but if, like me, you just want something to keep in your boot to give you a chance to get out of isolated trouble I'd recommend them.

Ed

Edited 1 December, 201015 yr by Ed-Preston

Picked are set up yesterday from the local vauxhaul dealer. We've bought them as a get out of jail free card when suck in side roads and country lanes.