I have been looking for alternatives to snow chains for driving in the mountains.  Last year, the car hire company had run out of chains and we were unable to buy any of the right size en route, so ended up taking the risk of not having any - fortunately, the roads were clear all the way.  To avoid the same problem again (and the ever rising cost of hiring them), I have been thinking of buying some Autosocks, which are a fabric alternative to chains, to take with me on holiday.  At first sight, they seem to be a good, effective alternative to chains.  They are light, so can easily be carried from home in the suitcase, one size fits a reasonable range of tyre sizes, and they look easy to fit.  Has anyone ever used them?  If so, are they as effective as they claim?

I’ve just bought some Weissenfels Clack and Go chains as they look pretty easy to fit (I haven’t actually tried them yet, I’ll report again when I have!), but while looking at different options on the internet, I also considered these autosocks. I was put off by the Weissenfels website which said the following: “It is important to note that, these type of products are not always regarded as acceptable in European ski resorts. Therefore, in our opinion, the ideal solution is to take WeissSocks but also carry a pair of conventional snow chains should the conditions or local legislation demand them to be used.” Seems a bit of a risk to end up getting fined by the French police if they decide you haven’t got the right gear.

Just tried my Klack and Go snowchains, and I’m delighted to report they’re really easy to fit. I’d been putting it off, and wish I’d gone for it as soon as they arrived. Brilliant, easy to get on and off without messing about.

I bought some Auto Socks for use in the UK in all the snow we had recently.  I used them when I got stuck on a slope (in the road, not a ski slope!) and can definitely recommend them - they work exceptionally well and live up to the claims made by the manufacturers.  They are also much easier to fit than snow chains and give a much smoother ride.  As they are very light, we took them with us in the suitcase a couple of weeks ago when we flew to Italy to go skiing in the Dolomites.  As it turned out, the tyres on the hire car required the next size up of Auto Sock, so we ended up hiring chains anyway (which we used, and were horrendous to get on, especially when your hands begin to go numb and the links in the chains get twisted and jammed).  Whilst Auto Socks might not be fully recognised as satisfying the legal requirement to carry chains in all countries, the Auto Sock website claims that they do satisfy the requirement to carry chains in Austria, Italy and Germany.  We saw them for sale at a garage whilst in the Dolomites.  If you think it is worth buying a set for your car in the UK, I would definitely recommend taking them for use on a hire car in the mountains, either as an alternative to the expense of hiring chains or as a back up if the hire company has run out of chains.  Even if it turns out that they don’t fit your hire car, the fact that they weigh next to nothing means that you have nothing to lose by having them in your suitcase.

My wife has just acquired a new car and the with the wheels that came with it as standard the hand book says that snow chains cannot be used with these wheels. This is scary and I do not know what to do. If law says you must be able to fit chains and the car manufacturer says you cannot, what do you do? I suppose drink coffee in Bourg st Maurice and wait for the road to be cleared. Or can these very expensive devices that bolt to the outside of the wheel be used.

The car is a Skoda Superb Excellence.

John

Do not buy them! Apart from the fact that they were very hard work to put them on and take them off, they were all ripped after first use. And this was only to come down a snowy mountain in Grindelwald (just snow, no grit at all etc.).  I was very diasppointed and immediately complained to the company I had bought them from.  They admitted themselves that I was by far not the only one who had this happen and that they seem to be a one-time-only gadget.  i was stunned and would have hoped they had told me before, since i aasked the question when i bought them.  Back to snow chains for me.  And I agree with some of the comments here: there are very affordable, very easy to fit chains on the market.