Not sure how many of you live in a region with hard core winters and drive into areas where you'd need tire chains. I live in New England and I'm a skier. I ended up driving to a mountain in one storm last year where chains would have helped. And we had two storms that saw the neighborhood digging ourselves out. The plows didn't show up for four days after one storm.
So.......I just grabbed a set of Thule XG-12 PRO chains off Amazon before the season starts and they either aren't available or the price gets jacked up.
I run Blizzak snow-n-ice tires on all our winter cars. But after some recent experience I want a set of chains in my winter emergency kit. The OEM tires on my Mercedes R500 are 255/55-18's. My winter wheel/tire setup is the Blizzak DM-V1 235/65-17's on dedicated winter aluminum wheels. So, I bought the Thule size "247" chains as recommended in their fit guide. The fit was perfect. No slack but not so tight that they were tough to mount. If you're running OEM 255/55-18 tires and wheels you'll want to order the "255" size. Even though my R500 has Mercedes 4Matic all wheel drive system and I'm using winter tires, the chains will give me a little extra capability to navigate the worst conditions.
Anyway, I hadn't really considered chains for decades as my only previous experience was with chains my dad owned when I was a teenager. They were the old school style that you had to drive onto and then latch on both sides with a cam lock. Then you had to drive forward tug and adjust then attach a rubber tensioning bungee in a few places. They were a one size fits all affair. They worked but they were a pain in the butt and took about a half hour to put on by which time your hands would be numb and frozen.
Fast forward to 2013. When I went looking for tire chains I had no idea where the industry had gone since I last used chains. I ran across several brands of supposedly easy to install, self-centering, and self-tightening designs. Most of them seemed to use pretty similar designs. I ended up picking the Thule's despite having the highest price because due to years of positive experience with Thule's other stuff.
I tried putting them on one of my winter tires tonight. They come in a compact plastic case. Nice for keeping them handy and keeping your car interior from taking a beating. Take one out. Shake it out to make sure everything is hanging the right way. And then install. The whole process took maybe a minute. Pretty much as advertised. As mentioned previously the fit was good. The self tensioner worked well. All the parts appear to be high quality. However, a dry driveway in September is a far cry from the side of a road with 8 inches of snow in January. We'll see. The tricky part will be snaking the cable and chain behind the tires with snow in the way. Once that's done the rest is easy.
At least on my 235/65 tires with their relatively high sidewall, the chains didn't come anywhere near my aluminum wheels. I probably won't need the little plastic scratch guards Thule supplies. With 255/55 or lower profile tires, you probably will need to install them.
Popping the chains off is even easier. I'm thinking less than a minute per wheel going on and 30 seconds coming off.
One other note. These chains are a bit more dainty than the ones my dad owned. Smaller links and nowhere near as heavy but not as bulky either. But at the same time modern chains all seem to be using a diamond pattern that puts a lot more chain in contact with the road than the old "ladder" style. And some reviewers say these aren't that bad to drive on. That may be due to the smaller link profile and the diamond pattern too.
Anyway, these appear to be a decent if pricey solution. I paid about $250. But the price varies by seller and chain size.
The nearest competitor for me was the Peerless Auto-Trac. About 1/3rd the price of the Thule. Same diamond pattern chain. And a very similar design with a cable that snakes behind the tire with a ratcheted tensioning system. What I didn't like was that there are 2 tensioning devices to deal with rather than Thule's single tensioner. And there's a lot more plastic in the peerless design. Also the tensioners on the Peerless have little plastic levers that you have to remember to flip up to release the ratcheting mechanism and then remember to flip back down so they will engage the ratchet to tighten up and stay tight. I thought there was potential for the plastic lever to break. Or to forget to flip the levers. Or for heavy wet snow to trip the lever while you are driving. The Thule just seemed a little more foolproof.
| Manufacturer | Konig Distribution |
|---|---|
| Brand | Konig Distribution |
| Item Weight | 14.55 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 15.68 x 14.88 x 4.32 inches |
| Item model number | 2004705265 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Manufacturer Part Number | 2004705265 |
