"Chris Hogg" wrote in message
...
Snow chains? In the 1940's and 50's they were common; my father had a
set. Relatively easy to fit at short notice IIRC, probably easier and
cheaper than studded tyres, and fairly effective, although I believe
they were rather hard on the tyres, so not to be used for extended
periods.

But why don't people use them now?


PS: about half an inch of snow in west Cornwall overnight, although
temperature stayed around 1C right through the night

I have some - bought in the late '70s when I lived on the side of a valley
in Derbyshire, near Matlock.

I have used them on a Peugeot 504 Estate and on a Volvo 760 Estate and they
are very good in snow, but a pain as soon as you get to a major road which
has been cleared as you have to keep below 20mph on tarmac (40mph on snow).
Take about 30 minutes to fit (especially when you only do it once every
several years) and about 5 minutes to remove.
With diligent practice you could probably get the fitting time down to 5
minues or less :-)
Only used once or twice every couple of years - and then only to do the last
half mile from the main roads up the valley side to the house.

I would be very wary of using them on my current Volvo 850 Estate because
there is much less clearance between the wheels and the bodywork.
There is quite a bit of play, especially just after fitting and before you
retension them after driving a short way to settle them on the wheels.

Also, I haven't had any reason to get them out for the last 15-20 years as
we live in a town and it is only a short drive to a major road which will be
clear (or blocked by stalled traffic).

Even in Derbyshire very few people had chains because they so very rarely
needed them.

Unless you live a long way away from 'civilisation' these days there are
very few situation where they would be effective.
If there is enough snow to significantly cover the major roads then the
roads are most likely blocked by stalled traffic.
There are a lot more vehicles on the roads than in the 1950s.

Cheers

Dave R