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Automatic snow tires throw chains at your wheels [video]
- exabrial 4y agoFreaking cool, but maybe a slight projectile hazard?
- tmoertel 4y agoRelated question: If the alignment of the rotating discs goes out, can these chains turn into undercarriage destroyers?
- Eddy_Viscosity2 4y agoLooks like the tires causes them to rotate, they don't have motors. So if they aren't aligned and the chains can't get under the under the tires, then they won't spin and hit the undercarriage.
- Evidlo 4y agoYou'd probably hear the rattling and stop driving
- zeckalpha 4y agoAnd rough on the pavement
- s1artibartfast 4y agoDoesn't seem rougher than normal chains
- rtkwe 4y agoMaybe slightly as the chain is slung under the tire so it's travelling faster than it would otherwise just being mounted onto the tire?
- askvictor 4y agoPossibly the opposite if they can be dis-engaged easily on sections without snow, where drivers would otherwise keep chains on
- zeckalpha 4y agoI live in Minnesota which gets plenty of snow, and chains are banned on public roads.
- sparrish 4y agoAnd likely beat the crap out of your undercarriage.
- kube-system 4y agoThese have been around since at least the 70s. https://www.onspot.com/en-US/about-onspot---about-us/ https://www.onspot.com/en-US/about-onspot---about-us/
- lotux 4y agopatented on 1915, filed for patent at 1912
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- Eddy_Viscosity2 4y agoDo they make them for motorcyles?
- smashedtoatoms 4y agoThis is the content I am looking for in 2023.
- Someone 4y agoIf you had them, and were about to fall over, would there be room to put a boot on the floor between those flails? Would you dare try it? On the other hand, chances are it would make cars stay a safe distance away.
- scubazealous 4y agoThey look like they would improve traction while moving, but when braking I could see the chains slipping out from under the tires letting the vehicle slide. Not fun on icy roads. Seems like a great solution for light snow/mild ice but I would not want to trust my life to these in harsh conditions.
- dsfyu404ed 4y agoA school-bus or box truck that will basically get stuck everywhere if it doesn't have something under the driven axle. Braking is not what's limiting the conditions these vehicles can work in. Getting stuck because you stopped at a red light on a slight hill is more their problem which is what these chains solve.
- just_boost_it 4y agoGiving drivers a sense of control that doesn't match up with how the vehicle performs in braking looks like a pretty big design flaw to me.
- flandish 4y agoThese have been around for decades. Additionally, a lot of “braking” with these bigger trucks is “engine braking” like jake brakes, compression release, exhaust release, etc. Can slow a lot by “simply” letting the jake engage. We use them on our fire trucks, engines, tankers, etc, here in New England. Some of these apparatus way upwards of 30ton.
- Shivatron 4y agoA two-wheel drive vehicle with an open differential is limited in acceleration by only one wheel (the drive wheel with the least traction). However, braking is always the combined effect of all wheels.
- mannykannot 4y agoThat's a fair question, though I would guess that, unless the wheel is locked, it is no more likely to slip out under braking traction than driving traction. That figure may well be higher than for fitted chains or studded tires. AWD has the characteristic of improving driving traction while doing very little for braking or steering, as demonstrated by the guy who passed us and then rear-ended the mail delivery van.
- blamazon 4y agoThese have been common in North America for large trucks operating in snowy places for decades - school buses, dump trucks, etc. Handy because you don't have to stop/get out/interrupt service - just flip a switch and you've got improved traction!
- dtgriscom 4y agoI've seen them mostly on local (Boston area) fire trucks.
- userbinator 4y agoIt seems like one of those things that's probably more common than you think, given that you'd have to pay very close attention and know what you're looking for to see them in use.
- cortesoft 4y agoAlso something I would never see living in Los Angeles.
- sethammons 4y agoHowever, living two hours away from LA in the San Bernardino mountains, our school buses were running these in the 80s and 90s.
- Osborne 4y ago[dead]
- nimbius 4y agoas a large truck mechanic i can say theyre okay and degrade roads casually because operators suck at learning how to use them.. in real winters like Alberta the drivewheel is either frozen to the motorized arm all the time, or glides like a ballerina against a wall of ice from the tire. this is a solution for a problem of casual issue, like climate change in the south usa perhaps :)
- pifm_guy 4y ago30% more traction sounds ... Really bad. Aren't real snow chains more like 300% more traction in the right conditions, since regular tyres offer basically no traction?
- cjrp 4y ago“Up to 30%” as well!
- analog31 4y agoGranted a passenger car is not a heavy truck or bus, but living in the upper Midwest, I've learned that snow tires make a huge difference for winter driving. I'd heard the folklore that snow tires are more important than all wheel drive for handling on both snow and ice, and having used them for a few years now, I'm a believer. So called "all season" tires are not snow tires. You can get a complete set of snow tires, mounted and balanced on rims, delivered to your door by Tire Rack (no relationship, just a happy customer). If you don't want to change the tires yourself, there are shops that will change them out and store them for you.
- qbasic_forever 4y agoSnow tires are great but they really don't help with ice. The only reliable ice traction in my experience are tire chains or studs.
- u801e 4y agoThey do help even on ice compared to all seasons or summer tires: https://youtu.be/GlYEMH10Z4s?t=39 https://youtu.be/GlYEMH10Z4s?t=39. Studs definitely are better on ice, but cause issues on dry pavement and may be illegal to use depending on the state and time of year.
- qbasic_forever 4y agoI've used all kinds of traction tires in real world conditions over the years and say otherwise. Yes, brand new snow tires are far better than all seasons on ice. But after a few months the soft rubber on them will deteriorate and they're just the same as all season, but now with the added 'benefit' that you have no idea this has happened until you try to brake on ice and it doesnt grip as well anymore. I honestly think snow tires on ice do more harm by making people without winter driving experience overconfident in their abilities (same problem with AWD). That said snow tires are still spectacular and necessary in snow. I buy and use snow tires every winter season. They are invaluable. I just am saying don't drive with them on ice and expect to have any better traction. In real ice events/situations the tire chains come out or you just stay off the road, it's that simple. No amount of perceived driver skill, AWD techno buzzwords, etc. will save you on ice--you need hardened steel cutting into the ice.
- teaearlgraycold 4y agoCrazy coincidence with this post going live a few hours after I used tire chains for the first time.
- tjr225 4y ago[dead]
- bamboozled 4y agoWould be useless if the snow is actually deep ?
- LadyCailin 4y agoYes, but then so would normal snow chains. These are meant for icy inclines, nothing else, really, but that’s the same as snow chains, only those take longer to put on and off.
- galacticaactual 4y agoWas expecting Batman style chains that autonomously grapple onto the tires. These are not those.
- chakintosh 4y agoWhat if a chainlink breaks and goes flying through someone's windshield? Seems like a major safety hazard.
- closewith 4y agoThe same concern also exists for traditional snow chains.
- maztaim 4y agoI was a firefighter in a past life. These were installed on all our engines and trucks. They worked OK in snowy conditions up to an inch or so, then thy stopped having enough clearance to throw under the tire. We rarely used them and made sure to follow forecasts closely and chain half our equipment in anticipation. Anecdotally, these may work OK in areas where snow is not as common or often, but wind up next to useless where they might otherwise be considered helpful.
- id02009 4y agoDo you have any thoughts about how they help with breaking? The "rotation of the wheel rotates the chain" makes me think they'll not help during breaking that much. They would probably slip from under the tire, and the next chain would not go under...
- maztaim 4y agoYou aren’t stopping by slamming the breaks with chains, onspots, or neither. There will still need to be tire rotation to control direction. I don’t recall which was worse. Fact is snow and ice requires a lot more of everything to drive in. I stay home if I can these days.
- themark 4y agoThese are already exciting, but the music really takes it to the next level.
- andrew_ 4y agoWas trying to find some reading material on these that addressed the question: what happens when large debris makes contact with the control arms for this? I've seen large chunks of ice that are dense enough and heavy enough to cause undercarriage damage.
- footlose_3815 4y agoAds