Snow Socks VS Snow Chains VS Snow Tires - What's REALLY Best on Snow and Ice?

In this video I test five of the most popular traction devices in the snow and ice, and compare them to an all season and winter (snow) tire.

In the test we have a traditional all season tire, "Anti Skid thickened tendons", which are are a type of cleat, but also essentially just cable ties, "Adjustable Anti Slip Tire Chains" which are fat cable ties, with studs, Peerless Chain Passenger Cables, Diamond Alloy Tire Chains, Autosock snow socks, and of course a snow / winter tire, the Michelin X-Ice Snow.

Each traction device will be tested on a 15% incline, then a 20% if it gets up the 15% hill, plus we will scientifically test the traction and braking of the devices and the tires on a snow flat and ice flat.

This will be the ultimate test to see which device really is best in the snow and ice, and whether any can compete with the winter tire.

[atkodrugi]

6:39 - discussion about ABS not working on ice?
When driving on really low-friction surfaces with inappropriate tyres, a sudden application of brakes will instantly lock all 4 wheels. If the ABS system reads all wheel speeds at 0, it will not be able to infer which particular wheel needs brake-release to rotate again, and it cannot just completely release the brakes on all wheels. More sophisticated systems may do a few partial-release/application cycles on individual wheels, but a short and partial release of brake pressure may not be enough for the wheel to start rotating again if the surface is very slippery. Therefore all wheels remain locked and the car slides to a stop.
We live in central Europe and, personally, I think winter tyres on all wheels + snow chains in the boot are the way to go. :)

[estelja]

Those cable ties were one of the most epic product fails I've ever seen.

[duramaxadventures]

In one of your earlier tests you were comparing tires and you mentioned that the summer tire was still doing 40 miles an hour when the winter tire had already completely stopped

I really enjoy that kind of context and I feel like it really shows "what the data means real world"

[haileybenson]

My husband is from Europe and changed our tires to winter tires every year. Now it makes so much sense! (I did trust he knew what he was doing)

[Callist]

As an arctic trucker, I can tell you that you where trying to put on the chains the wrong way. You don't put them on from the bottom, as you were doing. You put them over the tire, connect the inside, then the outside, maybe roll a quarter turn, then tighten the tension, and you're ready to go.

[brunog]

I have kept a pair of Autosocks in my cars for years, they come very handy. My experience with them is opposite from yours. The more slippery it is, better they work. I'm in Norway. Last winter, with nordic winter compound, I slid backwards on a slightly inclined road and ended up in small ditch. Thick layer of ice on an unmaintained road had melted a bit and refroze overnight, so it was as smooth and slippery as it gets. The road was shiny as a mirror. I opened the door to get out and fell immediately as well as anyone who tried to come and push my car out. It was unbelievable. A tractor with spiked chains (with actual spikes) had come to pull me out of the ditch. I then put my autosocks and drove away quite easily. They sticked to the smooth ice like glue. To make it all more interesting this happened a couple of kilometers away from the village where the inventor of autosocks is from :)

[philojudaeusofalexandria]

Incredible that studless round smooth-rolling RUBBER (what we call 'tires') can be anywhere near as good as having jagged METAL sticking out over your wheels on sheer ice. Tire technology is amazing!

[solentbum]

As an 'elderly gentleman' I have a simple answer to snow and ice on the road. A hot chocolate drink by the fire!
I did buy snowchains for my cars some 25 years ago, they worked like a charm, It hasn't snowed here for years. (South Hampshire)

[brentwarwick]

As someone who's been watching this channel for a while now, I really want to pay an overdue compliment to all the work you do here. I firmly believe that to be successful on YouTube with an informative channel like this one, you must:
1. Be a subject matter expert
2. Have a robust, scientific approach to obtain your results
3. Be thorough but also concise
4. Have high production value
5. Be entertaining to watch

This channel ticks all of those boxes and then some--truly excellent work. My only complaint is that more YouTube channels don't have the same excellence as this one. And for those reading this who haven't subscribed, please do so to keep this channel going strong.

[ManxAndy]

Snow socks are awesome….so easy to use, it’s no issue taking them on and off, and they just work …👍😉👌🇮🇲

[marcjampolsky]

It would be interesting to also see STUDDED winter tires.
As usual, great video

[Jeo-What]

Fantastic review that answers AMOST all my questions regarding these devices. The only ONE item missing in the test for me would be the Micheline X-Ice Snow North but... Excellent review in every way.

[ShuffleNdubsteplife]

Great video! Really showcasing what i thought would be the "right" equipment..
I worked as a taxi driver in Norway for a couple of years. I drove a Mecedes Sprinter, a car that is a nightmare on winter roads. We had OnSpot tire chains installed for icy road conditions, and had AutoSocks for when there was heavy snow. Ofc, a good set of Winter Tires are always a must aswell. With this combination, regardless of type of car. I think you would have no problem going trough winter, if you live in places with low temperatures and heavy snow as long as you have this trio of items. Only add on would be a 4x4 car :)

[brianpederson]

Great info!
Everyone's situation is probably different. I live in the metro area of a snow state. In my experience, unless frequently traveling out of the metro, I'm sticking to 3 peak all seasons. If the conditions are truly that bad, I stay home wait for the plows to clean it all up, usually in half a day... and then go back to life as normal. I have purchased many sets of snow tires in the past, but have come to appreciate modern tire technology and not having the chore of swapping wheels and also having to find somewhere to store the offseason tires.

[lvrt]

Good video, the results were as expected. I bought chains for my XC70 this year and put on new Hankook winter tires. With AWD and winter tires I reckon it should handle most of my needs but for some mountain passes here in Europe chains are legally required so I keep them in my trunk just in case. I agree chains are awkward to install but if you get stuck it might come more handy than devices you have to drive up. In ideal world you prepare beforehand but realistically people use these devices when they get stuck. Another great video - looking forward to the next one. :)

[teardowndan]

In Canada, all-seasons tires have been superseded by all-weather tires a few years ago. Not as good as winter tires but good enough to be a substantial safety improvement step up from all-seasons for people who drive enough to ruin winter tires in one summer yet don't drive enough to justify separate winter and rest-of-the-year tires.

[OuterSpaceHoppa]

Spike Spider Alpine Pro chains provide the best traction I have found, especially on ice in heavier vehicles(van derived cars). The combination of chain and metal cross pieces really bite into ice and snow and provide traction as well as resistance to latteral slides (ladder chains are not as good at preventing latteral slides, say on roads with an adverse camber). The Alpine Pro are very easy to put on as they slot onto pre installed plates mounted on the wheel studs. This is more than a bonus when trying to get the chains on quickly and safetly at the side of a chaotic dangerous road with other users skidding and sliding all around you. I say this as somebody who has used many pairs of diamond pattern chains with all manor of mounting systems and has become very efficient at putting them on and off. I have snapped a couple of pairs of diamond style chains(12mm links, normal road use, no wheel spinning!) and so usually carry a whole spare pair as back up. The Alpine Pros are very robust so I feel that just spare parts suffice, so far, I have never broken one. The down side is that they are bulky and expensive.

I concur that snow chains are no substitute for winter tyres and I need both when I know I'm going to encounter snow and ice. Without winter tyres, in a heavier vehicle especially, there may well be enough traction with chains on the front, but there is a real danger that the back will overtake the front when breaking or descending a hill. The only way out of this situation is to speed up, terrifying when the only safe speed is crawling.

Similarly, I have found that winter tyres without supplemental chains are a a problem on bad ice or in certain types of snow. I have found this to be true even with the most expensive full depth premium winter tyres. Sometimes I just just needed that metal biting on ice to get safely out of trouble.

[Billybobzzz]

FANTASTIC! This is extremely useful to us, is very valuable data and can really help so mammy drivers that live in areas with intermittent snow. Thank you, well done!

[maryostrem]

Gosh I appreciate your humor and frankness about these products. A breath of fresh air.

[mebiuspower]

Love my Michelin X-Ice Snow !!! Best snow tires I've had by far.