Theoretical question: snow chains front or rear?

[peasant]

As I said ...theoretical question:

Say you had to tackle a hilly stretch (up as well as down passages) of road, badly iced over with packed snow and ice. Even though you drive a Syncro, the road is sooo slippery that even the trusted 4WD technology is occasionally flummoxed and you find yourself sliding all over the road.

Now you remember the pair of snow chains in the boot ...unfortunately there are only two. Where do you put them for the best result ...front axle or rear?

Personlly, I think, I'd rather put them on the front as the old Syncro does tend to push over the front wheels a lot (especially downhill) and I'd rather have control over the wheels that steer and do most of the braking. A sliding rear I might be able to handle.

What do you think?

[v-lux]

Seems to make some sense to me.

After all, if you were driving a 2wd car its most probably going to be a front wheel drive.

[SyncroSwede]

Personally, I would put the chains on the rear wheels on a Syncro.

The accepted wisdom is to put the new tyres on the rear, whichever the driven axle. This is because the rear tyres will reach the slip angle limit before the front in a 'situation', all things being equal the back of your vehicle will then overtake the front.

As you have the benefit of rear wheel drive, I would put the chains there so keeping the vehicle straight, providing drive and leaving the front wheels with less work to do driving so more able to steer.

On a front wheel drive car, I would put the chains on the front.

[Wolfsburg Willy]

Good question Peasant. Having been busy with the snow shovel in the last three days (hit a three foot drift and had to do a lot of digging ) I would have been better off with the chains on the rear so that I could reverse out. However if you look at some of the events like the Croisieres Blanc, it is compulsory for all entrants to have chains front and rear and it don't get much snowier! If it were a matter of only one pair of chains I would put them on the rear (not just for reversing out of messes that I'd got myself into) but for the reasons that Syncro Swede put forward. I would have made it through the drift the other day, plenty of momentum and Diff Locks engaged, had the rear end not slid sideways on the camber making everything untidy. If I can find some chains secondhand (Fleabay here I come) I'd buy them for the future.

[Simon Baxter]

They aren't expensive new...in the Alpes!
You can pick them up in the supermarkets a damn site cheaper than petrol stations and Halfords equivellents.
I bought my set for about £20, Siepa ones, they work really well, easy to put on, but this was in 2001! I should imagine they are a little more expensive now!

[HarryMann]

A set of Mud Terrains, and there didn't seem to be many places we couldn't have gone in 5 to 6" of snow with some ice underneath in places this last week or two..

Towed a high-top Transit up a fair to middling hill and some big saloons and MPVs up some pretty steep ones too...

Syncro at speed on packed snow felt supremely well-balanced too... gave so much confidence bursts up to 50~55 just seemed natural

Snow chains, you must have it pretty bad for a Syncro to need thems IMHO

[syncropaddy]

Page 87 of the Instruction Manual, section Operating Instructions, states that snow chains should be fitted to the rear if you only have two chains but where possible to all four wheels. Vehicles fitted with 16" wheels should only fit chains to the rear wheels.

There you have it .....

[KarlT]

Planning on going Norway in April. Someone told me, but they do talk an awful lot of bullsh!t, that chains were compulsory. Will check with RAC but does anyone on here know?

[syncropaddy]

My young lad has just returned from Nordkapp, having driven through Sweden, Finland and Norway. Snow chains are not compulsory in any of those countries but snow tyres are during certain times of the year, April not being one of them so your road tyres will do.

PM Thor Alex and he will confirm