Anyone enlighten me as to who is correct on the snow chain debate?

I am off to the Alps in the spring and am getting my spike spiders for the RRS.

Now, the handbook says DO NOT use them on the rear wheels, just the front but no reason as to why I can see.

People I know who don't get stuck in the Alps use four, online opinion even for a 4 wheel drive or AWD varies.

Surely you have to set all the wheels up in the same manner or the software systems will have a nightmare (albeit that DSC will be off I suspect).

Views?

I too am confused

On Lr website they only show snow chains for front 20" wheels and rear 18" & 19" wheels but reading info on web a 4wd needs snow chains on all wheels - front for steering and rear for braking

http://4wheeldrive.about.com/gi/dynamic/of...hains.html Wanted a Series 2 LR since childhood but previously owned MY16 Disco Sport HSE TD4 Auto, MY13 RR Sport Black Edition TDV6 Auto, MY10 RR Sport HSE TDV6 Auto, 2007 Freelander 1 Freestyle TD4 Soft Top, 2009 Freelander 2 GS TD4 Auto, 2007 Freelander 2 GS TD4, 2004 Disco 2 Metropolis Auto, 2002 Disco 2 GS, 2000 Freelander 1 SE TD4 SW

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All 4 I would say, but I'm no expert

The only time i have seen 4 used was 10forcash's video of him doing a (Crosaire Blanche iirc) mountain crossing in a D3 on serious snowy offroad conditions

Thanks guys. I think all four. The car weighs nigh on two and half tons and if the rear end were to go on an icy snow covered road the fronts would do little more than act as pivot. The rear wheels are the park brake too.

Honest John (whose column I have always rated) says four.

I'm going to get four and tentatively try them on the rear too....

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/askhj/answer/11111/snow-chains

Any more thpughts/advice welcome. Handbooks are great but sometimes they need to explain the more simplistic 'do nots' when common sense says 'why not'.

you need to make the choice of being able to stop or being able to steer

My old man did the classic Monte Carlo rally a few years back... with 7 foot of snow over Col de Turini...

Anyway,,those with chains on the rear got up ok but crashed on the way down...and those with them on the front just didn't get up in the 1st place

Those with all 4.... easy RRS gone
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Exactly! I can't see how LR can say DO NOT without some justification.

Snow is one thing but ice is another completely.

I used 4 spike spiders on my Audi A4 3.0 quattro sport (convertible but I'm over that phase now...) in the Alps last winter and had no problem at all. I wouldn't have wanted just two though, the ice was an issue and I saw plenty of cars in just two chains spinning on corners when the rear went from under them.

No one dared use just rear chains, that seems suicidal for any downhill to me!

Let's not forget, two and a half tons of car here.....

Any technical views as to why the handbook says emphatically 'DO NOT'?

Not sure if this helps but there are threads on this on disco3.co.uk - ISTR that the chains can foul the chassis / suspension members on the rear unless you use spacers. Presume the same would be true for RRS.

Agree with statement that LR have to justify if they say fronts only. The brake balance is very much biased toward the back wheels so it would seem logical that if you didn't use the chains etc on the rears then you'd
be compromising safety. It would be nice if someone with an inside track to LR (James .. ) could get
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Well, if maddogsetc information from disco3.co.uk is correct then what we have is a situation that they just won't fit not that they aren't required. That seems rather worrying....

It also means that I am definitely going to stick with my 19" wheels a my winter set (with lovely wintrac extremes on) and use the 20" set I have just acquired with some Pirellis for spring/summer use.

19" wheels less likely to jam, catch too.

Any more on this appreciated but I'm still going to try them out. I've used chains before in Norway and the Alps and if you fit them right there shouldn't be much slack in them so no risk of catching anything.

If you use the cheap ones that flap around like my old grandma's *$!** then yes, there's a risk they get caught up somewhere but I've had a good look under the rear wheel arch and I can't see much difference to the front at all and they are OK for use there?

We need, as you say some one with a little more technical or practical experience.

I will post my experiences later in the spring but in the meantime someone must have tried it!

Just to be clear, these are what I use when I say snow chains...

http://www.spikes-spiders.com/

(I am not connected in any sense to this product in anyway btw, but they are good!)

I can't see these getting caught anywhere.

The older more traditional style of chains that tend to "cover" the wheel both sides I'd go with the risk of the inner surface of the wheel chain potentially catching.

Snow chain technology has moved on and I think a blanket 'no' is maybe LR playing safe (which we can all understand) but then again I want to play safe in my RRS on snow and ice.

4 spike spiders it is.

Open to persuasion otherwise....

ive used them in thick snow on all four wheels. Mind you, did have spacers on (D3), but other than that, there's no reason why you wouldn;'t want them on all four wheels.

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Thank you.

Just LR who advise purely front fitting it seems, and not because they aren't necessary, rather a risk of (some types) fouling the suspension or other at the rear.

Spike spider or Thule or similar should pose no risk of that.

Further views welcome!

It's still confusing:
Spike Spider Sport (255/50/19)



LR RRS "snow chain"

Click image to enlarge

Could it be because Landrover's Traction thingies are sold in pairs so stating they must be fitted to the front is to avoid anyone fitting a pair onto the rear wheels only. Fitting to the front wheels does allow traction, steering and braking control while on the rear the important steering control becomes nonexistent.

In the Defender's handbook they state Snow Chains should be fitted to the front but can also be fitted to the rear wheels as well. If fitting to all four wheels the transmission diff must be locked.