Thinking about heading for the hills this snow season?
You can find out if the vehicle manufacturer recommends fitting chains in the OWNERS MANUAL in the Wheel /Tyre section.
In the manual it is likely to tell you that you can or cannot fit chains, or it may raise the following questions:
- Which wheels should I fit the chains to? Some vehicles should have chains fitted to the front tyres while others should have chains fitted to the rear tyres.
- My Tyre size is not shown. Vehicles with bigger and wider rim option often do not have clearance to fit chains.
- What are Spider, Net, Fine link, or wire chains? Any mention of these chains means that your vehicle will most likely have clearance issues when trying to fit chains. The types of chains mentioned here are not likely to be available for hire.
Remember that if you fit chains to your vehicle against the advice of the manufacturer, you may damage your vehicle, void your warranty and possibly your insurance.
It is the sole responsibility of the hirer to ensure that chains can be fitted to their vehicle.
Please check your service manual under wheel/ tyre/ snow chains. Find the section that advises whether you should fit chains to the forward or rear tyres. Some manufacturers advise you must only fit to one end or the other. Some service books list the tyre sizes you can only successfully fit to. Others do not list tyre sizes but any mention of “spider chains” “half chains” “wire chains” or “fine link” chains is a flag that your vehicle may have clearance issues. THERE ARE MANY VEHICLES THAT CANNOT FIT CHAINS DUE TO CLEARANCE ISSUES. No one wants to see damage to your car or jeopardise your safety & if chains are fitted against the manufactures advice – you could void your insurance. Please contact Hoys if you have never fitted chains to your car with your current tyres.
