AutoSock - easier alternative to snow chains
Fabric alternative wraps around wheel with minimal damage risk
Score: 37/50
Easy Score: 9
Daily Usage Score: 1
Form Score: 10
Function Score: 7
Reversibility Score: 10
Product Link: Model Y 20” Wheels: AutoSock 697
Long Story Short
Why this product?
Easier to put on than chains (IMO) and less risk of scratching your wheels (especially if you have 20”)
Why this brand?
I think they’re the only ones that do it!
Any regrets?
Nope, worked great this past winter and will be using them again this winter.
Long Story Long
First, to be perfectly transparent, my winter driving consists of going up to the California mountains (Bear, Mammoth), so if you’re a Midwesterner/Northeasterner laughing at what we call winter driving,, (a) you’re right, (b) take this review with a grain of salt and read more on the product page whether this is the right solution for you. This are CA DOT approved as traction devices, so should get you through chain control.
Now, with that out of the way, I’ll give you a few reasons why I like this product. I’ve dealt with snow chains more times than I’d like to remember, but not so often that I remember how to do them each time, even more so when you switch cars (your own or a friend’s) and there’s a new brand/type you have to deal with. So in the cases that I went up to the mountains, it’d be a learning experience each time, out in the cold, hands freezing from moving the cold/wet chains around trying to figure out how this set worked (again).
My experience with the AutoSock:
Lightweight - isn’t super heavy to carry in and our of your car. Also as a backup, you can just keep them in your car if you expect snow and it’s no big deal.
Non-cumbersome - when you’re ready to pack them up, you don’t have a jumbled mess of things to try to fit back into their original container
Non-hand-freezing - boy those metal chains get cold in the snow, and unless you remember to bring gloves, it’s rough on the hands.
EASY to put on - it takes maybe 5 minutes. You take them out, wrap the sleeve around the top of your tire,, drive forward a few inches, then wrap the of your tire (mainly an adjustment since it sort of self sets).
EASY to take off - reverse the process above. You can either be diligent and fold them up before going in the bag, or just crumple them up, but they’ll go into a bag easily (and not tear right through).
The only caveat is they’re likely less durable than chains (perhaps obvious), so you need to be aware that once you’re off actual snowy surfaces, you should take them off as soon as SAFELY possible, otherwise the road surface will start tearing them up.
Product Details
What I like:
So easy to put on/take off - don’t have to remember each time how it goes on, and no need to fumble behind your wheel to try to hook metal pieces together in the freezing cold.
What I don’t like:
They probably need to be replaced after a few winters, depending on how often you use them and on what conditions. Actual mountain/winter people will give you weird looks.
Installation Tips
If you can put a fitted sheet on a bed, you can put these on your tires.
Alternatives
None! I think this company has a (well-deserved) patent!
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