So what are tire socks? These things are weird. They are basically a special cloth that covers the tire and it grips the snow and ice. Specially patterned fibers optimize grip on slick surfaces by managing the thin layer of water on top of ice and snow. Through its weaving pattern and thousands of small fibers AutoSock clings to snow and ice, increasing vehicle traction, improving safety and adding to driver confidence.
This is what they look like installed, brand new, before rolling on them at all. Installation Our first time installing these in the cold and sloppy snow took a tiny fraction of time compared to our first time with chains. They are stupid-easy. You just drape the sock over as much of the tire as you can, roll the truck forward or back about three feet, then pull it the rest of the way on.
This one is half-way on. Then we roll the truck a few feet forward and pull the loose side on over the other side of the tire. And sure enough, we checked again a mile or so down the road and they were all perfectly centered and looking solidly secure on the tires. I felt pretty confident they were going to stay on. The downside to these crazy things?
Running over that chain ripped some holes in one of the socks that was covering a trailer tire. Our safety guy theorized that when it rolled under my front steer or tractor drive tires, it got jumbled up, then wrapped around that trailer tire, causing more than just one rip. How did they grip compared to chains? This is hard to tell. The important observation is that we stayed on the road! Sidenote: 20mph is the recommended max speed you want to drive when the socks are on the tires.
I believe going too fast, accelerating too quickly or braking too hard could possibly bunch them up and cause them to pop off. These are really doing their job digging into that snow! AutoSock is more effective than winter tires and are also more effective than snow chains in certain situations. They have been tested and formally approved by several leading car manufacturers and ToeV SoeD in Germany.
AutoSock can be mounted on summer tires and winter tires with or without studs. It is well known that snow and ice sticks to textiles. These fibers, which become hairier with use, are arranged in a specific pattern in order to optimize grip.
The specially developed textile has the advantage of handling water film found between the icy and snowy road and the tyre, generated for example by heat from the sun, or wheel spin , thereby maximizing the grip. Tribology is defined as the science and technology of interacting surfaces in relative motion and of the practices related thereto. When the water film separates the two surfaces, we have wet friction; this is the case when a car water planes.
AutoSock wants to have as large area as possible under the AutoSock with dry friction, since dry friction gives the highest friction coefficient. To some extent we have a trade off between good friction properties on snow relative to ice. It is favorable to open up the structure in order to increase the total contact area exposed to friction on snow.
At the same time the contact points need to be sufficiently sticky on hard ice. The contact configuration of a tyre or AutoSock can be quite different on snow relative to ice. The upper figures show the contact configurations of a tyre on soft snow. The figure to the left simulates compaction resistance, while the figure to the right simulates impact resistance.
The lower figure shows the contact configuration of a tyre on ice where the macroscopic impact and compaction resistances are negligible.
The AutoSock is made of a special high friction textile fabric. In a frictional AutoSock sliding situation, electrostatic pressures can be defined in:. The dry friction process is dominated and characterised by accumulation of electrostatic charges in the slider contact points. The topography of the slider and the sliding surface is decisive for the electrical contact configuration between the slider and the sliding surface. Find your tire size and enter into our sizing chart to get your size.
You can check out the video on how to install the proper size here. Avoid excessive speed as it increases wear. Cars not to exceed 30mph and commercial vehicles not to exceed 20mph. Check out our Tips for effectiveness below or the PDF. Lifespan: As with all traction devices, proper care and driving habits determine the life of the product. Lifespan is decreased if used on dry or wet surfaces. No other express or implied warranty of any kind whatsoever including by way of example and not limitation, any warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose is given and no affirmation of seller, by words or action, shall constitute a warranty.
The above warranty is made only to the dealer, retailer, or other direct customer of McGee Company. McGee Company makes no warranty to any other ultimate user and prohibits the transfer of the warranty given above to its direct customer to any subsequent purchasers, including but not limited to ultimate user. Buyer shall not be entitled to recover any special, incidental, or consequential damages.
No material shall be returned without written consent from the McGee Company Denver location. Please contact the vendor you purchased AutoSock through for their exchange policies. If purchased from McGee Company within a year with proof of purchase, and item is in resalable condition McGee Company can exchange for another size.
AutoSock does not have the loud rattling and the bumpy ride which you associate with snow chains. Because there is no danger of damage to vehicle structure, they are approved for speeds up to 30mph for passenger vehicles and 20mph for commercial vehicles; nevertheless your speed should always be appropriate for the weather and road conditions.
They will improve traction on snowy or icy surfaces. It is recommended that you take them off when you get back to road conditions where no snow or ice is present, e. Asphalt and concrete driving is not recommended as it increases fabric wear considerably.
Put them back in their storage bag — gloves are provided. When you get home, dry them and shake the dirt out. They are machine washable, but remember to put them back in the car for the next time! Do not leave on overnight or for extended periods with the vehicle parked. In the U. However, where there are traction laws in place, the AutoSock is approved. Check out your local regulations here.
In difference to other traditional firction equipment, AutoSock improves the performance of the electronic safety systems as such. Yes, this is no problem if the AutoSock you have match the tire sizes of your other vehicle. To find the right tire size click here. Yes, AutoSock works even with vehicles which have low clearance between the tire and the body and between the tire and the suspension. Yes, place AutoSock on all four wheels. Variation between 4WD systems is large, some only send a fraction of the power to the front axle no matter what, so you want to make sure all the wheels are covered.
Yes, place the AutoSock on your drive axel. For front wheel drive, place on front tires. For rear wheel drive, place on rear wheels. In each of the instances above, we may ask for your name, e-mail address, phone number, address, type of business, customer preference information that is needed to register or subscribe you to services or offers.
In the case of newsletters or mailing lists, you will be able to unsubscribe to these mailings at any time. McGee only uses your personal information for specific purposes. This situation persists despite the fact that socks have achieved the relevant certifications. Our view is that if you can fit affordable chains for your vehicle, then that's the safer option. The larger the vehicle and longer the journey the wiser it is to choose a chain over a sock because chains give more traction and are harder wearing i.
The same applies if it's icey - socks do not perform well on ice!
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