This is the advice of a very senior citizen who grew up driving in Western Colorado mountains. Buy an inexpensive air infiltrator and keep it year around in your vehicle. When installing chains, let out some air pressure. Put on the chains as tight as you can. Then reinflate the tires. Your chains will not come off and the links are less likely to break. There will be no slack and nothing loose.

I believe the most important factor in choosing snow socks or snow chains is how often you think you'll need them. Obviously chains would be the choice if you use them multiple times a year, but many folks only need snow traction devices on rare occasions. Maybe once a year. In this case snow socks make sense.

I can see the snow socks being a good option for car rentals. They specifically state that you can't install snow chains on any rental so this might be a good alternative.

I switched to snow socks 5 years ago and never looked back. Great traction. No risk of damage to your vehicle. Easy enough for anyone to put on. If they start coming off, slow down and the re-center automatically due to centrifugal force. No throwing rocks. No rattle when you hit clear patches on the road, fold up and fit under a seat. Can't beat them. Easily have a couple hundred miles on my sets.

A product that is even worse than the snow claw is "emergency" strap on cable chains. I used to carry those in CT in case of an unexpected snow event. The first time I used them, they spun off (like your snow claws did) but because they are metal, one of them severed a brake line when it came off. They made a bade situation even worse.

Bought some snow socks for a few euros and it saved me from being stuck compare to others with their summer tires! The other main advantage is that you can keep them in your car all year long: it weighs nothing and doesn't take too much space

Great video Sergiu. Your sense of humor AND expertise is a perfect combination! Thanks.

Good video, I've been driving a semi since 95 & I just wanted to mention a couple things, 1: it's better to not drive in those conditions unless necessary. & 2: as good as this video was I noticed that you were doing your test in the same area for certain parts & as you conducted your test the snow kept getting more & more packed changing the conditions (from powder snow to packed snow & even possibly to ice)

When hiking there have been times that placing a pair of socks over my boot toes added incredible traction when dealing with ice covered trails. Great review and entertainment.

A friend of mine that has a towing company does a lot of off road recovery and uses snow socks often to protect tires from cuts from rocks. It’s amazing how well they protect the tires from rock cuts

Well done, Sergiu. Both your product testing and your video production were excellent!

I was looking to understand the difference between snow chains & snow cables, but ended up looking at this. Loved your test, and very very impressed with the snow socks performance. I will echo a comment I saw on one of your other videos. Came here looking for copper and found gold! Thank you for the amazing video and insightful quantitative tests.

Don't know if you've ever looked into it, but I think the reason snow socks work so well is because the snow binds to it which in turn makes the snow bind to itself and grip. When I was looking at winter tires last year the ones I ended up getting said after tons of testing their tread pattern was not to fling snow out of the way, but to pack the snow in and bind to itself. Can safely say I haven't slid with these new tires.

I have never heard of snow socks before, really interesting. I also enjoy the old school sound effects.

Gotta love this attitude. Having massive preconceived ideas about something, testing shit out, being proven wrong by the data and just changing your opinion based on that. Sounds simple on paper but pay attention, and you'll see that more often than not, people just discard the truth for a comforting confirmation bias.

Super interesting! always fun to see them side by side. I liked the Sergiu measurements. Recently came across Tire Sock from Norway available here in USA. The have a cross strap across the hub. Saw them sued in Central Oregon on snow and ice and was super impressed. I also like the fact they are so light and if anything goes haywire you don't end up with chains wrapped around your axel.

I had the same reaction to those snow socks. I would've lost a costly bet had I betted against those socks. Of course, there will be tears and holes, but they really outperformed my expectations.

I love your reviews, a perfect mix of humor and propper technical testing! Keep it up! =D

A bit of advice from Canada. Never use all-season tires in winter unless you live in LA. They are much harder than snows, so the grip is terrible. Proper winter tires give you vastly more grip and could easily conquer that hill with no chains. Talk to a tire rep in your region.

Love your delivery. So fun and educational at the same time. Useful indeed. Thanks!

Finally, another automotive channel without bullcrap showing viewers all the stuff we want without the jank shit around. Big respect for your creations and keep your work up!

Canadian here, Chains is my recommendation . The ones you show are nice and aimed for the car / SUV crowd. For trucks I always recommend a full on set of chains. the ones I have are made from an 18 wheelers chains. If things go sideways with these on, call a friend .

Just yesterday, a friend and I were talking about the snowy weather he's having at the moment. I asked if he knew that he could put socks on the outside of his shoes for better grip in icy patches. That's something I've known for many years. Even thought of tire socks probably 20 years ago, but it was no more than a thought. I'm glad to see it works! Thank you for this very informative and insightful report. I really appreciate your diligence.

This was so informative. I’ve never heard of the socks but I think they are the way to go for my style of driving and location. Thanks so much Sir 👊

Such a fun and formative channel Sergiu. Keep doin what you do best :)

I'd love to see this with snow socks vs cable chains. A lot of AWD don't recommend real chains. I love your personal unit of measurement!

I’ve used the socks and they’re a great confidence booster when the weather closes in. If you stop on a slight incline, you can roll back over the sock to finish fitting it without spinning the wheels. You do need the correct size for your individual tyres, though. Good luck! P.S. Anyone know if they’re effective in mud?

That was a very useful and surprising test, thank you so much. You are a great and entertaining presenter

Great to see the comparison. Thanks. Another advantage of Snow Socks is that you can use then on cars that have very little wheel clearance. That is why I have them. The tire clearance on my car is too small to use chains.

I'm late to the party, but this was an excellent review. The original snow sox seem to have been highly rated, and there were videos of them being used on big rigs, on the snow covered mountain passes of the interstate freeways. Quick installation, smooth wheel rolling, and great traction and braking, were their high points. What I've seen people complain about, is that they don't hold up well. This could be a situation that I've seen when going skiing, where you have mandated snow traction device check points, where you are stopped by authorities and made to either put on your traction devices (or get waved through if you're in an Audi Quattro like we always were), or turn around and go back. The check points are always well before the road conditions get really bad, so you wind up driving on dry, or maybe wet pavement for a while. I can see where this would quickly destroy the socks. Prior to owning the Audi Quattro Avant, we'd take the 4x4 Suburban and used Z-cables on it. They run smoother than chains, and provide better traction. They are also smaller in diameter, and so fit between the inside of the wheel and the suspension on modern vehicles, where chains would probably strike. Z-cables are a much better choice than chains, IMO.

It's my opinion that installing a snow traction device before you get stuck is a bad idea. If you can't proceed on normal tires, traction devices will help you leave. If you use the traction device to drive normally and get stuck, then there is no remedy for you.

You are a trooper for going out in that weather to do those tests. On a day like that I would definitely be inside as much as possible. Wouldn't even want to think about setting up cameras and shots. Good job man.

I was quite pleased with my snow socks for my BMW X5. I had no issue with wear. They were easy to install. I also have the bright orange Zip-Tie style traction devices. Both were sufficient for Washington Snow.

Was really impressed with the snow socks as well. Sergiu, I really enjoyed your video and personality. Thanks for testing for us and letting us see the results..It helps alot in decision making. Blessings to you and your family. If you live in an area where you have alot of snow for many months, studded snow tires are a great investment. You just switch them out with your regular tires when the snow starts...they work amazing.

Great Review. Thank You for taking the time to make this video.

Thanks so much for this honest video! Perfectly explained.

I keep these in my car in the winter just in case I get caught out, they work great, especially if you don't have the fender clearance for chains, got me over a few passes on road trips over the years, and still holding together.

The socks work at keeping the snow and ice from filling the treads up so there’s always contact and any build up flies off with tire spin. I think they make Kevlar ones so that might be the way to go. KISS is not just a slogan.

This is a really well made video! Good job and I hope to see more!

Great video. I never drive in snow until I move to Spain at 45 years old, so I had no experience in winter conditions. My first experience with snow was on January 2021 when a snow storm was advice. I went to a hypermarket and saw the chains and the socks and I had the same feeling than you, but finally I chose the socks for 3 reasons: price, simply installation and also because I have a small car and I drive only in the city. For me was a great surprise how good this socks works. Also was a little be funny saw a lot of people fighting with the chains installation. Of course, the lifetime is very short but for the price was a good deal. Maybe if you live in the deep country or in hard snow conditions the chains would be the right choice.

Really great video. I think for a more accurate test, the tricky surface would be the full icy road, something like the snow it has started to melt but it froze again. I know it is really hard to find and test some cases like this, but I'm curious which one would be better.

Never even heard of snow socks, so thank you for this informative information. Take care

Great video man, entertaining and informative, nice job!!

Great video and you really did a great amount of work. Thanks for creating and sharing.

Great review and I 100% agreed because I have had a similar experience with similar products. For me it was ssc z-chains vs. autosock tire sock. Hands down the autosocks are the best all around product to use and maintain. As you pointed out chains / cables need to be protected when they are in storage. I didn't do that and learned the hard way they rust. There goes my money. Socks... throw 'em in the wash and then back in your bag in storage for the next season. The other thing about socks, at least with the autosock, they go own and self-adjust. The ones you used Sergiu did not do that because they are open on both sides. The auto sock product is only open on the back so wheel spin actually works to set them. I have a performance sedan and had to put these on in a fast moving storm that came in before I could get home... ON A HILL with traffic trying to get around me because I was stuck. I'm not sure the z-chains would worked in that case because of the lack of clearance (which is less on a hill because you most likely have a negative pitch on the inside wheels). The socks will get holes and wear quicker at similar speed ratings to chains. I left mine on for several days (as a torture test but against manufacturer recommendations) after they got me home in that snow storm (~20 miles). I used them during some post storm driving and technically they are still good to go (which as I recall means they have more that 60% of their surface area undamaged). Here's the thing... that was 4 years ago and if I wanted to get a set again, they are less than $100 per pair. Even if you had to buy them every year or two, it is still a better overall experience that chains. Mind you for me, z-chains are the best chains out there if you want to go that route. They make more sense for those who have to be out in these environments and those in emergency services. For everyone else, even those who are volunteer emergency services folks, socks will be a better choice. Start there, you can always go to chains if you need to. BTW, from what I understand, the reason why the socks work is because the textile they are made out of sticks to snow and ice. Its like having a very thin version on the compound used in proper snow tires.

Isn't it great to be surprised? Thanks for the humorous honesty. Since I only venture to the snow rarely, and need a traction device only for the totally unexpected (as in I don't live in the snow!) the Sox are the obvious answer since they are lighter, require zero maintenance and effectively zero instructions for installation. They're super easy to take along (often here we're just required to HAVE them with us to pass a control). I've been impressed with every test that I've seen with them. But it is the ease of installation that puts it over the top for me. I don't have a lot of room in my wheel wells!

Sergiu, great info! I love the explanations and reasoning for each of the items. Yes, I would have laughed as well. Thanks!

Awesome video and comparison. thank you for your post!

Great video/review! I was surprised at the quick failure of the snow claws. Back during the terrible winters(148" of snow my 1st winter in Erie, PA) of the late 70s, I was constantly stuck. I could not afford quality chains and I knew of several cases of them breaking and damaging the cars. Then one day start of next winter I was shopping for long Johns at K-Mart, and I saw some "chains" made of Kevlar ropes with some solid Kevlar cross bars that also had metal studs in them. They were much cheaper than chains, plus they claimed you could drive them on snow free roads up to 50 MPH. So I bought those and man oh man my 76 Pinto was turned into a 4WD! I was never stuck again. Plus, they held up for that entire winter, even with some driving on snow free roads. Those things were great! I moved back down south the next year and gave them to some friends who stayed behind in Erie.

I’m really surprised at how well the snow socks seem to work. I would be concerned about longevity, though. I have a set of chains that I bought for my first motorhome in 1970, which I still have and which are still in pretty good condition, although they were used many times on that old rig. It happens that they also fit my newer rig, although I haven’t yet used them on it. As for other chains, I have a set for each of my other vehicles-and especially in deep snow, having them installed on all 4 wheels makes a huge difference. I fully agree-practice putting them on before you need them at all, and if you’re into a situation where you may need them, put them on before you get stuck. I can think of many times I didn’t do that, and although it can be done, it’s a whole lot harder! One last thought: so-called “reinforced” chains with teeth on them don’t provide enough additional traction over good old cross link chains that their extra cost isn’t worth it. A quality set of cross link chains is still the best bang for the buck, IMHO.

Great review with useful info! Great personality as well ~ enjoyed YOU! Cheers!

Great video. You've helped me decide on what to buy this winter.

Greetings from Croatia Sergiu. I enjoy your videos and humor. I specialy like this topic and hope you'll test it more properly as you said in this video. But just to mention, Matte (the snow socks manufacturer) has 3 types of those socks in production: - Active snow socks (red color - the ones you tested) are ment for city driving - Super-X snow socks ment for intercity and roads around ski centers - Extra-Pro snow socks (yes, like the word says - Professional use;) for commercial vehicles so in this video you have tested the Active snow socks that are ment for city roads and not for macadam roads where you have gravel. So the ruptured fabric in some places is no surprise. Please take that in mind when you make your new video, try to test all products that are offered by Matte.

Great video! I'd like to see one comparing a decent set of dedicated winter tires to the snow socks.

This worked on my 2005 Prius. I have had that issue on and off for 3 years, usually on cold weather. Thank you!!!

Thanks for this Sergiu. Great info.

The reason the snow socks performed better in the breaking test is because the material of the snow sock covers the whole point at which the tire is making contact with the ground. While the snow chains have a more abrasive grip or tread, it is also more spread out. Meaning that it has a lower chance of the chain being at the exact point where the tire makes contact with the ground when you hit the breaks.

Thanks for your review. Based on your evidence I would pack both. I would use chains where mostly deep snow restricts the tire from moving forward. I would use the socks on say glare ice driving situations. Having both allows you to choose the best one for the situation.

Sergiu…great video. Great production and humor! Came for the review, left with a subscribe. Please ALWAYS include the Sergiu Steps as a measurement. 😂🔥

This is incredible!! Great real world video! Currently driving around Bulgaria in the winter and may look for snow socks for our front tires, chains on the back!

Thanks for your review. Very useful. I have to get to my cabin 2-3 times a week in the winter. My blizzak snow tires are great, but some snow storms and icy packed snow demand more for traction. I really like my auto trac peerless chains, they are simple to put on, unless you are already in unpacked snow. I like your idea of the combination of chains and snow socks, as I ordered a pair because of the ease of putting them on, so maybe chains on the back tires first, then you should be able to move like required to put the snow socks on the front.....I will be trying it likely within the week. As I have both chains and socks this year.

Great video! I didn't expect socks to be that good. However, I got around in the snow as thick as the video with good winter tires (non-studded) mounted on an FWD hatchback. Seems socks + all-season tires work great and are a good economical & practical compromise. I liked the tests, especially ESP on/off. And I was waiting for someone to try those claws, thanks for showing they're useless. I was wondering how they could possibly hold. Keep it up, man!

I am AMAZED the snow socks worked! Just found your channel, thank you for good information! Be safe. Happy Holidays!

Dead ass the thumb nail of you laying face down made me actually laugh out loud. Thanks for the laughs man ahaha, I needed that.

wow I cannot believe the socks actually worked that well! now someone has to come up with snow shoes for cars for the ultimate test lol

Having used chains for many years, my main issue with them, ( especially with newer vehicles) is when a chain fails it beats the S&!* out of the body/fenders before you can get stopped. I will be looking for a set of socks. Great review. Thanks.

i like to your direct and no non-sense approach. thank you and look forward to your next video.

This review is great and convenient since I’ve been planning a trip to the mountains (: Thank you!!

Hello those socks are a great idea and will help in many cases.I live in Northern Canada and for the past 40 yrs ive carried a spraybotle full of isopropyl alcohol.when I do get stuck on very slippery surfaces i will spray my tires and usually get moving quickly back to safety.sometimes just spraying the one tire with no traction is enuf to get movement.i learned this from a woman gentlemen!

Sergiu what if we install snow chains on the socks 😂 traction would be infinity 😂

I was laughing a good amount in this video!! The owl face when you were amazed the socks worked was great!! Thanks for video. Very helpful & entertaining!!

Thank you Sergiu. I learned what i need to know about this products.

Very detailed video 👍🏻 If possible make a detailed user review of the Renault/Dacia duster

Fantastic test! I'm more of a winter tyres guy but this year I'm fitting some Michelin Crossclimate 2 to my car to test them out. I was wondering, would a winter tyres with snow chains be considerably better than socks? Simply because socks would cover the tyre completely this making the tyre compound/thread design completely useless whereas the tyre chains would still allow the better tyre to help. Still, the ease of use of the socks makes them a much better choice in my opinion honestly, glad they finally made them legally equivalent to chains and M+S tyres. Also I would love to see them compared to a winter tyres or a really good all season tyre, the Continental you have is more like an American all season tyre rather than a European one.

That was an extremely useful review. Thank you.

Excellent video, well done sir! Thank you. Snow socks won my heart the most!

The socks would probably rip if used on studded winter tires, so chains are better in that case too for emergencies - great review👍

Excellent video! First time I see this channel, and I really like your way of thinking. I would've used a 4WD instead, but AWD seems to have worked where I did not expect it too.

Thanks for the video man good to know about the socks sounds like something should be in the toolbox for sure!

I found this video helpful and educational with your testing of these traction solutions in the snow.

so if you would be on a budget, wich would you pick between cheap snow chains and snow socks?

very interesting , i always like it when a product far exceeds expectations ... i'm in the UK & as it snows maybe 2 days a year snow chains seems a bit overkill ( in terms of cost , fitting & cleaning them ) .. snow socks seem more applicable

How can you not like this guy I love his real simple approach to simple every day issues.

Thanks! Great sense of humour with good info!

Thanks Sergiu, I was also surprised by the effectiveness of the socks. I can see they are gentle on the wheels, road, fitter, and car storage. They also weigh much less and will squash into a convenient space. Do they last for long distances? Do they last the test of time?

The results of the sock test didn't surprise me. Many years ago I was playing volleyball with some friends on snow/ice and we were all sliding around and falling. I took my boots off and had great traction in my socks. My friends were dumbfounded, but when they tried it they all found that the socks did better than any of their shoes/boots.

Absolutely mind-blowing---socks for your tires. Well, another advantage will be when they come in designs to match your car's exterior--or even some holiday prints! I'm waiting for the tires where you press a button on a remote and little spikes pop out of the tires to grip the road. Wonderful video, informative AND entertaining!

Great job thank you very much for this video, enjoyed watching very much

I appreciate this, and particularly appreciate the suggestion for Front Socks/Rear Chains for 4WD/AWD cars.

I'm an OTR truck driver, I haven't tried these on my Freightliner but others in my company have. They love them. They are quick to point out that you cannot use them on dry pavement by in snow they are apparently very effective, and you can put them on (we have super singles) in 5 minutes!

Great Info... Loved the surprised look humor via the fowl...

Since my car can't use chains (according to the user manual) those snow socks do sound like a good idea. Thanks for testing!

Another awesome video with good tests and information! Are studded tires legal where you live? Here (in Estonia) I couldn't imagine driving without studs during the winter. The black ice or ice with water on top of it happens too often. Time has shown that studless winter tires still lose to studded counterparts when it comes to icy conditions.

very thorough, nice work bro :)

Thank you for the thorough analysis! I wondered about these other products and carry a bag chains in my van that I have yet to use.

I would have never tought either that the snow socks are worth considering...unbelievable! Ideed, the ultimate setup might be socks + chains (diagonaly placed?), but it needs to be tested because I can no longer trust my intuition. :)

Funny. We are just using proper winter tyres here in Finland.

Looking forward to the follow up video. This was great.

Cool video-pretty thorough…so I appreciate this video.

Hi Sergiu ! Can you test the best fuel aditive and the best oil aditive ! It will be very interesting !