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Auto sock traction study/test

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They sound completely dangerous on dry pavement.

"Handling of the Sock vehicle was almost problem-free, but only within the range ofreasonable speeds..."
"If the steering angle was built up fast and if high lateralacceleration was involved, the considerable differences in the friction values betweenthe front and the rear axle caused the vehicle's rear end to break away in a sudden anduncontrollable manner."
"In cases involving extreme oversteering and in cases involving high lateralaccelerations, the Socks are badly damaged or destroyed (outer wheel in a curve) orthrown off the wheel (inner wheel in a curve)."

"Within the scope of the wear test on the driven rear axle of the Mercedes, a distance of55 km was driven. After the tests, incipient cracks were detected on the Socks, inparticular around the seams"

On ice they showed some moderate benefits over snow tires. On snow the data looks about equal to chains. And on dry pavement they look terrible.

They might be good for someone who's into ice racing.
 
As I understand it they are not meant to be used on dry pavement, nor at speed, nor racing or any "high lateral acceleration". I'd expect them to be used in the same type of painful situations that would warrant that you take your chains out and install them, which is when you are going to be extremely cautious driving in snow/ice: no brutal acceleration, no high speed, etc.

I don't understand how useful test in section 4.3.1 is, since it's clearly out of the advertised supported conditions for the product (maybe it wasn't the case back when the test was conducted - 16 years ago?)
Would you put on chains if you were going to drive at 70 km/h on dry pavement in Spain? :confused: -

From their website's FAQ:
What sort of conditions can I use them in?
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.g. dry asphalt. During the approval test by TÜV, AutoSock passed the distance and durability requirement of the snow chain norm (–Norm 5117). Nevertheless asphalt & concrete driving is not recommended as it increases fabric wear considerably.

What’s it like, driving with AutoSock?
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 the vehicle structure they are approved for speeds up to 30mph, 50km/h; nevertheless your speed should of course be appropriate to the weather and road conditions.


 
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I've watched all of the manufacturer's videos and it's clear that they're intended to be used to free one's vehicle from a specific stuck situation and then are to be removed. They're very much not intended for "putting on and driving around." They appear to perform amazingly well in the former usage and, as observed here, are quickly destroyed if used in the latter.