Automatic Tire Chains - Onspot's Efficient Idea

[jack action]

Interesting idea. I wonder how efficient it is. It's from a company called Onspot.

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[jedishrfu]

Wow, that's really weird. I'm not sure of the traction you'd get or what happens if a chain gets caught on something solid or when accumulated road salt and mud gum up the mechanism.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I'm with jedishrfu. I'd be more worried about something going wrong when I was in icy conditions than calmed by having instant chains.

Then again, didn't Speed Racer have something like this? Always worked for him.

 

[hutchphd]

Although if you are just trying to make it up the last 100 meters before the crest on rt 13 out of Ithaca it might be very nice to have that button to push.

 

[Tom.G]

Interesting concept. I do wonder though how the chains are retrieved from under the tire so they can retract. The video was careful not to show that operation.

 

[jedishrfu]

I remember the hills of Troy NY going to RPI and how treacherous they were. However having been to Cornell, Ithaca NY hills were even worse, I can’t even imagine walking on them in winter let alone driving on them With or without chains.

when I got my first jeep I felt invincible weather wise until while in four wheel drive taking a turn on a slippery piece of roadway and you realize nothing will stop your jeep except for time And you hope you have enough of it before you collide with something.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I don't see that working if you have an accumulation that is packed at all.

I'd bet it lasts a week at most if you put it to real use.

I also wonder about the wear and tear on the tires and on the roads if the ice is thin or spotty.

 

[anorlunda]

I don't think this is new. I think it has been around for many decades; long before we had online videos. But if that is true, then it failed to gain widespread acceptance over those decades.

Interesting concept. I do wonder though how the chains are retrieved from under the tire so they can retract. The video was careful not to show that operation.

My guess is that they retrieve the chains while still rolling. Once the truck stops, it would be difficult.

@jedishrfu : more upstate NY lore. As a youth in Syracuse, I learned how to handle slick steep hills with a stop sign at the bottom. I learned to bounce (billiard style) off the snow banks, both left and right, to control my speed. The cars of that era were built with strong thick steel and they could do that without damage. But it was risky, because there might be fire hydrants hidden under the snow.

 

[jedishrfu]

@anorlunda I grew up in upstate NY too and have experienced many of those treacherous hills. The hills around Cornell are within residential areas with steep grades endng in a stop at a busy intersection and bumping a snowbank if it's even there might careen someone into a house.

Some hills in Texas are even more treacherous especially when we get hit with an ice storm (once every five years or so) due to their extreme incline.

Recently on a trip to the Great Smokies, we stayed at an AirBnB that was on a twisty turny mountain road. I could only imagine how folks traversed that in bad weather. I was truly frightened by its grade, its narrowness, its sharp turns, and the fact that one side had a dropoff for a shoulder.

 

[Torbert]

I live in Fairbanks, Alaska where the side roads remain iced up the entire winter My children rode a bus to school for the twelve years they attended school. The buses were, and still are, equipped with the automatic chains to navigate the hilly residential areas.

The chains are self cleaning from impact and only get extended while the bus is in motion. Replacing lengths of worn chain is inexpensive and simple. The expense is in the original installation and are not cost effective unless used often.

Regular chains must be put on, labor intensive, and then when the hill has been cleared the bus has to stop again to remove the chains, labor intensive. Time is money.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I live in Fairbanks, Alaska

That sure makes you the expert on winter driving!
I hear summer will be on a weekend this year.