Wheel broadening, lowering and snow chains

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In classic risk management - that is the science that tries to keep damage away from companies - an invoice is always drawn up from the probability that a damage event will occur, multiplied by the amount of the cost when the damage occurs. The result of this calculation is compared to the costs incurred to prevent the damage caused by other measures - i.e. the costs of risk avoidance. In this way, it is determined to what point security measures are worthwhile and from which point you are better advised to live with the risk.

Here and there, however, there are situations in which the damage can be so enormous that almost every measure is justified.

What do snow chains have to do with risk management?

Snow chains - or their absence - are just such a case. Many a car driver has been walking his snow chain set for decades without ever needing the chains. But if the one case comes when he depends on it, he will not moan for a second about the lost storage volume in the trunk or the weight that has been unnecessarily carted around for years, but he will be happy and grateful that he has it where he has it needs.

In the most harmless case, he is stopped by a police checkpoint, for example on the way to a skiing vacation. If he is unlucky, he has to pay a fine and also turn around to get a set of chains somewhere. In the worst case, however, he is stuck in the trench with two wheels and has no chance of getting out alone.

Now the extreme case from risk management comes into play: the chances that the chains are absolutely necessary may be tiny. But if you don't have one, if you need it, the damage is so great that it would have been worth it to have the set of chains unnecessarily a hundred or a thousand times.

Saving on snow chains means saving at the wrong end

The rule not to skimp on the chains sounds obvious, but it doesn't apply to everyone. Anyone who goes on a skiing holiday with a 95 Golf LS with a 1,4 liter petrol engine can take the cheapest chains with them. Who still remembers? In the 90s, snow chains were still products that fit every car. A net was spun from steel link chains and placed in front of the drive wheels like a runner. Then you took a step forward until the wheels were on the chains. Then the snow chains were hooked together with carabiners and tied with link chains according to gut feeling. That was enough for the normal case, since the winter wheels were usually one dimension narrower than the standard tires anyway - and there was therefore enough distance from the tire edge to the edge of the fender.

Lovers of tuned cars have to be careful here. Wide tires, large rims, lowering kits and sills on the fender quickly make the space too tight. The old chains, which were tied by eye, are unsuitable here. The network of link chains moves into an ideal position for the first few kilometers, and the differences in tension in the individual segments even out. This makes the whole structure looser. Then millimeters are often sufficient, and with a bump the loose snow chain ruins the fender, the widening, or the paint. In any case, an expensive damage occurs - either way.

Modern chain systems adapt completely

A quick search on one of the snow chain guides on the Internet will quickly show you the models available. Today's top-level snow chain systems from Rud or Thule are delivered precisely to the tire dimensions. Nothing wobbles or rattles. The chains sit exactly on the tread of the tire and are held in position by a stable frame that is precisely tailored to the rim size and sidewall height.

This protects the expensive add-on parts from swirling chain links, even if things get a little tighter in the wheel arch. In addition, modern systems are much easier to assemble than the classic models with winding technology. A final point that should certainly not be neglected is the theoretically higher speed that can be driven with modern chains. The price, which is about three times higher than that of the old systems, is more than justified.

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