SNOW CHAIN comparison TEST - Which is the best?

Hi everyone! Join me today in the middle of nowhere to test some snow chains and other similar products. We'll try to find out if actual snow chains can be replaced by other similar products from China or not.
We'll take into consideration the reliability, the price, the ease of use and, of course, the increased grip.
Initially I planned to test 4 products, but the cheap snow chains were the wrong size and could not be fitted to the car. So only 3 products are tested in this episode.
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Website: www.testedbysergiu.com
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Link to PEWAG snow chain install guide:
• pewag servo SUV ITALIA...
About the Rating:
At the end of the video, I thought that it would be a nice idea to have a rating for the products that I test. So, based on the general 5 star rating used all over, I made my rating to better suit my personality. The rating is based on my testing and my opinion of a specific product. It takes into consideration many factors like performance, reliability, availability and many other aspects which are essential to a consumer. Of course, some of these factors may not be applicable to other regions or demographics. As price is another factor in this rating, a product may be cheaper in other regions, rendering my rating as inadequate. In this case, you should reconsider if the product is suitable for you or not.
About the car:
The car used in this video is a 2017 Dacia Duster 1.5 dCi 4WD equipped with Continental Cross Contact LX AllSeason tires which had ~50% wear.
About the test:
Each product was tested the same, using approximately similar throttle so that the wheels would not spin and loose traction. The ESP (traction control) was ON, because during the test setup, it seemed like this provided the best results.
Video content:
0:00 - Intro
1:41 - Tested products and test setup
4:03 - Control test - 2WD AllSeason tires only
4:53 - Zip tie test
7:19 - TPU “snow chain” test
10:49 - Pewag snow chain test
12:48 - Conclusion
16:20 - Control test - 4WD AllSeason tires only
17:17 - Outro

[@13Razgriz37]

I understand you gave the "expensive chains" an X on affordability because they are the most expensive of the products tested, but remember that getting stuck and calling a tow will already negate any savings from a cheaper, but much less effective product. Buy the right thing once instead of buying the cheap thing over and over!

[@Wings_of_foam]

Yup, like everything else.

[@lisalee2885]

Or AAA, Lol! Premier of course

[@fedcoin1602]

@@lisalee2885 if you are someplace with a cell signal or with 2 hours of AAA. I am guessing this video isn’t the normal roads they you find yourself on either.

[@markusi5995]

Yeah its really not worth risking your vehicle with a shitty product(and probably unlawful on many mountain passes)...its cheap when thinking about it as extra insurance.

[@mardamek]

This just goes to prove the old saying so true: "There is no cheaper than the expensive".

[@VladyF]

Love the totally legit, profesionally made licence plates

[@marylpascua2397]

tire4coin have best prices

[@viktorstamenkovski]

Quality of production 10/10. Informative 10/10. Entertaining 10/10. Came here looking for copper and found gold!

[@MarkAtkin]

A word of warning about any product where the fitting strap goes through the wheel. Check that the straps do not foul the brake callipers. Some cars have very little clearance between the calliper and the wheel.

[@Mournful3ch0]

Good point - I had to get larger wheels when I upgraded my brakes and the clearance is very tight. Also, the spacing of the spokes can make even spacing of these impossible, which will make durability even worse

[@alikocakaya8215]

tire4coin is best for tires

[@faustocastaneda3542]

Bought this for my small back deck in the Eastern Sierra. kzbin.infoUgkxoHYZbq5g9fkcAtinlTqstNlje-UQkCHN We get A LOT of HEAVY snow so I was a bit skeptical but it was worth it! After the first storm of the year this has exceeded expectations! It throws snow very well, even 10-12” + that said the more it piles up the harder it is to maneuver the machine. It is exceptionally light weight and overall exactly what I was looking for. If you have a large amount of snow and a lot of area to clear, you may consider something with a drive engine to help maneuverability, but for decks, second stories, roofs etc, you can’t beat the light weight to great snow throwing ratio. Side note, the chute rotator is a bit flimsy and it initially didn’t seem to work, after a few uses it seems to have loosened up.

[@AbsoluteCaramel]

Thank you for your sacrifice of enduring the cold and snow to review these products so we don’t have to waste our time and money! The content was clear, unbiased, entertaining to watch and very helpful! Thanks so much!

[@pierro882008]

Love this guy. He's just happy to be in the middle of nowhere.

[@Sabrien00]

I love your sense of humor! Your very practical tests were very informative. I hate metal tire chains, too, but it seems that’s what I’ll have to resort using on my ski trip.

[@ChristisKing117]

Having spent a lot of my life off road in the snow, quality chains are a must. Also, it’s more work, but chain up all 4 and be in 4 wheel drive!! The heavier the vehicle with more ground clearance and narrower tires is also important. Too light of a vehicle, will stay on top of the snow and the chains will not dig into the ground.

[@yasirali-pr4vs]

whats the best for front drive sedan ?

[@klk1699]

Thanks for the great video. Real world tests like this are very useful. It was entertaining too!

[@LaGringaAlexis]

This video was beyond helpful. Thank you so much for making this!

[@seregv]

Most useful review of this kind I could find. Thank you!

[@shinnatsume3828]

Well done, I've been looking for this test for a long time. Very good review

[@mihaibaltag2648]

some time ago I was thinking about zip-ties, I am glad that I forgot about it :)) .Thanks for your video :)

[@QnA22]

@@krisg822 8 bought similar ones in a shell station as I forgot my chains. 10€. But they feel more like rubber /soft plastic opposed to the hard plastic used here. I only put on one of them and got out. Sometimes you just need a little traction to get you going. It's similar to using a stick in your rims if you need to get out of mud. Not that I would advise that this is a full replacement for traditional chains.

[@ridgerunner106]

Zip ties work on a packed road but will not tolerate the spinning. Nylon rope tied around rims will work too.

[@jjohnson4057]

Thanks! Great video! Informative and fun to watch!

[@bbs5400]

This was a great video, great quality picture, and great quality content(layout and whatnot). Very well done

[@deganni2688]

Excellent video! I like your sense of humor 👍 thank you for sharing

[@robertmunroe3976]

Excellent video, thank you!! I really appreciate your scientific approach to testing; looking forward to more videos!

[@ionescumihai6877]

Foarte bine punctat. O singura data am folosit lanțuri de zăpadă și am rămas impresionat cât de bine a reușit sa urce mașina. Felicitari.

[@kate1269]

OMG, this guy is awesome! Very informative, thanks!

[@mlorcap]

Great video. Actually, is so hard to find good independent reviews like this one!!! Thanks!!!

[@nateraymer2452]

Your results were exactly what I was expecting you to find. Thanks for confirming my suspicions.

[@GoodRon1999]

in Russia they say: I go where wolves are afraid to shit.)))))))))))) Thanks for video!!!

[@gabiroka7454]

😂😂😂

[@habnet-tv6836]

i got my tires from tire4coin

[@djsebiyt]

abia a inceput videoclipul dar ma bucur enorm ca ai testat asa ceva. nu exista niciun material pe tema asta. felicitari!

[@BearMarie96]

Thank you so much for doing this review! I’ve been doing research to find the best snow chains or alternatives to use and this was REALLY informative!!

[@computergroup256]

Excellent comparison in the same location. Thanks for the effort.

[@markthomas4083]

Very informative video sir. Still viewing but I appreciate the depth and extra cameras 🎥

[@marydd4147]

Thank you!!!! Great information - kept me from wasting money.

[@jonathanstoddard7712]

Thank you for your work on this video, it is such a great video.

[@mechols56]

Dude, Definitely appreciated the test. last example works best. Thanks. very helpful. i subscribed. yeah!!!!

[@ioancristiantodescu4506]

Foarte educatv videoclip-ul. Mulțumesc pentru comparație. Chiar nu mă mai gândesc să probez altceva în loc de lanțuri. S-a dovedit eficiența lor, clar. Succes in continuare.

[@ken7u7tube]

Thank you for your review, it was very helpful

[@alexanderniesporek2627]

Great review! Thanks!

[@lluis9377]

THANK YOU!! Great video!!

[@Theofanis.M]

Great test, you helps us!!!💙

[@tedsamuels3203]

I think this video was very informative THANKS MAN

[@user-hs9gp7po9t]

Honest and Informative Keep up the excellent reviews

[@mred5625]

Brilliant video, thanks for sharing.

[@econom_class_travel]

Excellent review. Now I understand what to buy.

[@naylacarrasco7228]

Your video was very helpful. Thank you.

[@trsfc1595]

Excellent review video Thank you

[@rrcaniglia]

Very helpful. I just returned from a 7,500 foot / six-inch snow event in which I got stuck. Never again, LOL, and you have helped.

[@fabrizioc7644]

congrats! very nice review!

[@josephtucciarone6878]

Thank you for testing these chain substitutes.

[@Weejie2011]

Those "cheap chains" in a bag are truck style chains and are easy and quick to fit and removeand won't be as tangled as intimated. So long as they are kept tight (which is the secret of using any chains) they will out live and out perform any of the more fancy alternatives. Look for cam tensioners, but decent spider tensioners work fine and make sure of good steel quality (reputable manufacturers). They are also easy to repair - all chains eventually break. They weren't given enough attention here. Pity. As a former truck driver and UK resident of Scottish Highlands and used to working in the Lake District and Snowdonia, I speak with some experience. For more level terrain, socks and, even better, studded tyres (if legal) work very well. For UK residents, unfortunately, silly governmental capers have made obtaining decent chains more expensive, as European continental residents will be aware. Good video, though.

[@StefanSzasz]

Great video! Keep up the good work

[@jbnrusnya_should_be_punished]

A few years ago I bought a Chinese copy of these pewag chains, and they are wonderful: cheap, reliable and durable. They are both suitable for my Lacetti with 185/65/14 tires and the lada with 175/70/13 tires. If necessary, riding on chains on a fairly deep snow is fun. Because without chains Lacetti still behaves quite well in the snow, but the old lada is completely hopeless.

[@rynvhe]

This was great! Saved me money from buying the Chinese ones off of Amazon! The tried and true chains are the best! Thanks!👍

[@MrSeriousDen]

you had found a great place to test the stuffs! thnx

[@markstoudt7769]

Good video. I bought a pair of those yellow cinch strap snow chains for my wife and I. they do work but they are not designed for deep snow. they are more for a surprise snow to help you get home. I still need good tires and common sense. Once again, great video.

[@ivanj6426]

GREAT VIDEO!! For the harsh winters in canada I always buy great studed tires like nokian hakka, and drive an awd car. I never needed chans.. Some mornings I have to push 3-4 feet of snow just to get out of my driveway..

[@izzyraj]

Well if this isn't the most straight forward and convincing test/comparison video on a product I've ever seen. I was real close to get those yellow ones on Amazon but I'm gonna get some full on snow chains.

[@thierryboucher1699]

Très intéressant de voir l'essai sur le terrain ! Bravo !

[@pamtnman1515]

The traditional snow chains that you did not install are a major PITA to install, especially in the dark in snow. But they are the best of all your options, because they give the best traction

[@markusi5995]

Yeah, theres a reason a lot of these easier solutions aren't listed as approved/legal for mountain passes; even studded tires on my pass don't count as replacements for chains in really severe conditions (all vehicles in winter going over the pass are required to have them in the trunk.) so for that reason I prefer studless snow tires for just snow and cables/chains for ice.

[@michaeldbhawker3556]

Studs belong on roads with packed down snow and ice not just mountain passes.

[@debeekness7034]

Great honest video without , I believe without bias opinion. I subscribed

[@Saskidan]

Thanks for the demonstrations. I need something for my Tacoma to get out on the logging roads to the natural hotsprings. Cheers from BC, Canada

[@52leearthur]

Very helpful information, thank you

[@michaelb7071]

Good video! Love the intro! Audio is a bit on the quiet side, though. Keep those videos coming!

[@incememed.]

Great job!Thank you very much.

[@cristiangeorgescu8206]

Esti cel mai tare omule! Imi place content-ul tău.

[@dnltbrca]

I'm surprised by the snow chains to be honest. I knew they were good, but i wasn't expecting such a big difference

[@jbnrusnya_should_be_punished]

You will be even more surprised when you try them in person. Here is my video about chains in fairly deep snow on an old rear-wheel drive car: kzbin.info/www/bejne/baLRXqaCnah6nbM Chains turn almost any car into a rather powerful all-terrain vehicle!

[@Wings_of_foam]

@@jbnrusnya_should_be_punished Chains always worked!

[@wildbill23c]

@@jbnrusnya_should_be_punished Yep, used to take my 84 2WD Ford Ranger up hunting on the same back country sometimes snow or mud covered roads...throw the V-Bar chains on and that truck would go anywhere the guys in their jacked up 4x4s were going. Many of today's cars, SUV's, and pickups don't have space for true chains so you are stuck with lesser quality cables but those do work they just don't last as long.

[@iffykidmn8170]

@@wildbill23c And two sets of chains on a diff locked jacked up 4X4 work even better

[@prophetseven728]

@@jbnrusnya_should_be_punished I wonder if Chains work in the Mud.

[@mrvang8077]

Just looking at those 1st two product makes me laugh so hard. I wouldn't even waste money on junk. Just by watching your video. It has given me a ton of product to steer clear away from at all cost. Really helps me narrow down to quality product over junk products

[@raymondlsee]

This is super useful for me to pick my next set of snow chains

[@MMillan]

Exactly what I wanna see, thanks for share

[@Wings_of_foam]

Subscribed. Bro, you are awesome. All the best from Denmark! Stay safe.

[@lilbHEMI]

Thank you for this test, i almost bought the zipties. U saved my money !

[@BenjaMin-ju4ji]

Thanks for the great video

[@evelyngorfram9306]

Thanks for this video - it was informative & amusing. I especially liked watching you try to catch increasingly heavy sets of chains. ;) To be fair, some TPU chains may be better made & from better materials than the specific brand you happened to have - but they would probably also be somewhat more expensive. I live in the US, & here I think most people would consider 130 Euros (about 150 USD at this writing) is about mid range for a reasonably set of snow chains. The cheapest chains I'd personally want to rely on run about $115 or so (roughly 100 Euro), and it's hard for most people who don't regularly drive in snow to justify spending much more than $200 (around 175 Euro) on a pair of chains. But then, the US and Romania are different places.

[@DekiaryCarter]

Thank you so much for doing this test. Now I know which products to avoid.

[@PetarKozic-sl2cv]

This video stopped me from buying option 2 bracelets, which looked so great in the presentation. Thank you! Even though the fresh loose deep snow is not what you are going to face traveling through Alps in winter. I would like to see how they work on asphalt with 2-3 centimetres of snow just 20 minutes after the snowstorm started. Inclination like 10-20°.

[@fritz1990]

The great fact to remember is that you will rarely be putting chains on in good conditions. It will probably be dark, snowing and far from home, help or streetlights. You have a new subscriber.

[@vladantoniu3403]

Bine facut si util review-ul!

[@davidgates1122]

I once had to go somewhere in my 4 wheel drive Ford Ranger in deep snow. I put bar reinforced tire chains on all four wheels. It would go in snow that was all the way to the tops of the fenders. There just is no substitute unless you go to some sort of tracks. In that case, get a Bombi or a Weasel.

[@SticksAandstonesBozo]

Wow. I’m sort of blown away. I’ve lived in snowy areas for about 12 years and never once had an issue. But I just bought a home in the mountains on a 20 degree road. First time I tried to get up in a 2wd van I couldn’t make it at all. I now know there is a solution other than buying a new 80k dollar 4wd work van.

[@etc-and-more]

Looks like a fair testing procedure with a bit of humor thrown in. Nice.

[@jakubstajner5155]

Nice video! That TPU ones (one piece on each front wheel - FWD car) saved me this week on big ice hill ... but as you said it really isn't a long lasting product :-)

[@user-tv8sm6so9y]

Great Video, thanks for doing the test, I bought a good set of Snowchains a year ago and so far I have not had to use them, finger crossed, I am pleased I paid the extra money and bought Weissenfels, Awesome set of Chains.

[@hugomorala7751]

Thanks for the video, we have a lot of snow here in Spain these days, so this comparison video is very useful. It was only missing in the video, the "blanket" or fabric style no chains. Thanks Sergiu! 😉👍👏👏

[@HoneyBearLife]

Is the Mexican food good in Spain? Is the salsa and tortillas there different than in Mexico?

[@Scrambler85]

Must be from all the global warming 😉

[@rheno03]

I wanted to buy the zip tie one, glad i found your video!! 😮

[@glaszlo9694]

Just found this site, very good video thank you! :-)

[@shehbaazkhosa5205]

Loved that license plate 😝😂

[@HOLOCULT]

Cool review subscribed

[@sandywoolf2883]

The video explanation is very good. I bought this renhotecic brand Tire chain not long ago. It is easy to install and has a good anti-skid effect. If you have troubles with your car, you can try it.

[@ChiYoungKC]

If snow chains haven't changed for so long its because they work like nothing else. If it aint broke and works well don't try to fix it.

[@SergiuGabor]

Good point!

[@Lorentz_Factor]

@@SergiuGabor the one thing that this ignores is that while they work and they aren't broke they are often difficult to install and often are damaged by use and living in an area with a lot of ice that requires you use them regularly. Something that lasts longer, works, and simplifies the installation, that would definitely be a good thing, for example what if you have an area where you go to bed and sometimes wake up it's snowing ice a wraparound may not work very well because your car cannot move well to install and drive over, so I sent style that will allow you to partially install, it's much nicer, however these styles often suffer from breaking much easier than the steel chains, as they are often flat with spikes or otherwise that breaks. I think a better approach is that if it isn't broken don't completely try to create something new but never stop improving

[@scatcanbeatmaserati6480]

thank u so much 4 this video.....i wish u did this video back in december because i bought the TPU "snow chains" and not only did it damage my car bad but it barely worked they broke and snapped off the wheel and wrapped around my axle...very bad......i bought some peerless auto trac snow chains for $90 still kicking myself for wasting money on the TPU

[@marcobraga68]

Thanks for saving my money. I love your videos. You should have a tv show...

[@bmwe3opassion519]

Nice, aștept cu nerăbdare testul cu curele-le de distribuție :)

[@RatingARKReviews]

Great video!

[@KeithBalante]

thanks so much for this :)

[@Luigi13]

Good test definitely and now I feel I made a bad decision when I bought the second test you did with the Chinese product. Maybe those wrap around would work fine with less snow on the ground or when not going on a steep road. Thank you.

[@Carnage88]

James May approves of the car lol, definitely buying the zip ties to be used as zip ties lol

[@androidrebel]

I absolutely agree with others, "expensive" chains are always worth the price when you consider the alternative, which is getting stuck in snow... or worse! But honestly cheap snow chains aren't so difficult to install if you have the bare minimum of manual dexterity. Of course just reading the instructions for the first time once you're at -10° in a storm with knee-deep snow isn't the best policy... Try and install them beforehand in a dry and warm place, and you'll be so much better off 😉

[@sk8punk318]

Omg thank god I went with chains. We just got about 7” of snow

[@gregz2408]

Great video! I’d like to see the cable chains tested. While I’m sure they won’t hold a candle to real chains, I’d be interested to see how they stand up to them.

[@tarusshsharma459]

Thanks, you just sought out my confusion.

[@josEfe1921]

I was having doubts on buying the plastic "chains" or the cloth ones. But after this video, it's clear to me that the steel chains will always be the top choice. Thank you for such a Great video.