jayb7777 Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 Ladies and Gentlemen, (sorry for a long one but felt it was worth the info for all e46 owners - couldnt find snow chain reviews anywhere on line). Last year i got stuck in snow with my wonderful BMW E46 (UK). Like many of the owners on here i had to abandon my vehicle in the snow and use my GF's Vauxhall corsa which i was not too happy about. for 2 weeks my car sat on the drive looking a sorry for itself. So i had a plan.. I decided to kit her (yes her) out with the right equipment for the snow. I started looking for snow chains.. Inevitably it will snow again this year and i want to show those smug 4x4 owners that rear drives can still have it. Being a typical BMW owner i decided to research the best solution for my vehicle. My search criteria were as such: 1. Had to be quick and easy to fit 2. Had to be able to clear the arches and tyre without taking off chunks of my body work. 3. Had to provide good traction 4. i had to be able to fit them at the road side (this is hard and ill explain why below) 5. i had to be able to use them intermittently between snow and tarmac conditions as i didnt want to stop and jack the vehicle each time i wanted them on or off. So... first thoughts were to try the snow socks ... people may have seen them and they look really easy to fit but they're not on a BMW! With the limited clearance between body and rims,i had to jack the back end up to get them on. really these provide good traction in the snow BUT they dont last at all! - mine lasted me 1 day. £60 down the drain. plus you have to jack the rear of the car using the bmw boot jack which is very ***** dangerous on snow or ice.. DONT DO IT! the car almost dropped with my hand under it. not only that but when they failed and ripped they wrapped themselves around my rear axels and needed to be cut off at a garage. Nice. another £20. SOO.... next i tried the traditional snow chain... Again pain in the butt to fit and again you have to jack the car up at the rear to get them on roadside. you cannot do this roadside safely in the snow.. dont bother they arent worth it even at £60. When you drive between snow and tarmac they vibrate your car like a 60's washing machine. legally you are supposed to take them off on tarmac. you can really feel the vibrations and after 1 day of intermittent snow and tarmac they broke. (they were a £60 cheap set). Also when i hit bumps the chains on the rear decided they wanted to make contact with the rear arches. NOT GOOD! also i had light - medium alloy damage where the chains hit the rims. was not happy! So this year i looked for a different solution and have found them >>>>. I would highly recommend these to all BMW and any RWD drivers if you wish to use your car in the snow. They are called the MITA Snow Chains and i got them from Exeros Technologies link - http://www.exeros-technologies.com/index.php/mita-snow-chains.html I found them by looking on youtube for different snow chains and heres vid1. Here's Vid 2 which is probably better and not just because it features the young the blonde lady http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-ufk4K8gEs Right. They work with hardly any vibration whatsoever. tried them on tarmac and hit 40mph very comfortably. because a large proportion of the tyre rubber is still in contact with the road they allow good grip between snow and tarmac meaning i havnt got to take them off between snow and tarmac. took them skiiing last week in Andorra and they provide excellent traction in snow compared to normal chains as greater surface area is in contact with the snow with these new ones. i can get them on and off the car in approx 2 mins per wheel without jacking! really i cant stress how good they are for getting on and off quickly - you have to get low (kneel) for the back wheels but they are so much simpler and safer to than all other solutions i tried. They also dont take off paint and metal from the arches as they dont go over the edge of the tyre - just the tread. they dont wrap around the rim area like traditional chains. no damage to the arch or allys - very good result. They are cheaper than buying spare rims and winter tyres. and they can go on my car, my buddies car, my GF's car with just one set - universal fitting. With snow socks and chains you have to buy different size specific to your vehicle and trying to get your hands on a set when it snows is not even worth trying - last year i contacted 15 companies no one had any in stock that fit my MV2's.. the MITA ones are universal fitting so you can use them on any cars and even lend them to buddies or neighbors (make sure you get them back tho). They're made from a very solid toughened and hardened steel. They dont bend at all and ive given them a good grilling. Also if a plate or link did fail i can buy only what i need plates or links etc. i dont have to replace the whole chain which is such a good design idea and much cheaper over their life cycle. They are not the cheapest but really I've tried the cheap ones and as a bmw owner these are the best. I bought mine for £250 inc VAT. The best ones i researched before i found these were the KSummit ones by Thule. I spoke to a rep and they had the same issue where the arches would come into contact with the rim plus the KSummit ones cost £300 and you have to buy specifc size set for your wheels. Strongly recommend these MITA Snow Chains - i cant praise them enough. Any questions, let me know id be happy to advise on them. One last thing is your tyres have to have a central constant groove to fit them.. check your tyres before buying! Bring on the UK snow!!! Jay. Again sorry for the essay but felt it was good advice for the forum and drivers here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 Interesting.. I saw these when I was looking at that snow tyrespray stuff. Still, £250 is quite steep! I think legally these are still classed as snowchains so you have to remove them when there's no snow? For a little bit more you could buy cheapo snow tyres or get a set of partworns. At least the option is there for those wanting to decide tho! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob- Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) counts those with falken fk452s out? Most vredesteins tyres wont work either. Edited October 25, 2011 by ROB1986 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 counts those with falken fk452s out? Most vredesteins tyres wont work either. 452's have the central groove required. But there's just 2 in the middle.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayb7777 Posted October 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 I looked at snow tyres but found it difficult to find part worns. Plus most people advise to get a cheap set of rims so you can put the snow tyres on em then swap the rims over between summer winter but that just meant £150 set of rims then winter tyres at £60-80 each. Still costs more and with these I don't have to store a spare set of ally's all year in the garage. I definately prefer these. I thought it was a lot less messing around trying to find spare rims, snow tyres, storage etc. guess I'm just lazy Legally you probably have to remove them but if it takes 2 mins each ally I'm happy. Can roll them up and chuck them in the boot ready for more snow if I was driving on mostly Tarmac I would take them off anyway but in deep snow they are very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterH Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 I'm not driving the bimmer in the snow ever again! Even though it was fun in a wide open car park, there are just too many under educated drivers out there that wanna crash into you!!! I'd save the money on snow chains and buy a complete s**tter for a winter car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimp Choker Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 I'm not driving the bimmer in the snow ever again! Even though it was fun in a wide open car park, there are just too many under educated drivers out there that wanna crash into you!!! I'd save the money on snow chains and buy a complete s**tter for a winter car +1, i use the other halfs focus in the winter she can walk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 I looked at snow tyres but found it difficult to find part worns. Plus most people advise to get a cheap set of rims so you can put the snow tyres on em then swap the rims over between summer winter but that just meant £150 set of rims then winter tyres at £60-80 each. Still costs more and with these I don't have to store a spare set of ally's all year in the garage. I definately prefer these. I thought it was a lot less messing around trying to find spare rims, snow tyres, storage etc. guess I'm just lazy Legally you probably have to remove them but if it takes 2 mins each ally I'm happy. Can roll them up and chuck them in the boot ready for more snow if I was driving on mostly Tarmac I would take them off anyway but in deep snow they are very good. So did you actually use these last winter or have you just bought them and are well impressed with them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayb7777 Posted October 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 (edited) I bought them this year. Took them skiing last week and I managed to get up a mountain in a 330d. The central groove doesn't matter too much as long as you have at least one. It's so the 'back bone' on the chain can sit in and so the chains don't slide of when driving. Added: heres testament to the amount of traction you get... watch from 0:52 Edited October 26, 2011 by jayb7777 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 Oh cool! So did you get 2 sets (for front wheels too) or just for rears? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayb7777 Posted October 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 Oh cool! So did you get 2 sets (for front wheels too) or just for rears? You get enough per set for the drive wheels which is all you need really plus some spare plates and links in case you manage to damage some (hard as they are hard) .. so now im back i have enough just for the rears. for the ski holiday by buddy also bought a set so we had them on all 4 wheels for the mountain. Im guessing with just the rears chained, you will get some understeer if you go too fast but then we have a lot more traction on the front because of the engine weight. and i guess if that sprays any good you could just use that on the fronts.. ill probably have a go with it here when it snows.. Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F117NH Posted October 27, 2011 Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 You get enough per set for the drive wheels which is all you need really plus some spare plates and links in case you manage to damage some (hard as they are hard) .. so now im back i have enough just for the rears. for the ski holiday by buddy also bought a set so we had them on all 4 wheels for the mountain. Im guessing with just the rears chained, you will get some understeer if you go too fast but then we have a lot more traction on the front because of the engine weight. and i guess if that sprays any good you could just use that on the fronts.. ill probably have a go with it here when it snows.. Jay I am acctualy looking into these chains and I have not found alot of info other then this post and the web site, I am hoping you can answer a few questions for me... I have a 2004 chrysler crossfire (start flaming now for not owning a BMW :/ ) and i live in reno, nv where snow is common, and the wheel space between tire and body is small. my fronts are 18s and my rears are 20s so i would like to know how tall are the MITAs on a tire, they look thin,,, second, you say you can get two tires out of one set, so how big are your tires? or how long is each link and connector, and how many come in a set? If i am to buy this set i need to know thry will fit my two 20s... third, i saw the vids and wanna know how they feel on the snow as the vids did not have alot of snow driving in them... any help would be great! thanks F117NH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayb7777 Posted October 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 (edited) I am acctualy looking into these chains and I have not found alot of info other then this post and the web site, I am hoping you can answer a few questions for me... I have a 2004 chrysler crossfire (start flaming now for not owning a BMW :/ ) and i live in reno, nv where snow is common, and the wheel space between tire and body is small. my fronts are 18s and my rears are 20s so i would like to know how tall are the MITAs on a tire, they look thin,,, second, you say you can get two tires out of one set, so how big are your tires? or how long is each link and connector, and how many come in a set? If i am to buy this set i need to know thry will fit my two 20s... third, i saw the vids and wanna know how they feel on the snow as the vids did not have alot of snow driving in them... any help would be great! thanks F117NH Hi F117NH, The plates themselves are about 1cm high so not high at all... ok so im running 19inch allys on mine and like you i have hardly any clearance between the arch and the wheel - literally i can fit the tip of my finger between the two. i have made 2 full chains for the rears and have about 6-8 spare plates and 8-10 links left over so i believe you should be fine for yours. I will try to find the table guide and post it on here - it comes in the box and is a list of tyre sizes and tells you how many parts you need to make your chain for your wheels. I'll hunt it down this evening. On the snow in a rear wheel they feel very good. - normally my car cant move in 1 inch of fresh snow which really is pathetic! with the traditional chains i tired last year you get intermittent traction from where the chain is not completely covering the wheel and it kinda catches from time to time so the wheels still spin under throttle. with these you get much better traction all the time and you can really feel the difference. because the chain is constantly in contact with the snow and because you get a larger surface area in contact compared to normal chains they're much better. also from road to tarmac they are brilliant. you can hardly feel any vibration at all. with the older style chains they vibrate about 10-20 times more. its hard to see in the vids how good they really are but believe me they are very good. im 110% happy i bought them and hence the excited post they are perfect for sports vehicles. Wheel size table attached.. Jay.MITA_Tyre_Dimension_Table.pdf Edited October 28, 2011 by jayb7777 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ham Posted February 5, 2012 Report Share Posted February 5, 2012 (edited) Very interesting to read this - especially since i think I can identify the OP as a director of the company that appears to be marketing them in the UK. There does seem to be very few others piling in to say how wonderful they are, though. My experience of them might be part of the reason.... Having read the adverts, watched the videos (and failed to find any real life experience) I bought a set of them for my car. What I liked about them was that they appeared (a) much more compact and ( b ) potentially better grip than the "spider" type I have used recently. They are that, to be sure. But, and here's a big but, I couldn't fit them to my car at all. Bearing in mind that my vehicle isn't a BMW (and it isn't RWD), my tyres are 245/45 18. After some assistance from Exeros I managed to fit them to a tyre off the car, when I tried again to fit them on the car I failed miserably. In the context it is worth noting that I am a competent amateur mechanic - I used to rebuild Alfa twin cam 105 series engines for fun. Interestingly, it was a cold day on the last attempt I made to fit them (-5) - the worst part of it was the tendency of the chains to fall apart - the silicon strips that are supposed to stop that happening apparently fail in the cold. Imagining that was in the middle of the night in heavy snow made me shudder. So, is it worth the asking price? £280 including the carriage? For the same money you can buy Weissenfels Clack and Go Quattro, those (once you have spent half an hour setting them up) are very easy to fit, don't even get you dirty, and they work. Even if I could have fitted them, there is no way I can see that the Mita chains will ever come up to the ease of fitting of the alternatives, so there appears to be little point in buying the Mita. Even the ability to fit them to more than one car (the holy grail of tyre chains) doesn't sound if it is going to be that great if the chains are going to start falling to pieces when you try to use them, after a year or so. I wish I'd never bought them, for sure, good luck if you do. I'd certainly love to hear some positive reports about them, because I'd like to find out what I was doing wrong, and it would be nice to think there was a viable alternative to the constant that you have to change snowchains with the car. So far, nice idea, but no cigar. Edited February 5, 2012 by Ham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayb7777 Posted February 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 Very interesting to read this - especially since i think I can identify the OP as a director of the company that appears to be marketing them in the UK. There does seem to be very few others piling in to say how wonderful they are, though. My experience of them might be part of the reason.... Having read the adverts, watched the videos (and failed to find any real life experience) I bought a set of them for my car. What I liked about them was that they appeared (a) much more compact and ( b ) potentially better grip than the "spider" type I have used recently. They are that, to be sure. But, and here's a big but, I couldn't fit them to my car at all. Bearing in mind that my vehicle isn't a BMW (and it isn't RWD), my tyres are 245/45 18. After some assistance from Exeros I managed to fit them to a tyre off the car, when I tried again to fit them on the car I failed miserably. In the context it is worth noting that I am a competent amateur mechanic - I used to rebuild Alfa twin cam 105 series engines for fun. Interestingly, it was a cold day on the last attempt I made to fit them (-5) - the worst part of it was the tendency of the chains to fall apart - the silicon strips that are supposed to stop that happening apparently fail in the cold. Imagining that was in the middle of the night in heavy snow made me shudder. So, is it worth the asking price? £280 including the carriage? For the same money you can buy Weissenfels Clack and Go Quattro, those (once you have spent half an hour setting them up) are very easy to fit, don't even get you dirty, and they work. Even if I could have fitted them, there is no way I can see that the Mita chains will ever come up to the ease of fitting of the alternatives, so there appears to be little point in buying the Mita. Even the ability to fit them to more than one car (the holy grail of tyre chains) doesn't sound if it is going to be that great if the chains are going to start falling to pieces when you try to use them, after a year or so. I wish I'd never bought them, for sure, good luck if you do. I'd certainly love to hear some positive reports about them, because I'd like to find out what I was doing wrong, and it would be nice to think there was a viable alternative to the constant that you have to change snowchains with the car. So far, nice idea, but no cigar. Very interesting to read this - especially since i think I can identify the OP as a director of the company that appears to be marketing them in the UK. There does seem to be very few others piling in to say how wonderful they are, though. My experience of them might be part of the reason.... Having read the adverts, watched the videos (and failed to find any real life experience) I bought a set of them for my car. What I liked about them was that they appeared (a) much more compact and ( b ) potentially better grip than the "spider" type I have used recently. They are that, to be sure. But, and here's a big but, I couldn't fit them to my car at all. Bearing in mind that my vehicle isn't a BMW (and it isn't RWD), my tyres are 245/45 18. After some assistance from Exeros I managed to fit them to a tyre off the car, when I tried again to fit them on the car I failed miserably. In the context it is worth noting that I am a competent amateur mechanic - I used to rebuild Alfa twin cam 105 series engines for fun. Interestingly, it was a cold day on the last attempt I made to fit them (-5) - the worst part of it was the tendency of the chains to fall apart - the silicon strips that are supposed to stop that happening apparently fail in the cold. Imagining that was in the middle of the night in heavy snow made me shudder. So, is it worth the asking price? £280 including the carriage? For the same money you can buy Weissenfels Clack and Go Quattro, those (once you have spent half an hour setting them up) are very easy to fit, don't even get you dirty, and they work. Even if I could have fitted them, there is no way I can see that the Mita chains will ever come up to the ease of fitting of the alternatives, so there appears to be little point in buying the Mita. Even the ability to fit them to more than one car (the holy grail of tyre chains) doesn't sound if it is going to be that great if the chains are going to start falling to pieces when you try to use them, after a year or so. I wish I'd never bought them, for sure, good luck if you do. I'd certainly love to hear some positive reports about them, because I'd like to find out what I was doing wrong, and it would be nice to think there was a viable alternative to the constant that you have to change snowchains with the car. So far, nice idea, but no cigar. Haha i wish i was the director of the company. Please let me know your identification lol. spooky mate. you need to get a job or something lol. (just kidding). Also you say you're an Amateur Mechanic and you couldnt fit them on??? are you serious? i got them on very easily - much easier than the other chains and snow socks i tried. Me, my buddy and even my dad (who is 65) managed to get them on to all of our cars no problem. i got the RWD, my mates got a transit and my old mans got the new jaguar XF (i tried to persuade him to get the X6 but failed miserabley). And the fact that you gave up in -5 in the cold.. not being funny but surely you are supposed to fit snow chains in that kind of weather no? have you ever tried other chains before?? clack and gos take about an hour to get on and tangle like a mother @Ker - try fitting them in the snow and its still not like sipping a pina colada on a sun lounger in the bahamas. and the silicone strips work quite well in my eyes.... i used the chains in the snow we had recently. they held the chains together just fine and i fitted mine in snow fall no problems. they did come apart once when i chucked them on the floor but its not the end of the world - i reconnected them which took me a total of maybe 1 second.... think youre kinda knocking these too much, from what youve written it doesnt seem as though you actually tested them on the snow... i have several times and can vouch for them. plus with the other systems, i cant lend them to any one and would have to buy multiple sets per car that i own. with these i can use em on any car. not being funny but it seems as though you may be too old to be using them or even driving lol.. (just a joke im sure youre a great driver). and there are actual tests where people have used them and theyve worked very well... check on youtube at the user reviews. they are from the US, UK, canada and so on.... everyone is raving about them. i think thyer even being used by the american police forces this year (read it on a news blog). not being funny if the US cops use them then they have been tested and must be good. shame you gave up on them really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colossuss Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 Way too much to read in this thread. But for £250 I'd rather get a set of 17" skinny wheels and eventually have snow tyres put on them. Would be a much better alternative imo ...Or driving lessons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz 330 Cs Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 (edited) Way too much to read in this thread. But for £250 I'd rather get a set of 17" skinny wheels and eventually have snow tyres put on them. Would be a much better alternative imo Agreed, we don't get nearly enough snow here to warrant chains. A set of 17s with snow tyres is a much better idea Edited February 14, 2012 by Daz 330 Clubsport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 Agreed, also im sure if there's no snow on a section of road it's illegal to drive with chains in the UK? Snow tyres is deffo the best way to get by in hash weather.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ham Posted February 15, 2012 Report Share Posted February 15, 2012 (edited) Haha i wish i was the director of the company. Please let me know your identification lol. spooky mate. you need to get a job or something lol. (just kidding). Well, your username is built of the same first name and surname initial of the person who was introduced to me as being a director of the company, who told me they run a BMW, your OP is astonishingly effusive and sounds like marketing, but I have no means of knowing whether or not that is the case that you are in fact a Director. Also you say you're an Amateur Mechanic and you couldnt fit them on??? are you serious? i got them on very easily - much easier than the other chains and snow socks i tried. Me, my buddy and even my dad (who is 65) managed to get them on to all of our cars no problem. i got the RWD, my mates got a transit and my old mans got the new jaguar XF (i tried to persuade him to get the X6 but failed miserabley). And the fact that you gave up in -5 in the cold.. not being funny but surely you are supposed to fit snow chains in that kind of weather no? have you ever tried other chains before?? clack and gos take about an hour to get on and tangle like a mother @Ker - try fitting them in the snow and its still not like sipping a pina colada on a sun lounger in the bahamas. Unfortunately, yes. I found it astonishing that I couldn't to be honest, as I figured that this product had to work, the concept is attractively simple. As for Clack&Go Quattro (the chains that are priced very similar to the Mita) taking an hour, are you kidding? It took me about 20 minutes to set them up originally, using a wheel off the car, plus about 10 minutes each year to adjust to compensate for wear. Then, on each of the occasions I've had to use them it has taken me about 5 minutes, max, not even getting my hands dirty. You may be referring to the standard clack & go, which are 1/3 the cost and can be a bit of a faff to fit, but I have also fitted those happily, too. When I had a BMW 325 some years ago, I had another variant that had a fairly solid inner hoop - those I found easiest to fit after jacking the car, especially if it was loaded. Not something you want to do in the snow. As far as "giving up" is concerned, I just felt that after over an hour struggling I was justified in considering the chains simply not fit for purpose. think youre kinda knocking these too much, from what youve written it doesnt seem as though you actually tested them on the snow... i have several times and can vouch for them. plus with the other systems, i cant lend them to any one and would have to buy multiple sets per car that i own. with these i can use em on any car. I think I have pointed out several times that I wish I HAD been able to test them. My conclusion (and advice to others) is that there seem to be other chains that serve the purpose more reliably for the same money. Equally, if fitting them to more than one vehicle (not covered in, say, the Wiessenfells range and I know to my own cost it isn't as wide as you think it is to start with) then these chains may make financial sense. But if and only if they continue to work as advertised, which I find questionable but am not in a position to speak from experience for obvious reasons.. and there are actual tests where people have used them and theyve worked very well... check on youtube at the user reviews. they are from the US, UK, canada and so on.... everyone is raving about them. i think thyer even being used by the american police forces this year (read it on a news blog). not being funny if the US cops use them then they have been tested and must be good. shame you gave up on them really. Well, those real life tests you talk about are hard to come across. Yes, I found the YouTube of the US guy who has got them to fit, but it isn't that surprising that someone can use them - it would be hard to imagine them being on sale if they really didn't work at all, ever. When I was looking, there were no real life reviews of people using them, certainly not as I wanted to for driving to ski resorts. And yes, it is a shame I gave up on them because I ended up substantially out of pocket, but sometimes life's just too short to play around with things that might be good if only they worked. Had a review like this been available before I made my decision, I would have saved myself a whole lot of aggro and cash, which I hope others will now be able to do. Edited February 15, 2012 by Ham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayb7777 Posted February 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Well, your username is built of the same first name and surname initial of the person who was introduced to me as being a director of the company, who told me they run a BMW, your OP is astonishingly effusive and sounds like marketing, but I have no means of knowing whether or not that is the case that you are in fact a Director. Unfortunately, yes. I found it astonishing that I couldn't to be honest, as I figured that this product had to work, the concept is attractively simple. As for Clack&Go Quattro (the chains that are priced very similar to the Mita) taking an hour, are you kidding? It took me about 20 minutes to set them up originally, using a wheel off the car, plus about 10 minutes each year to adjust to compensate for wear. Then, on each of the occasions I've had to use them it has taken me about 5 minutes, max, not even getting my hands dirty. You may be referring to the standard clack & go, which are 1/3 the cost and can be a bit of a faff to fit, but I have also fitted those happily, too. When I had a BMW 325 some years ago, I had another variant that had a fairly solid inner hoop - those I found easiest to fit after jacking the car, especially if it was loaded. Not something you want to do in the snow. As far as "giving up" is concerned, I just felt that after over an hour struggling I was justified in considering the chains simply not fit for purpose. I think I have pointed out several times that I wish I HAD been able to test them. My conclusion (and advice to others) is that there seem to be other chains that serve the purpose more reliably for the same money. Equally, if fitting them to more than one vehicle (not covered in, say, the Wiessenfells range and I know to my own cost it isn't as wide as you think it is to start with) then these chains may make financial sense. But if and only if they continue to work as advertised, which I find questionable but am not in a position to speak from experience for obvious reasons.. Well, those real life tests you talk about are hard to come across. Yes, I found the YouTube of the US guy who has got them to fit, but it isn't that surprising that someone can use them - it would be hard to imagine them being on sale if they really didn't work at all, ever. When I was looking, there were no real life reviews of people using them, certainly not as I wanted to for driving to ski resorts. And yes, it is a shame I gave up on them because I ended up substantially out of pocket, but sometimes life's just too short to play around with things that might be good if only they worked. Had a review like this been available before I made my decision, I would have saved myself a whole lot of aggro and cash, which I hope others will now be able to do. fair enough about your experience but i still dont think they are worth the battering you've given them... oh and jays a very common name.. theres at least 20 other jays on here lol.... and the guy said he drives a BMW... good on him. but 3 series bmws are more common in the UK than for mondeos lol... did he drive a 3 or bigger? anyway doesnt matter. oh and from the post i found out your surname is actually Weisenfels lol hmmmmm... lol. i think the reason why there wasnt much info on them and posts before is because they launched late 2011 - september i think.... thats why i posted my review. i personally loved them and had been caught out in the snow. i know all is well and good and those who plan ahead can jack a car and fit other chains but in our cars i know that is dangerous if you try it in the snow and you didnt plan ahead. also with the UK road laws, youre not allowed to drive with chains on clear roads. so if you jack and put chians on, normally you have to jack and take them off. with the crappy scissor jacks bmw supply in the boot id rather not do that. These are the only chains i found on the market i could actually fit roadside. i tried countless other chain systems and with the klack and go's i got arch damage when i went over a deep bump. the clearence and offset of the wheels gave me just over 1cm to fit chains an others didnt work for me. Snow socks - waste of money, cheap chains - waste of money, klack and gos - rubbed arches. mitas worked the best and hve got me home several times now in the snow. i drove on them for 6 hours last time it snowed. worked a treat and i fitted them in the snow soaking wet in less than 10 mins.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ham Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 fair enough about your experience but i still dont think they are worth the battering you've given them... I have tried to be as objective as I can, but a review is just a recount of my experience and, unfortunately, that hasn't been good, and ended up costing me a packet. For anyone interested the full chapter and verse is here (if you can stay awake reading it) http://extraspecialtreat.blogspot.com/2012/02/mita-tyre-chains-review-fail.html These are the only chains i found on the market i could actually fit roadside. i tried countless other chain systems and with the klack and go's i got arch damage when i went over a deep bump. the clearence and offset of the wheels gave me just over 1cm to fit chains an others didnt work for me. Snow socks - waste of money, cheap chains - waste of money, klack and gos - rubbed arches. mitas worked the best and hve got me home several times now in the snow. i drove on them for 6 hours last time it snowed. worked a treat and i fitted them in the snow soaking wet in less than 10 mins.... I'm quite curious about this, and the practical aspects of exactly how you actually fit them, maybe it will provide a hint as to what I was doing wrong? Given the tight arch clearance you say resulted in arch damage from using spider type chains, where are you able to connect the Mita chains (in other words, at what point on the wheel using a "clock" as reference)? The illustrations and video show them being connected at around 2 o'clock, which would be under the wheel arch for you. You certainly need about 40 - 50 mm free space to use the connecting key so how do you manage it? I really can't see how the system works between 3 o'clock & 9, if you get my drift, which is the open area on your wheels. (FWIW your experience with arch damage from spider types may have been down to improper adjustment, the biggest fault of that system is that they do need to be perfectly and regularly adjusted to compensate for wear in order to ensure that the centrifugal force of rotation doesn't throw them against bodywork; at least so I have been told by the supplier) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayb7777 Posted April 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 (edited) ... Edited April 4, 2012 by jayb7777 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
