Snow Chains on 17" and larger Alloys (18" 19" etc)

[Corey_R]

Hey mate. Your answer is in the first post.

No. Snow chains can only be fitted to the 15 and 16" wheels. There are some alternative products discussed above which are suitable for 17" and 18" wheels, however, they may or may not be approved in your state.

[teodeh]

Coreying: can you provide a citation for that "no"? I've used chains on 17" alloys before (225/45 R17 from memory). NSW legislation seems to be here

I will say that "ladder chains" are next to useless compared to the diamond tread.

Also, bring a small tarp to put on the ground so you dont get filthy crawling on the ground when you attach the chains.

edit: much better linky: http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/registrati..._june_2009.pdf

[Transporter]

He maybe meant 17" on Mk6 Golf.

[Corey_R]

Coreying: can you provide a citation for that "no"?

Sure. As Transporter mentioned, we're talking about the Golf, not cars in general. So the statement comes from the Volkswagen Golf Owners Manual, as per the first post:

I recently picked up my Golf GTD and I was reading through the Manual. It is a generalised manual, not specifically for the GTD however it mentioned that snow chains can only be put on 15" or 16" wheels, not the 17" or higher.

I am guessing the reason has something to do with clearance but I was wondering if anyone else with a Golf GTI or GTD with 17" alloys has put on snow chains?

[jwastrel]

Hey guys

I just bought a pair of Rudd Centrax Chains. These seem to be one of the only brands that will work on a gti, due to the lack of clearance between the front wheels and inner wheel arch.

I'm heading to the snow in week. With the way the weather is heading I doubt i will need them. but I did try them out at the shop, fitted them a few times, drove on them a bit. Were a bit fiddly to fit, but way easier than standard snow chains. Will report back in a few weeks ...

JW

[DracZ]

Anyone have a rental solution for 17" tires? Will probably be going up to the show only once this season, don't wanna be spending 4-500 etc.

[Corey_R]

Well... if you were going to rent another set of wheels that you could put snow chains on, you'd be best not renting another set of 17" wheels - or at least not the 225/45R17's which come standard on the GTI and GTD. These are the tyres/wheels that the manual is saying you cannot put snow chains on.

I'm not an expert on this topic by any means, but from the sounds of things there just isn't the clearance on the inside edge of the wheel and the guard. Whereas the Golf Comfortline (195/65R15) and Golf Trendline (205/55R16) tyres/wheels don't have these clearance issues.

Of course, if you were to rent another set of wheels, you'd need to ensure that the PCD is 5x112 and that the ET (offset) is suitable to give the appropriate clearance required. I have no idea what the ET would need to be (or what it is on the stock Golf 15" and 16" rims.

[Mr_Bob]

Do the GTI and GTD have larger brakes than the comfortline and trendline?
if so, it may not be viable to fit 15 or 16" wheels...

[Corey_R]

That's a very good point... I'm not sure of the minimum size wheels for clearance on them...

[Dubya]

While the manual says one thing, per jwastrel's post above and my own experience, the Rudd Centrax chains work on the GTI 17" set up (and maybe 18" too if the clearance is no less).

As the name implies, the Centrax do not interfere with the clearance between the inside shoulder of the tyre and the suspension.

They are, however, ****ing expensive, almost as if the manufacturer knows many owners have little or no choice other than to use their product which, I might add, is a vast improvement on the more usual types of chains, in particular when it comes to fitting them.