No going to the snow in a 162TSI :(

[Mk R]

Hotham sucks anyway

When I used to live in Washington most people just kept a spare set of wheels with winter tyres on them and swap them out for the season. You shouldn't bother with the winter tyres but having a spare set of smaller wheels for our 2.5 month long ski season would be pretty easy. Chains tend to scrape the hell out of your rims if you use them enough so even if you found some chains for you lovely 18x7 rims, they might look horrid after a few snow days.

Also, it's not just the outside of the rim that can get chewed up. There's often very little space in between the rim and suspension in Euro cars as they generally just use winter tyres instead. A loose chain can make some very expensive damage back there.

[latearrival]

Track down a member named 'adioz'. He's dealt with all of this.

Will do, thanks

[latearrival]

Having a spare set of smaller wheels for our 2.5 month long ski season would be pretty easy

I think this is a really good option. Just not for great for my inner city apartment with poor storage and no garage

[GeorgeMK1]

Ultimately I think your only option is to catch a bus up to the top, in your circumstances that is. As mentioned, I did it last week and the week before that at Hotham. Caught the bus from Harrietville and it was a short 45 min ride to the top. I then proceeded to laugh at all the folks getting wet and putting on snow chains in the cold as I was in a warm comfy bus
Good luck

[latearrival]

Ultimately I think your only option is to catch a bus up to the top, in your circumstances that is. As mentioned, I did it last week and the week before that at Hotham. Caught the bus from Harrietville and it was a short 45 min ride to the top. I then proceeded to laugh at all the folks getting wet and putting on snow chains in the cold as I was in a warm comfy bus
Good luck

Thanks George. I think for my family that might be the way to go. Blimey it's expensive though! I couldn't sort out 0mm chains in time for our trip to Buller so we got the bus from Mansfield to Buller and back. $275. Ouch! It was great not having to fit chains though

[Timbo]

Perhaps an enterprising dealer or three might consider obtaining a few sets of wheels and snow tyres that owners could rent for snow fields visits. Something like this might be thought of as "customer service"!

[Tigger162]

Right, thanks, sorry. God knows what I was looking at

The info for Hotham seems a bit ambiguous tho'. Under Permitted Chain Types it says:
Diamond pattern chains - Mandatory.
Winter/snow tyres - Accepted

Does this mean winter tyres are accepted in-lieu of chains? Or does it mean that you can drive with winter tyres but you still need the mandatory diamond pattern chains?

i see it as a proper winter tyre in lieu of chains. That same site I mentioned earlier has a write up from Hotham on snow Tyers for there road patrol.

[Timbo]

Last August, I did BMW's X-Alpine Snow/Ice Experience at the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds above Queenstown, NZ. It was great fun...but one of the gob-smackers was the grip performance of Bridgestone Blizzak snow tyres fitted to the various vehicles...including a BMW M3, which was used for hot laps of an ice track. Stunning grip!

[latearrival]

i see it as a proper winter tyre in lieu of chains. That same site I mentioned earlier has a write up from Hotham on snow Tyers for there road patrol.

Unfortunately not. I just asked Mount Hotham Resort Management Board:

Me: "Can you please tell me if winter tyres (on an All Wheel Drives) are acceptable for entering the resort instead of chains?"

MHRMB reply: "Every vehicle entering Mount Hotham is legally required to carry diamond pattern chains that fit their vehicle".

It seems to me that if you want to drive up to Mt Hotham in your own 162TSI, you have to fit wheels/tyres that have enough clearance for a set of diamond-pattern chains.

[IsDon]

Unfortunately not. I just asked Mount Hotham Resort Management Board:

Me: "Can you please tell me if winter tyres (on an All Wheel Drives) are acceptable for entering the resort instead of chains?"

MHRMB reply: "Every vehicle entering Mount Hotham is legally required to carry diamond pattern chains that fit their vehicle".

It seems to me that if you want to drive up to Mt Hotham in your own 162TSI, you have to fit wheels/tyres that have enough clearance for a set of diamond-pattern chains.

They're bureaucratic idiots.

The only way to get them to see sense is to just avoid the place.

Either Hotham has the worst driving conditions on the planet, or these guys are just tossers. I'm betting the latter.