Customer Reviews

AutoSock Standard X Winter Traction Aid, For Passenger Tires

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Traction:
I decided to try out the Autosock after my pain in the ___ chains broke on a previous trip to Lake Tahoe. I drove my 2-wheel-drive Honda CR-V on a recent trip to Kirkwood, where Highway 88 was extremely icy. Once the signs read "Chains required," I threw on my Autosock, which took about 1 minute as advertised. With them on, the roads no longer felt slippery, and helped me up the rest of the way without any trouble. They are definitely much easier to put on than chains, and come without the hassle and noise.

Durability:
Even with the roads being covered with snow/ice, there were still plenty of rocks/sand. Since the Autosock is fabric based, it is bound to wear easily. After just my 1st trip, there are several small holes/tears. This is not a huge problem for me since my mother is a seamstress and can stitch these small tears back together and prevent them from becoming big holes. I was careful not to go above the recommended 30 mph, but hit 35 mph max at certain points. I definitely recommend you not to go over the 30 mph limit, but that goes the same for chains.

Laws:
You should also check your specific state's laws to see whether or not the Autosock will be allowed through chain control checkpoints. In California, the signs on the road read "Chains," but Caltrans website says "Traction Devices" are OK.

We used this for the first time on our trip into the mountains this weekend and absolutely loved the ease of installation. While others were spending 30 minutes or longer jacking up their cars to install chains, I just slid the Autosock over the tire, backed up a few feet, slid the rest over, and drove away. The added traction, and quiet, smooth ride made this well worth the purchase also. The only downside was more my fault for not reading the recommendations about only driving on snow and not pavement. We keep these on while driving about 20-30 miles on pavement, which resulted in tearing. I figure I have 1 or 2 more good uses out of these due to my mistake. But, the end result is A++ on this item. I'd recommend these for anyone that drives on snow covered roads and needs that extra traction.

Just got my AutoSock today and tried it out on a ice covered parking lot near me. Before I put them on my tires spun out and I slid when I braked but with them on it felt like there wasn't any ice at all, no problems starting or stopping. I can't wait to see how it'll work for the next snowstorm that comes around, I think I'll be all set.

here in the NW last winter we had 3-4 snowfalls over 3-4". Before buying these, we had to park about a half mile from home because it was a moderate uphill with no shoulder (and I hate to install/take off standard chains...and we needed the exercise:)). Bought these, and next snowfall we cruised right up the hill, and there were a few patches of ice under the snow where we did not feel any tire slippage. AS mentioned by others, it's important to remove the "socks" when on bare ground/pavement (but they're such a quick/easy install-uninstall, that's not a problem).

I was pleasantly surprised by this quirky traction aid. I was a little disappointed when I received these as I had only seen them online - when I took them out of the package, they looked like they wouldn't work at all. But, having used them during the last snow storm here in Toronto, I have to give them a positive review. I would note that these ARE NOT a replacement for snow tires (not sure how long they will last, can't drive above 35mph or on clean pavement) but for short trips in a storm or an emergency, they deliver as promised. They go on like their website suggests and come off easy too. I usually only drive to the train station so I don't need full snow tires - my wife has them on her car. In short, great for the second car. Sorry Amazon, hard to tell which size to buy from your website, check out the tirerack.com for a better idea which one to buy.

These performed very well and were way easier to install than chains but it would be nicer if they were more durable and lasted longer.

My car handled exceptionally well in the snow. It was nice that I didn't have to worry about them scratching my rims. Plus they didn't create all the extra noise that chains do.

The downside though is that they only lasted 2 uses. On the second use, the fabric started ripping to the point where the tread part was detaching from the circular. They ended up falling off after driving back in the slush for 5 minutes.

I used them on a 1993 toyota corolla wagon in heavy slushy ice up a steep hill and they worked really well. I would recommend a pair for every vehicle I own that is not 4 wheel drive. Just remember to drive slow and steady with these and then take them off immediately after you are on better roads. Dont drive above 20-25 mph on them.

Autosocks is the best thing that has happened to me this winter. We have a steep (30-50% grade), quarter-mile long driveway with a couple of turns on the steep parts, fairly typical for rural WV. Up until this winter, we've never felt the need to have AWD on anything but the pickup, which I don't drive. On the rare occasions when I couldn't get the front-wheel-drive vehicle up the driveway -- when it's snow- or ice-covered -- my husband hooked it up to the tractor and towed the car up. This winter, though, the brakes gave out on the tractor, and we have had more than our usual amt of winter weather with none of the usual thawing afterwards. So we started looking for AWD vehicles when I came across an article in Consumer Reports about Autosocks. Intrigued, I visited Amazon to check for availability and cost. (Amazon didn't have my tire size in stock so I bought them from tirerack.com and ate the shipping cost.)

I first used the AutoSocks when I had to park in a snowy, slushy spot on a dirt and gravel drive at a friend's house -- and then couldn't back out. I slipped on the 'Socks and voila! my car was back on the road in minutes. Very impressive, especially since I had to back out of the spot.

When I reached home, I tried getting up the driveway sans 'Socks and slipped and slid back down. So I slipped on the 'Socks again and just like that, I zipped right up the driveway, no slipping or sliding, just as if there were no snow or ice on it.

Note: Do follow the manufacturer's instructions and remove the 'Socks when you reach clear pavement.

After several uses, the fabric does show some signs of wear but there are no holes and I see no reason why they won't see me thru this winter and several more.

AutoSocks is one of the best purchases I have ever made. They perform exactly as promised and have saved me the cost of snow tires and a new AWD vehicle. I highly recommend them.

These actually do help improve traction on snow covered roads, and they are a snap to put on and take off compared to chains (less than a minute). They are also much more quiet than chains, you will almost forget you have then on (this could be a problem since they need to be removed once you get back on dry pavement). The only downside is they don't offer as much traction as chains do especially in deeper snow. Overall I consider them a worthwhile purchase.

Overall Pros/Cons:
Pros:
- Amazing traction for both driving and starting/stopping in snowy mountain conditions (can vouch for up to 5" snow in a 2WD sedan)
- Super fast and easy to put on/take off (takes about 2 minutes to put on and less than that to take off)
- Machine washable
- Can't damage your car if they break like chains/cable can
- Legal replacement for chains during chain law conditions in Colorado

Cons:
- Did notice a small tear after one use (although may have been a result of driving on pavement for a few miles)
- Can only drive up to 30 mph (same as cables/chains)

My experience:
I purchased these on my way back from the mountains in Colorado for my VW Jetta. I was looking to get cables because I had to make it back the normally 1.5/2 hr drive back to Boulder (ended up being almost 5 hrs in the conditions/traffic), however, the people in front of me literally walked out w/ the last set for my tire size. The guy at the counter, after much discussion, convinced me to buy the autosocks because he said people swear by them. The guy in the line behind us said he has a lot of trucker friends to love them. So I sucked up the money and purchased them.

We put them on and started driving, but the roads cleared up so we pulled over and took them off. The second I took them off my car was slipping all over the road again, but I was scared they would start ripping. Well eventually the roads became completely clear until we hit a pass and about 5 inches of snow all over the roads. I was seriously afraid my car was going to hit someone else's or hit the guard rail. We finally got to a shoulder w/ a 30 min chain stop and my boyfriend easily slid these bad boys on in about 2 minutes. I was nervous I wouldn't be able to get back onto the road because we were in about a foot of snow but my car pulled out in about 2 tries (I wouldn't have gotten out w/ the Autosocks off).

I literally had no more slipping and my antilock breaks only came on once... before putting on the Autosocks I literally couldn't start or stop w/o my antilock breaks coming on and sliding back and forth. I am pretty sure I would have gotten stuck and had to be towed out like the other dozen people on the side of the road (mind you a couple were SUVs!!!).

Overall, I think these are great. I've never driven with cables so I can't compare, but I've been told they have the same grip. What I love about these is the ease you can put them on. They take minutes and I could easily do it by myself in under 5 min. The one downside is that we did notice a tiny rip already after one use. I do think that may have been a result of driving on wet pavement for a few miles, but it was physically impossible to pull over as it was a tunnel. I think they're awesome either way!