SnowGecko snow socks, medium, one pair, no. SnowGecko M

SnowGecko snow socks, medium, one pair, no. SnowGecko M to fit your Seat Inca (1995 to 1997) with 175/65-14 tyres

SnowGecko have the same white road contact fabric as AutoSock, but a royal blue side mesh, and no straps. This Medium size comes rolled up in a plastic tube, as shown in the picture above, rather than folded into a bag.

SnowGecko is AutoSock's subsidiary brand, widely sold in European supermarkets in parallel to the main AutoSock brand. They are essentially the same as AutoSock - the contact surface is made of the same specially developed high tech and hard wearing material - except that they don't have the cross straps, and are therefore slightly slower to remove from the tyres. (Get hold of them below the front wing.)

They are TÜV and ÖNORM approved and are a very worthy alternative to AutoSock, at a cheaper price.

AutoSock were launched in Norway in 2002 after a long period of testing, evaluation and improvement. Sales have grown exponentially, with well over two million pairs now sold worldwide, mostly on recommendation. When you've had the opportunity to test them for real you'll soon realise why. Most people are not only surprised but astonished at the difference they make to general traction, cornering, and braking.

"This cheap alternative to snowchains or to winter tyres is staggeringly easy to fit... I used them while driving in the French Alps last week and can confirm they are absolutely superb." (Nat Barnes, AA Motoring Writer of the Year)

AutoSock are also supplied as Original Equipment to many car manufacturers, including Bentley, BMW, Fiat, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Mazda, Mitubishi, Nissan, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Toyota, and VW Group.

The bottom line is that SnowGecko will provide a massive boost in all round confidence when driving on ice and snow, and hopefully "Get you home" or to wherever you're going, but don't overcook it, i.e. you should always drive with particular care in wintry conditions.

There's only one possible way to fit SnowGecko, and no practice is required.

Please note that SnowGecko will wear out with use, and that worn out SnowGecko are not a guarantee issue! They'll get you moving and keep you moving - see the "Driving with AutoSock" page (one of the tabs above) for more information.

Please test them at the first good opportunity, and then pass the word!

Here is a short presentation about SnowGecko. You'll see how quickly and easily they are fitted, and the difference they make to driving on snow. It's their superior performance on all types of snow, and the relatively long time that they last, that are the most important differences between AutoSock / SnowGecko and the various copy products.

Delivery charges and arrangements:

Free delivery offer for SnowGecko!   We have added a free delivery option for SnowGecko orders that can be posted; we'll send them with Royal Mail Tracked. This covers all UK addresses except for any delivery address that includes a sea crossing.

See below for our normal delivery arrangements:

Delivery charges and arrangements:

We charge a contribution towards delivery costs, depending on what you order, where you live, and how quickly you want the goods.

For most UK addresses, the charge for our two to three day service is £5.50 (£9.50 for orders including a roof box) and our charge for Next Working Day deliveries is £8.50 (£12.50 for orders involving a roof box). AutoSock, SnowGecko, shoe chains, RUD i-Sock, and small spare parts, are charged £3.95 (Royal Mail Tracked), £4.95 (Royal Mail Express Tracked) or £5.95 (express courier, usually Next Working Day).

There are different charges for any delivery including a sea crossing, and deliveries to Skye - we will contact you with a quote on receipt of order.

Orders for Next Working Day delivery need to be received by 4.00pm.

There are no deliveries on Saturdays, Sundays or Bank Holidays, except for postable items where Royal Mail has a Saturday delivery. Next Working Day orders placed on a Friday will be delivered on the Monday, Next Working Day orders placed on a Saturday will be delivered on the Tuesday.

We are very flexible with our deliveries and will aim to deliver on a day and at an address which suits you. Goods can usually be left without signature - we prefer this with roof boxes. There's a "Special Delivery Instructions" box in the checkout area where we'll ask you to choose a typical instruction and then amend it to suit your particular requirements.

No retailer or courier company can ever "guarantee" a Next Working Day delivery. All courier companies occasionally have the same transport problems as can happen to everyone else, including snow blocked roads, closed roads, traffic jams, mechanical breakdown, an inability to find the delivery address, or to gain access to it if, for example, it's in a block of flats. We work with some of the best couriers in the business, and overall they provide an outstanding service.

AutoSock are a product that really make a difference every time you use them. Here's some recent feedback:

Sent: 04 December 2010

Thought others may benefit from my experience, should there be any doubts about purchasing Autosocks. There I was on a steep un-classifed road in deepest Wales, sliding backwards towards the drop off and stream below...imagine the panic. So the car does stop just before the plunge, but how to get out of this very precarious position? Enter the autosocks from the boot. 5 minutes of slipping on the road, struggling to stand up, whilst putting them on was the worst part. Set off, no spin, full grip, effortless. Just like magic. If you don't get some of these for the just in case factor then you will be stuck at the side of the road looking very glum....

Sent: 23 December 2009 19:30
To: InfoatTheRoofBoxCompany
Subject: Satisfied Customer

Hi everyone,

I would just like to say that I purchased a pair of autosocks for my Skoda Fabia in anticipation of the winter to come. Low and behold, today was the day of reckoning! I found myself caught in unexpected snow fall which left the roads barely passable even with 4x4's. I was actually on a steep hill amongst other failing traffic. I lost all traction and decided to fit the 'socks. Fitting was as easy as described and demonstrated by yourselves, so far so good. I proceeded to pull off, no wheel spin just forward movement. I drove for a further 7 miles home in bad conditions in and out of struggling vehicles whose drivers must think Skoda's are the winter car. Whilst stopped, some curious looks were thrown towards my front wheels. I have been driving for over 30 years and can honestly say they are the best motoring purchase I have made. I would recommend them to anyone as an emergency get you home aid, and in my opinion, they should be made compulsory carrying during the winter months. Please forward this mail to whoever you see fit.

Merry Christmas and thanks again.

Here are some notes about what to expect from AutoSock, and some tips about how to get the best use from them:

General driving tips

• First of all, please read the instructions, especially the comment “Avoid spinning the wheels, extreme braking and acceleration, since this could damage the product.”
• The usual rules of driving in snow apply, i.e. pull off slowly, stay in as high a gear as possible, “anticipate” even more than normal, avoid hard braking.
• The speed limit of 30mph / 50kph will seem quite fast enough on snow. It is a maximum speed, not a recommended speed!

How long will they last?

• Fundamentally, the more you drive on clear roads / gritted tarmac, the faster they will wear out and the sooner you will need to buy another set.
• They are a “Get you out of trouble” solution and are not intended for prolonged use. You will probably use them to get down to the gritted road, then you take them off ASAP it is safe to do so.
• From the instructions: “The wear limit is reached as soon as 50% of the white road-contact fabric is worn out and the underlying black safety material has become visible.”
• You will find that small holes start to appear as they become worn. This is no big deal and will not affect their performance until it becomes obvious that they are looking ragged and well worn – then they need replacing. If they are ripped, this is due to snagging on e.g. a loose mudguard, a loose screw on a wheel arch liner, some other third party influence. (If you hear them catching on something, stop and sort it out!)
• There are bands of Kevlar running across the AutoSocks; these provide overall strength, help to prevent the socks from splitting after misuse, and help prevent holes from spreading.
• Overall, use your commonsense about how long to use them, and of course and where possible you should avoid potholes, raised manholes etc.

Fitting them

• Fitting is very easy on most vehicles, more difficult on a few. The most difficult vehicles to fit are – no surprise – rear wheel drive cars with limited clearance. If you can’t get your forearms into the space between the wheel and the wheel arch, fitting will be difficult. But blame the car, not the AutoSock! If they are a very tight fit, too tight, please let us know because there is obviously a size issue that we need to learn about.

Specific driving tips

Some suggestions for situations where AutoSock are not making the difference expected:

• On a rear wheel drive car, uphill slope, sheet ice: You need some weight in the boot – it makes all the difference. Don’t just spin the wheels and trash the AutoSock.
• On a hill in really slushy snow. You may drive forward then slip. The AutoSock are sticking to the snow but there isn’t enough strength in the snow to hold the weight of the vehicle. Roll back down a few feet, compressing the snow and driving out the water. Then try again, moving further up the hill than before. Three steps up, two back.

AutoSock, based in Oslo, created and developed the "car snow sock" concept, working closely with the German TÜV, and is the registered holder of all relevant patents. Their main European Patent is EP 1165329 which is operational in all European countries. They have similar patent protection in North America and Japan.

AutoSock continue to robust action against patent infringement - it's important that their corporate customers in particular are aware of this, because they may well have responsible sourcing standards.

AutoSock are made from science-based, high tech materials. The road contact fabric was specially developed to maximise dry friction, and be very hard wearing. The mesh facing helps provide stability, as well as making for much easier fitting. It’s important to have an open mesh as otherwise powder snow is likely to bulk up inside the sock. The mesh facing is therefore a very important part of the design, but unfortunately it’s not a cheap component.

After the winters of 2009 and 2010 there are a large number of copy products in these markets; legal activity for patent infringement is either in progress or may be taken against many of these distributors and resellers, some of whom are household names and, we can only assume, have been badly advised!

Some of the copies and counterfeits are relatively very cheap - as products can be if there are no research and development costs, if materials are of poor quality, if important elements of what makes a safe product are not included at all, and if the labour costs are negligible.

We hope that our potential fleet customers in particular will wish to be confident that the products they use have proper product liability insurance, as AutoSock has.

Some of the distributors of copy products continue to make unjustified statements about their products. For example, some claim to have German TÜV testing agency approvals, but in fact their TÜV certificate attaches to something else entirely, not to their snow sock copy; only AutoSock has been tested by TÜV against the TÜV standard for snow socks.

EU court decisions include:

• A preliminary injunction for breach of patent against Siepa and its Austrian and German distributors by the Higher District Court of Düsseldorf, Germany. The penalty for a violation of the judgment is up to €250,000 per incident. Siepa 'brands' include Goodyear and Fix&Go.
• An injunction for breach of patent against the Trendy distributor in Norway by the Court of Telemark.
• A preliminary injunction for breach of patent against one embodiment of MultiGrip by the Higher District Court of Düsseldorf. The penalty for a violation of the judgment is up to €250,000 per incident.
• A judgment on 20th November 2014 against Weissenfels S.p.A. for breach of patent. Weissenfels are required to pay the court costs, to refrain from selling snow socks (including WeissSock) in Germany again, with a penalty of EUR 250,000 for each and every violation, and to provide AutoSock with a detailed history of sales and profits since 14th January 2006.

AutoSock and SnowGecko may now be used in France as an equivalent snow chain product. Here is an extract from the Gendarmerie web site which those going to France would do well to print out and take with them, just in case the local Gendarmerie questions this change in regulations:

Click here to visit the Gendarmerie website link

Here is an extract. We have moved the "Les chaussettes" section to the top of the list:

Pneus à clous, chaînes...tout ce que vous souhaitez savoir sur les équipements spéciaux avant de prendre la route.

Les chaussettes:

Elles sont autorisées et utilisables en présence du signal B26 si la marque qui les distribue a bien notifié sur l'emballage que leur produit est utilisable en présence de ce panneau. Equipé de chaussettes, un véhicule doit respecter une vitesse limite, fixée par le constructeur, de 50km/h. Afin d'éviter une usure rapide, elles ne doivent pas être utilisées sur sol sec. Ces équipements de substitution ne peuvent, en aucun cas, remplacer des chaînes traditionnelles dans des conditions extrêmes.

Les pneus cloutés ou à crampons:

L'arrêté ministériel des Transports du 18 juillet 1985 stipule que ces dispositifs peuvent être utilisés du samedi précédant le 11 novembre au dernier dimanche de mars de l'année suivante. Si les conditions atmosphériques l'exigent et après avis du directeur départemental de l'Equipement, les préfets peuvent modifier les dates de la période d'utilisation effective prévue ci-dessus.

La vitesse maximum de déplacement est limitée à 90km/h pour les voitures particulières équipées de pneus cloutés ou crampons, mais également pour les transports de marchandises d'un PTAC inférieur ou égal à 3,5 tonnes et pour les transports en commun de personnes.

Les chaînes:

Elles sont autorisées seulement sur les routes enneigées, quelle que soit l'époque. Elles deviennent obligatoires sur les tronçons de route enneigée munis d'un panneau « équipements spéciaux obligatoires » ( signal B26).

Les « pneus contact » ou « pneus neige »:

Leur utilisation n'est pas règlementée. Toutefois, sur les tronçons équipés du signal B26, si la mention « pneus neige admis » n'est pas précisée, le conducteur devra utiliser des chaînes.

Sources: Sirpa Gendarmerie