KÖNIGK-SUMMIT K34 Snow chains, set of 2

Quality is typical of Thule. High quality materials, clear instructions and generally good design. They are even made in the EU rather than China which always pleases me.I own at Tiguan R line with 18 inch rims. Typical of VW to design an AWD vehicle to which fitting full chains to wheels of this size is impossible. I was less than impressed but thankfully Thule presented a solution.I've used these chains in the French Alps on very iced and snowy roads. On the whole they provide good traction and are easy to fit. However do not make the following mistakes that I made that caused me a few problems.1. As per Thule recommendation, practice fitting the chains to your car to test the fit before you really need to use them.This would have saved me a lot of hassle trying to fit the chains for the first time 1400 meters up a mountain road in the dark.The kit comes with a number of wheel bolt adapters which you don't want to be faffing about with in a dangerous situation.Also trying to do it in the dark just means you are more likely to fit the wrong adapter.2. Don't over or under tighten the wheel bolt nut.The ratchet assembly is held on by a clasp which tightens over a single wheel bolt. Over tightening damages the clasp. Under tightening means it just falls off. It's a bit of a dark art but after a few goes it becomes clear what is just enough. Again practice fitting helps.3. Make sure that the clasp which fits inside the special bell housing is correctly aligned so that the captive nut welded to the clasp correctly aligns with the mounting hole punched into the bell housing. Thule specifically warn about this. Failure to get the alignment right will result in damage to the clasp and a failure of the clasp to tighten on the wheel bolt with unhappy results (lost chain, damaged car, stuck car etc)The design of the K-Summit series is not perfect and makes an arguable compromise to suit convenience of fitting over ruggedness. The fitting (once practice fitting has been done to get the set up right) is easy. A pair can be put on in about 5 minutes. This includes running the car forwards so that the chains settle on the wheel. 3 stars is given for the following reasons.(I) Despite the advertising the chains don't settle on the wheels fully when running the car forwards as per the Thule video. One has to get out and check they are on plus reposition them as needed (again one could argue this is good practice).(ii) I don't like the soft plastic spacers which link the chains. These feel weak, represent a likely wear and failure point and don't help driving with confidence.(ii) The ratchet system is good, simple to use but the clasp and bolt arrangement to secure the ratchet system and chain to the wheel is overly complicated. Why a bolt on plate which could be left on the wheel throughout winter to which the ratchet could be secured, couldn't have been used I don't know as this would give greater certainty.SummaryOverall a good product, high quality and quick to fit. However prospective purchasers should also look at alternatives such as Spikes Spiders which may offer a better alternative. However I prefer full chains and would ( if my car allowed it ) forgo convenience of fitting over certainty of grip and that they stay on the wheel during cornering/turning/manoeuvring.Hope that's useful.

Hello KönigI relied on your advice that the König K-Summit XXL K66 chains would fit my New 2020 Evoque.I have already purchased these chains for the vehicle outlined, and am very concerned that they do not fit!The only way I could get the K-Summit XXL K66 chains to fit the was by removing all 5 yellow "regulation elements", as described in the fitting instructions PLUS an additional 3 of the remaining (not yellow) "elements".... leaving only 2 such "elements" on the chains. Anything less removed did not allow the chains to fit the size "235/50/20" tyres.I would appreciate hearing from the Vendor or König if possible as I am very concerned that these chains will fail in the present winter and snow conditions I am now driving in - in France.Regards

These are fantastic. They are so easy to put onto the tyres, they don’t mark the alloys wheels and they give you incredible grip and control (both uphill and downhill) on snow and ice. They aren’t cheap but in this case you definitely do get what you pay for. Saying that, they’re probably cheaper than the cost of most people’s insurance excess and they provide you and your loved ones with safe winter mobility.I wouldn’t be without them, I’ve never been more relaxed driving on snow and ice 👍👍👍👍👍They also come in a very good quality carry case for easy storage.I have seen a video on YouTube (posted by a pair of simpletons! 🙄) demonstrating how difficult it is to fit these......... You HAVE to read the instructions first and size them to your tyre size. I had to remove three of the yellow sizing bolts to fit my tyres. The most you’ll have to remove is four, you may not need to remove any.Give yourself around fifteen minutes to read/understand the sizing instructions and a minute or so to remove each sizing bolt. Once you’ve done this it only takes a few minutes per wheel to put them on or take them off.I’ve only used them for one winter so I can’t discuss their longevity but they do feel incredibly well made and I’m sure they will provide me with safe winter driving for many years to come.Highly recommend.

Easy to fit. But If you think to put it in the trunk as it was bought, to fit it immediately to the tires if necessary, you will be wrong. Make all preparations in advance. If it's necessary remove in advance the regulation elements according to the size of your tire, check in advance which pre-mounted lug nut adapter, which pre-mounted spacer are proper to use and fix them on the mechanism of the chain. Then you can store it in the trunk ready to use. You can fit them in a few minutes. Although it looks like metal in the picture, the four plates at the end of the arms are plastic. I don't test its durability but I'm a little skeptical about that plastic structure.

Having bought much cheaper snow chains in the past and struggling to get them on in bad weather (without practicing at home first) and then them breaking on first outing I was determined to get something better. The key issue I faced was low wheel arches and big wheels. Traditional snow chains have to be fixed behind the wheel. With my car these means laying on the ground under the car! No fun in freezing snowy conditions, usually in slush.Although not cheap these are execellent chains which are very straightforward to put on. These chains are a fixed and secured from the outside. Reverse a little, check they are secure and off you go. Demonstrated most recently in the Alpes where everyone was stopping to put chains on. Motorways were closed and everyone was taking to the minor roads. Many people were visibly struggling on the side of the road to put on traditional snow chains ... we saled past after a short stop to put ours on. I was also pleasantly surprised that after driving on a clear road before we could stop to take the chains off, there was no visible wear or damage to them. So highly recommended.