When purchasing snow chains or socks, it is essential to choose products designed and tested by genuine chain manufacturers, such as Polaire,König or Pewag. These manufacturers carry out precise tests on each vehicle model to guarantee mechanical compatibility and total safety
Many retailers simply recommend their products by tire size alone (e.g. 235/45R18), without checking the vehicle's configuration. Yet two cars fitted with identical tires can have very different stresses
Take the example of a Ford Mondeo front-wheel drive and a Tesla Model 3 rear-wheel drive: both are fitted with 235/45R18 tires, but the Tesla develops almost four times more power. On such a high-performance vehicle, only front chains or chains with 9 mm reinforced links are really compatible and safe
Similarly, the Tesla Model 3 Performanceequipped with 235/35R20, is only compatible with front-mounted chains (i.e., chains fitted without a passage behind the wheel). However, many dealers still offer traditional chains, even though they have been declared incompatible by the manufacturer
In the event of accident or damage, your insurance company may refuse to pay if the vehicle was not fitted with chains approved for its specific model. By purchasing your chains from a recognized chain merchant, you transfer this responsibility to your insurance company, thanks to their validated allocation system and their guarantee of manufacturer compatibility