I've been eyeing those Easy-Grips for almost a year. I tend to drive up from the LA basin to the nearby mountains for day skiing a couple times per winter. These look excellent, if a little expensive. I have the 19" tires on my 2021 ProS RWD. I asked 6 months ago and no one responded. I haven't pulled the trigger yet, but I think those are the ones I'm going to get.

 

Good thing you're not in Colorado. A bunch of roads in the mountains, including Interstate 70 west of Denver, were operating on the Traction Law rules last night!

 

Wow, I just read the reviews on Amazon.fr. Bad, awful, and even worse. I really like the look of these but it appears that many customers had problems.

 

There's a number of positive reviews on amazon.com as well though. I tend to take the negative reviews with a grain of salt, often there is operator error involved. But it may be that they are not suitable for all vehicles depending on suspension clearance. Would love to hear experience from someone with an id4.

 

That Michelin Easy Grip snow chains sound too good to be true.

I would rather spend the money on a set of all-weather tires than on that product.

 

Colorado has two relevant regulations, the Traction Law and the Chain Law. The Traction Law basically says you need decent tires. The Chain Law says you need chains.

In practice, the Traction Law is enacted frequently and the Chain Law rarely. Usually they just close the road.

 

They have seemed in very short supply since I first saw them almost a year ago. It appears that Michelin is not producing many of these, especially in our big & fat tire sizes. Honestly I would be the heaviness of the car would give it more traction than a similar sized non-BEV vehicle.

 

Chains are not the answer as many places, forecourts, driveways, undergound parking and malls forbid chains, plus putting them on and taking them off is a messy business as well as greatly restricing your speed as mentioned in a previous post we purchased VW set of aluminum rims and put Hakas R3 on and its like a railway, tracks and drives beautifully worth every penny

 

Chains are not the answer as many places, forecourts, driveways, undergound parking and malls forbid chains, plus putting them on and taking them off is a messy business as well as greatly restricing your speed as mentioned in a previous post we purchased VW set of aluminum rims and put Hakas R3 on and its like a railway, tracks and drives beautifully worth every penny

While winter tires are definitely great, they don't really make a lot of sense in sunny California where OP lives.

 

The easy grips will still go behind the tire, so there is a chance that they cannot be used on iD4 20 inch wheels.

You need the Michelin fast grip or Konig K-Summit XXL.

 

Yeah just need something for occasional use when driving to Tahoe or into the mountains if it's required. We don't need proper snow tires for normal use since it never snows where we live in the San Francisco area. These seem like a good option - just curious if anyone has tried them to see if they work. The Michelin fast grip or Konig K-Summit XXL also look good (though much more pricey).

California chain controls are described here: Chain Controls / Chain Installation | Caltrans

We've put chains on our FWD Prius multiple times to comply with R1 and R2. Was hoping that an AWD vehicle would allow us to skip the chains on R1 and R2 (though I'd like to carry something I could use in either case). We would probably not even bother traveling when they go to R3.

 

Has anybody actually used the Easy Grip or any other traction device (chain, cable, sock, etc.) on any ID4 (19" or 20")? I have the 19", so I'm hoping the space is there for them. In Oregon, even if you have AWD, you are supposed to "carry chains." I'd like to know what "chains" will actually fit my car.

 

That is a really good question. Lots of folks from back east expound the value of winter tires, but for those of us who only occasionally visit snow that makes no sense. I think putting chains on such huge tires would be a HUGE task. Plus the increased weight of BEVs give us an advantage in traction.

I think we probably have to try some of these newer material devices and test them out. I think I'm going to try the Michelin Easy Grips and try them out in the nearby mountains for a day of skiing soon. I'd be interested if anyone tries out the "tire socks" and see how those do.

 

I'm leaning towards the socks given the infrequency they are likely to be used. Will report back if/when we get them. If anyone else tries the other options (like the Easy Grips), please report back as I am sure they will be many others wondering the same thing!

 

I did a dry run of the Michelin Easy Grip EVO 16 on a AWD Pro S with 255/50 R19 before taking the car to Lake Tahoe for the first time. Mounting was very easy in the driveway at 70F and sunny weather .
I can give an update once I use them in snow which I doubt for this time. For infrequent use these "chains" seems good enough.
Generally, I don't see a reason why they should not fit on the 255/45 R20.
The only thing to complain so far: I ripped the pouch on the venting screen side seam when I put the chain back together.

 

I did a dry run of the Michelin Easy Grip EVO 16 on a AWD Pro S with 255/50 R19

According to the Washington State Patrol, the Easy Grip EVO may not be suitable for AWD cars.

According to the WSP website, AWD vehicles under 10,000 lbs are required to have a traction device in their vehicle but not required to use them when “chain up” restrictions are in effect. At this point I’m leaning toward the AutoSox simply because they’re cheap and readily available. The Polaire Grip looks fantastic but they’re 4x the price and I can’t even find a place in the US that’s selling them.

 

I have lived in northern California (Sierra Nevada foothills) for a ton of decades. Been driving 4 wheel or AWD for over 40 years over the Sierra Nevada mountains. Have not carried chains during that period. I have not seen a chain requirement for a 4WD with all season tires since the late 80s. When things get that bad, they simply close roads.



Are you in SoCal? I know that they do some things differently down there.😎

 

They usually wave you off, but it is possible that they stop you and ask you to show your chains. It is best to have a set of chains in the car, they don't have to fit if you have AWD.

 

I think we're all agreed that if we lived in truly snowy climates then we should have AWD and Snow Tires. The question is about us occasional snow visitors.

In SoCal the local mountains occasionally have "Chains Required" so there is the need for some kind of traction control devices. Also we frequently see requirements for having chains, even if you don't actually put them on.

These are the choices I am looking at right now. I truly like the Michelins, but they'd have to ship from Europe to California. The white fabric ones appear to ship from Japan(!?). And then there is price to consider, since these solutions appear to be less durable than actual chains.

 

I’ve read a few comments in the sock style traction devices where the ones that don’t have straps over the wheel can get sucked behind the tire and wrapped around the shaft.

 

I have a new pair of the Michelin Easy Grip EVO 16. They size matches the rear 20" tire size (255/45 R20), but they don't list the front (235/50 R20). I test fit the EVO 16 both front and rear and they had clearance (at least when parked, on dry pavement) and good fitment. The front tires are quite close to the suspension strut, but I'd estimate there is about 6mm (1/4") of clearance between the Easy Grip and the Strut. (The rear tires seem to comparatively have a lot of clearance, everywhere.)

What I don't quite understand is that for a car with very very similar circumference and enough sidewall to be a substantially similar size as far as the Easy Grip is concerned, why isn't it listed on the Michelin size chart? Notwithstanding the close-clearance on the ID4 front wheels, anyone have insight on why the (vehicularly agnostic) front tire size isn't listed? (Better: if I should be concerned, pre-testing them in a parking lot?)

 

My impressions is that the Michelin devices are sold only in Europe (maybe also Japan). There is zero availability in the US (I was looking at Michelin's store in Amazon Britain). In other words, Michelin is not going full bore on these things yet. That might explain the size issues and limited supply.

 

Without having actually tried to place an order, this link to the Michelin Amazon store suggests they are selling them in the US.

 

The manual for the 2023 ID.4 says that chains are not approved for any 20" tires and in all cases should only be put on the rear tires. It looks like there are some other options that are perhaps lower profile, like these Michelin chains:

Michelin Lifestyle

us.michelin-lifestyle.com

They have a size that fits the rear 2023" Pro S AWD tires (255/45 R20), the EVO 16. Has anyone tried these or have any suggestions for traction devices that could be used on the rear 20" Pro S AWD tires? We live in California and they sometimes impose controls that require you to carry chains even if you have AWD.

Thanks!

Peetucket,

Did you end up going with the Michelin option? We're in Oakland and have the same dilemma as you--rarely need them but don't want to ruin a trip by not having anything or ruin the ID.4 by getting the wrong ones. At some point in the buying process, someone warned us to NEVER put chains on the ID.4. Unfortunately, when we asked the mechanic at the dealership this morning he gave a shrug and basically said he had no idea.

 

I purchased the Konig K-Summit for rear wheels, but haven't got a chance to test them. These are the same chains (and same size) that Tesla sells for Model Y 21 inch wheels. I bought it much cheaper from Amazon uk.

 

We ended up buying the Autosock (https://autosock.us/) from Amazon -- haven't tried putting them on yet since we haven't driven in snow yet, mostly there just in case.

The Autosock looks ok, but doesn't look like it would hold up to repeated use well, so hopefully it will get used only rarely.

 

Also having an upcoming trip to Mammoth, CA. Debating between Michelin Easy Grip and the Kong K-Summit since that’s what some people had recommended. I only drive to these kinds of areas a couple times a year, so just looking to have something just in case. Anyone else have any suggestions for the occasional California snowy trips?

 

Any updates from those that have purchased snow chains or snow socks? Which one did you buy? Did you use them yet? How did they do? Would you recommend them?

 

Lots of YouTubes on this topic

 

Thanks for all info's here. I bought the Michelin Easy Grip EVO 16 for our ski-trip to Austria. Did not need them, so I can not share experiences.