I purchased Snow Chains for my Model S (2012-2020) directly from Tesla’s web site, for $420 plus tax. They arrived promptly and appear sturdy and well made, but I am having a hard time installing them. The instructions seem to be very clear in emphasizing the importance of securely attaching the snow chain socket snugly over one of the wheel nuts to hold the snow chains in place. The Tesla Support page for Snow Chain Installation has a video showing images emphasizing how the socket has to fit tightly over one of the wheel nuts with no gap.
The wheel nut, highlighted:
The snow chain socket, with the hollow cavity highlighted in green:
The snow chain socket, snugly fitted over the wheel nut, with no gap:
The paper label attached to the snow chains also reinforces the message that the snow chain socket must be snugly fitted over the wheel nut with no gap:
Unfortunately, the wheel nuts on my Model S don’t look like that. They have plastic caps on them, and when the caps are removed you can see the wheel nuts with the wheel studs showing through the middle, which prevents the snow chain socket from fitting snugly over the nut.
I took the snow chains into a Tesla Service Center to ask if anyone could show me how to install them, and they treated me like I was a bit of an idiot for not being able to follow simple instructions. I asked them to show me, and the guy just loosely clipped the socket onto one of the nuts. I bumped it with my hand and it fell off. The guy sarcastically told me that it wouldn’t be a problem as long as I didn’t bump the snow chains with my hand while I was driving. It seems to me that it really is important for the snow chains to be securely attached. The snow chains need to be attached to the wheels securely enough to prevent a two-ton vehicle from sliding off the road sideways when I turn a corner.
Are the Tesla Service Center technicians correct that it is fine to drive on these Tesla snow chains without the chains securely attached to the wheels?
The wheel nut, highlighted:
The snow chain socket, with the hollow cavity highlighted in green:
The snow chain socket, snugly fitted over the wheel nut, with no gap:
The paper label attached to the snow chains also reinforces the message that the snow chain socket must be snugly fitted over the wheel nut with no gap:
Unfortunately, the wheel nuts on my Model S don’t look like that. They have plastic caps on them, and when the caps are removed you can see the wheel nuts with the wheel studs showing through the middle, which prevents the snow chain socket from fitting snugly over the nut.
I took the snow chains into a Tesla Service Center to ask if anyone could show me how to install them, and they treated me like I was a bit of an idiot for not being able to follow simple instructions. I asked them to show me, and the guy just loosely clipped the socket onto one of the nuts. I bumped it with my hand and it fell off. The guy sarcastically told me that it wouldn’t be a problem as long as I didn’t bump the snow chains with my hand while I was driving. It seems to me that it really is important for the snow chains to be securely attached. The snow chains need to be attached to the wheels securely enough to prevent a two-ton vehicle from sliding off the road sideways when I turn a corner.
Are the Tesla Service Center technicians correct that it is fine to drive on these Tesla snow chains without the chains securely attached to the wheels?