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These chains are the perfect solution for cars with limited wheel-well clearance because they are designed to ride solely on your vehicle's tire tread. Chains automatically tighten and align as you drive so you don't have to recheck tension.
Features:
Specs:
Note: To determine whether you can use snow chains on your vehicle, or if they might affect your ABS/EPS functionality, consult your owner's manual.
If you're looking for a way to get traction in the snow without scratching your rims, these K-Summit chains are your best option. The chain only sits on the tire tread and is fastened to one of the lug nuts on your wheel with an easy-to-use fixing key. There are no attachments behind the wheel like typical tire chains, which ensures that there is no interference with any suspension or braking components on the inside of the wheel well. You won't have to stop and readjust these chains either - they self-tension, self-center, and conform to the tire perfectly as you drive, providing a precise fit even on worn tires. These chains are ideal for use in light snow and ice.
SAE Class S tire chains are designed for use on passenger vehicles with restricted wheel-well clearance. Most newer cars, vans, and small trucks - especially those with large aftermarket tires - will require Class S chains. If you're unsure about the class of your vehicle, consult your vehicle's owner's manual.
These chains will fit your tires provided there is both:
If you know your tire size, you may think you won't need to test fit your new chains. But there are a lot of variables that can affect whether chains will fit your specific tires, including your tire type, the amount of air pressure in the tire, the amount of tread wear, and the tire manufacturer.
We recommend that you order chains as early in the season as possible to give yourself plenty of time to test fit the chains and reorder if needed. This way, you wont be stuck out in the cold later with snow chains that don't fit.
You can test fit these chains in your garage or driveway, but you'll want to wait until there's snow on the ground to actually drive with them. Likewise, if you're out in the snow and come across bare pavement, you'll want to pull over and remove the chains. Even these low-profile chains can cause damage to the bare pavement, your garage floor, or your vehicle if they break from the wear of riding on a harsh surface.
Because these chains are customizable, the first fitting could take a little time but after that, it's simple. The included instructions will let you know if you need to adjust the chains based on your tire size.
1. To begin installation, you'll need access to your wheel's lug nuts. If you have a plate covering your lug nuts, pop it off using either the included Allen key or a flathead screwdriver.
2. Determine which lug nut adapter you'll need to fit over the nut on your wheel. Attach that adapter to the included fixing key. The most commonly used adapters are included.
3. Fit the chain over your wheel, getting it as far onto the tire as possible.
4. Using the fixing key, thread the included bolt into the adapter. The other end of the fixing key will attach to the K-Summit base, which includes the ratcheting mechanism that tensions the chains as you drive.
The adapter secures over your lug nut to hold the K-Summit base in place on your wheel. You might need to use the included spacer to get the chains to sit properly.
Quick Tips:
To choose the right snow chain, you must match your tire size. Those measurements can be found on the side of your tire.
185/60-15
These chains fit the following tire sizes:
Customer Satisfaction Score:
94% were satisfied with this product
6% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
Etrailer.com did an excellent job in shipping the two sets of chains that I ordered. Super detailed tracking information was awesome. It always makes me nervous when buying over the internet that a retailer may ship the wrong item especially considering how many different sizes these chains are available. I will point out that the chains were advertised as Thule. However, I received one set of Thule and the other set was Konig who bought out this chain line from Thule in 12/2015. In comparing the two brands side-by-side, the components and build are absolutely indistinguishable from each other with the exception of the brand stickers. I have no reason to believe one brand to be superior to the other. The K56's fit my Honda Accord 225/65/17 tires like a glove. They are a combination of simplicity and sophistication, if that's possible. I can't wait to try them out on the ice and snow. Thank you etrailer.com and I would definitely order from you again.
It fits! I have a Tesla Model S with 21" staggered wheels, I don't need chains but I must carry to comply and it gives me peace of mind.
etrailer can't recommend it, but Konig's website did Say the XL K55 model fits 265/35-21.
It came with 3 size of nut grabbers and nut spacers. There was no manual in the box but I found it online. The manual is needed because the chain can be made wider removing some springs and the manual says how many according to the tire size.
I am very impressed with the quality, unique design and ease of installation. I have test fit these chains to our vehicle and the fit is great for our application where the chains cannot extend to the inside of the tire as there is no clearance. Having said this, to date we have not used the chains in the snow. We live in the Sierra Mountains of California in a location where we are required to carry chains. However, in our area it is rare that the road crews have not cleared the snow to the point where four-wheel-drive will suffice. I'm assuming I would rate these chains with five stars after actual road use.
Excellent service. They helped me find a product that I could not find.
I am using K-Summit chains on a Chevy Bolt to get to a house in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I need the extra grip to get up some steep hills if there is snow or ice on the ground. The chains successfully allow me to climb hills through snow at least 4 inches deep and over ice where I could not otherwise go. The chains are easy to install and remove. The problem is that after a few uses several of the D Links broke. The advantage is that the Konig sent replacement chains under warranty. (There was a bit of a communication mix up between Italy and the United States. If I was a bit more persistent, I'm sure the warranty process would have been much quicker.) Haven't yet had a need to put the replacement chains to much use, so don't yet know whether I received a defective set of chains or whether this design is not suited to my use (which shouldn't be overly demanding). The purchase was quick and easy with etrailer.com. The warranty replacement was handled directly by Konig.
We have a BMW X3 in the foothills of the Sierras and need to have chains on hand. Normal chains are not an option for the BMW X3. On the surface theses seem like a very slick product. In reality maybe for some. There are limited Choices for the X3, The K-Summit Size: K45 seem OK but I have issues and concerns.
Once received you have to fit the chains to your tires. DO HIS IN THE GARAGE BEFORE YOU GO ANYWHERE. Doing this on the road in the snow would be a pain. If you like IKEA you’ll love the instructions. (Well maybe not that bad). Go on-line and look at some videos. I needed to remove 4 “regulation elements” on each chain to fit our tires. Tools are provided but I used a metric socket and a cordless drill to help with this and it took maybe 5 minutes. With hand tools the 8 total “elements’ would have taken 20 or more.
Now basically shove the chain more or less in place with plastic “pads at 10:00, 2:00, 4:00 and 8:00 O’Clock positions on the tire.
Next make sure you have the correct size lug nut adapter and the proper spacing from the rim. Supposedly just put the adaptor on a lug, with the indicating tip toward the rim center and tighten the bolt with the supplied wrench.
I found issues with the 17mm lug adapter and the 17mm BMW lug. The BMW lug is not very tall and the adapter never felt very securely seated to me. (Yes I made sure the adapter is seated correctly in the “cup”; instructions mention this). This may be better on other vehicles.
Lastly, pull the crank until you see the red line on the nylon strap. Dive forward 50 feet or so so the chains will move onto the tire. We got out of the car to check and it still required a couple of short toe kicks to fully get them securely on.
In summary they seem to “work OK”. I didn’t find any better options available for the X3. Once set up they are fairly easy to install with the exception of the lug nut connection which I found insecure and fussy on the X3. The plastic components give me concern for durability. Will they become brittle and break in cold temperatures or over extended use? Time will tell. Very costly if there is a failure on the road warrantee not withstanding.
Fits tight as a drum! The K44 is nice and snug on my 19’s. Kinda nervous about the stress on the tensioning strap and lug nut clinchers, but these things will be sweet if the Engineers did their job right! Only plan to use these for a few miles at a time, so if all goes well they’ll last me a good long while
These are adapters to allow the associated chain set fit some uncommon tire lugs. The adapters work flawlessly. Ordered them for the chain set as the rims on my vehicle require them. Fit perfectly as did the chains after adjustment.
However, I don't know how well they actually work on snow and ice. Based on experience with a number of other chain sets I see no reason to doubt their reliability and efficiency.
Backstory: Ordered a set for a trip to Colorado over Christmas & New Year's as we were expecting snow and ice as we were planning to travel to Estes Park, Denver, Colorado Springs, Salida, Buena Vista, Leadville, etc. Received our order quickly and correctly. Tried chains on tires and made fitting adjustments per instructions for exact tire size. Played with the chains a few times to make sure I knew how to get them deployed quickly. They are extremely easy to put on once they are adjusted. Watch the video - it really is that easy.
Fast forward a few weeks, we went on our trip. Got not much more than a dusting the whole trip and never had to put the chains on.
Meanwhile, back home, there were something like 129,000 poor bxxxxxxs waiting for the roads to be cleared and power to be restored from the huge ice and snow storms.
At the end of our trip we drove home over clear roads surrounded by big piles of plowed snow. Arrived home to find our neighbors huge tree uprooted and blown over. We didn't receive any damage. Next day got the hound out of doggie jail pretty much as if nothing had happened.
I like these chains!
This is an update to the review for the 2017 MINI Cooper with 205/45-17 tires. By taking off both spacers (red and silver), I was able to get the chains to center on the tire - I might even be able to put one of the chain tightening screws back on, maybe more as the tread wears down. So I think they're going to work well this winter. I'll bump the review up to five stars when I can figure out how to get them to easily fit into the carrying case.
So these are really expensive but there weren't a lot of options for my wide 22" tires. Are they worth it? Absolutely! These are my first chains so I wasn't sure what to expect, but once you make the initial size adjustments, it is super easy to get these on! I've seen other cars on the side of the road struggling to get their traditional chains on, where you have to lay down the chains, drive over, then wrap them around the tire and secure them.
With these, I just unfold them, push them onto the tires as far as they will go over the top and front and back, and slowly drive forward until they auto-adjust in place. A quick stop to double-check and make sure they are on all the way, and off I go.
Love them!
Awesome grip. Easy to put in and take off. Great for low-clearance (oversized) wheels. Worth the price.
Great quality, easy to setup and install, and convenient to carry. Thanks etrailer.com for providing additional instruction videos as well. Recommended.
These chains fit my 2022 chevrolet equinox perfectly. The manual on the car says not to use snow chains. There's no clearance behind the wheels and chains would hit and possibly mess up the brakes. I didn't know this untill I tryed to put chains on and they were no clearance and looked at the manual.I found these k summit chains I knew I had to have them. I fitted them on my car, they are so easy to put on and take off. I haven't had any snow to use them yet but winter is just starting and I will up date my review after we get snow.
etrailer was awesome to deal with, processed my purchase and shipped it out very quickly. I like these chains, although they have some trouble self-tensioning on my tires. The chain on the inside gets caught in the tread of my tire, so you have to push it up and past that part to get it installed properly.
Great support and a shipment that was right on time.
Great product!
Fast shipping! Will test the chains soo n.
Great product that took my Jetta places it was never meant to go! Great chains if you follow the instructions. Absolute ease of use!
the snow chains go on in a breeze. It takes us than 5 minutes to put them on and away you go. highly recommend getting these chains. You don't have to reach around the tire and get wet and muddy. There prefect
Does not come with any instructions! Not even a sheet that names the parts. Video is not nearly as helpful as diagrams - not clear which part of the video I should be looking at.
Have not yet installed much less tested on snow or ice.
Excellent chains! They're easy to put on and extremely reliable. I would be cautious to use this in anything over 4" of snow. They bite into ice really well and have thus far lasted me 2 winter seasons. Time will tell on their longevity because their weakest link seems to be the plastic pieces.
Bought chains for a 2015 3 Series BMW with M Sport Package. You just can't buy chains for these at your local auto parts store. Got exactly what I want, the Thule chains that have nothing on the back side of the tire, the Thule K-Summit series and the price was substantially less than buying directly from Thule. Service was quick, got updated status from eTrailer periodically, and overall an excellent experience. Having a video from eTrailer showing how to install was a great idea.
Excellent product. After few seasons in the snow where I had to struggle to put on the conventional chains while on the side of the road, I appreciate the ease with which Konig chains can be installed and un-installed.
Had these K-Summit "chains" for a Toyota Corolla for 5+ years, and they worked so well that I immediately bought a new pair to fit my 2013 Honda Accord (different tire size), and they also work great. Used them the other day in 6" of unplowed snow, on the hill I live on. As long as you go slow (I usually drive < 25 MPH) they just keep moving you forward. Two quick notes: 1) I noticed going uphill that my wheels started skidding, then stopping, and repeated that annoying cycle, which made it harder than usual to continue moving forward. I quickly figured out that this was the way the anti-spin system worked on the car (which doesn't want you to spin your wheels). I disabled that and that odd behavior stopped. 2) The fitting guide, which tells you how many "links" or "regulation elements" (as the instructions calls them) to remove to fit the chain to the tire, is assuming you're placing them on all-season tires. When you use snow tires, as I do, you have to remove more links to get the chain to fit correctly. This is not a problem, but it's useful to know. The representative from Thule, the company from whom I bought my original set, admitted that they should mention this in the instruction guide.
Paul
11/25/2019
Still great! Didn’t need them that often last season, but always nice to know they’re in the trunk if I do. Never been unable to complete trip with these “chains” attached.
Do you have a question about this Tire Chain?
Info for this part was:
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Mike L.
11/11/2025
I'm sorry you didn't receive the instructions, I'll link them for you below!
Helpful Links
instructions.aspx?pn=th02230k34