Index
- Introduction
- Products
- Contents
- Initial information and preparation
- Mounting
- Dismounting
- Maintenance
- Troubleshooting
- Common errors
1.Introduction
If you were looking for easy-to-fit snow chains, you couldn't have made a better choice.
König Easy-fit chains are known in the market for significantly simplifying the installation process on the wheel.
The purpose of this article is to provide you with more information and assistance regarding the use of König Easy-fit chains.
2. Products
The products involved in this in-depth study are König Easy-fit CU-9 and König Easy-fit SUV.
3.Content
- 1 pair of chains
- 1 nylon bag including
o 1 set of rim protection buttons
o 1 set of repair links
o 1 set of disposable gloves
4. Initial information and preparation
We recommend that you familiarise yourself with the product by taking it out of the packaging before actually using it.
Mounting conditions:
When carrying out the fitting test, ensure that the ground or at least the tyre is in a condition at least similar to that in which it is used. We recommend that you do not carry out the fitting test on a dry surface as the tyre compound and the chain could create friction that would restrict the chain positioning and could lead to the mistaken belief that the chain is too small. For this reason, we recommend that you carry out the test with a wet tyre.
Easy-fit chains are supplied with the Wheel Shield level 2 alloy wheel protection system. The inner surface of the bar is coated with a special plastic protection and inside the chain kit you will find the bag with the additional wheel protection kit.
If, when installing your Easy-fit chain, you find that the grey coloured side chain is close to the alloy rim, we recommend that you install rim protection buttons.
Each button consists of a male and a female, which are paired by pressing with the fingers until they click. We encourage you to install a rim protection button on each side hook. Once installed, the metal surface of the hook will be covered and spaced from the rim profile.
When you have completed the operation, you can proceed with a fitting test.
5. Mounting
When you have to install your Easy-fits, make sure that the safety device and the release buttons are unlocked. If not, you can pull the safety device and press the two buttons to release the tension.
Hold the two red ends of the rear rigid arch, making sure that you hold the chain on the correct side: the bar should be between you and your hands.
Spread the two ends to their maximum extension. It is not necessary to open hard, just make sure you have spread the arch as far as possible.
With the arch spread out and held taut, you can easily balance the position of the bar with your arms. Now it is time to put the wheel on.
After spreading out the arch, take the joint of the internal by-pass (band connecting the two arches) as a visual reference: now concentrate on positioning it at 12:00 inside the wheel.
When this has found its place, with the arch still spread apart, pass the two ends through the sides of the tyre into the wheel arch and position them on the inside shoulder of the tyre.
Caution: the two ends must be positioned on the inside shoulder and not on the tyre tread.
If it seems to you that the two ends can't reach that far, make sure that the micro-cable hasn't got stuck at the front, to the point where it won't allow the arc to extend.
The arch of the Easy-fit chains is symmetrical between the left and right sides, so it is important that the arch is correctly positioned during fitting. In fact, if the arch is held at an angle to the right or left, one end of the arch will easily reach the inside while the other will touch the ground. To check the centring of the bow, you can take the outer bar as a reference. The bow is centred when the bar is perpendicular to the ground.
Once the ends are in place, check that they are actually in the correct position: you should not see them on the tread but ideally in the centre of the shoulder. They are coloured red for visibility during fitting.
The chain is ready to be tensioned. Open the pedal of your Easy-fit and press it to the end of the stroke: you will hear a click that indicates the end of stroke engagement.
You can now move the vehicle at low speed and the chain will tension on the first turn of the wheel and continue to tension progressively as you drive.
Caution: When fitting your Easy-fit, we recommend that, once the pedal has been depressed, you move the vehicle to release the accumulated tension. In fact, the pedal at the end of its stroke activates the internal elastic device that is subjected to maximum tension stress for the entire time that passes between tensioning and release (movement of the vehicle). Therefore, remember that if you have tensioned the Easy-fit chain and have not moved the vehicle, the chain remains under tension. We will return to this concept in the section on dismounting.
6. Dismounting
Caution: After fitting and tensioning the chain by lowering the pedal (click), do not start the dismounting procedure before moving the vehicle.
If the vehicle cannot be moved and the chain has to be removed, pay attention to the quick upward movement of the pedal: press the pedal fully down with your hand while releasing the safety device (1) and the release buttons (2) to brake the upward movement of the pedal.
To remove your Easy-fit once installed on the wheel, we recommend that you stop the vehicle when the bar is in a position between 11:00 and 1:00.
Right-handed people will be facilitated with the 11:00 bar, left-handed people will be facilitated with the 1:00 bar.
Pull the safety device towards the right side, then press the two lower release buttons simultaneously.
Now hold one of the two red ends, which is located on the inside shoulder of the tyre.
Caution: only pull on one end and not both. If you pull both ends at the same time, the chain will not be flexible enough to release the tyre.
Pull the end outwards and pull the chain off the wheel; the pedal will rise up along the bar during this operation.
CAUTION: When lifting the pedal, do not lift it by hand. This may cause the micro-cables to come out of their seats and overlap.
Once the chain has been removed, place it on the ground. You will not be able to remove the chain completely because part of it will be under the tyre.
Now move the vehicle as far as necessary to remove the chain.
7. Maintenance
Once the chains have been used, before putting them back in the packaging, please wash them with lukewarm water to remove dirt and any debris or chemical agents left on the chain.
We recommend that you carefully clean the bypass strip, ensuring that you have removed any debris that may obstruct the micro-cable passages.
Washing the chains will also allow you to check the wear condition of the components and be sure that the chain will be ready for the next use.
Remember to let them dry completely, if necessary removing any residual water and moisture with a cloth.
Once dry, the chains can be placed back in the packaging, ready to be used again.
After washing, please pull the red micro-cable completely out of the rigid bow: with the chain unlocked, simply spread the two ends of the bow apart.
Once removed, you can lubricate it with a silicone spray. Please carry out the following procedure:
- Lower the pedal as far as it will go to retract the micro-cable into the arc;
- Unlock the release buttons and pull the safety device;
- Split the two ends of the arch;
Repeat this operation 4 or 5 times to fully lubricate the micro-cable.
We recommend that you only lightly lubricate the micro-cable and not the other chain components. Some silicone sprays may leave marks on the bar, which are difficult to remove.
The tensioning of the Easy-fit is based on the sliding of micro-cables whose passages are often restricted. Therefore, to keep your chains in tip-top shape, don't forget to wash them after each use.
8. Troubleshooting
Chain locked before use
When you pick up the Easy-fit and hold the two ends of the rigid arch, you cannot spread them apart.
It may simply be stuck in the drive position (tensioning activated). Just check the position of the pedal, which should be at the bottom beyond the position of the safety device.
Please press the two lower release buttons and then deactivate the safety device by pulling it outwards.
Once you have done this, you will be able to extend the arch to its maximum extension.
Tyre compatibility problems
Please note that tyres are subject to dimensional tolerances that may affect the fit of the chain.
Chain that looks too small
An Easy-fit that is too narrow has a negative effect on the installation process: at best it makes it difficult, but it may make it impossible. It all depends on how small the chain is in relation to the tyre.
A small Easy-fit prevents the two ends of the rigid arc from coming to rest comfortably on the inside shoulder of the tyre.
If there is no way you can position the two ends after positioning the inner by-pass joint, it may be that your Easy-fit is too narrow for your wheel.
In this case, please contact our Costumer Service
Chain that looks too big
If your Easy-fit chain is too big, you will tend to have a very generous fit, which will make installation very easy. You'll be able to easily position the ends behind the wheel, but once installed, the chain won't tension properly. You can tell this from most rhomboid groupsets that remain very loose even with the chain fully tensioned.
If you use the chain in these conditions, it may have an abnormal dynamic lift, which could create interference with the wheel arch components.
In this case, please contact our Costumer Service to help you choose the most suitable size.
Chain blocked during assembly
You are about to fit the Easy-fit (not the first fit) and although you have unlocked the release buttons and pulled the safety device, the bow struggles to open, or, with the bow spread, the pedal struggles to come down.
First of all, we advise you not to tug on the bow. If you can't get the two ends apart, try to work out where the micro-cables get stuck.
If you have not washed the chains after the last use, dirt may have entered the micro-cable holes.
In this case, you should first wash the by-pass thoroughly. This should help sand and small debris to escape. When you have cleaned the by-pass, you can try lubricating the micro-cable passage holes.
Once the micro-cables regain their smoothness, you can spread the arch out to its full extent. This will release the micro-cable along its entire length.
At this point, please clean the micro-cable to remove any residue and lubricate it completely with a silicone lubricant spray. Please see the procedure in the Maintenance section.
Chain blocked after leaving vehicle parked in snow
You have left your car parked with the Easy-fit chains fitted when you arrive at your destination. After a few hours you are ready to remove the chains, but you can't because the tensioning is blocked.
Sometimes snow is deposited on the by-pass and compacts near the micro-cable passage holes, preventing the normal flow of the cables.
In this case, all you need to do is drive along the road at low speed to break up the snow and ice that have formed inside the bypass. Once the by-pass has been cleared, the cables will be free to run again.
9. Common errors
In this session we point out some of the assembly errors we encounter most frequently from customers.
Ends not correctly positioned on the inside shoulder of the tyre
When fitting, it is essential to position the two ends of the chain on the inside shoulder of the tyre. This means that if the ends are on the tread, during tensioning the micro-cable could get caught inside one of the tyre's drainage channels.
When this happens, there is no typical click that indicates the closure of the internal rigid arch.
The result is that the arch is not closed behind the tyre but on the tyre tread, making the installation incorrect.
Test carried out on a dry tyre
The fitting test, to check whether the adjustment is correct, should be carried out on the tyre in conditions similar to those in which it is actually used. It is not advisable to carry out the fitting test on a dry tyre, as this could lead to an incorrect assessment of the chain fit. The dry tyre surface tends to create more friction, which may cause the chain to require more travel to find its ideal position.
For this reason, we ask you to make any assessment of the chain size after testing on at least a wet tyre.
Pedal raised by hand
The Easy-fit pedal is connected to a system of micro-cables which run inside the bar and which must always be kept in order. For this reason, it is not recommended to lift the pedal by hand, as this could cause the micro-cables to pull out of their housing and overlap, potentially limiting the smoothness of the tensioning system.
To raise the pedal, simply spread the ends of the arch.
Pedal not operated
It sometimes happens that, in the heat of the moment, you forget to operate the pedal by pressing it all the way down. If you forget to depress the pedal, the chain is only presented on the wheel, but not stretched over it, so it cannot stay in place.