My fellow Audi learned members,

Got a 3.0 tdi A6, Quattro, 55 plate, manual, saloon.

There's a bad winter to come according to the forecast (see exactaweather.com - believe it if you like but he has been right before)

Anyway, going to the French Alps in February 2012, driving there in the Audi of course. Its got summer tyres on it and i dont really want to splash out on Winter tyres. In UK on summer tyres it was excellent in the snow and ice in the past couple of years. So I am thinking snow chains, because they are a legal requirement in French alps I believe.

Wheels are 225/55/ R16.

I checked http://www.roofbox.co.uk/snow-chains/ but it says conventional chains can only be put on Winter tyres because (I think) i have 7J rims. Am i therefore stuck with using some silly looking snow socks which I will probably destroy, or some £250+ chains I will use once then sell (actually some seem to fit many sizes of tyre)?

Be glad to hear from you.

PS despite a search I couldn't find the answer to this on this forum !!!