intro
External snow chains category
Designed to ensure a superior level of fitting and driving comfort, the König K-Summit snow chains are here to cover your winter driving traction needs while ensuring full compatibility with vehicles equipped with the most advanced suspension designs.
The König K-Summit snow chains are an extended family of snow chains which share the main common design principle: they are external.
That means that they do not carry the typical elements getting positioned behind the vehicle wheel. Thanks to this special design, the König K-Summit snow chains are fitted working exclusively on the external side of the wheel and get secured the wheel trough a wheel bolt/nut fixation system.
Just take a look at how they’re mounted in real life.
PRODUCT DESIGN
Common product design features
Central body with integrated ratchet
The König K-Summit design is based on a central body the 4 arms are linked to. The central body features an integrated ratchet with a 9x factor, meaning that it make the tensioning operations completely effortless.
1 of 3U-Adapt fixation system
The König U-Adapt is the universal adapter compatible with hexagonal headed bolts and nut from 17mm up to 22mm.
2 of 3Flexible arms
The K-Summit arms are manufactured in harmonic steel and they are designed with specific geometries prodiving a leaf-spring effect.
They get flat under load and, once the load is tranferred, they return to the original shape. This specific aspect allows the chain to automously slip onto the tyre tread while driving without requiring additional vehicle stops for any retensitioning or fixing.
3 of 3
Composite plastic plates with hard metal studs
The König K-Summit plates act as joint between the arms and the chain cross-sections.
The plastic plates are manufactured in PU and each of them features 8 hard metal studs to provide more grip when the plate touches the ground.
1 of 6Zero clearance
The K-Summit cross-sections lay on the external side of the tyre without interfering on the internal side with the typical inner wheelhouse components such as suspension strut, MacPherson spring perch, multilink ball joints, swaybar links and brakelines.
2 of 6Welded traction bars
The König K-Summit cross-sections include welded traction bars to provide additional digging properties and traction in general.
3 of 6Tensioning elements (grey bushing)
The tensioning elements present on the König K-Summit snow chains offer superior elastic properties and they provide a real a fine-tuning of the tensioning level.
The tensioning elements are based on a double spring system which gets compressed under load, allowing the chains cross-section tensioning and micro-adaptation to the specific tyre aspects (size, tread, wear level).
4 of 6Adjusting elements (yellow bushing)
As per the tensioning elements, the adjusting elements are based on a double spring system getting compressed under load.
The adjusting elements (4 or 5 on each K-Summit, according to the different products) are meant to be removed to reach a larger chain rolling circumference and subsequently fit larger tyres.
5 of 610mm or 12mm chain links
The König K-Summit cross-sections are based on a 10mm or 12mm chain links (according to the different products) representing the best compromise between thickness and performances
6 of 6
Lacks whatever element on the inside
When the K-Summit is fitted, the inner side of the wheel is completely free from any snow chain part or component.
1 of 1fitting process
How are External snow chains mounted?
UNIQUE SELLING POINTS
Common features of the K-Summit snow chains
When zero is the best you can get
Nowadays more and more cars, SUVs and Vans are affected by internal wheelhouse clearance limitations, meaning that there’s not enough clearance to host traditional snow chains with internal elements.
This is design limitation is present not just on the most sporty and performing vehicles but it has become fairly common on cars, SUVs and Vans which are used as daily drivers.
Thanks to its specific design and patented solutions which not only leave the inner side of the wheel completely free from any chain element but also keep the chain very tight on the tyre in dynamic conditions, the K-Summit family today can cover more than 90% of the entire vehicle applications.
External fitting
The complete lack of elements which get positioned behind the wheel means that all fitting and removing operations are handled exclusively working on the external side of the wheel.
Compared to the wheelhouse area, the external side of the wheel offers better visibility, free of hands movement and, last but not least, a cleaner area to work on.
With the König K-Summit the external side of the wheel is the only place where as user you are requested to work to get the snow chain installed.
U-Adapt + K-Lock fixation
Different cars come with wheel bolts or nuts which might differ from size and shape perspective.
The König K-Summit comes with the U-Adapt fixation system allowing a proper clamp on wheel bolts/nuts from 17mm to 22mm.
With the K-Summit snow chains, consumers are no more requested to check the size of the wheel bolt/nut to ensure vehicle/chain compatibility.
To guarantee a proper clamp on the wheel, the K-Summit comes with a proprietary fixation tool with torque indicator clicking when the right torque level is reached.
Adjustable sizing
The K-Summit snow chains cross-sections are adjustable in lenght in order to cover different tyre sizes.
The chain comes from the factory in the smaller configuration and, by removing the yellow marked adjusting elements, the cross-sections get longer to cover larger tyre sizes.
Thanks to this solution, the K-Summit can cover a larger number of tyre sizes compared to the classical snow chains and it can be easily shared amongst different car models and tyre sizes in the same categories making it a convenient solution for families and friends.
Micro-dynamic profile
When low is better than high.
Apart from the lack of internal elements allowing the application on vehicles with zero clearance requirements, the K-Summit cross-sections feature tensioning elements meant to reduce the dynamic lift generated by the wheel rotation centrifugal force.
RPET softbag
Packed into an elegant hybrid soft bag manufactured in RPET (recycled plastic), the chains can be easily folded to comfortable fit in the bag, one flanked to the other. The bag features an internal pocket to store the instruction manual and comes with a dedicated RPET textile pouch carrying the product kit including spare parts.
Extended product range
Whether if you’re driving a passenger car, an electric car, a crossover, a SUV or a Van, there’s a K-Summit snow chain specifically designed for your vehicle requirements.
Scroll below to find the K-Summit for the different vehicle categories.
THE PRODUCT RANGE
Find out the K-Summit snow chain fitting your needs
König K-Summit
König K-Summit XL
König K-Summit XXL
König K-Summit VAN
check if it fits your vehicles
Consumer snow chains configurator
The König snow chains configurator supports the selection of the most recommended snow chains for your needs, taking in consideration the vehicle, the tyre size and the eventual restrictions generated by the combination of these two.
The configurator results are based on internal tests which are regularly conducted on vehicles and tyres to ensure the best fitment is provided. If your vehicle or tyre size (or both) are not shown on our configurators, please get in touch with our service through our contact form.