Snow Chains

[blybrook PE]

I'll throw in my 2cents as I live in AK; where we have to carry chains to get up the Dalton or safely travel the Alcan in the winter. 4wd alone doesn't cut it in most places, nor does studded tires. I remember seeing the signs in Canada that all vehicles had to at least carry the chains for the mountain passes during the winter.

In November 2010, we had the ice-pocolypse (as it's been noted by the newspapers) and if you didn't have chains on all 4 tires outside of city limits, you didn't go ANYWHERE! I carry enough chains to go on all tires and I paid $75 / set for my LaBarge chains. This storm also had all emergency vehicles running chains on all 4 tires. Dispatch made the call to all vehicles that didn't have chains on their rigs to get to the shop as quickly (& safely) as possible to get them installed for duty. I listened to the fire departments make the call to put chains on all tires of response vehicles before Dispatch made the call.

Personally, all of my vehicles are 4wd; my girlfriend has a 2wd and I got her a set of chains for the rear only when we started dating. It works well enough to get her traction up the hill (6% grade) to the house when she drives it home. She goes slow enough and it's a straight shot, so steering is not a high priority. During the ice storm mentioned above, I had put chains on all 4 tires of my F350 diesel. It was the ONLY way to turn the truck on the ice. I run all season, all terrain tires & was sliding down the road when I attempted to turn around and go home with chains on the rear only during day one of the 3 day storm. With the wheels turned hard left to make a u-turn, the truck slid straight or to the right; with it in 1st gear, 4wd low (ultimate granny)!

My plow truck, a '74 International Scout with plenty of weight on the front & even more in the back only has chains on the rear tires for extra traction when pushing around the snow. When it's breakup time, I put chains on the front as well to really get a good bite and break things up even more. It really helps.

Chains are helpful, but they need to be used properly. They are made to be utilized when driving on ice, not as much for snow, so you need them on the front for steering as well; don't rely on the weight of the engine & tire gripping ability to permit you turning abilities. Don't drive on bare road surfaces, it's bad for the road AND for the chains. Stay away from cables as they tend to snap and tear out everything else when used above 15mph. Limit your speed with the chains, you may have traction and be able to steer / stop; but that doesn't help you with everyone else on the road!

 

[cableguy]

Is it bad that I have never even SEEN ("live in person") a car with chains on the tires?

Texans are bad in the snow. My former roommate put his 4-Runner in a ditch and rolled it, thinking he was Billy Bad with 4wd, zipping past all those slow moving "idiots".

 

[humner]

I run 4 studded snows in all my cars, gets me through everything. That includes (included) front wheel drive mini vans, hi top conversion vans and all sorts of cars. You don't need 4 wheel drive, all that does is get you an extra 50 feet, does nothing at all for stopping. Pickups on the other hand are too light in the *** end. If you don't have 4 wheel drive, you don't get enough traction. If you only need the truck on bad days once in a great while, frame up a wood box in between your wheel wells in the truck bed, and make sure you find a way to keep it secure. Leave the box in during the winter season. When all hell breaks loose, put on those cable chains I posted earlier and then throw pre made sand bags into the wood box and do something to hold them in place. You don't need to be in an accident and have 100 pounds of frozen bags of sand hitting you in the back of the head.

 

[Slugger926]

I run 4 studded snows in all my cars, gets me through everything. That includes (included) front wheel drive mini vans, hi top conversion vans and all sorts of cars. You don't need 4 wheel drive, all that does is get you an extra 50 feet, does nothing at all for stopping. Pickups on the other hand are too light in the *** end. If you don't have 4 wheel drive, you don't get enough traction. If you only need the truck on bad days once in a great while, frame up a wood box in between your wheel wells in the truck bed, and make sure you find a way to keep it secure. Leave the box in during the winter season. When all hell breaks loose, put on those cable chains I posted earlier and then throw pre made sand bags into the wood box and do something to hold them in place. You don't need to be in an accident and have 100 pounds of frozen bags of sand hitting you in the back of the head.

I used to run studded tires in the winter in HS and College. I could get places in a 2wd 1966 Chevy truck that the 4wd people couldn't get. We had a blizzard my Sr. year on top of 2 inches of ice with snow drifts 15-20 ft tall. I wound up running errands for a number of little old ladies in town that winter.

It was fun spinning out downtown on the weekends and creating a spark display.

I wish I could get studded tires again.

Back when I was first married, we would go snow skiing in Crested Butte, CO during free ski. Coming back, we were forced to get chains to go through Monarch Pass during a whiteout blizzard. They closed the gate behind us, and we followed the snow plow through. Snow chains on the front tires of a front wheel drive turns a car into a little tank that can almost go anywhere.

 

[speedyox]

Check your local laws regarding chains and/or studded tires before you buy any.

When I lived in WA, both were allowed (during certain months) and actually required on various roads under certain conditions. Here in IL, they are illegal.

IL rules:

Studded TiresPneumatic tires with metal studs are unlawful except for:

* vehicles used by mail carriers in rural areas between November 15 and April 1.

* vehicles displaying Persons with Disabilities or Disabled Veteran plates between November 15 and April 1. These owners must live on a county or township road in an unincorporated area.

* agricultural tractors or traction engines.

* agricultural machinery, including wagons, being used for agricultural towing purposes.

* road-building machinery operated at a speed of less than 10 mph.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

I'll throw in my 2cents as I live in AK; where we have to carry chains to get up the Dalton or safely travel the Alcan in the winter.

Parts of the ALCAN, especially the gravel stretches in the Yukon, were a little rough in June during a rainstorm. I can't even imagine that in the winter.

 

[MA_PE]

I wish I could get studded tires again.

You can stiil get them. Someone puts the studs in after the tire is made. My mechanic got me a pair awhile ago for my Chevy Caprice wagon (no posi) and they worked great.

 

[Road Guy]

I got a rather cheap set for less than $50 bucks on the way, hopefully wont ever need them, they are more cable than chain..

the wife had to sleep on the floor of the hospital sunday and monday, she hasnt stopped bitching about it since she got home, so if going out to get her keeps me from hearing a weeks worth of complaining then its money well spent even if I end up in the ditch and freeze to death..

last year we drove to NC with what ended up as 12" of snow eventually, luckily I had brand new tires (multi-use tires from a off road tire store, think knock off micky thompsons..) and 4- 50lb bags of play sand in the hitch hauler, and although we moved slow, we got there, but it wasnt a very comfortbale drive....

 

[Wolverine]

I'm a little late checking in to this thread because I have had my arse out in the snow (involuntarily) for several days on storm duty with the utility.

On Sunday night, while driving in my Toyota truck down the highway in fine weather going to pick up our storm vehicles, over the course of about 15 minutes it went from light flurries to driving on pure Crisco.

Seriously, I had about 20% control over the vehicle at 5mph and finally said forget it, time to park under a bridge. Spent the next hour watching the cars play crash'em up pinball on a hill on the highway - pure insanity. Finally, the snow pack thickened up enough to be "only-mostly" treacherous and I was able to move on. I've driven on 12-Below Northern Snow and I will guarantee Southern Black Ice kicks it's arse.

RG, I recommend about 500lbs of utility pole in the back along with the snow chains. Worked for me.

 

[blybrook PE]

I'll throw in my 2cents as I live in AK; where we have to carry chains to get up the Dalton or safely travel the Alcan in the winter.

Parts of the ALCAN, especially the gravel stretches in the Yukon, were a little rough in June during a rainstorm. I can't even imagine that in the winter.

Depends on when you came up. There's only one gravel stretch left & it's about to be paved (as of my last trip in 2008). The frost heaves are what really get you and break the vehicles. It doesn't matter if you have chains or not, yer done for if you hit those heaves too fast.

I did the drive twice now, once in the dead of winter and again in the fall. Both very fun & beautiful drives. Will do it again in the winter, but of course I'll still have my chains with me.

As for the earlier posting concerning the weight in the bed of a pickup, he's dead on, but ensure that the weight is properly centered over the axle. In a pinch, fill the bed of the truck with snow and pack it in. It'll provide a couple hundred pounds of weight to assist. I did this with my 2wd '89 Ranger back in HS many o' times. Worked fine & if there was an accident, it was only snow; not sand bags.

To the OP; cable chains are cheap, but if you rarely use them and are careful; you'll be fine. They are mainly for limited use on vehicles that can't handle regular chains due to clearance issues. I've run the, once; never again. I'll stick to the real thing. Keep it slow and you'll make it to where you want to go. Watch out for everyone else too! Good luck.