Best Snow Chains?

[NdnStyl]

As the title states, Im lookin to the more experienced cold weather peeps out there. Im in SoCal so I see more sand, dirt & mud. But I do hit the mountains in the winter and want to do more of it. Many places require chains for icy roads or they wont allow you to pass.

Im looking for a good quality set that lasts more than just one season, is that just a dream? Haha, seems like most fail after a couple uses based on review. Most online reviews are pretty mixed and very general.

Thanks in advance!

 

[El-Dracho]

As the title states, Im lookin to the more experienced cold weather peeps out there. Im in SoCal so I see more sand, dirt & mud. But I do hit the mountains in the winter and want to do more of it. Many places require chains for icy roads or they wont allow you to pass.

Im looking for a good quality set that lasts more than just one season, is that just a dream? Haha, seems like most fail after a couple uses based on review. Most online reviews are pretty mixed and very general.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Mike,

Some members recently had a few good tips on this topic. Please take a look here:

Chains for winter mountain travel

I need to get chains for my Jeep JLU rubicon diesel. I have 17” wheels with Nitto Ridge grappler 35” tires..2.5” AEV lift…anyone have real world experience and recommendations for road legal chains to navigate the Rocky Mountains?

www.overlandbound.com

I hope these answers help you.

Enjoy the winter trips!

Bjoern

 

[OTH Overland]

If you are just planning on using chains for highway passes when required by state patrol, a good quality cable chain from Peerless or Security Chain Company has always done me well in the past. Although mostly they just live in the bag as 4wd and all wheel drive vehicles are not often required to chain up in Washington if we have winter or all season tires. Never found a need for anything heavier than a good cable chain for highway use unless heavily loaded. For off road use, I carry heavy duty V bar style chains as they dig well in deep snow and grip on the ice. Best way to ensure good life from any chain is to practice installing it in the driveway when its not snowing so that in the bad weather you can get it installed properly. loose or improperly installed chains and driving to fast are the biggest chain killers. Some of the newer SUV's have limited clearance from tire to suspension parts and may require a class S rated tire chain. check your manual for any recommended information from the manufacture.

 

[NdnStyl]

If you are just planning on using chains for highway passes when required by state patrol, a good quality cable chain from Peerless or Security Chain Company has always done me well in the past. Although mostly they just live in the bag as 4wd and all wheel drive vehicles are not often required to chain up in Washington if we have winter or all season tires. Never found a need for anything heavier than a good cable chain for highway use unless heavily loaded. For off road use, I carry heavy duty V bar style chains as they dig well in deep snow and grip on the ice. Best way to ensure good life from any chain is to practice installing it in the driveway when its not snowing so that in the bad weather you can get it installed properly. loose or improperly installed chains and driving to fast are the biggest chain killers. Some of the newer SUV's have limited clearance from tire to suspension parts and may require a class S rated tire chain. check your manual for any recommended information from the manufacture.

Good info, thanks. I was lookin into the security chain brand and I think I will pick those up. I run the Wildpeak AT3w and have all the self recovery (traction boards, tree saver, snatch block, soft shackles & bubba rope/tow strap combo).

Been wheelin for nearly 10 years and only had to recover once. But im seeing this snow wheelin is a bit different!

 

[old_man]

Chain laws are different from state to state. Colorado has gone off the deep end due to the number of out of state people going skiing and through the mountains in the winter. They routinely require snow tires or chains. That means the tires have to have the little snow flake on the side or they are not legal. The fines are off the map. I think the fines can be in the $500 range. I got hassled with my rig, even though I have 35" BFG MT KO3s with lockers both ends, and they made me chain up anyway because those tires are not "snowflake" rated.

 

[NdnStyl]

Chain laws are different from state to state. Colorado has gone off the deep end due to the number of out of state people going skiing and through the mountains in the winter. They routinely require snow tires or chains. That means the tires have to have the little snow flake on the side or they are not legal. The fines are off the map. I think the fines can be in the $500 range. I got hassled with my rig, even though I have 35" BFG MT KO3s with lockers both ends, and they made me chain up anyway because those tires are not "snowflake" rated.

Yikes! That’s bananas. A buddy and I have been thinkin about heading to Butte for snowboarding.

Thanks for the heads up, def need to know info there.

 

[OTH Overland]

Chain laws are different from state to state. Colorado has gone off the deep end due to the number of out of state people going skiing and through the mountains in the winter. They routinely require snow tires or chains. That means the tires have to have the little snow flake on the side or they are not legal. The fines are off the map. I think the fines can be in the $500 range. I got hassled with my rig, even though I have 35" BFG MT KO3s with lockers both ends, and they made me chain up anyway because those tires are not "snowflake" rated.

Washington is just of $500 for getting caught without chains also. The K02's on the Cherokee have the three peak snow rating, guess because they are all terrain and not MT. Not sure that they deserve the rating though. not bad in snow, but not the best in ice. Have the geolander G015 all terrains on the dually and they seem to do really well in the snow and ice. Used to drive big rig years ago and had my fill of chaining up

 

[Billiebob]

I live in snow country and logging is the big industry, I swear by these.
Number one is buy the correct size.

Don't expect quality at WalMart... shop at a tire shop in snow country.

 

[Billiebob]

Chain laws are different from state to state. Colorado has gone off the deep end due to the number of out of state people going skiing and through the mountains in the winter. They routinely require snow tires or chains. That means the tires have to have the little snow flake on the side or they are not legal. The fines are off the map. I think the fines can be in the $500 range. I got hassled with my rig, even though I have 35" BFG MT KO3s with lockers both ends, and they made me chain up anyway because those tires are not "snowflake" rated.

Fines are based on accidents and fatallities and vehicles blocking mountain passes. The fines reflect the lack of compliance.

I drive a tow truck, the first thing we do is record the tire type and condition on any vehicle retreival. Insurers can get out of paying a claim if you are not running the correct tires or if they are bald.

ps MTs are the worst winter / snow tires ever, and guys running them are one of the reasons for the lack of tolerance.

Snow tires are all about a fine tread that packs with snow and sticks like a snowball to the snow on the ground. Even with sipes cut in to an MT tread they cannot compare to a proper rated snow tires. All Seasons are a compromise but a winter tire is a winter, single season tire and once you buy a set.... you'll never go back.

Spinning tires might be fun but it is definitely counter productive. Winter traction is about not spinning tires.

 

[OTH Overland]

I live in snow country and logging is the big industry, I swear by these.
Number one is buy the correct size.

Don't expect quality at WalMart... shop at a tire shop in snow country.

View attachment 218272

Same ones I run, have never let me down, Love the cam locks. Started running those back in my truck driving days.

 

[M Rose]

I live in snow country and logging is the big industry, I swear by these.
Number one is buy the correct size.

Don't expect quality at WalMart... shop at a tire shop in snow country.

View attachment 218272

Same chains I run as well.

 

[MOAK]

Years ago I remember having a difficult time finding chains around here that would fit my 285/75/16s. Even an online search resulted in only a couple of hits. I ended up choosing the Peerless cam lock, self tightening chains. I’ve only used them once and am very pleased with my choice.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Just wrapped some zip ties around the tire I saw a hack online that is the same thing