Tire chains, snow, mud, and airing down.....

[Schattenjager]

I'm a believer in chains - the RUD Grip 4X4 specifically. They are super easy to put on and remove, and are made uber strong. Bill Burke turned me on to the Grip chains several years ago and I've had a few sets for various rigs. Getting ready to move out of Alaska in the winter, I would not consider the trip without the peace of mind.

Chains are a proven winter traction solution. Tractors use them year round.
No tire is so well designed that it would not benefit from a quality set of chains. Like car insurance, you have to hope it is wasted money. But they are priceless when you need them.

Found best prices and availability at tirechaindealer.com They have many shipping options as well.

 

[bfdiesel]

Chains can become priceless very quickly in mud or snow.

 

[Schattenjager]

Just in time for an Epic Alaska Storm

Ordered mine Monday and they showed up today in Alaska via USPS! Have been told numerous times that NOW is the time to place your order if you want chains as the years production run gets consumed quickly.

http://tirechaindealer.com/ carry a ton of options, including the coveted Grip 4X4! Great service too.

SIZES

 

[Pskhaat]

FYI, unfortunately they had nothing for a 315 tire.

 

[tdesanto]

Just received a full set of RUD Grip 4X4 chains for my 285/75/r16 tires. I am rather impressed by the quality. They're lighter and a bit more compact than I had thought they would be. They also come in a nice carry case for each set (per axle)...something else I hadn't counted on.

http://tirechaindealer.com.

 

[Pskhaat]

Sounds like a snow run in the works?

 

[CodyB]

Just received a full set of RUD Grip 4X4 chains for my 285/75/r16 tires. I am rather impressed by the quality. They're lighter and a bit more compact than I had thought they would be. They also come in a nice carry case for each set (per axle)...something else I hadn't counted on.

http://tirechaindealer.com.

By compact do you mean the chains are not a thick heavy chain? Do the RUD 4x4 chains hold up to use off road? How do the RUD 4x4 chains work on mud terrian tires? I am considering a set of these because I think the chains will clear the upper control arms on my Tacoma with 235/85R16 tires.

 

[herm]

Chains work great in mud, snow, ice.

I drive an f-350 about 50k per year around 30% off road. We use chains all the time off road on mud, snow, and ice on our pickups and on our large trucks.

 

[Metcalf]

Oh no....the this thread is STILL coming back :elkgrin:

Best advise I can come up with. Use what works for you!

My general rules. If the snow is deep enough that you can reach the 'ground' without becoming high centered then chains can help. If the snow is deeps enough and solid enough that you are now able to reach firm ground than airing down works better.

Chains are valuable on ICE also, but studded and sipped tires can help also. Snow can become so compacted that it becomes ice.

In general, the most dangerous situation is when there is only a few inches of snow on hard frozen ground. The snow in these situations generally compacts into a sheet of ice.....and generally the ground isn't offering much traction either.

Personally. I use air pressure and smart driving for all situations. I don't want to carry the extra weight of tire chains. With my larger tires tire chains are almost unavailable in a realistic weight package. I like DEEP snow 4wheeling where there is almost no chance that the snow is going to be able to compact into an ice sheet.

 

[Stumpalump]

This is more for hardcore: In Colorado they call it "Snow Bashing" when we would hit the easier mountain trails with deep snow on them. Every once in a while we would hit a place that hat a lot of run-off water that would later freeze into solid thick ice. Somebody would allways have a set of chains to get us thru. They were the king when the chains went on. These are not the flimsey Walmart chains but the ones you get from an implement/ Farm store. Undisputed what chains will do in frozen mountains. They work like nothing else and not just a little bit better but awsome. The problem is with all that traction you could still have 4 tires spining the chains on ice when one would catch a rock or a root. When this happens almost 100% of the drive torque gets applied to the one tire that is stuck like glue on the rock or root. When chains grab and stick there is zero give. Snap goes the axle. Chains snap buggy tuff drive trains real easy. We may have 3 or 4 sets of chains but most never had the nerve to put them on because the breakage was that often.

 

[herm]

as slow as possible, as fast as necessary, is good advise. I have only seen things brake when chains are thrown, mainly break lines and such soft goods. snapping and axle is pretty extreme. When chained up we avoid wheel spin nearly at all costs as this is also what contributes to a thrown chain.

 

[NorthernWoodsman]

Ingredients: Toluene, Pine resin

Since when is Toulene an environmentally friendly product?

This thread, for some unknown reason, just reminded me about a product Amway used to sell in the 60's & early 70's you'd spray on your tires for grip in the snow. I'm sure other companies had similar products. But it was amazing.

When I was a teenager my dad sold Amway and one winter after a pretty good storm we were driving down a 4 lane road in Roanoke, VA and saw a car not making it up a hill on a side road. So my dad, ever the opportunist, drove over and said to the person, "I have something I can spray on your tires that will get you up the hill. It's $5 a can, I'll spray some on for free, and if you think it's worth it, just stop at the top of the hill and my son will come up."
We sat there at the bottom of the hill for about an hour and sold two cases of it. Some people walked back down and bought several cans.
These were people with bias-ply summer tires and they all made it up without issue once the stuff was sprayed on the tires.
It was amazing stuff. They had to remove it from the market though because it seems it was also quite nasty.

I guess it was an early version of this http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/lisptichgr.html

 

[NorthernWoodsman]

Schattenjager, Thanks for posting this!!!

I have been searching for a good set of chains for my new tires, 33x10.50x15, and have run into dead ends mostly. Well, the only chains I have been able to locate myself have been the old fashioned, basic, truck chains. After having had a set on my 1985 Toyota 4x4 and having them nearly chew off my mudflap brakets completely (dangerously close to the fenders as well) I never wanted to go near a set of those again. No matter how hard I tried I could never get those old chains tight enough.

I've been running the Les Schwab Quick Fit Diamond chains on many different cars for the past six years and I love them for what I need them for, albeit I need them rarely. I don't do any sort of offroad wheeling in the winter and just need chains for going up to the mountain for snowshoeing or navigating backroads to get to hotsprings. Unfortunately, the manufacturers of the Quick Fit Diamond chains do not make a chain to fit my new tire size and I was getting worried that I would have to resort to the old fashioned chains yet again. I was just about to post asking for chain recommendations when I found this thread...it pays to read through an entire thread sometimes!

I'm ordering a set of these right now!

I'm a believer in chains - the RUD Grip 4X4 specifically. They are super easy to put on and remove, and are made uber strong. Bill Burke turned me on to the Grip chains several years ago and I've had a few sets for various rigs. Getting ready to move out of Alaska in the winter, I would not consider the trip without the peace of mind.

Chains are a proven winter traction solution. Tractors use them year round.
No tire is so well designed that it would not benefit from a quality set of chains. Like car insurance, you have to hope it is wasted money. But they are priceless when you need them.

Found best prices and availability at tirechaindealer.com They have many shipping options as well.

 

[NorthernWoodsman]

...and just to add to the thread a little, something I found on Youtube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XNrV2gTUOM&feature=related

Definitely not for offroad wheeling, obviously, but might be an interesting option for city drivers. The folks here in Portland need all the help they can get with winter driving...and my evidence- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-roeYQPscSc

 

[Fireman78]

Where is the best place to get snow chains? I haven't owned a set since I lived in very northern California 20 years ago. I need some for my 35" KM2's after tonight not being able to get up my driveway without three hours of tractor work first. It would have been easier to just chain up.