Tire chain recommendation (1 Viewer)

[ericm979]

It looks like I'm going to be making regular trips to Oregon from the SF bay area. Where I live rarely gets snow and when it does I can just stay home for a day until it melts. I have never used chains. The roads up to Oregon get a fair amount of snow and often have chain requirements.

I have 3 peak rated Rubitreks on the GX which can be enough in some situations but I should also carry chains. They don't need to be heavy duty but should be good enough to get me unstuck on a snowy freeway.

I'm looking at the Peerless Auto-trac chains which have automatic cable tensioners vs the Peerless Z-track which are cable chains that use rubber tensioners. Any comments from experienced chain users? Do I need low profile chains to fit in the wheel well with slightly oversize (265/70r17) tires? The Rubitreks tend to run a little large for that nominal size and I see some people on Amazon with that size tire complaining their chains are too small, should I get one size larger chains?

Thanks

 

[r2m]

It looks like I'm going to be making regular trips to Oregon from the SF bay area. Where I live rarely gets snow and when it does I can just stay home for a day until it melts. I have never used chains. The roads up to Oregon get a fair amount of snow and often have chain requirements.

I have 3 peak rated Rubitreks on the GX which can be enough in some situations but I should also carry chains. They don't need to be heavy duty but should be good enough to get me unstuck on a snowy freeway.

I'm looking at the Peerless Auto-trac chains which have automatic cable tensioners vs the Peerless Z-track which are cable chains that use rubber tensioners. Any comments from experienced chain users? Do I need low profile chains to fit in the wheel well with slightly oversize (265/70r17) tires? The Rubitreks tend to run a little large for that nominal size and I see some people on Amazon with that size tire complaining their chains are too small, should I get one size larger chains?

Thanks

If you have a good all season (including snow) tires, with your all wheel drive should be golden. Anything much more than that will probably be up to drivers ability.
I have never used chains with any all wheel/4x4 I have ever had. That included white-out conditions and very snowy roads.
The only time you'd need chains is for icy roads. But then you'll probably be more worried about the other drivers in 2 wheel drive and no chains.

But to more directly answer your question, from what you're describing, personally I would probably go with cables or the very simplest chains to put on. I say this because when you need them, they will probably not be for very long and chains are a pain in the arse to mount. Also cables are a little easier to put on because they don't tangle so easily and are not as annoying as chains when driving. Looking at the Pearless website, I would lean more towards their cable options.
Maybe suggest a little more research?

These Expert-Recommended Tire Chains Will Keep Your Vehicle Moving on Slick Winter Roads

Tire chains will give your vehicle great grip on ice- and snow-packed roads.

www.popularmechanics.com

 

[volklflip88]

Chain "requirements" generally do not apply to AWD vehicles. I realize the GX is full time 4wd and not technically AWD but I'd recommend NOT buying or using chains. Same reason no one will recommend different tires on a vehicle like this; can cause some issues with the torsen center diff etc.
For ice you need studs. Nothing else really helps. Unless you have one of those old Audis or Land Cruisers that can manually lock 3 diffs...
I've driven a ton in the Cascades in snow with an FJ Cruiser which has the same full time 4wd set up, never had issues, even in deep slick snow. Again, ice is a different story. Safe travels whatever you end up doing!

 

[Acrad]

Still need to carry chains in the Washington state passes during winter regardless of vehicle... I've never needed to put them on any of my AWD vehicles. Even required on 4WD/AWD for some periods in passes during the late December ice storm we had but wasn't passing through at that time.

IMO: Dedicated snow tires go a long ways on snow and ice... the new rubber compounds are pretty phenomenal... although adding studs to them is even better.

@Washingtontaco setup - Builds - 2018 Premium 460 build - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/2018-premium-460-build.1194757/post-13494425

 

[volklflip88]

Driven those passes many times and apparently have always been wrong..
This is WSDOT so check on Oregon.
Good catch Acrad. Met more than one who found an AWD car badge to slap on their vehicle to avoid the chain issue..

 

[ericm979]

If you have a good all season (including snow) tires, with your all wheel drive should be golden. Anything much more than that will probably be up to drivers ability.

I have a lot of dirt road driving experience but not much in snow.

But to more directly answer your question, from what you're describing, personally I would probably go with cables or the very simplest chains to put on. I say this because when you need them, they will probably not be for very long and chains are a pain in the arse to mount. Also cables are a little easier to put on because they don't tangle so easily and are not as annoying as chains when driving.

Thanks, that's a useful observation.

Looking at the Pearless website, I would lean more towards their cable options.
Maybe suggest a little more research?

These Expert-Recommended Tire Chains Will Keep Your Vehicle Moving on Slick Winter Roads

Tire chains will give your vehicle great grip on ice- and snow-packed roads.

www.popularmechanics.com

I've already read that but it didn't contain the same kind of useful info you posted above.


Oregon's chain requirements are complex but it looks like even 4wd/awd vehicles with 3 peak rated tires need to install chains at times.

 

[jdam]

I’ve had good luck with the peerless Super Z-6/8 cables on cars that have needed them. It’s what I carry in the GX, but haven’t needed to put them on yet. That being said, they’re cables and not chains, but will likely do in a pinch when it’s icy. They’re super easy to put on - no need to move vehicle when installing.

 

[r2m]

Chain "requirements" generally do not apply to AWD vehicles. I realize the GX is full time 4wd and not technically AWD but I'd recommend NOT buying or using chains. Same reason no one will recommend different tires on a vehicle like this; can cause some issues with the torsen center diff etc.
For ice you need studs. Nothing else really helps. Unless you have one of those old Audis or Land Cruisers that can manually lock 3 diffs...
I've driven a ton in the Cascades in snow with an FJ Cruiser which has the same full time 4wd set up, never had issues, even in deep slick snow. Again, ice is a different story. Safe travels whatever you end up doing!

Just a quick point about studded tires, some cities don't allow them because they chew up the road so much. AND unless you plan on keeping a set of non-studded tires in the back of your GX, it may not be very practical.
I believe studded tires are the only way to go for the folks who live in climates that will have snow covered roads for almost the entire season and use their vehicle locally, but if one is commuting like ericm979 is from another state, I'm not sure studded tires are the way to go.
I agree about the different tires sizes. We had an all-wheel drive Toyota Previa in the '90's and had to replace a flat tire with another tire that was the wrong size. After a few hundred miles, we destroyed the drive train. Luckily we were still under warranty and Toyota fixed everything, otherwise it would have been a $3,500 bill!