Chains, proper installation?

While not specifically about skiing, it's about getting TO skiing....

With an all wheel drive vehicle (not 4WD, street type AWD) should chains
be on all 4 wheels, or just on the two "main" drive wheels?

I'm heading to the mountains on Monday, and until today, the last time I
touched tire chains was in 1974. They're just as hard as I remember
them being

Lisa

Off topic, but I got to thinking about how for the last AWD vehicle I
had (Subaru Legacy) I never even bought chains. My logic? For
California, the road conditions only ever seemed to be:

1. Road open
2. Snow tires required, 2WD ok (used to be called "R1")
3. 2WD must have chains, 4WD with snow tires ok ("R2")
5. Road closed

You'll note I left out
4. All vehicles must have chains. ("R3")

On the roads to Tahoe at least, it seems like they always skip the R3
and just close the road. Don't know if that helps you any.

Back on topic: I'll guess go for the primary drive wheels. Look in your
car's manual is a better answer.

Frankie

Lisa Horton wrote:
While not specifically about skiing, it's about getting TO skiing....

With an all wheel drive vehicle (not 4WD, street type AWD) should
chains
be on all 4 wheels, or just on the two "main" drive wheels?

I'm heading to the mountains on Monday, and until today, the last
time I
touched tire chains was in 1974. They're just as hard as I remember
them being

Lisa

I have a Suburu Baja. The manufacturer specifies NEVER PUT ON CHAINS!!! I
have very good snow tires all the way around. I carry chains becuase it is
the law. I have them for ALL 4 tires. But if it gets to R3--I don't drive.

It has been snowing here in Bishop since 4 this morning. The highway is
already R2 from Red Rock to Mammoth and closed from Mammoth to the Nevada
Boarder.
I expect the highway to close all the way tonight. CHP is fighting with Cal
trans as we speak/ (CHP wants it closed now)

--
I ski, therefore I am
"Lisa Horton" wrote in message
...
While not specifically about skiing, it's about getting TO skiing....

With an all wheel drive vehicle (not 4WD, street type AWD) should chains
be on all 4 wheels, or just on the two "main" drive wheels?

I'm heading to the mountains on Monday, and until today, the last time I
touched tire chains was in 1974. They're just as hard as I remember
them being

Lisa

Yes, I will only buy cables--but I only cary them for show--like I said
Suburu says "NEVER PUT CHAINS ON THIS VIHICLE"

--
I ski, therefore I am
"Sven Golly" wrote in message
...
Lisa Horton wrote in
:

With an all wheel drive vehicle (not 4WD, street type AWD) should
chains be on all 4 wheels, or just on the two "main" drive wheels?

Usually, but not always, the main drive wheels. Check your car manual
under driving in the snow.

In general, if you must put something on your CAR tires, don't use
"chains", use cables. Less chance of interfering with the drive
mechanism or wheel clearance.

http://www.tirechain.com/CAR_CABLE_M...NTRUCTIONS.HTM

Otherwise, Wayne's and Frankskier's advice are dead-on.

--
Sven Golly
Trolling as usual
Remove the _ to reply

Wayne Decker wrote:
Yes, I will only buy cables-

Why would you buy cables? They're free for the taking along winter
highways - just pick themup...

Sven Golly wrote:

Lisa Horton wrote:

With an all wheel drive vehicle (not 4WD, street type AWD) should
chains be on all 4 wheels, or just on the two "main" drive wheels?

Usually, but not always, the main drive wheels. Check your car manual
under driving in the snow.

In general, if you must put something on your CAR tires, don't use
"chains", use cables. Less chance of interfering with the drive
mechanism or wheel clearance.

http://www.tirechain.com/CAR_CABLE_M...NTRUCTIONS.HTM

Otherwise, Wayne's and Frankskier's advice are dead-on.

And the little slotted-ramp thingy is as good as it gets without
carrying a floor jack along.

--
Cheers,
Bev
================================================== =
"I love deadlines... especially the whooshing sound
they make as they go by." -Douglas Adams

On 7 Jan 2005 14:56:54 -0800, "frankenskier"
wrote:

Off topic, but I got to thinking about how for the last AWD vehicle I
had (Subaru Legacy) I never even bought chains. My logic? For
California, the road conditions only ever seemed to be:

1. Road open
2. Snow tires required, 2WD ok (used to be called "R1")
3. 2WD must have chains, 4WD with snow tires ok ("R2")
5. Road closed

You'll note I left out
4. All vehicles must have chains. ("R3")

On the roads to Tahoe at least, it seems like they always skip the R3
and just close the road. Don't know if that helps you any.

Back on topic: I'll guess go for the primary drive wheels. Look in your
car's manual is a better answer.

Frankie

My Outback owners manual also calls for no chains. Manual
transmission Outback Legacy's like I have are 50/50 split all the time
between the front and rear (with a rear viscous lsd in addition to the
center lsd), so there are no main drive wheels - every wheel is a main
drive wheel. If I chained, I would definitely chain all four wheels
for fear of frying the center limited slip viscous differential as it
trys its best to lock up under extrememly slippery conditions for 4wd
like performance. Chains on just the front or rear in spinout
conditions would be almost as bad as towing with the just the front or
back wheels on the ground.

BTW I have Yokohoma snows and they are incredible in combination with
the car imo. Way fun. Snowmobile like.

Automatic Outbacks use an entirely different awd system, and use the
front wheels as the main drive wheels, with only a small amount of
power allocated to the rear wheels unless the front wheels slip in
which case the computer controlled clutch pack sends additional power
to the rear. While it seems intuitive that chaining the fronts on the
auto would be fine, I'd certainly not recommend it.

nate

Yeah. They are all over the highway today. They are a far worse hazzard
the the snow and ice.

--
I ski, therefore I am
"lal_truckee" wrote in message
...
Wayne Decker wrote:
Yes, I will only buy cables-

Why would you buy cables? They're free for the taking along winter
highways - just pick themup...

Wayne Decker wrote:
Yeah. They are all over the highway today. They are a far worse hazzard
the the snow and ice.


Even spotted some cables in the grocery store parking lot a couple of
hours ago. Reiterate; If you want cables just collect them from the
road. They fall off and are so useless that the owner doesn't even know.

I figure there are two reasons to use chains/cables. One is to sneak by
chain control. The other is to provide traction in genuinely slippery
conditions. In the first case, cables will work (I imagine the state
constabulary were bribed - see second case for the second case (to
provide traction), well cables test at half the effectiveness of chains
in honest traction tests. If traction is important, cables are a dead
end, maybe literally.

Coupled with the fact they fall off regularly; that they are really no
easier to install than chains if you don't have two left hands; and that
properly fitted chains have almost identical clearances to cables (DON'T
tell me about your poorly fitted chains clanging and damaging components
- that's mis-use. Just fit the chains properly. (Hint: they don't fit
out of the box - they need adjustment with a bolt cutter every time.)

Anyway, I'm 4x4 now, so it's all moot, except for this collection of
used chains I've got. There must be something I can do with them - I'm
still thinking.