[Jucasan]

Hello guys,
Need a bit of advice on chains. Going to Lake Tahoe and I'm wondering what axle is best to install chains. My guess is front axle is better but after reading a bit, the advice is to check with the manufacturer. Also does it makes a difference having chains in both axles? Thanks in advance

 

[roXterra]

Yes all 4 tires is best. Power wheels otherwise, so back but 4 are needed sometimes.
Paved road, dirt road, packed snow, icy patches. Usually you don’t want to drive over 35mph with chains or drive on clean paved road in 4x4.
Experience teaches best, loose chains, driving speed, cheap chains, right chains.

 

[AlbatrossCafe]

What tires do you have? I've only ever really wanted chains when the road is an ice sheet. Then again, I run winter tires. However, even with the right set of all-terrains, you may feel comfortable enough in 4x4 without chains. Just check to see if chains are ticket-enforceable or not.

If you do end up using chains, just double check that they aren't snagging your brake or ABS lines. Maybe have someone drive slowly while you watch (ideally at home before you get into the snow)

 

[eighty]

I’ve driven a bunch with chains, you really only want them if the road is a sheet of ice.

Manual recommends rear tires. You also need s-type chains. Not enough clearance otherwise. A few weeks ago I drove a few miles chained up front and back..no damage but I didn’t like it. Seems like lots of stuff is real close up front and liable to get damaged..


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[Badlander]

If it's bad enough to need chains on an X you might consider staying home

 

[campisi]

What Badlander said. I don't do much driving for Tahoe area skiing anymore but I used to ... a lot! As long as I had a 4wd with m/s rated tires I was never asked to put on chains. I carried a set but not once had to use them, they'd just wave me through the checkpoints. Before they'd make 4x4s use chains they'd shut the highway down completely anyway. This was on highways 80, 50 and 88. Drive smart, slowly and carefully.

To answer your question, if I had to use chains I'd have to put them on the rear axle as I don't think I'd have clearance in the front with the 33" tires I have.

 

[mojavedesertman]

Either on the rear or on all four but like others have said if you have 4wd with good all terrain or mud terrain tires that are rated for snow you should not even need the chains. Here in California I have never seen or heard of them requiring chains on 4wd with snow rated tires they always just close the road if it gets that bad.

 

[Badlander]

What Badlander said. I don't do much driving for Tahoe area skiing anymore but I used to ... a lot! As long as I had a 4wd with m/s rated tires I was never asked to put on chains. I carried a set but not once had to use them, they'd just wave me through the checkpoints. Before they'd make 4x4s use chains they'd shut the highway down completely anyway. This was on highways 80, 50 and 88. Drive smart, slowly and carefully.

To answer your question, if I had to use chains I'd have to put them on the rear axle as I don't think I'd have clearance in the front with the 33" tires I have.

Same here. Spent MANY hours driving up to Tahoe to go skiing when I lived in the Bay Area and never had to put chains on a 4WD. And sometimes it was really coming down. I never even carried chains in my 4WD.

 

[Jucasan]

I read a bunch of articles, post and YouTube videos since yesterday and I'm feeling more confident on the topic. I'm probably going to buy a set of chains to have just in case the police ask me to install it.
Thank you guys for the advice.

 

[skimandan]

Avid backcountry skier in the PNW. The only place in Oregon or Washington I've been asked about chains is in Mt Rainier National Park. I suspect if its actually bad enough to require chains they just shut everything down, or some yahoo driving way too fast will get in an accident and shut it down anyways.
Like many, I carry chains that I have never put on just so I can get through the gates. The plan would be to put them on the rear, but now that I think about it, wouldn't some cables on the front work best?

 

[westslope]

Run M&S 4-season Michelin LTX Defenders.

I go everywhere here in British Columbia during the winter. 4H is your friend. Never been close to getting stuck.

I find many drivers tend to forget about other drivers on the road when planning for winter conditions. It does not matter how well prepared YOU are, if the OTHERS are poorly equipped and lack experience driving on snow and ice, the roads will be dangerous and one should ideally sit out the worst conditions.

Your choice of tire or chains will not prevent others from sliding into you and possibly pushing you off the road.

 

[Tlrtucker]

I read a bunch of articles, post and YouTube videos since yesterday and I'm feeling more confident on the topic. I'm probably going to buy a set of chains to have just in case the police ask me to install it.
Thank you guys for the advice.

If the chain laws in NV are similar to the chain laws in Colorado, you are not required to use chains as long as you have snow rated tires. There's a little snowflake symbol on the tires that are snow rated. Even then, you'd only get ticketed for that if you were involved in an accident, or got stuck in a manner that blocks traffic. Like others have said, if it's bad enough you NEED chains, they'd likely close the road.

I've been all over the mountains in CO on both paved and dirt roads with a considerable amount of snow, and only once would chains have helped me out. That instance I was in my F150 and there was about 8 inches of dry snow, on top of an icy dirt road with black ice everywhere. I was on flat ground struggling to move - chains would have likely helped me get out of there a lot easier. Had to get pulled out by my friend's Excursion with chains on the rear.

 

[Brian086]

Modern snow tires are unbelievable.

Get as set of 16" steelies from a salvage yard and mount up 245/75-16 snows. My preference is Continental Vikingcontact. Of course Blizzaks. Both are the best for high speeds on plowed snow covered roads and ice.

Nokian and General are better at digging through and clearing fresh loose snow and slush.

All seasons, and off-road/mud tires are not even in the same league. It's like putting on Hoosiers in the snow. You'll never need the chains rusting in the roof compartment.

 

[Tlrtucker]

All seasons, and off-road/mud tires are not even in the same league. It's like putting on Hoosiers in the snow. You'll never need the chains rusting in the roof compartment.

I disagree. I've wheeled in the snow with Duratracs, BFG KO2's, Firestones, etc, and have never had a problem getting where I needed to go. I bought a Jeep Liberty many years ago that came with Blizzak's and to be 100% honest, I'd go with KO2's any day. And as a Colorado mountain native, I have plenty of experience in the snow.

 

[campisi]

Modern snow tires are unbelievable.

Get as set of 16" steelies from a salvage yard and mount up 245/75-16 snows. My preference is Continental Vikingcontact. Of course Blizzaks. Both are the best for high speeds on plowed snow covered roads and ice.

Nokian and General are better at digging through and clearing fresh loose snow and slush.

All seasons, and off-road/mud tires are not even in the same league. It's like putting on Hoosiers in the snow. You'll never need the chains rusting in the roof compartment.

Agree that snow tires are best there but a separate set of wheels/snows is not practical unless you live in a place where you need them all winter (and you don't mind the extra set taking up space in your garage/shed/whatever). They'll dry rot before you use em up.

 

[poston]

If the chain laws in NV are similar to the chain laws in Colorado, you are not required to use chains as long as you have snow rated tires.

The tires do not need to be snow-rated with the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake. They just need to be M+S (mud & snow) rated, with sufficiently aggressive tread.

NV doesn't do chain checks. Like Tlrtucker said, you won't get ticketed if you don't obey the controls unless you have a wreck or get stuck and are blocking. CA's the same, except they do chain checks on I-80 over Donner Summit.

Nevada chain requirements are:

R-1 Chains or M+S Tires Required
R-2 Chains Required, or 4WD/AWD with M+S tires
CA levels are the same, except they also have R-3 Chains Mandatory on all vehicles.

In practice, NV hwys leading to Lake Tahoe (except NV-28) are R-2 when controls are put on. All other hwys are R-1.

Traction and Chains Requirement Descriptions | Nevada Department of Transportation

As far as chains go, DO NOT put them only on the front. Might seem like a good idea so you can turn, but in practice what will happen is the front will be planted and the rear will break loose and swing around.

All that said, with a minimal level of driver skill, the X with M+S tires will get you to Tahoe unless the road is closed.
(I am assuming that you have 4WD ...)

 

[CThoreal]

I've always been taught that, for road travel, chains are only for drive wheels and to assist with forward movement on ice and snow. They do not improve steering or stopping, since ABS will stop the tire between the chains, and you just slide anyways.

Havent seen anyone mention yet the variance in snow affecting tire choice. If you live/drive where the snow is wet and heavy (Tahoe, most of the PNW) you want an open tread pattern, like and AT or MT, to clear the packed slop. All-season tires cab be very ineffective in wet heavy snow. they pack and turn to slicks. If you live/drive where the snow is dry and light, all season tires will fare much better.

I grew up and lived at the tip of CA till a few years ago. Any time chain control was in place, Cal Trans road reports always required 4WD's to still carry chains, regardless of tires. All our vehicles had a set in a bag just for check points(most didn't even fit the vehicle), and I've definitely been checked over the years. Never once had them tell me to install them though.

 

[NorskiePete]

Chains always on rears. We don't use them here in Colorado, but I spent years at Tahoe.

 

[CKayaks]

I disagree. I've wheeled in the snow with Duratracs, BFG KO2's, Firestones, etc, and have never had a problem getting where I needed to go. I bought a Jeep Liberty many years ago that came with Blizzak's and to be 100% honest, I'd go with KO2's any day. And as a Colorado mountain native, I have plenty of experience in the snow.

Ditto on the KO2's and Blizzak's comment. I moved to western Montana a few years ago. This are is pretty comparable to Tahoe winter's, the last few winters anyway. More icy days. (Was in CA for 40 years and had a place in Truckee for a part of that.) I am on my second set of KO2s. I originally bought a set of Blizzak for winter use. Sold them after the first season. In the snow, marginal difference on the X. Having had a set of Duratracs a while back, I would say they are better than the KO2s in snow/ice.

And a favorite saying up here: It is 4-wheel drive, NOT 4-wheel STOP!! More problems with folks going to fast and sliding into things than having enough traction to move down the road.

 

[Smithsonite]

I agree with what was already posted - chains on rears only, or all 4. Personally, rears are plenty, since the turning action up front tends to wear chains out faster than they should. I'm all about saving money.


As far as snows go, I run Blizzaks on my Silverado, and Nokian Hakkapeliitta on the wifey's winter beater (RWD). Started about 10 years ago, and I'll never go back. The biggest difference with modern snow tires is their grip on ice - it's downright AMAZING.

The first time I installed a set on the Silverado, I was in the city visiting my best friend in ICU in the city hospital. I left after 1am to a freak, October BLIZZARD. It was INSANE. There were still leaves on the trees, so shit was breaking and taking out wires, blocking roads, etc.. The state was blindsided and had ZERO equipment out, so I was on my own with 4x4 and my snows. I came up on 2 vehicles CRAWLING - 10 mph or less, one in the right lane, one in the left. I passed the guy that was in the right lane, then he got offended and jumped on the throttle, and blocked me from passing the guy in the left lane on the right. When I finally saw I had an inch, I cut in front of the guy and started back up to speed. If he wanted to drive that slow, he should've let me pass!! Now this guy is right on my ass (welcome to MA - this is totally normal - people take it personally as a slight when you pass them, and REALLY take it personal if you cut in close, lol). So I was like, "F'you buddy - lets see if you can keep up!" I started driving like a moron, going WAY too fast for the untreated, unplowed roads and all of a foot of powdered snow. At one point I hit 60 mph. I created a big gap, but the guy was still hanging with me. Then I saw lights flashing in my mirror - I figured the guy now wants me to pull over and fight, so I look in the rearview expecting to see him flashing his high beams ... but, it was his S10 Blazer bouncing up and OVER BOTH curbs on EITHER side of the street! Guy was totally out of control!! Completely unbeknownst to me, we were on GLARE ICE under the snow!! I was still doing 50 MPH when this happened, and still trying to figure out how he was sliding and I was rock steady ... then I came into an S-turn. Had it not been for the Blizzaks, I'd have went clear off the road, no question about it! I cut the wheel with a SEVERE delayed reaction, but eventually it started to turn ... and same in the next corner. I came close to the curb but never hit it. I was FLYING! This is a 30 MPH zone, and I was doing all of 45 when I hit those S-turns! I blasted up the hill with traction to spare, and that guy was so far behind me I couldn't even see his headlights from that point on! 😂 That was the clearest demonstration I needed. I outperformed a tiny S10 Blazer with a full-sized extended cab pickup. Enough said!!

Since then I've been sold on dedicated snows, and I'll never go back to all seasons. I've run every kind of tire you can think of over the course of 3 + decades. These things are the best there is. There's probably something better than the Blizzak out there by now I'd wager. I'd love to try it!