i need chains

[friendowl]

i got hired to work up on mt.baldy ski lifts.i was supposed to start at 8am on sunday.about 7am i spun out just past "iron gate"there were other cars stuckalong with me.we just sat back and watched the cars slip and slide by.besides that i had on about all my layers and i was still cold.i was very unprepared for winter..im getting chains,good boots and better clothes.....becareful out there........then today on my way to work at the warehouse i get nailed by a school bus and my car is all fucked up.....

also on a side note....r.e.i employees dont know shit about real conditions

[bertfivesix]

Wow, sorry to hear about your hoopty. Glad you're alright.

After a particularly harrowing experience near Arrowhead, I started to keep chains in my car all year round. It seemed like if I even took them out in the spring or summer, I'd forget to put them back in for the first winter outing.

[simonov]

I try to keep chains, a toolbox, jumper cables and emergency blankets in my Yukon at all times. Naturally my wife keeps taking them out.

[Tim]

I don't know if anyone else also does this, but I always jack up my car to put on/take off chains. With a floor jack it's easy as pie and only takes a few minutes. I also paint the inside connecting link yellow so it's easy to find.

[mattmaxon]

When I lived in New England, I kept the chains on 2 spare tires in my trunk.

I slightly deflated the tire then put the chains on tight then reinflated the tire.

This kept the chains on tight had I only had to change 2 tires when I needed my chains.

You might want to try studded snow tires, don't know where you would find such a beast around here but then are common in northern areas.

There are also kits available to put studs in your existing tires

Slow and steady winds the race in Ice and Snow...

Be careful
Matt

[Rumpled]

I'm pretty sure studded tires are illegal in California.

My dad always did the put the chains on the spare and then change two tires putting chains on one of them when we needed to. I always thought just putting the chains on the tires would have been easier. And, no floor jack taking up half the trunk.

Me, I usually have a four wheel drive with snow tires and have never put chains on any of them. Still have to have chains, though.

Right now, I've got three pairs of never used chains (actually one set are cables) that I need to dig out and sell. Now is the time.

[mattmaxon]

I'm pretty sure studded tires are illegal in California.

From the CHP website
http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/answers.html

I have studded tires installed on my vehicle. Are they legal in California? When?

The California Vehicle Code Section 27454 (e), permits studded tires to be used on vehicles between November 1 and April 30 of each year. The number of studs or the percentage of metal in contact with the roadway cannot exceed three percent of the total tire area in contact with the roadway.

CVC 27454 on the DMV website
http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc27454.htm

[brian90620]

I don't know if anyone else also does this, but I always jack up my car to put on/take off chains. With a floor jack it's easy as pie and only takes a few minutes. I also paint the inside connecting link yellow so it's easy to find.

Jacking up the car sounds like a great way to get the chains on tight. I had this idea last winter also, but I was always kind of nervous about trying it, because usually at the point chains are required it's really icy and I kind of worry about the wheels slipping as the car is being lifted. I think I am going to try this method though, also Im going to have to take your advice and paint the inside connecting link, so it can be easily found in the freezing tempertures. 8)

[Hikin_Jim]

I don't know if anyone else also does this, but I always jack up my car to put on/take off chains. With a floor jack it's easy as pie and only takes a few minutes. I also paint the inside connecting link yellow so it's easy to find.

Jacking up the car sounds like a great way to get the chains on tight. I had this idea last winter also, but I was always kind of nervous about trying it, because usually at the point chains are required it's really icy and I kind of worry about the wheels slipping as the car is being lifted. I think I am going to try this method though, also Im going to have to take your advice and paint the inside connecting link, so it can be easily found in the freezing tempertures. 8)

Tim mentioned a floor jack which is safer than the jack that comes with the car. I'm not sure I'd want to use a standard jack on ice!

[simonov]

I went to get some chains for my GTO and all they (Sears, baby!) had were cables since the GTO is Australian and uses some odd tire size. Someone once told me cables should be used on front wheel drive, not RWD like the GTO. Is that true?

[406]

Make sure you get some bungie cords or something to keep the chains tight. I think the spare tire/jacking thing is a little overkill for driving on a snow covered paved road. After driving a few miles I stop and re tighten, that seems to do the trick.

Cool that you got a job at mt baldy, will likely see you on the hill.

[KathyW]

You might want to try studded snow tires, don't know where you would find such a beast around here but then are common in northern areas.

There are also kits available to put studs in your existing tires

Studded tires aren't an option in this area. When I lived in New York - the studded tires went on in October and came off in April - they were not allowed on in the summer. I think a lot of people in the northeast use all-season tires now, but they are not as good as studded snow tires.

Chains are not allowed on tires in New York, but that salt they use on the road made travel much easier.

[Rumpled]

matt - Thanks for the correction. I guess I had bad info, unless they changed it in the last 20 years.

simonov - Cables are mostly for vehicles with little clearance to fit chains. They've become pretty much de facto for most cars now. Even on my newer Dakota, I'm leery of using chains as I have really limited clearance on the front (4x4)

Anyone got an Explorer or SUV with tires in the 215 to 235 range?
I've got three or four sets of chains in the garage I need to get rid of.
Gotta go check sizes and get to craigslist I think.

[Tim]

I guess jacking up a car is kinda overkill. I've been snowboarding for many years so this is how I've always done it. But I have to admit, I almost never see anyone else use a jack.

Jacking up the car sounds like a great way to get the chains on tight. I had this idea last winter also, but I was always kind of nervous about trying it, because usually at the point chains are required it's really icy and I kind of worry about the wheels slipping as the car is being lifted. I think I am going to try this method though, also Im going to have to take your advice and paint the inside connecting link, so it can be easily found in the freezing tempertures. 8)

A floor jack is definitely safer. Plus they're faster. But I'd be lying if I said I never used the emergency jack . Just make sure to find a turnout that is as level as possible before jacking up the car. Also, try to make sure the chains aren't twisted, otherwise, they won't go on tight as possible. You can tell if they're twisted if the corner links are not all laying the same way. You untwist them by flipping them inside out...kinda hard to explain. I also use multiple bungee cords, like 406 said, to keep them tight. These tend to scratch your rims/wheel covers, though.

Just an FYI, before you take off the chains, make sure you disconnect the inside link FIRST. Sometimes people forget to do this and will disconnect the outside link, then try to pull the chain off. You can guess what happens next. The chain gets wrapped around the axle and a lot of expletives are heard.

Or you can just get some cables. I have a set as well, along with my chains.

[Hikin_Jim]

I guess jacking up a car is kinda overkill. I've been snowboarding for many years so this is how I've always done it. But I have to admit, I almost never see anyone else use a jack.

Jacking up the car sounds like a great way to get the chains on tight. I had this idea last winter also, but I was always kind of nervous about trying it, because usually at the point chains are required it's really icy and I kind of worry about the wheels slipping as the car is being lifted. I think I am going to try this method though, also Im going to have to take your advice and paint the inside connecting link, so it can be easily found in the freezing tempertures. 8)

A floor jack is definitely safer. Plus they're faster. But I'd be lying if I said I never used the emergency jack . Just make sure to find a turnout that is as level as possible before jacking up the car. Also, try to make sure the chains aren't twisted, otherwise, they won't go on tight as possible. You can tell if they're twisted if the corner links are not all laying the same way. You untwist them by flipping them inside out...kinda hard to explain. I also use multiple bungee cords, like 406 said, to keep them tight. These tend to scratch your rims/wheel covers, though.

Just an FYI, before you take off the chains, make sure you disconnect the inside link FIRST. Sometimes people forget to do this and will disconnect the outside link, then try to pull the chain off. You can guess what happens next. The chain gets wrapped around the axle and a lot of expletives are heard.

Or you can just get some cables. I have a set as well, along with my chains.

My understanding is that cables are easier to put on/take off but chains are actually better at providing traction. Any thoughts on that?

Also, in places like Donner Pass, there are professional chain installers. Anyone know how they do it?

[Tim]

My understanding is that cables are easier to put on/take off but chains are actually better at providing traction. Any thoughts on that?

That's what I tend to believe too, but I have no actual evidence or study to cite. I have seen people on the side of the road with broken cables (or maybe they didn't install them correctly). But I guess chains can fail too if they are rusted from the salt and water not being cleaned off and the chains dried. I usually use my chains and have the cables as backup.

Also, in places like Donner Pass, there are professional chain installers. Anyone know how they do it?

There are professional installers on Hwy 330 to Big Bear too. I always drive past them so I've never watched how they do it but my brother claims some of them use a jack and that's where we got the idea.

[calicokid]

Also, in places like Donner Pass, there are professional chain installers. Anyone know how they do it?

Last year I got caught in the storm at Donner Pass coming back from Reno after New Year vacation. I carried chain for my Honda Odyssey van. I put and tried the chain on the van when I was in Reno but did not do a test run. At Donner pass, the professional installer told me the chain is too big since there was much space between the tire and the strut after he tried to put it on. I ended up pay for the cable and the installlation. The cable cost $50 and installation was $40. Well, it was worth it to pay when the guy installed chain in the blizzard and ice rain. I believed they were all licensed chain installers by the state(by the state issued number on their yellow jackets). I remembered that a few year back, my relative got ripped off and paid $200 for chain at same spots when the state did not regulate the chain installers (one thing that the state did right)

Remove the cable was relative easy. Now I think the cable is reliable enough if installing it right.

[ClamberAbout]

So let me see if I have this straight:

Freezing winter weather; gusts of snow blowing across the road; other cars slipping and sliding their way by...

You're sitting in a nice flat pullout getting ready to put chains on. Jack the car up. Hmmm, stable... feels okay... Start putting the chain on the first tire... Darn, frozen fingers and working through gloves, can't get the inner hook to hook by feel... So, either stick your head into the wheel well to look at the top -or- lay down alongside the tire to look at bottom (depending on how your particular chains/cables go on), and

Jack slips or some idiot comes around the corner too fast, starts to spin, and lightly taps your car, and:

(a) Head in wheelwell scenario: Fender comes down on your neck with your head between tire and inside of fender.

(b) Lying on ground alongside tire, head under car scenario: The shock/strut mount lightly pops your head like a watermellon at the bottom of the bounce before it moves back up and settles into it's usual neutral position allowing for easy removal of your now lifeless body.

Even with a floor jack in the middle of summer on my flat concrete driveway I never get underneath of a car without jack stands securely in place - just in case. I was once underneath of my fiancee's Jag XJ6 pulling the rear suspension out when we had an earthquake. Fortunately I had it on jack stands in addition to having the floor jack under the rear diff. You're going to be working (at least putting your hands/arms in harms way) in worst possible conditions with the car hoisted up in the air? No offense, but think about what you're proposing!

[kgw]

Newer, smaller, cars need to check their manual to see if the manufacturer is ok with chains. I found out on an Audi board that an A3 owner put chains on his car for a weekend in the snow: he cut the ABS and brake pad sensors with the chains. The manual says to use snow tires. Here is the hi-tech Swiss method: http://www.spikes-spiders.com/



Expensive! Easy though. You mount a hub on to your drive wheels lugnuts, and then anytime you need the rest of the device you just put them on. No raising of the car at all, just takes a few minutes.

No part of the spiders are inboard, which translates into no damage to the vehicle, or to expensive wheels.

[Rick M]

For chain and road conditions:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/truck ... hains.html

This doesn't take the place of chains or these spider spikey things but something I do in the winter IN ADDITION TO CARRYING CHAINS is carry a soda bottle or two of sand in my car/truck. If you've spent much time in the mountains you've no doubt come across people that have slid off the road and can't get back on the road. I have gotten scores of people out of their jam with a simple sprinkling of sand on the ice. I usually tell them to "find a place to pull over and put chains on or turn around"

I learned this in the seventies when a freak sleet storm hit the Mt Baldy area at mid-day. We had hiked up Icehouse Canyon to do some ice climbing up Falling Rock Canyon and on the way down from Baldy Village encountered numerous cars sliding off the road. We used a small snow shovel to put dirt from the shoulder out on the icy road and people were able to get out and on their way home. I've also used this trick to get myself unstuck a few times, once at Skidoo one winter.

That day of the sleet storm caught almost 3,000 snow players and skiers up above the village for the night as the road was blocked by fender bender vehicles blocking the road down. The Red Cross was called out to bring people hot drink and other aid that night.

ps I helped open and worked at REI for 5 years at the San Dimas store and some employees know their stuff and some are just "pretty faces"