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I’m thinking of getting snow chains for my car. Every year all you morons get stuck in the snow for days, because you can’t remember from last year that when it snows more than a foot, all the highways in the northeast shut down. So I want to get snow chains, so that I can drive in the storms like all you r
, but not get stuck.What d’you think?
Learn how to drive in all weather. Skills beat tools every time.
“A poor worksman blames his tools”
pba – pls stop using the “r” word. it is getting old.
pba – i know that. what I meant was to stop referring to that word.
I thought putting chains on tires is illegal because it eats up the road.
“p185/ 65 R14”
Ahh, now I see the problem. Of course you can’t drive a pinwheel in snow at any decent speed. So you’re problem might be that you need to get a snow car, not snow chains for your “car”.
Once you’re done quoting yourself, you can move on to quoting more worthwhile comments, such as my first in this thread :p
popa_bar_abba
Instead of criticizing, why don’t you be helpful and suggest a tire chain.
I wouldn’t dare suggest a tire chain. As always, consult your LLM (local licensed mechanic). You shouldn’t accept a ruling from CR lay folk.
are you expecting snow in the near future popa/ why not come to jerusalem in the winter?
So then should I get for all 4 wheels, or only for the drive wheels.
On a vehicle only drive wheels should have chains.
They are size p185/ 65 R14
You’ll need chains sized specifically for your tires. Check with the manufacturer, most passenger cars require S.A.E Class “S” chains but some cannot use any chains at all. At 14″ you probably won’t find much of a variety.
I have very little problems with snow at present, but while in NY, I found a type of steel cable that laid zig-zag over the tire, and they had steel cleats crimped on here and there. They were a much smoother and quieter ride than chains. I used them only. twice, once, a trip to JFK and back in 8 inches with no probs on my not so agile Ford E350 with 75R16s. They would probably not lasted as long as chain, but why make it a habit to drive in heavy snow?
make sure you put chains on all four wheels, otherwise you may as well just put slicks on the back, which is good fun in the snow but may not have such a happy ending,
so either no chains or all wheels chained!
anyway I wouldn’t drive in a foot of snow in a civic with chains or without
at that A CIVIC! pba I’m sure you can do better
In NY I think it’s against the law to ride around all the time with chains as opposed to Chicago where PBA resides now.
And anyway chains would do you no good in a blizzard like we had in the NY area in Dec. of 2010.
I’ve been trying to sell a 35 year unused set of chains on Craigs list during the past few winters with no response. They were bought for 235/75/15 tires and never used. I list them in the dead of winter and get no responses.
Very few places sell tire chains these days.
State-by-state laws re: usage of snow chains:
http://www.witruck.org/state_chain_laws.pdf
Snow chains go on drive wheels only.
Maximum speed for a vehicle with tire chains is greatly reduced. If you will be driving on highways – even local ones – unless you can do a max of about 30 mph safely, you shouldn’t have them on your tires.
An improperly fastened chain, or one that breaks, can damage your car and be unsafe.
If the streets are clear and your only concern is getting into and out of parking spots, I don’t recommend chains. On clear roads, they will actually reduce your traction. They should only be used if the roads themselves are snowy/slippery. If the roads are bad, you probably should avoid diving anyway, if possible.
The heavier your vehicle, the more chains will help. A garbage truck or city bus will have their traction improved far more than a lightweight car will.
Speak to your mechanic instead of relying on anonymous posters for safe driving info. Yes, I include myself in “anonymous posters”.
Hey what’s with the Civic bashing? Civics are awesome!
That being said, I bashed mine yesterday… 🙁
in NJ snow chains are legal nov 15-april 1. never saw a single person w/ them…..
Pba
you may want to look into snow tires instead of chain. You can leave them on all winter even on dry pavement they’re fine where and there are snow tires that do quite an amazing job.Checkout tirerack.com for different options and u can also read testimonials from people who have used them, personally I’m looking into the blizzak ws70 made by bridgestone which I’ve heard only good things about.
PBA – I just use all -weather tires. Much better traction in all conditions. As far as getting stuck, I really don’t know where you live, but in the NY, NJ area we don’t get that much snow to be concerned about getting stuck.
Also, like you wouldn’t need them in a city like Montreal -the city even plows the sidewalk for you. If you do live in the states and the city/town don’t put much money into snow removal -it depends. If they hardly ever plow -chains won’t make a difference because the car will just get stuck from the bottom. Snow tires/chains aren’t snow shoes -you still have to clear the chasis to drive. But if they actually do plow and you are just scared to get stuck in some drift or something like that -this is what I do. I have a shovel and some kitty litter. You dig a little and you place the cat litter down for traction and then you drive out by rocking. Never floor it that your wheels spin.
Pba—
The snow tires I’m talking about, u can ride in a foot of snow no problem.
PBA -Here in Lakewood -it took a good few days before they even plowed after the blizzard last year. Noone could go anywhere, but after they plowed -I had no problem. A shovel & kitty litter is all that you need. If you really need to get around buy an ATV or a snowmobile. If I ever had the money I’d buy one of those amphibious vehicles.
You are better off investing in a decent set of snow tires. I think snow tires will give you better traction in different depths of snow on the road. Also snow tires grip the black ice well, and may reduce the potential of skidding. I am writing this from personal experience of having owned a set over five years ago. I was living in an area that receives many feet of snowfall each winter. There was not one time when I felt endangered from losing my control driving with snow tires. They are somewhat expensive, but worth every penny.
Putting latkes under your tires will probably make traction even worse due to the lubricating properties of the oil.
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