downs

Being a Texas guy I know nothing about tire chains./cables We do get ice usually a once or three times a year and I still need to be able to get to work. Are there any brands that our more northern brothers/sisters can reccomend, and tips/tricks on using them/ease of install and removal?

IJM

Would winter tires be a better solution?

00t444e

If you have 4x4 with good tires it takes a lot of snow before you need tire chains, over 12". I don't think you'll get that much in Texas, in the past 10 years we have only had one snowfall that was over a foot, and I had no problems getting around without chains.

downs

It mostly ices here. And theres no tires I know of that would stick. I'm talking stationary vehicles sliding off the road simply due to the crown of the road

its not so much the snow it's the ice. Even if it falls as snow it typically melts and refreezes as ice zero traction.

I'm open to other options as well but I don't see winter tires helping all that much on sheets of ice but I've never used them so theres that theres also the expense of another set of rims and a whole set of tires that will only get used once or twice a year

Turbo X_J

Slow down?

4.3L XJ

Personally, I prefere cable chains for passenger tires and the type of tires they generally have. Regular chains are just too harsh. They will work well for what you what. They also work extremely well in mud should you choose to go off road in that Texas mud

dave1123

My experiences with tire chains is not good. If you run them on dry pavement, they wear out fast and you have to go very slowly anyway because they totally destroy any semblance of tire balance and can get thrown off easily. Having said that, nothing beats them for ice traction except studded tires, and I'm talking ice racing tires with 1/2 inch spikes! The normal studded snow tires aren't worth the money you pay for them and are outlawed in some states. NY allows them to be run from Nov 15th til Apr 15th, but if you're caught beyond that time it's a $20 per tire fine. Also, if you hit the brakes hard, the tires tend to skate on the studs.

The best tire chains have small carbide blocks welded to the tread chains for added traction. They are a PITA to put on, but easy to remove. Then you have a tangled mass of freezing cold chains getting tangled in your trunk. You can get tensioners that are rubber bungee cords with hooks on them that pull all the slack out of the chains so they won't bang in your fender wells.

investinwaffles

not to mention if one lets go at speed, it will f- stuff up.

A good winter rated AT should do you pretty well. Falken Wildpeak AT3W, General Grabber AT2, BFG KO2, or Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac are all great options for on/off road and winter conditions.

Red1992XJ

Honestly the cable chains are pretty decent as far as for that rare emergency where you need to go on the road in conditions that are that bad. Usually if you are careful you will do just fine on ice. Its the other dozen people who think that since their crossover is awd with all season tires, they can drive 55 when they should be doing 15. Pay attention to who is around you. Also, grab a bag of rock salt to take with you. I usually buy a bag for 10 bucks, take a couple of cleaned out (DRY) laundry detergent bottles and fill them almost full with salt. If you get stuck, sprinkle it down and you can usually creep out. Sand or kitty litter will also work in a pinch.

dave1123

As for melting ice, calcium carbonate works much better than salt. Salt works by sucking heat out the ice, whereas calcium carbonate generates heat thru chemical reaction. It will melt holes in the ice allowing it to break up and generates a layer of water under the ice. It's great for sidewalks where you can shovel up the broken ice and clear it away. I buy it in 50 lb. bags and put it in kitty-litter containers. I've forgotten them out in the rain and they stayed perfectly dry. It also doesn't kill the grass like salt does.

I also want to mention to you guys that snow is much different than black ice! You get a layer of clear ice on the road and there's a whole lot of difference. I've seen fully loaded garbage trucks sliding sideways down hills! The best driver I've ever seen was a USPS mail jeep who kept bouncing opposite ends off the curb to control speed and direction! He got it stopped safety at the bottom of the hill. He even dodged a car that had jumped the curb and slammed a tree. That street was so bad that I stepped off the curb, my feet went out from under me, and I slid 20 feet down the hill before I stopped!

Oswalla

These are the chains of choice around here. Quick easy fit too. http://lacledechain.com/product/alpine-premier/ . You can buy them for cheap on craigslist all day long, most unopened. Do they even sell chains in stores in Texas ? Ebay might work for ya. These are rebranded in other names too but the number is the same if you see them in a retail place. Cable chains you are rolling the dice when they break and beat the hell out of your fender paint. Learned that lesson on my first car. I run BFG KO's and have never needed chains in town, just don't drive with the 4x4 mentality. But I do get where you're coming from with the banked roads stuck in traffic. Back in the late 70's we had a good ice storm for 2 weeks, like inches of ice, I got stopped on a bank on the freeway and we started sliding 1 by 1 down to the guard rail.


I have regular chains with ice breakers if needed for my XJ. Only once. but that once would have cost a grand to get a tow truck up there or wait til spring. Ice on a regular basis, in city traffic, only one option, studded Nokian Hakkapeliitta's. Wife has to work in town so we have a set for her Murano. They take the fun out of driving on slippery roads, really hard to break those things loose. We use stocker rims with the snow tires, from craigslist, and only put them on before a snow or ice event. Air gun helps too. I would guess their studless version would be great too, same tread pattern. I assume studs are still illegal in Texas ?

Dumajones

Up here in Juneau Alaska it snows pretty good sometimes. With snow getting about a foot.

The only people chaining up during a snow fall are the big rigs..
Most ppl dont do chains unless going where roads dont really get maintenance(Snow Removal) even then most dont chain up.

Chains are a pain in the butt..They rattle the hell out of everything as you go down the road, it gets annoying. Never fails, right when you get going after chaining up. The snow really isn't that bad and you end up being that slow guy everyone is glaring at as they past you.
We do get that person who recently moves here and chains up for the winter,,then realize its not worth it.. What make them realize it,,well everyone else is zipping around just fine without chains. If you want to get chains for those days you feel you need them..please do.
What ever helps you stay calm while diving. Driving nervous in snowy conditions while you have a death grip on the wheel will cause you to mess up somewhere.. Most of the time a corner little fast, it starts to kick out(spin) you being all nervous lock up then slide into ditch.
Hitting a ditch in deep snow ain't that bad. Scary yes, but not bad..been there, done that.lol
Hitting a ditch when its just black ice sucks,,no snow for the impact and it does all kinds of damage sometimes.
Staying calm is a big part of snow driving.

Ive lived up here in AK my whole life and have driven in some ****.
The key is slow down.. None of my rigs needed chains getting around..Good old 4x4 and decent tires for ice and snow..


Here are some vids to show what I drive in and I never chain up.

This one is funny.. But it shows the snow I drive in. Best viewed in HD

This is Just a drive to Fred's to do some shopping.. Its just a drive, no talking just enjoying the drive. at 2:36 getting on the main road is up hill pretty good..you can't really tell in the vid
But this is the place ppl always get stuck or cant even make it up this little incline.. must be a strange spot for some. I have no clue.

Now this vid I have to let you know a little first.. I was driving home in the morning after doing the morning stuff.
I was almost home.. Yes it was slick all over and I was driving slow.. But the bridge where I have to turn caught me off guard and gave me a wake up call. Bridges are always slicker then the road.
Sorry for the Salty language in the vid..but the bridge was slick as I was going over to make my turn to my house, well it woke me up HA!
You can hear me working the brakes and tires sliding as I pump them trying to stop. Im showing this vid,,so ppl can see how I deal with having to brake on slick slick roads and sliding to a stop.



Now this vid.. Is morning, Heading to get some morning running around done.. Im a morning dude..lol
The roads look dry,,no its black ice morning. When I leave from the stop you can hear the Jeep start to spin and kick out.
I let off the gas to stop the kick sideways,,at the same time you can hear me pull up on the 4x4..Gotta love 242 fulltime..lol

The reason for all the vids is to show,,it can be done without chains.
Get a good set of winter tires and you will rock in the winter.. It takes a little practice. Its all about slowing down, pumping brakes to stop(unless abs, just jam abs and hold on..lol), no jerking the wheels around and not driving like a nut.
Thats about it.

In the vids I was in two wheel for snow,,back locked.
for slick ice stuff.. I use fulltime,,but have use parttime at times in the 95 when slick slick slick with decent slush ice mix on the roads.

On the 95 ive run only..bfgoodrich all terrain t/a and they kick butt up here in the snow.
On the 2000..Ive run many,,mud tires, all terrain, mainly made for snow studded. I will tell you this.its all about good tires.
Driving mud tries on ice and snow takes some learning skills.. More for the pro snow driver..lol

downs

the practice part is an issue when it only ices a few times a year tops haha. It's pretty rare for snow to stick to the roads around here. Like I said its typically just a solid sheet of ice.

dave1123

The thing I find amusing is in my neck-of-the-woods, upstate NY, people forget over the summer how to drive in the snow. The first snowfall that amounts to anything finds people rushing to their auto mechanics or tire shops to get their snow tires mounted and slipping, sliding, and spinning all over the place. 2 days later, they suddenly remember to go slow and easy. It's actually dangerous to be out on the roads those first 2 days. It's also really funny to see someone with a brand new Subaru Outback going incredibly slow and wandering all over the road because the dealer told them all season tires would be all right. Not!

You can tell Duma knows how to drive in winter. When he left the house, he goosed the throttle a couple of times to test the traction so he'd know what to expect. Likewise with braking. Test the conditions so you'll have some sort of feeling for the road. I've seen too many people drive fast in the tire grooves made by other people, then lose control when they get into the deep stuff on the edges and center.

Turbo X_J

Um, truth is "they" don't know how to drive anyways. Have you ever noticed how many idjits simply use the accelerator pedal as an ON-OFF switch? When was the last time some other driver wanted to be your trailer?
Make no mistake Winter is coming and they say it is going to be a real *****.

PSA, just like the story book algebra problems everyone learned in school if you are driving slower due to weather conditions, you have to wake up a little earlier and leave for work sooner.