Hey y'all! Well for those of you who have been keeping up with my postings, Mr. Weatherperson said it'll snow and rain...according to a buddy, we'll be at 4,000 ft, it'll snow 4-6k feet (this sound right?) <br><br>I need any and all advice for the best chains or cables I can get for goin' up the hill. I NEVER drove in white stuff before and really I dread the stuff as much as I fear Wolf Ammo! <br><br>What's the diff. btw. cables and chains, and what's the best I should get? <br><br>Got a front-wheel drive Chrysler minivan.

Huh? 4-6 feet of snow? How about snowshoes? Or crampons if you're getting freezing rain on top of it, LoL. To answer your question, good chains, properly sized and installed (easy) beat cables for traction off-pavement in all conditions. Cables have virtues, but chains offer most traction off pavement. Where, generally, are you going when and why? This does not sound like a good time to learn about driving in the snow... however, with front wheel drive chained up, at least you have a good chance of staying pointed in the direction you want to go. That's why the prefered chain-up option for a 4wd is front tires if one only has one set of chains.<br><br>If the roads you will be driving on are paved and mostly plowed, cables may be the way to go. Chains get the snot beat out of them on pavement, even the expensive ones. Chains are a go-slow deal, regardless. Cables can take more speed if you must go faster. Neither are suitable for naked-tire-dry-pavement speeds. If you use either, but especially the cables, be sure to wear leather gloves when you remove them - the cables may have strands sticking up after hard use.<br> <br>Your van has some potential ground clearance issues - I recently changed a starter on one as a favor for a poor person, and it's not like a truck. My VW Fox has better ground clearance. Hard to tell if that is going to be something you should be concerned about or not. You do have some important vulnerable parts up front and low. Some of that can be handled by careful maneuvering, but... I have visions of USFS logging trails and the like dancing in my head - may not be a problem; I'm just guessing about what kind of roads you may be going on.<br><br>Please be careful! Hope you have a memorable and fun trip.<br><br>PostScript: I just dug thru your previous posts - you're going to Yosemite, right? And the snow band (I get it now) is predicted for 4,000 - 6,000 ft elevation. IIRC, the roads are pretty much paved there. Call the park and ask them what they suggest. I suspect a set of cables will do fine and that you'll not have any trouble. Slow and easy if it's slick. Have a great trip!<br><br>Tom

Should have been 4-6 thousand feet of altitude, we'll have snow, but camp is at 4000 feet....so not sure how much snow there will be on the way up.<br><br>Shoulda been more clear

Check your owners manual before you buy, some front wheel drive vehicles specify cables only...