I'm looking for snowchains and looking for advice for snowchains. My main question is automatic or manual tension snow chains?

Automatics are easier and less time outside your car next to a snowy slippery road. But some people had problems with the tension system getting stuck (frozen?).

Manaul tensions chains are cheaper and not much can go wrong, downside is having to get out and re tension.

Whats are your experience with snow chains? and are there other things to look at for? I'll skip the cheap ones and get one of the known brands.

When I was younger, almost everyone had snow chains. At least they did in the ravine and bluff country of Minnesota where I live. Some used hardened cables instead of chain in the typical chain configuration to save weight, but these wore out quickly.

In thinking about this, I have not seen chains deployed on a high speed vehicle for many years. I do occasionally see them on snow blowers or tractors and logging trucks and equipment. On my brothers tractor, it takes three to lift and install the chains, and they are tensioned with bungees.

I remember on cars and trucks the cross links breaking and beating on the inside of the wheel wells. With the plastic wheel wells and the ubiquitous aluminum wheels of today, I would think tire chains could seriously damage the vehicle.

I suspect the continuation of the 11,000 year global warming trend, coupled with improvements in winter road maintenance, front wheel drive, and radial all-season tires has eliminated the need for tire chains for most people around here.

I'm a mountaineer and skier, so I go towards to snow on purpose. Besides with global warming more extreme weather is expected.

I do have winter tires (mounted on seperate steel rims), but chains are way better in thick snow and mandatory in location were I end up in. I also intend to buy decent chains to prevent chains snapping. Cheap ones are a waste of money.

Chains are relatively cheap. A decent set manual tension ones cost less then one new tire. So don't mind that.

When I need chains, sometimes required by law, I use manual ones. More of a PITA, but more or less foolproof. I like that. Practice installing them in warm dry surroundings before you need them.

Manual chains, here (NW CT). I usually have to force myself to go out the night before they're needed to install them...much better than laying in the snow, cursing myself..quarter mile down the road, retension them, and then just go...35 mph or less.
Funny thing: NOBODY else uses them around here.
Carry spare repair links, channel-lock pliers to crimp them closed, 12 gauge solid copper wire, extra bungees, and a thermos of hot tea with heavy sugar. You won't get there fast, but you'll get there sooner than the ppl sitting in the median, waiting for a tow.

If you look at my avatar, I'm at home on a cracker pony, surrounded by cypress, and yeah, I'd rather deal with hurricanes than snow nonsense.

In UK not much snow and when it does there is no need for us to travel.

As a 'get home' I have AutoSocks, but never used them. Winter tyres seem to be enough.

They are slowly replacing car chains and have been recently approved in France as an authorised chain replacement where chains are mandatory as in the Alps, so they can't be too bad.

AutoSocks

Many modern cars -- including mine -- can't use snow chains, at least not robust ones. There isn't enough room, and you would damage the car if you tried. You can fit an auto sock or some of those kevlar "chains" (looks a bit like car chain made of paracord augmented with some metal cramps).

Winter tires have become A LOT better the last decaces. So has snow plowing, salting and sanding equipment and routines. Clearly less use for snow chains than say, 30 years ago.

As long as I stay away from off-road vehicle territory (badly plowed dirt roads etc), a good set of winter tires suffices about 95-99% of the time.

Still, there are two set of conditions where I miss the option of adding some really heavy duty steel to my wheels:

1) When I want my front wheel drive to scoop and dig my way through as much snow or slush as my clearance permits.

2) Pure, solid ice, especially when that ice is wet.

I have a pair of the kevlar chains, which should provide some scooping and digging in loose snow and slush, but not nearly as good as heavy duty chains. I'm also not to convinced about how the (not too big) steel clamps will dig into hard ice. I've been looking for a nice oportunity to test the kevlar things, but that hasn't happened yet.

I also considered auto socks, which basically applies the same principles of creating friction as my winter tires, but more hard core. So they should do a similar job as my existing tires, only better. I choose the kevlar thing because a) they're cheaper, b) they apply a *different* principle than my tires (steel clamp acting as a nail, driven into the ice, or some scooping/digging).

In Anchorage, one rarely if ever sees tire chains on cars anymore, for some of the same reasons MostlyHarmless notes. About the only tire chains I see anymore are on big trucks and heavy equipment. Roads around here are plowed, and some problem areas are sanded. Salt isn't used much on our roads. (A DOT guy once told me they only mix just enough salt into their sand to keep it from freezing and clumping before it is spread. Mostly the roads are just plowed.

Additional factors in Alaska are that studded snow tires (metal studs) are legal in the winter, and nearly everyone uses them. Also, the majority of families have at least one 4WD or AWD vehicle in the household. SUVs, and 4WD pickups are common. Various AWD Subaru models (Legacy, Outback, Forester) are extremely popular, and have been for many years. I've been told that our local Subaru dealership regularly sells as many or more cars than any Subaru dealer anywhere in the entire US (not bad for a city of only ~300,000).

The Lake Tahoe area requires snow chains right now, unless you have 4WD with snow tires, which is what I have. I know they work because where other cars were slipping (guys breaking the law without chains), I cruised right by as if I was on dry land.

I don't think chains work better then a properly equipped 4WD vehicle in the Lake Tahoe area, and I have a lot of experience there. At the same time, I don't believe all 4WD vehicles offer the same performance on snow and ice. Anyway, I will forever pay the extra money for a part-time 4WD vehicle that has proper tires for snow and ice.

our serious Toyota 4x4 FJ Cruiser with the best traction tires (with studs) can handle most situations here in remote eastern oregon when used on plowed (but never salted and rarely sanded) paved mountain roads.

in deep snow-over-ice on unplowed roads, chains are necessary.

we've found that none of the fabric or cable style "chains" hold up for very long (read: short range emergencies only). we now only use all-steel chains (with cross links for ice gripping).

but this time of year when even the FJ can't make it to the house chained or not, we keep a fully chained-up old 4x4 pick up with high ground clearance at the ready. the chains on that one are extra-extra-heavy-duty modified semi-truck chains with swivel tighteners. only the pick-up has the fender room to handle such chains. these are the only chains that have held up to this sort of rough/hard use, climbing miles of our rocked-in mountain jeep-trail.

at present the snows are deep enough that we must leave the "road vehicles" at the bottom of the mountain and can only get in/out via the old pick-up. if snows get much deeper, we'll have to horseback or snowshoe the rest of the winter.

the joys of wilderness living!



taken a couple years ago of my gal saddling up to go to town when the chained-up pickup could no longer get through