Snow Chains

[sean-b]

If you car is not a 4x4, do you only need to fit snow chains to the drive axle or should all wheels be fitted?

[Loosehead]

all wheels, you need the grip all round. If you had them on the rear then the car would have catastrophic understeer and if you had them on the front the car would have catastrphic oversteer. So essentially if you want to go round corners then you need them on all wheels

[Gef]

Usually only on the driving wheels.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_chain

[ermm...]

what he said, but were the hell do you live to warent the use of tire chains???

[Loosehead]

take your point gef but I can't see how having only 2 wheels gripping would work.

[Gef]

Hi loosehead. I know what you mean but when I was in New Zealand last July our coach got cought in a blizzard on a mountain pass. Snow chains were then fiited to the driving wheels only (it was a six-wheeler) and they worked fine. I've got some pics - pity they can't be posted here.

[sddsddean]

When I used to drive my truck in Austria, you had to carry snow chains by law. They were only needed for the drive axle. I put them on once on a nice summers day, just so I knew how to do it. There is no way I would put them on in a blizzard!! (far too involved). Much better to park up for half an hour and wait for the snowplough!

[EDLEE]

I've used tire chains quite often in the past. I was living in Montana and Washington ( both in northwest US) and they were required to travel through all of the high pass roads (through higher elevations of the mountains) . Even in the rear wheel drive vehicles we used , chains on the drive axles were quite sufficient. With front drive cars it should work even better. Over and understeer don't come into play at the speeds you will be driving with chains on. If you are doing more than thirty-five MPH (or the equivelent metric velocity) your looking for an accident. Besides, the chains won't hold up for long at higher speeds so you will need new fenders after the beating they will take from the loosened chains beating them up. By the way, under no circumstance should you drive with them on ANY dry pavement. If it's not 100% snow covered stick to good snow tires and low speeds.