asks my dad, should we put snow chains on the fit? any benifits? consequences? we've never used chains on any car before. and snow tires are not too cheap right now. and if by some reason, if we do put chains, is it just on the front tires? or all of them?

 

Snow chains are not an alternative to snow tires, they are a temporary slow speed measure used only on the front tires to get through a snowed in mountain pass or something... You can't go very fast with chains on and they can very possibly damage your car if they come off or if improperly installed. If you live in a snowy climate snow tires are cheap insurance, get'em!

 

u put the chains on the front tires but keep in mind u can't drive faster than 25mph. realistically you should keep speeds at 20 and below. otherwise you run the risk of the chains exploding and causing some major damage.

 

Chains help in snowy and icy roads. They only go on the cars driving wheels. Since the Fit is FWD they go on the front wheels.

Most of the bad things you will hear about chains are due to improper installation, tire pressure, size selection, and speeding. And yes bad things can happen when they are not installed properly. Things like loose chains slapping against the inner fender of your car and messing that up, to a total failure where the chain snaps and wraps around the axle of your car. The second of which means you will probably be waiting for a tow truck.

Just make sure to get the right chains for your car. Do some research. Then practice and learn how to put them on properly. This is important because if you have to put the chains on while stopped on the side of the road, it will be cold, wet, noisy, and full of distractions. You want to make sure you get them on right. I practiced a few times in my own driveway just to make sure I got the hang of it, and kept the instructions in the glove compartment just in case.

Just my two cents from my Snowboard addiction days many moons ago where road conditions meant nothing to me so long as there was snow on the slopes.

 

Agree with the above. Snow tires will prolong the life if your all-season tires, so in the long run the cost is minimal. If they save you one accident, they've paid for themselves anyway.

Chains are wise in addition to winter tires if you go through very snowy areas, but as mentioned above they are only useful in severe snow conditions and at low speeds. You use them for short periods of time. They aren't meant to be mounted and used all winter.

 

i ran last winter on OEM dunlops... no issues the car was fine in the snow... a bit tricky to get rolling but once i was rolling i had no issues... and i found through my tooling around that slides are very easy to control... tho i never slid once when i did not intend to the ones i purposly did were easy and fun to control... i personally found that i ddnt need snow tires, but if you want more traction go with snow tires not chains as said above...

 

Hey, Bro...

I bought Blizzaks because Sears had them on hand, right now!

$407 w/ balance, 7% tax and road hazard coverage!

I was searching for Mich. Ice-X, but NO ONE had them on hand.

Getting rims for my summer M/S Dunlops so I can switch tires seasonally. I also bought a set of 4 TPMS sensors, on-line, for $120ish shipped!

 

I finally used my chains when going down from the mountain after snowboarding. Only use them in emergency situations like this. It stared snowing heavy at 11pm and there were no snowplows around. All season tires did well going up the mountain, but started to slip once it started snowing. That's when the chains went on.

 

in that case, i guess i can only use it for pulling out the driveway and in/out the parking lot in the morning. is it hard to put the chains on? and how long does it take a guy to put on chains on two tires, decent/noob skill of course. And if i use winter/snow tires, i would only need it for the front tires right? since thats where all the traction is, right?

 

DO NOT only put snows on the front! that is very dangerous! if you have good tires on the front and bad tires on the back your rear wheels will loose traction first, sending you into a very hard to control oversteer and you will likely crash... theres a video out there that illustrates this well i'll find it and post it up

 

Heres the Link.... Changing Tires: Tire Basics: Tire Care & Buying Guide: Michelin Tires


given this shows tread effect on wet road... the same principles apply... if your grippy tires are up front you will end up in trouble!

 

wow O.O thats a big difference.... scary...

 

I bought a pair of SCC Whitestar Alloy chains for the front of my Fit.

Perhaps I'll use them twice in the next five years. Seasonal snow tires or studs just don't make sense for my conditions.

Every year, though, there will be black ice on some highway between Flagstaff, Payson, and Prescott. If it saves me a tow, it's worth it. Hopefully, I can get back up to the slopes this season!

I finally bought chains for my F-250, too.

 

how long does it take to put chains? and is it hard? general instruction if not too hard?

 

It takes a few minutes to put chains on, and a few minutes to take them off.

It's way too much bother for a driveway run. If all-seasons don't give you sufficient traction on your driveway, winter tires are your solution. And yes, definitely buy four.

 

What ever you do bring a friend if you think you might need chains eventually.

"Go put them on"
"No, its your car"
"Your the one getting the free ride! .....and hurry up... Close the door your letting the heat out!"

 

hehe i rather not if im going to hear that

 

LOL classic
anybody recommend some tire chains and particular store to buy them at? I'm going up tomorrow.. kinda last minute, wished I planned for this earlier. I really like the design pokems23 has a few posts up. what brand/model/location can i get that one?

EDIT: I think those are cables not chains. I like the cable look. it seems it would function better with the fit too

 

I'm sorry but that is the worst advice I have EVER seen given for snow chains ,,,,not to start a war but they are talking about hydroplanning on water,,,,,not even CLOSE to driving on snow. If you put chains on the REAR of your FRONT WHEEL DRIVE car your gonna go NOWHERE. Front or all wheels ,,,but NEVER just the rear.( on front wheel drive cars)
I saw the video and I will have to say that IMHO most drivers are NOT gonna feel the front wheels slip befor they end up in the ditch. Most drivers are just not paying that much attention, cuz if they where they would have known they were goin to fast for conditions way befor they slide. Again,,,IMHO most drivers will handle a tail sliding out MUCH BETTER than the front. At least you still have steering when the tail goes south. On snow,,, if your front tires are balder than the rear as recommended in the video your gonna slide right off the road at the first turn.
Best deal for convienance is studded tires. Good traction on ice and light snow. always there, never have to put on.
Chains are for the heavy stuff but are more work to put on. And by the way,,,I had to sign a paper ackknowledging the FIT was NOT TO BE RUN WITH CHAINS on. That was just the dealer covering they're but, I know you can run them but you better put them on tight or your gonna lose a fender. Cables are pretty good and not ,to hard to put on but they have a lesser amount of grip on heavy snow and are a little fragile and wear fast. A new product called SPIDERS I think are the cats meow for all the right reasons,,,they install in seconds,,,give very good traction, less chance of damage to your car,,,,but VERY pricey.
This comes from living in snow country for all my life and driving a snow plow for the state. I have seen about everything out there and kinda know what works and what dos'nt here where I live. It may be very different in our area. The type of snow and how steep the hills are all have to go in the factoring of what you need for traction. The best advice is not to drive on the roads when they are slippery,,,but we all know that is not always possible...so the next best thing is to GO SLOW,,,no faster than the speed you want to hit something at,,,trees hurt!!!

 

thanks for the advice!

hopefully I wont need chains tonight for mammoth mountain in California.

but I want those Spike-Spiders! Man do they look high-tech :-P