As to which is better, I would say it depends on where you plan to drive.
If it's mainly for occasional drives in the snowy/icey mountains then go with the cables. They're less expensive, lighter weight, and a bit easier to install. Another benefit is that they're much easier on you and the truck while driving.
I have the old tried-and-true link chains with v-bars across the links for extra traction. While they do a fantastic job off road, on even snow packed roads they tend vibrate the heck out of you and the truck.
Finally, with a rear wheel drive vehicle I would chain up all four wheels. The rear wheels for traction to get you moving, and the front ones to give you traction to steer the truck. It might help keep you out od a ditch somewhere. And don't forget a set (or two) of chain tighteners.
Cables for all the reasons T said, but only on the drive wheels. The diamond-pattern chains are excellent, also. Some shops sell the chains but give a full refund in the spring if you never used them except for a trial put-on in your driveway.
Do follow the chain speed limit, 25 or whatever. Do not drive dry or merely wet roads with the chains. Take them off if you don't need them. Never stop on an unsafe place on the road to fiddle with those chains.
Practice installing and removing the chains in your dry, well lighted driveway. Bring along something waterproof for you to kneel or lie on, a good light, and suitable gloves (warm when wet, and permits adequate dexterity). Know how to get the chains as tight as possible, drive a short way, and tighten them again.
i had to chain up the rears of the sequoia last year in some really bad snow in Tahoe (see my photos). it was my first time ever using any, but i put them on and removed with ease. btw, they worked great!! as T'sToy mentioned they do vibrate a lot though, especially when the snow is thinning out or when you pick up speed, but this was only an issue for a couple of seconds because we weren't doing either in the blizzard that we were in. IMO, i like using the chains and for some reason (probably in my head) i felt safer using them. i'll post the brand and type of chains that i bought when i get a chance (got them at Les Schwab in NorCal).
are you going to mammoth?
Chris
__________________ 2001 Sequoia 2WD SR5 Mods: Rollers - 18x9 JAOS Super Ziga wrapped w/ 285/65 BFG A/Ts, Suspension: SAW 2.0 Adj. Coilovers, UCAs, Rear Coilspacers I.C.E. - Clarion H/U w/ built in monitor, DVD Player, Drop Down, Headrest Monitors, Exterior: - Stock OEM Foglights, Wings West Spoiler, Engine:TRD Drop-In Filter
Actually Yes - We will be going to Mammoth on Friday 11/22 and will be out there for 2 nights? It's our first time up there and were told by our friends that we may need the chains.
Is there any thing that we MUST SEE / DO that you could recommend?
When I got the Tundra about 2 years ago I picked up a set of Diamond Quick Fit Chains, but you might want to look over their selection for other types.
I've never had the chance to try them for traction, but they appear well built and MADE IN THE USA.
i had to chain up the rears of the sequoia last year in some really bad snow in Tahoe (see my photos). it was my first time ever using any, but i put them on and removed with ease. btw, they worked great!! as T'sToy mentioned they do vibrate a lot though, especially when the snow is thinning out or when you pick up speed, but this was only an issue for a couple of seconds because we weren't doing either in the blizzard that we were in. IMO, i like using the chains and for some reason (probably in my head) i felt safer using them. i'll post the brand and type of chains that i bought when i get a chance (got them at Les Schwab in NorCal).
are you going to mammoth?
Chris
Chris, you need to head up to Tahoe more. The snow you're talking about barely even qualifies as "snow" up in Tahoe. It can snow heavier than that in an odd may or june storm.
To give you an idea of now much snow tahoe gets, here's a picture of my lifted pathfinder up in the Alpine Meadow Parking lot. To give you an idea of how deep that snow is, the top of my pathfinder is a little under seven feet off the ground. Look at some of the "regular" cars in the background relative to the depth of that snow. That is a slight elevation in the background, so it's not perfectly flat, but it only lift up a couple feet behind me. The rest of that is snow.
As you can see behind me, the base of that snow starts pretty far above my roof and goes quite a ways up from there. It's waaaaay over the top of my car.
When it really starts to snow, you can't park within twenty feet of the roof of a house because when 3 or 4 feet (deep) breaks loose, it dumps a pile of snow that mounds on the ground that then rolls a) through the living room glass windows and b) over the hood of your car (if it doesn't land smack dab on it the first time). That one of the reason you'll see plywood in front of first floor windows up in tahoe. It's to keep the snow that dumps off the roof from breaking the windows as the ever enlarging pile mounds closer and closer to the house. Glass windows just can't hold it back.
There is a LOT of snow that comes down in tahoe. Most of the time it's over 500 inches a year. And that isn't powdery utah snow, that's sierra cement with a very high water content. If it was colorado or utah snow it would be 750 to 1000 inches of snow a year.
By the way, I don't recommend cables for that kind of deep snow (well, unless you've got 4wd and then you don't even need them except to comply with stage 3 conditions). Not unless you're going to follow an hour or less behind a plow. If you're in tahoe with 2wd, get either chains or a set of spike spiders. Those are the ultimate snow traction device for highway usage, but a set of them is expensive. I think it's the only traction device that Saturn authorizes on their vehicles.
I've seen tons of people get stuck in a snow storm right in the middle lane of the freeway and then they screw up traffic until a tow truck pulls them out of their mess and/or back onto freshly plowed pavement where it's only 4 to 6 inches deep.
Chains aren't nearly as comfortable as cables, but at least when you get in "real Tahoe snow" you won't get stuck. Cables are fine if is only a couple of inches of the wet, mushy stuff that will put ordinary tires right in the ditch, though. But they aren't enough for a "good" storm unless you're really careful about only staying on pavement that has been plowed *very* recently or it's only a couple inches total for the storm .
Franz...i haven't been to Mammoth yet, so can't really recommend anything. just figured it was Mammoth because they're the only ones w/ snow right now! i'm waiting for Mt. High to open up, but w/ the weather being so messed up right now the season doesn't look like it's gonna start for a while.
akauth....LOL! my photo shots were actually taken 2 days after we got there. a little after the snowplow guy cleared everything too. when we first got to the cabin you couldn't even tell where the streets were (scarey) basically we just used the streets signs as a guide to get us through. i think we were the only people dumb enough to drive that night. plus remember i'm from so cal and most of our snow is man made, so any real snow that comes from the sky is new to me! btw, we're heading out to tahoe again sometime in march.
oh yeah, Franz...i've got the chains that CJ posted on his link. as you can see they are very easy to install. good luck!
__________________ 2001 Sequoia 2WD SR5 Mods: Rollers - 18x9 JAOS Super Ziga wrapped w/ 285/65 BFG A/Ts, Suspension: SAW 2.0 Adj. Coilovers, UCAs, Rear Coilspacers I.C.E. - Clarion H/U w/ built in monitor, DVD Player, Drop Down, Headrest Monitors, Exterior: - Stock OEM Foglights, Wings West Spoiler, Engine:TRD Drop-In Filter
Originally posted by Simias Franz...i haven't been to Mammoth yet, so can't really recommend anything. just figured it was Mammoth because they're the only ones w/ snow right now! i'm waiting for Mt. High to open up, but w/ the weather being so messed up right now the season doesn't look like it's gonna start for a while.
akauth....LOL! my photo shots were actually taken 2 days after we got there. a little after the snowplow guy cleared everything too. when we first got to the cabin you couldn't even tell where the streets were (scarey) basically we just used the streets signs as a guide to get us through. i think we were the only people dumb enough to drive that night. plus remember i'm from so cal and most of our snow is man made, so any real snow that comes from the sky is new to me! btw, we're heading out to tahoe again sometime in march.
oh yeah, Franz...i've got the chains that CJ posted on his link. as you can see they are very easy to install. good luck!
Hey, be careful on your drive up to Mammoth. That's a LONG stretch of two lane road with a lot of impatient idiots thinking they can pass and actually get somewhere in the procession of a couple thousand cars.
Have fun at the bars up there!
Oh, a little tip for "snow country". Those thin, 12 foot tall orange metal posts you see every 50 feet or so on the side of road are for the snow plows to tell where the edge of the road is so they know where to stop plowing.
In a good storm where the ground is covered by two feet of snow, you can use them to guide you so that you know that you're still on pavement and aren't going into a 5 foot ditch (which would look flat and just be filled in with snow).
(Sorry, you're on your own figuring out where the yellow line is!!!)
Originally posted by akauth Hey, be careful on your drive up to Mammoth. That's a LONG stretch of two lane road with a lot of impatient idiots thinking they can pass and actually get somewhere in the procession of a couple thousand cars.
Have fun at the bars up there!
Oh, a little tip for "snow country". Those thin, 12 foot tall orange metal posts you see every 50 feet or so on the side of road are for the snow plows to tell where the edge of the road is so they know where to stop plowing.
In a good storm where the ground is covered by two feet of snow, you can use them to guide you so that you know that you're still on pavement and aren't going into a 5 foot ditch (which would look flat and just be filled in with snow).
Alan
Alan
Alan - Thanks for the tip. I be sure watch out for the posts
from utah here, plenty of orange poles and snow plows. Not a bad idea to park on the other side of the poles. I saw a VW beetle after a plow went through one night during a huge storm. He was on the street side of the poles. It was ugly. beeter to go off in a snow filled ditch than be hit by a plow.
Originally posted by BillG from utah here, plenty of orange poles and snow plows. Not a bad idea to park on the other side of the poles. I saw a VW beetle after a plow went through one night during a huge storm. He was on the street side of the poles. It was ugly. beeter to go off in a snow filled ditch than be hit by a plow.
In many "snow areas" it's illegal to park on the shoulder during "snow season". (Roughly Nov 15 to April 15, plus or minus - there are signs). I guess you can park "on the other side of the poles" but don't be surprised if your vehicle gets trashed with rocks and/or rock hard snow blown right out of a road sized snow blower (they use plows on the road, huge snow blowers to cut the shoulders back to the poles).
If for some reason you get caught on the shoulder, at least flag your antenna. With a couple feet of snow, your vehicle might not be very visible and look like a snow drift.
Also heading to snow country with a 4WD Sequoia.... Have 31k on the vehicle and drove it to Mammoth once. Put Z cables on for all of 10 minutes- but at least I had them just in case.
Just put Michelin Cross Terrain tires on- up one size- should help with wet traction and light snow.
QUESTION: Is it best to put the cables on the front or rear tires with 4WD engaged? It looked as though the rear suspension might be in the way in the rear, but I wasn't sure. Put them on the front but pulling up to a stop sign on an incline they didn't grab well.
Have the z cables for the orig, tires but now have to purchase a larger set. Heading to Colorado to visit relatives and ski so need to plan ahead!
Put your chains on the rear for highway driving.
a) They'll help keep the back end in back when you brake
b) You might have clearance problems with chains on the front.
If you're plowing snow or driving around a farmyard, and the chains fit on the front, they'll give you better traction on the front---but only at slow speeds 'cuz of (a) above.
Originally posted by dmika Also heading to snow country with a 4WD Sequoia.... Have 31k on the vehicle and drove it to Mammoth once. Put Z cables on for all of 10 minutes- but at least I had them just in case.
Just put Michelin Cross Terrain tires on- up one size- should help with wet traction and light snow.
QUESTION: Is it best to put the cables on the front or rear tires with 4WD engaged? It looked as though the rear suspension might be in the way in the rear, but I wasn't sure. Put them on the front but pulling up to a stop sign on an incline they didn't grab well.
Have the z cables for the orig, tires but now have to purchase a larger set. Heading to Colorado to visit relatives and ski so need to plan ahead!
Any advice would be helpful!
(new member- glad to have found this site!)
Question:
Usually, you only need to *carry* chains with a 4wd vehicle. Unless it's something like an X5, then you may need to use them if you get into some "real snow".
Mostly you need to have chains with you for legal compliance (in case the weather turns worse) heading into a storm with a 4wd. "Locking out" is more than adequate for 99% of the situations. (sorry for the dated term). But if they ask you if you've got chains going into chain controls, you have to have them to say, "yes" so they'll let you pass. (Most of the time they don't even ask though).
Honestly, if you're really going to have to put chains on a 4wd vehicle, I'd put it on 4 wheels. That's a very rare instance.
There are arguments for front or rear, but you can solve those by equipping both axles to avoid spinning on ice (which is the only time you're really going to need them unless you've got bald tires).
Short of plowing (where 4 chained tires are better anyway), studded tires are a better option (if you're living in the stuff) with ice.
Where to get 'em
i'm waiting for Mt. High to open up, but w/ the weather being so messed up right now the season doesn't look like it's gonna start for a while. 
plus remember i'm from so cal and most of our snow is man made, so any real snow that comes from the sky is new to me! 
btw, we're heading out to tahoe again sometime in march. 
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