For anyone interested in snow chains, read on. Or if you want to hear the negatives, also read on.

So my family made plans for a last minute snow trip to Lake Tahoe for Christmas and there was no option for a rental. I looked up reviews regarding the best snow chains or cables and found the Security Chain Co. They carried chains, radial cables, and Z-pattern cables. The Z-patterns would give the most grip since it had more contact to the ground.

I picked up a pair of SZ135 at my local Pepboys for about $65 and did a practice run the night before the road trip. It was fairly easy and took maybe no more than 2 minutes for each side. No problem right? Chains that do not require retightening after driving because of the rubber straps doing the work for you.

Christmas day we loaded up and drove from the Bay Area to Lake Tahoe. Chains are required right after the first peak a little after Placerville. I've never put on chains that early, but there was a lot of snow coming down the entire week. So I get out and begin the installation, but ran into a problem. A full trunk and added weight dropped my car an extra half or full inch. My G is still stock but the added weight made it difficult to reach the chain on the inside part of the wheels. So with enough struggle, I finally get it attached on one side. The other rear tire took longer due to more weight on that side. My wife's smaller wrist and added skill to hook the inside chain (hooking bra strap without looking), made things easier. I did have to lift the car by hand just to help her a little. So the chain install was about 10-15 minutes, with very light snow falling and maybe 32 degrees.

The drive wasn't bad since we went up one of the two steepest inclines already and all that was left was a downhill grade and lots of flat areas. I kept our speed at 30-35mph and slower when traffic built up. The "SLIP" light was blinking like a strobe during most the drive so it helped me keep my speeds steady and low. My son had his first experience making yellow snow twice, so that was one proud moment. The difficult part of the drive was the last steep incline right before Lake Tahoe. The chains and the front tires barely held on due to the grade (maybe 15-35 degree incline) and the amount of curves on the road. This is were my stress level went up and I was maybe going only 5-10mph just to stay on the road. The snow was coming down a little more at this point but not white-out conditions. I get past the incline and the downward grade to Lake Tahoe was easy.

We finally get to our destination 5hr 45min later at around 10:45PM to see the other side of the family right before Christmas day ends. To my dismay, I find the toll of using tire cables. My 17in OEM rims are scratched from the cables rotating with the tires. I had a feeling it was going to happen, but I thought the rims didn't protrude enough to touch the chains. You can see the results in the pictures below.

So to wrap up my little experience with using tire cables, the drive was a success and we had probably one of the funnest Christmas vacations ever. I now have a reason to buy a set of summer wheels and tires (upgrade to 18" or 19"!!!) and now have a set of winter snow traveling tires. It would've been smarter to pick up some steelies with the same size, but that would've taken more time than I actually had. It's a minor blemish that can be fixed, and the car is still bad$ss.

The only other problem I ran into beside the the scratched wheels was that my engine started to make a chain rattling or scratching noise on the trip home. It was a very faint noise that could be heard for a few seconds, then stops for another few, and begins again. It sounds like a chain being pulled over an edge type of noise but very faint. Has anyone experienced this noise before and/or can tell me what can be the issue? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Sorry for the long story.

 

OUCH. I would cringe to find those marks on my wheels. Hey at least the damages were done to your OEMs and not your expensive aftermarkets. Perhaps you can powdercoat your OEMs now?

Anyway, I was up in Big Bear last 3 weekends. 2 of the 3 trips required snow chains which was a PIA but still had a blast. To be honest, I would never take my G to the mountains in those conditions. I thank my mom for lending me her Lexus RX for the trips.

 

Ouch. Poor rims. Is yours an X or RWD??


Snow chains are not allowed where i live but we don't have the serious conditions to require them like that.

 

AHHHHHH thats sad

 

kind of off-topic but what is that little insignia on the rim that looks like an "m"?? I've seen it on lots pf other alloys as well.....
EDIT: not bein an a** but just checked our manual and it says "s-type only" for chains, and yeah that sucks. I'm like you though my oem 17's are rashed from sliding into a curb this winter- live and learn.

 

I had to use chains to get home two weeks ago. Long story short the incline was so steep my car was probably going about 1-2 mph due to traction control. At one point I thought I was either going to stall my car from the low rpm's or start sliding backward. I was watching the perforated lines and just wishing my car forward. I heard alot of bad noises (never used chains before then), but no damage I could see.

 

wow. i saw the first pic and i was like oh that's barely anything... but dang that's some mean rashing

 

J2S2M - Ya, the site of the scratches made me twitch a little and then focused a few seconds later. Remembered the good things that will come from it.

Mustang5L5 - My G is RWD so pretty much no luck going with M+S tires only.

TwinInfin - I have no clue on "m" insignia and always wondered myself. Google might have the answers somewhere. Let me know if you find it, please. What does the "s-type only" for chains mean? Maybe I shouldn't be so lazy and check my manual myself.

5150DS - I was glad that the roads were clear of snow on the way out of Lake Tahoe. It may have been impossible to drive out of Lake Tahoe due to the steep zigzag road you first hit.

snotf - I'm kind of glad that they only look like worn out rashed areas and not deep cut-like scratches. There was already one deep road rash from the previous owner.

 

That little "m" is actually JWL (looks like JIL), which is a similar to the US DOT. og-made.com archives

 

^ yeah it's basically the japanese seal of approval that the wheel meets the required spec's for passenger vehicle use...

 

wow! 15-35% grade?!? that's extremely steep. i'm surprised you could move at all. a 35% grade is as steep as the steepest double-black diamond ski run you'll find! Canada limits major highways to a 10% max gradient but you sometimes find ~15% on small local roads...

 

Sorry, I may have exaggerated a little on the uphill grade. A 35 degree angle does seem a little steep. I'll just guess no more than 20 degrees for a good mile stretch. I'll look around the web to see if there is any data.

 

Like Canuck said, We have extremely steep and icy raods in the rockies. I took my 03 RWD Sedan with a set of Nokian Hakkepelita's and had no problems. Tire chains should only be used to get yourself out of trouble. Once your stuck with chains your really stuck. If it is allowed in your area get studded tires next time.

 

Thanks alot guys, I've been wondering what that was for a few yrs lol