To all you "snow country" guys: what are the best tire chains to buy for my '06 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4? Do you have to chain up all four tires or can you get away with chaining up only the rears. I guess that would depend on how much snow was on the ground.

 

I don't know that any brands are better than others but there are different types. The z chains give the best ride but tend to be more expensive. Regular cross chains are fine unless you are planning on using them a lot. Some chains are just chains and others have a v-bar which makes them better in ice but they don't ride as well in other conditions. Just make sure that the chains fit well and that you have a good way of tensioning them. Also, don't drive too fast. You will break chains and they will destroy your fender wells if you do.

You only need to chain up all 4 if you need the traction. The advantage to putting them on the rear is that your truck won't spin when you break. The advantage to using them on the front is that your truck will steer better and have more traction(more weight). I have chains for all 4 and usually chain up the rear first, then add the fronts if I need them.

 

take a look at this site here, you can check out your state regs also

http://tirechain.com/Default.htm

 

Do cables snap as easily as chains under higher speeds? At the store, I noticed on the box for chains it said not to drive over 30 mph because it might snap the chains. But they didn't say that on the box for the cables (unless I forgot).

 

I have a set of front tire chains that are for a semi-trucks moded to fit a 265 70 r17 tire. There easy to mod to fit your tire and have a the best tensioning system that I have seen. There are three types if I recall right, mud chains, snow chains, and there is a set of snow chains called feather lights. Mud chains dont have the v bar chains that run across the tire just heavy short link chain.

 

Thanks Doug..............this is all a person needs to know.

 

I've got singles V-bars on my dually and it will go thru snow like you wouldn't believe. it spins but it goes. I have a pair of 2 foot 2x4's that are tapered on the ends that I run the inside duallys on. It makes getting the chains on easier. they tell me I'm old and slow but it takes me less than 10 minutes to chainup.

 

When my folks used to travel to their cabin and snow was forcast, my dad had a 2x12 with 1x4 strips placed on it so he could install the chains if necessary.
Said it worked pretty good.