Last year I finally got to try my chains (radial chains, but with real chain, not just cables) on my 14" BFG AT KO's on my 2WD Westy. To be safe, I tossed 3 or 4 90lb bags of concrete in the back. This was on a Christmas tree hunt into the backwoods locally. I made it to bottom of the first big hill without chains, where there was about 2' of snow on the side, and fairly well packed snow on the road, although only a single vehicle wide (this is well beyond where plows will go, about 5kms beyond public roads). I chained up and tackled the hill (it is a 2nd gear hill at best in the summer, sometimes 1st if it's really rough, probably about 12% grade, close to 15% near the top) in 1st. I was amazed how easy it was, so continued further up the ridge another several kms. (this is beyond Burnt Bridge east of Shawnigan Lake for any Island locals). When the snow on the sides reached halfway up the doors, and I was plowing with the bumper, my wife insisted we started looking for a tree. :-) Twice on the way back I had to pull over to let a truck pass - the first time I was amazed that I could nose into the snow bank, then back out if reverse with hardly any wheel spin. The second time I met a ford 4x4 powerstroke coming up the first big hill. We both pulled halfway off to pass each other, and he got stuck, and ended up backing the whole way down the hill - the same hill I came up with no problems...

In short, chains + 2WD + snow = amazing traction. :-))

On 29 Aug 2007 at 19:29, Dan Barrett wrote:

> Looking ahead to the winter, and without inadvertently starting a tire > thread, does anyone have thoughts on running tire chains or cables on > top of snow tires? > > My bus is a regular old 2WD, and it does okay in the snow with badass > Vredestein Transport snow tires plus 100lbs. of tube sand in the back. > However, I do a lot of driving in Vermont, and I can remember at least > one particularly hairy night last year when the blacktop was frozen, > the snow was falling fast, and I would have loved to have chains to > make it the last twenty miles home without visiting a ditch. > > Has anyone used chains? Tirerack.com has some blurb about how chains > should never be used over snow tires; can anyone elaborate? > > Best, > d. > 1990 GL -- "Mudskipper"

Shawn Wright http://members.shaw.ca/vwdiesels '88 Westy 1.6TD 5 speed '85 Jetta Diesel 1.6NA