i believe it's because the front has more clearance than the back. we put them on the back once and it scratched up the boot over the wheel a little bit, but nothing horrible. it doesn't scratch full time, only when you hit a deep plow line or something that feels like a speed bump.

next time we will put them on the front...

 

p.s. the handling with the chains on the rear was very good. never felt like it was sliding around anywhere, and the traction control only kicked on once up the mountain. part of the reason we chose the backs was b/c the chain area was on a small incline and you had all these crazy people with small cars like FWD honda civic putting them on the fronts and they were barely getting out of the chain area and spinning their tires as they were trying to pull out. it was really, really scary

 

i cant wait to drive up there this winter too. i think im going to be staying in reno, cause the rooms are way cheaper...lol...since its pretty much a dead (no offense) town.

i hope my RX awd can handle it. i dont plan to bring chains, just hope that 4wd and vsc will be enough. those and the all season michelines i have on.

 

yeah you should be fine. we went thru some blizzard like conditions on the way back from mammoth and the RX did great. trac control kicked on only once or twice and did a great job getting the car back on track when we started sliding a bit.

i think you only need chains in really icy conditions where you are climbing a steep incline and doing some crazy windy mountain turns. Big Bear requires them after big storms b/c it is a pretty scary drive up that mountain.

 

I suggest staying in Reno. Lake Tahoe prices are insane in the winter. It's only about 1/2 hour or so to the slopes from Reno so no big deal at all. After a long day of skiing/snowboarding, even an hour drive can be rough sometimes.

When I was at Davis, I'd still stay in Reno. I live way up the 80 now. About 1 hour from North Tahoe or less. If I was Sacramento or further, I'd still stay in Reno.