11bravo

Mellon, that is not 100% correct. There is a condition under which ALL vehicles must have chains on drive wheels. I lived at Lake Tahoe for 12 years, and commuted to Fresno every single weekend of that time. Never drove anything but dedicated 4WD vehicles. There were not many times when chains were absolutely required, maybe 4 or 5, but it does happen. In fairness to your reply, it is rare, and will usually occur shortly before the roadway is completely shut down, which happened to me 5 times. No fun spending between 3 and 16 hours parked on the road in your car in a blizzard.

The other concern is that not all 4wd vehicles are actually 4wd. On many trucks and SUV's, if the front and rear wheels on one side of the vehicle get stuck in the snow, you are not going anywhere, because the other side wheels will not move while the stuck ones just spin. At that time, chains are a great thing to have.

11bravo

Weeellll, those are the cable chains, and they are not highly regarded. I consider them crap, but I might be in the minority on that. The statute only requires chains on drive wheels. They close the road before it would ever get bad enough for chains on all wheels.

SteveCraig

You are correct, I'm a little off track based on the OP's question.
I'm just having trouble using the words 'snow" & "California" in the same sentence !
From where I live, just doesn't seem logical.

11bravo

That is perfectly understandable, Steve. California is a strange place, in many ways. I was born and raised there, and finally got out in 1994. During that time, however, I was amazed at the the weather and geographical diversity. The lowest and driest point in the lower 48 (Death Valley); the highest point in the lower 48 (Mt. Whitney), nearly 1000 miles of coastline, and the entire eastern half of the state has less than 5% of the total population. It doesn't snow in many areas, but in the Sierra Nevada, it snows like nobody's business.

Even in the Sierra, though, the winter's are short and mild, by your standards.

I hope the OP got all the restrictions, and their needs, sorted out.

Jim

Htony

I always have two sets of tires/rims. For the hassle of dealing with chain, It's lot easier switching tires/rims when season changes. I do it myself. My family only use AWD vehicles, young and old. All has two sets of tires/rims which I change myself. Chain, strap always has a chance of getting loose and cause scratches on fender or rim, etc. while driving. Putting on/off chain, strap is such a hassle.

Sh1nra

Any recommendations on snow chains? I drive a 2013 Rx350 with 19inch wheels and all season. Heading to tahoe for the first time in years and I read its required as its snowing pretty hard.

11bravo

Go to Walmart and buy a set of chains...ACTUAL CHAINS, not cable "chains". Take them with you, but you will likely not need them, if you have AWD. Both 50 and 80 are cleared quickly, and regularly. If it is not actually snowing, it is unusual to require chains. If you do need them, you will have them. If you don't take them out of the package, you can return them.

Htony

Wouldn't chain on an OEM wheel cause cosmetic damage like scratches, dings?

RobertGift

At Walmart I boughthese:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Peerless-...ype=10&veh=aff

11bravo

That is a good question. If they are installed correctly, and checked for tightness within a couple hundreds yards of installation, and another mile or so later, there will be no contact with the wheel. If someone does a sloppy job installing, and doesn't re-check, wheel damage is possible. In any case, chains should only be used when required, under conditions making their use absolutely necessary.

11bravo

If your tire size is listed on the container, those are the chains you need. Read the directions carefully, and practice, at least in your mind, going through the steps. Don't take shortcuts, don't skip anything. They are a great traction device, but only if used properly.

raylor4

I have actual experience. If you have AWD and M+S (mud and snow) tires with good tread, you do not need chains. When conditions get so bad (ice) that you would need chains on AWD, they close the road, as was done Jan 10 & 11. The chain restrictions apply to FWD vehicles. If you were to go up to Squaw Valley on a snowy day, you will be OK with AWD. The weather forecast is for an epic ski weekend Jan 14-16-16. Get ready for crowds. Have fun.
Ray A.

mcmallatt

I have lived in South Lake Tahoe now for 50 years, ca. law requires you to have chains that will fit your car with you at all times in the winter. This year 2017 they were talking about not allowing cable chains to go over the mountain passes anymore. The highway patrol if they want can stop you on dry pavement and require you to show them that your chains will fit by having you install them in front of them.

raytseng

I just picked up Konig / THule XG12 pro in size 247, despite having AWD. I also go to Tahoe regularly, but for me, this is less about the law then being prepared for when you get yourself stuck, you are able to get out.
Plus my brother has the same size tire on a 2WD and can use them when he goes up.

Dilemma:
Konig's application chart recommends size 250, even though the tire is dimensionally almost identical to 235/60 R18 (where they recommend size 247).
Etrailer.com indicates that 235/55 R19 size 247 will work and they endorse using that size.

I believe what is going on is size 247 probably is going to be on the tighter end of the adjustability, and 250 is on the looser end, but both can work.

I went with the 247 smaller size because I know chains stretch over time and eventually you have to take out a extension link..
I've test fitted and they go on fine. Agree it is a little tight so you really have to line up the chains and tug a bit to get the connections, versus other sets where you have a bit more slack to work with.

Reason picking Thule is I've had experience with them before so know the ins-and-outs of install, and wanted chain-chains not cable chains, since this is about not getting stuck.

If your intention is to just get past Caltrans and you're staying on the main roads, I'd recommend cable chains over chain-chains. The highways will be at least scrapped and with less than 2inches of snow, cables give you a smoother ride, less space, less weight, easier to manipulate putting on. Still you definitely spend the extra to get the premium models where you do not need to move the car, and are auto-adjusting, e.g. superz).