Snow Chain Question

OK, I'm in Northern CA, and I've never used chains on my Jeep but I'm headed up to Tahoe and my wife insists on taking chains. So I've seen this setup on other 4x4's where they put the chains on the front tires in R3 highway conditions. Is this normal or if I DO need to put on chains should I just put em on the rears and forget the 4x4, or what?

R1: Chains are required - snow tread tires allowed.
R2: Chains are required on all vehicles except four wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels.
R3: Chains are required - all vehicles - no exceptions.

P.S. 30x9.50's BFG A/T (severe M/S code)

(IMO) If it's so bad that they call for chains (R3). I would go with what works and put them on the front if not all 4.
The front will do most of the pulling and all the steering. Chains on the front will brake better too.
When I plowed I always keep the chains on the front. Even if I had to take them off a back wheel to replace a broken one on the front. It just worked so much better with chains on the front.

If you have one set, put them on the front. I wouldn't use two sets unless it was REALLY bad and you had trouble with the front chained.

The best is 4 chains. But put them on the front as others have said if you only have one pair.

I tried them here (4 chains) in the recent blizzards of the Denver/Colorado Springs area and they are great traction devices.

I have no proof but I strongly feel that crappy bald tires with chains will outperform a brand new snow tire without chains.

They take practice to put on but once you learn you get much better.

The only cons is that they ride rough on packed snow/ice and you can't travel more than 25-30 tops without risking the chains coming off.

Get good rubber band or spring type tighteners and make them snug as possible.

Hope this helps.

If you have no lift, you need to get them very tight on those 30" tires to keep from beating up the fenders, especially in the rear.

While you will get better traction putting chains just in the front, its really a very bad idea. Your front (unchained) will turn ok, even on ice, if you arent on the throttle - but throttle or no, the momentum of a turn is far more likely to drag your rear (unchained) around you on a corner, or around you going downhill. Call the manufacturer of your chains and most will confirm that, the others will send you to the vehicle manufacturer.

If you have a vehicle with full time 4 wheel drive as an option, do NOT chain just one axle and try to use full time 4 wheel drive. Chain up front and rear, or chain the rear and go part time.

I was wondering this myself recently. I looked at the owner's manual, and even the FSM, but it did not say which axle to chain up when only using one set of chains. I found this recently at a web site - it made sense. :

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"To alleviate confusion and retain as much of the normal handling characteristics of your 4WD/AWD as possible, install traction devices on all four tires. Under normal driving conditions, a vehicle has about the same amount of traction at each wheel, creating a feeling of "normal" control during braking, acceleration and cornering. Under snow and ice conditions this balance is destroyed. If snow chains are installed only on the front tires, the rear of the vehicle can react unpredictably during braking and driving. If snow chains are only installed on the rear tires, the steering ability of the vehicle is limited. To get this balance back, the vehicle should be completely equipped with snow chains. Remember that traction devices are sold in pairs. Therefore, if you want to cover both axles (all four tire) on the vehicle, you must purchase two pairs."

Found here: http://tirechain.com/california-chain-requirement.htm