tire chains for the prius

[font=Times New Roman:28aaa4d87b] [/font:28aaa4d87b] When I got my Prius from the dealer I had to sign a waiver that if I put tire chains on the car I would not sue them if the chains do damage to the Prius.

 

Yesterday I purchased a new set of cable chains for my Prius as I will be heading up to the mountains this weekend and traction devices will most likely be required. The pair I got was from a local Portland company called Security Chain Company model SC 1026 for around $25.

I'll know better how they perform next week.

I would question your dealer about this waiver. On page 294 of my manual it states:

Installing snow tires and chains

WHEN TO USE SNOW TIRES OR CHAINS

Snow tires or chains are recommended when driving on snow or ice.

On wet or dry roads, conventional tires provide better traction than snow tires.

Having used cable chains on many of my vehicles, I do not see any specific issues using them on a Prius assuming they are installed correctly.

Do you know if your dealer requires this waiver for all cars, or is it just specific to the Prius?

 

[font=Lucida Console:07d82b64ef] [/font:07d82b64ef] I found out later that the dealership was sue because someone put chains on a chevrolet corvette and the car was damage.

 

This past Saturday, I was supposed to head up to Breitenbush Hot Springs, but as luck would have it, the Portland area got hit with a nasty ice storm. We rescheduled our trip to Monday as the local highways were turned into parking lots. Two hours later, our power cut out, forcing us to head out to restock on batteries and candles.

While most drivers were busy spinning their tires (many with 4WD), the traction control and VSC performed amazingly well (though the stock tires leave something to be desired). As an experiment, I drove to an empty parking lot glazed over with ice to see how my car would react. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to lose control no matter how hard I punched the gas pedal.

By Monday, most of the ice had melted, so we packed up the car and headed to Breitenbush. When we hit the secondary mountain roads, I ran into my first issue. While the SUV’s ahead of me had cleared two grooves in the snow, the underside of the Prius was taking a beating due to its low ground clearance. I attempted driving on top of the snow, but being mostly slush, the handling was abysmal as well as triggering the traction control and VSC every few minutes.

Being only a few miles from my destination, I resigned myself to having to put on my newly purchased chains. Having already tested installing my chains, I already knew just how difficult they were to install and had brought along a pair of leather garden gloves, two sets of locking pliers and a small tarp to kneel on. Ten minutes later, we were back on the road. Once I was able to ride on top of the snow, the rest of the trip, though slow going, was uneventful. I was concerned about the low clearance between the tires and the wheel well, but I had no issues even with speeds up to 27 mph.

Twenty minutes later, we got into the parking lot, and much to my surprise, the only other non-SUV in the parking lot, was another chained-up Prius!

By the way, the chains did stretch nicely during my first use, so they will install much easier next time I need them.

 

The Pruis handles quite well in the snow. I go up to the mountains snowboarding nearly every weekend. Haven't had to put chains on yet! My little car does far better than those SUV and trucks in the snow and ice!

 

Inexpensive insurance is to always carry and use two sets of chain binders. These make up for lack of experience in applying and using chains - keeps the chains snug and minimizes damage to the vehicle body. If one chain binder breaks you still have another attached.

 

I think these Go Claws would be more convenient and also give a better ride.

Go Claws

I do not own or have any affiliation with this product, I just happened to stumble across them. My new Prius should be in this week!

 

Similarly, there's these:

http://www.spike-spider.com/

Someone on the NE section board posted this link and bought a pair. No word on how well they work.

-bob

 

I hope whoever that was will give us a report. I'm impressed with the mechanics of the Spider rig and it looks like they should be easy to fit any time during the winter as long as the wheel kit was in place.

 

I had the spiders on the car that the prius just replaced.

They worked very well the few times I actually needed to use them... They are also _exceedingly_ simple to put on/off once the locking hub is installed.

 

Funny, you should ask about Spike' Spiders. The entire reason I just googled "Prius snow chains" and found this thread was because I am considering buying a Prius but I will NEVER buy a vehicle that requires Spikes Spiders again. So I wanted to confirm I could use normal cable chains on the Prius.

I had a mini-van that had too little tire clearance for normal cable chains, so I was forced to use Spike's Spiders. After one winter I sold that van.

Granted, they are very easy to put on, but the plastic is very soft and in anything resembling a 'stuck' situation, the 'arms' just bend out of the way as your tires spin. Maybe they have gotten better but if not, then stay well away from them.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hmbprius @ Jan 10 2005, 01:41 PM) [snapback]62796[/snapback]</div>

This is close to what we have:

http://www.amazon.com/Super-SZ123-Cable-Pa...s/dp/B000HZFDOG

work very well.

Specifically not easy to put on in the snow, so put them on in advance.

 

I just checked the Go Claws website and got the following message for my 2004 Prius: Sorry. We do not have GoClaws to fit tire size 185/65R15

 

I bought a set of these but have not used them yet. Easy on/off but pricey.

http://www.lacledechain.com/cat/traction/pass_alpinedetail.php#

 

I have no specific experience with the Prius in snow....having just under 500 miles on my 'o8

However, living in the mountains of Oregon, I have lots of experience with ice, snow and tire chains.

The spike spiders are terribly easy to install, but you have to leave a special "hub" device attached 24/7 throughout the winter. The spike spiders also give minimal traction from the comments I have heard from lots and lots of people who have used them.

A better choice is a set of Z cables or Diamond Link Chains. Our local tire chain here in the PacNorthwest sells them for around $70. They are actually made by Security Chain Company of Oregon.

The diamond link chains GRIPPPP!!! and are really simple to put on. Even my wife can do it in about 10 minutes and she is a real "klutz" around cars.

http://www.scc-chain.com/Traction%20Pages/Trac_WS.html

If you don't want to spend a bunch, the Ladder-style cables are pretty easy to put on and only cost around $20. The traction is not as good as Z-Cables or the Diamond Link chains, but it isn't bad.

On my large rig I use the Diamonds and in bad weather it is the only rig that can make it up my 500 yard steep driveway -- On my camry and corolla, I use the simple ladder cables and they are good enough most of the time, even chopping through light ice and freezing rain. But if traction gets real dicey, they won't cut it:

http://www.scc-chain.com/Traction Pages/Trac_SC.html

The old ladder style chains are a bit better than the ladder cables, but are hellish to put on unless you are an old hand....

Here's a comparison from the SCC chain page.....no interest in the company, well, other than hoping their products hold up...LacLede also makes good chains and I think also sells competing products to SCC.

http://www.scc-chain.com/Traction Pages/Trac_comparison.html

At any rate, I would look at the Diamond chains first, they are pricey, but will probably last for the life of the vehicle and will give the best traction by far, as well as being easy to put on without tools or any special know-how, etc....Check out the installation photos/videos....it should convince you.

Whatever product you use, practice putting them on and off BEFORE you head out with them

 

The problem with snow chains is they usually are too bulky to fit between the tire and strut. That's a good thing about the Spikes Spiders because they don't wrap around the backside at all. They are pretty expensive at $450, though. Plus you have to plan ahead and mount the hub to your wheel and keep it there all winter.
Check out Snobootz. They've got a size to fit the Prius. They are made of cloth, so they wrap around the tire pretty tight. And they've got metal cleats to grab on the ice. At $250, they're still pretty high, but you can find them at NW Truckworks for a little cheaper.
-Kurt

 

Sure, I know I'm four years late... but I just read up on these (since we're heading to the snow again), and found this nugget:
"Due to limited clearance. we do NOT recommend GoClaws for front wheel drive vehicles."

 

Anybody brave the snow blizzard of 2010 with chains on their Prius?

I drive a 2006 and have not tried snow chains, cables or the snow spiders...

I will purchase some after this storm as it lools like we will not have a pleasant end to this winter in the mid-atlantic

 

We have to chain up all of cars every couple of weeks around here.

My suggestions - buy cables instead of chains. Chains are great for really heavy snow, but usually there is only a couple of inches on the roads - if that - because of the good work of the snowplows. Around here, we often are required to chain up even if there isn't much snow on the road over the passes. Chains have a habit of breaking easily on bare roads. Cables tend to last a little longer.

Don't wait until you are near the snow to buy the cables - the closer you are, the higher the price!

When you put the cables on - try to tighten the inside of the wheel first - and make it as tight as you can. Then tighten the outside. Once on, roll a couple of revolutions, then retighten the outside to be sure they are snug.

Of great importance - by sure to "tuck your tails". The ends of the cables need to be secured - the cables always have some type of little gizmo to secure the tails. If they are not secured, and are a bit longer - they can whip around the wheel well and cause damage.

I take mine off as soon as they are not required, and the roads aren't covered with snow. The more you run them on bare or almost bare road, the faster they will break. I'm lucky to get 30 miles out of a cable before it starts to break - and this is with keeping the speed to 35 or below.

If the snow is a couple of feet deep - likely neither chains nor cables will do that much good as the snow will build up under the car. So if it gets really deep - curl up by a warm fire.