Buying snow chains in California

[skyactiv]

My wife is a business analyst and has an upcoming work assignment in California. She's going to drive her Audi and plans on skiing while out there. She's leaving on Monday.
It's my understanding California can require snow chains in certain areas when weather conditions or upcoming weather conditions persist. Her Audi has 245/40/18's on it.
Are snow chains easily found in Cali where needed? I cant get any from Amazon in time or locally.

 

[CKN]

They can be found at Pep Boys and other automotive supply stores. The CHP (California Hwy Patrol) can be quite picky with chain control. Sometimes it doesn't matter what kind of vehicle or power train (4WD) or tires you have, they still want to see chains.

Probably has to do with the almost non-existent skill level of California drivers and snow. If chain control is in effect, they have been known to go through parking lots at the ski slopes and ticket the cars without chains, lest you made it in through a side road and didn't chain up.

 

[user52165]

Originally Posted By: CKN
They can be found at Pep Boys and other automotive supply stores. The CHP (California Hwy Patrol) can be quite picky with chain control. Sometimes it doesn't matter what kind of vehicle or power train (4WD) or tires you have, they still want to see chains.

Probably has to do with the almost non-existent skill level of California drivers and snow. If chain control is in effect, they have been known to go through parking lots at the ski slopes and ticket the cars without chains, lest you made it in through a side road and didn't chain up.



Yup, what he said. Hope the CHP had their morning Java.

Be sure her car can handle chains............ see owners manual. The trend in many newer cars is to NOT be able because of clearance problems with larger, wider stock wheels.

 

[Bluestream]

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
My wife is a business analyst and has an upcoming work assignment in California. She's going to drive her Audi and plans on skiing while out there. She's leaving on Monday.
It's my understanding California can require snow chains in certain areas when weather conditions or upcoming weather conditions persist. Her Audi has 245/40/18's on it.
Are snow chains easily found in Cali where needed? I cant get any from Amazon in time or locally.


Interesting...In over 50 years of Canadian winter driving I have never seen chains on a car or truck. Often seen on tractors that have snow blowers for private lane way use only. Never on a road, and in fact I bet they are illegal to use here...

Edit: Just checked and chains are illegal, guess that why I have never seen them

 

[Chris142]

And to add you cannot return chains. Exchange only. So don't buy them expecting to return them if you didn't need them.

 

[OneEyeJack]

Try to figure out if they fit and how to get them on and off before being stuck putting them on in bad weather at the side of the road somewhere. For some cars it's a real pain. Put together a kit with the chains that includes a carrying bag, a blanket, gloves, flares, reflectors, flashlight and any tools you might need including trash bags for when you take them off. The CHP is serious when they say not chains no go.

 

[Ken2]

1. See what the car maker allows. There are alternative devices permitted. AutoSock and Spikes-Spiders are a couple.
https://www.google.com/search?q=tire+chain+alternatives&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000651021

2. Does your wife know how to put them on? She either needs to practice doing it, with a dry groundsheet to kneel on, good gloves, flashlight, or pay someone at the chain-up site and know how to instruct them in the correct way.

The alternative devices are permitted in California unless it is so terrible that nothing but chains will do.
http://www.autosock.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/CHPTraction.pdf

I recently drove through a "chains required except AWD" section on I-90 in Washington State. The road wasn't that bad, but with the density of the traffic, I was glad the guy next to me had chains. It is a good thing that the chain instructions for the most popular brands are printed on plastic...lots of folks had the instruction sheet out in the chain-up area. The WSP was checking the eastbound cars--first time any of us had seen that.

 

[JimPghPA]

Any Napa auto parts can order chains for you. They do not stock them at the stores, but they usually can get them for your tire size the next day. There are two types of chains. The more aggressive chain has a cross bar welded onto every link. Standard chains do not have the cross bars. The more aggressive with the cross bar are a little to bulky to run them on any road that does not have snow.

Also be sure to get (order at the same time) a second set of the rubber tensioners. I always use two sets of the rubber tensioners so that the chains are not slack enough to flap around.

 

[chrisri]

It only takes one chain installation in snow to get fully converted to dedicated winter tyres. Your wife has zero chance of mounting them if she ever need to.

 

[raytseng]

Originally Posted By: CKN
They can be found at Pep Boys and other automotive supply stores. The CHP (California Hwy Patrol) can be quite picky with chain control. Sometimes it doesn't matter what kind of vehicle or power train (4WD) or tires you have, they still want to see chains.

Probably has to do with the almost non-existent skill level of California drivers and snow. If chain control is in effect, they have been known to go through parking lots at the ski slopes and ticket the cars without chains, lest you made it in through a side road and didn't chain up.



Not CHP, caltrans. I will speak based on tahoe knowledge.
They use the CHP just if they need help do a traffic break when they are putting up controls.
This is not just because they like to have fun with CA drivers. If you spin out, then the whole road is closed and takes a lot of time to get a tow truck up to open things up. The reason for it is 80 and 50 are part of the national highway defense system so they are mandated by that designation to take measures to ensure these roads are not going to be closed.

If the russkies attack, (Red Dawn) we need these roads open to move our troops to save those high school students.

Chains easily found (if you are travelling when stores are open), but just check the weather and road conditions before you go. You are better off knowing and practicing how to put them on before you go. But if you're not going to practice, and this is a 1-time thing, the availability of chains actually better the closer you get to the mountain foothills-so you can just make the on-the-spot decision say in sacramento that you need to make a stop somewhere get chains. They will have Highway Displays telling you if chains are going to be required on the drive up.

Of course, this is all dependent if it's ever going to snow again in tahoe

.

Check weather for tahoe, check road conditions, if there is no forecast of any snow for the length of the just go up.
If there is a forecast for snow, get chains.


Bring cash. If you do not know how to put on chains or cannot figure out how to do it, and it's dumping, there are chain installers who can help you (for pay). The prices are steep though, it will be around $45 on, $35 off. It is a set price and organized by caltrans so you don't need to price shop. They are working with a permit.

 

[raytseng]

As far as chain choice,

If this is a 1-time thing and you're never going to need chains again, just get the cheap ladder style cable-chain.

If you think you're actually going to keep and use these more often, what you really want to look for are chains that are easiest to put on or off. Look for the ones with don't need to move the car, self-tensioning self-adjusting.

 

[raytseng]

Originally Posted By: CKN
They can be found at Pep Boys and other automotive supply stores. The CHP (California Hwy Patrol) can be quite picky with chain control. Sometimes it doesn't matter what kind of vehicle or power train (4WD) or tires you have, they still want to see chains.


As far as the vehicles.
The way the law is written if you're AWD/4WD with "snow" tires(meaning M+S stamp by CA's definition but that's a different story) you must also carry chains even though the conditions allow you to drive without them.

In practice, the way the check goes for vehicles is if you're driving a "real" body-on-frame vehicle and you flash them a 4 with your fingers, then they wave you through.

If you're driving a vehicle that's a unibody, like your "awd" mitsubishi evo rally car with tuner stickers on it, or even your luxo bmw x5 with 10 different electronic traction control settings, they will stop and ask to see if you also have chains.

Some of this is dependent on if the conditions are getting worse or if they are just barely requiring the chain controls

 

[UG_Passat]

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
My wife is a business analyst and has an upcoming work assignment in California. She's going to drive her Audi and plans on skiing while out there. She's leaving on Monday.
It's my understanding California can require snow chains in certain areas when weather conditions or upcoming weather conditions persist. Her Audi has 245/40/18's on it.
Are snow chains easily found in Cali where needed? I cant get any from Amazon in time or locally.


Your wife's Audi cannot use more affordable chains/cables up front, due to the 5-link suspension design. Chains/cables go in the rear.

(unless you have Spikes Spider or Thule K-Summit)

 

[eljefino]

Plans on skiing... see if the ski area has a charter shuttle bus to below the chain zone?

 

[expat]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Plans on skiing... see if the ski area has a charter shuttle bus to below the chain zone?


+100

Putting chains on, and taking them off is no fun.

Having one come loose and Flail you car is also a bummer.

 

[raytseng]

meh, ski bus doesn't always fit your schedule. If it does, more power to you.

If it comes to that you are better off renting a 4wd SUV from a car rental place or even like from a carshare like zipcar/citycarsharewhere they specifically have cars "for tahoe" and you know exactly the car you're going to get.


But it still comes down to where's the snow. Come on already, It's been 3years of drought.

 

[totegoat]

Depending on her route, other states besides Ca have chain requirements.
Probably be OK on I8 or I10.

 

[y_p_w]

Late to the show but here goes for completeness....

I recently drove to Reno from the Bay Area along some of the most heavily traveled roads subject to chain controls (I-80 and US-50 in the Lake Tahoe area). At least around here, almost every Wal-Mart will have a selection of chains around winter time, but those will likely be gone by March. In areas approaching where there MIGHT BE chain controls, drug stores and supermarkets might have chains or at least cables. There will be no problem finding chains, although they can get pricey if you get close to the chain control areas and find you need to turn back and the closest chain seller is a gas station or roadside sporting goods store. They will often sell chains at a steep premium.

I went shopping at a Wal-Mart in Reno, and there was absolutely no lack of chains there. They had many sizes and types.

As for the tire/wheel size, many recommend a "type S" clearance, which some thinner linked chains will meet.

Now the main roads tend to be plowed. There was absolutely no need for chains when we drove through mountain passes in California and Nevada. There might have been some ice patches, but they weren't too bad. I've encountered light active snow and it wasn't enough for chain conditions. I've also seen chain conditions that weren't lifted even though the roads were plowed and there wasn't a spot of snow on the ground and barely any slush. So chain conditions are often a matter of some bureaucrat deciding when start/lift chain conditions. I've also been in California R-2 conditions where it was near white out and I saw RWD pickup trucks spinning wheels and a large SUV that plowed into a snowbank. So sometimes the conditions warrant chains.