Tire cables return policy + practicing using them

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Recently came back from the Sierra Nevada where there's always the chance of getting stuck in the snow. Normally I would take my Subaru (and I have SCC Super-Z6 cabless just in case they ask), but it was being repaired so we took my wife's FWD car. I was kind of worried that I might buy some chains but never get a chance to use them or not be able to return them.

We left late afternoon, but the night before there were snow dumps on the main roads to Tahoe and Reno and the road conditions said chain controls were set up. I figured we'd stop at WM to pick up some cables. However, they were ladder type for almost $40, and they had signs there saying all tire chain sales were final. I also checked the road conditions, and the chain conditions were lifted. Someone saw us and asked where we were going and said there was no way we would need them. Beside, I don't particularly like ladder chains and I was hoping to find something like a diagonal-style that would be easier to install myself. So we took a chance and made it to Tahoe without an issue.

Still - I felt more comfortable having chains just in case and ended up going to the AutoZone in South Lake Tahoe and asked what kind of diagonal cables they had for my wife's car's tire size. The only brand they had in stock was Quality Chain, and the ones I ended up getting were Lightning diagonal cables for $60. I figured they would be easier to install than ladder types, and I wouldn't need to pay a chain monkey to install them. They don't have circular keyhole style connectors and coils like the Super-Z6, but nubs fasteners and rollers. I don't know how to describe the fasteners, but some are tube-shaped, while others are more traditional keyhole style. The adjusters are spider-type. I also asked and they said I could return them unused at any AutoZone under their standard return policy. Supermarkets didn't have the kind of chains I wanted, and I wouldn't have been able to return the chains to the independent tire stores or gas stations. Turns out I didn't need them, and I'm sort of debating whether or not to return them.

In the meantime I was at home, got my Subaru back, and got bored enough to try installing my older, unused cables. I bought them years ago and never used them, and it's way too late to return them. It wasn't too bad getting them on. I checked out a video of how to put them on and I think I did it close enough. The hard part was getting them on evenly. The adjusters were the big rubber band type with plastic hooks. Also - it was daytime with clear weather, and I'm thinking it's going to be a bigger pain if there's snow and it's dark and I'm feeling for stuff. I have a headlamp though, so maybe that would help.

So of course I wasn't going to drive with them over my driveway, so I took them off without moving my car. I'm not quite sure how big a PITA it is to remove them after driving on them. The instructions say take off the adjusters, remove all the connectors, lay them flat, and drive over them. Seems easy enough, but I would think there's the potential to drag them in the wheel well.

So it went better than the time I bought some ladder type cables and followed the instructions in my garage. They said to lay them on top and try to connect on the bottom. Everyone else says to lay them flat and drive over them so that there's better access to the cables. Also - anyone ever drive with chains? I've kind of lucked out since I drove my Subaru, but I've seen drivers going 40 on chains and even one that was thrown off of a car. I'm just kind of worried that it's going to destroy my wife's car (I'll probably never get to the point where I need them for my Subaru).
 
i am a sf bay area to tahoe regular and i put on chains all the time.
Here are a few points
-In general, you will get faster putting them on.
-you should have a kit of stuff to assist you with putting them on, including like a leatherman or other multitool, gloves, towels, even a plastic bag/dropcloth to keep your knees dry, headlamp like you said. etc etc.

-you get what you pay for. If you see yourself only using chains 1 time, the cheap chains are fine. If you see yourself using chains multiple times, upgrading to around the $100 level gets you chains that don't require you to move the car, and are auto-centering auto-leveling. If you bump up too far though to like the $400 chains, this is a bit of an overkill because you'll learn to put on cchains faster by the point it becomes worth it. If you see yourself using chains frequently enough, learn to put on $200 chains, and get another set when they wear out.

-if you don't want to learn to put on chains, just rent an SUV with AWD/4WD instead, or jump into a rideshare or ski bus transportation.
 
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Like I said I have my Subaru. Theoretically one is required to carry chains. I've had all-season tires with decent tread and been in conditions where I floated like I was piloting a boat. I suppose it is always possible to get into a situation where I'm just not getting out without chains. Now my wife's Civic is another matter. The main roads were clear for the entire trip, but some of the dirt parking lots we parked in were mud pits with lots of melting snow. I also found my way on this terraced parking garage to an uncovered area where the snow was about a foot deep and hadn't been cleared. I guess that would approximate a fresh dump of unplowed snow. Once I stopped, the Civic just kept on spinning its tires. I then managed to back up a bit through my previous tracks and then went forward again with momentum. I've learned that one of the worst things to do in low traction conditions is lose momentum, since it's hard to get it back - especially uphill.

Around Tahoe and Reno there seemed to be no shortage of stuff to help with snow. I saw all sorts of powders or other things to help melt snow. I don't think they have government agencies using road salt, but I did see bags calcium chloride at WM along with kitty litter. I suppose the one thing that might have helped is a shovel if I'm absolutely stuck and don't have chains on. At the very least it would be tough to install chains in deep snow.

Also - I typically stuff nitrile exam gloves, a headlamp, gardening kneepads, etc into the bag. The Super-Z6 cables came with a rather pathetic excuse for an ice scraper, but it does have hooks that they say can be used to help with cable installation.

Also - the ones I have supposedly don't require readjustment, but I had a heck of a time trying to get it set up right. It didn't seem to be all that even, although I'm not sure it's critical. I bought my Super-Z6 cables from Amazon and they cost less than $50 (free shipping) a few years ago. Now they go for about $80.
 
I’m somewhat experienced in snow chains having installed them on school buses for many years. Because of that I can put them on vehicles in a snap. One thing I learned, when you buy them, put them on at the store and don’t just wait until you really need them before putting them on for the first time. I once bought a set from Pep Boys. They had a sign that they don’t accept returns. Oh well. I went out to the parking lot and tried putting them on. Wouldn’t fit. I went in and explained and the manager said sorry, policy. I then loudly explained my history with chains and told him that if he could get them on my vehicle, I would come back in and apologize to all. So he went out to my truck and tried and tried and agreed that they were sized wrong and I got my refund.

I saw these devices up at Big Bear (Local ski area in Southern Calif) a few years ago. I guess if I lived in a area that I had to deal with snow/ice, I might consider them.
http://www.spikes-spiders.com/
 
Originally Posted By: powayroger
I’m somewhat experienced in snow chains having installed them on school buses for many years. Because of that I can put them on vehicles in a snap. One thing I learned, when you buy them, put them on at the store and don’t just wait until you really need them before putting them on for the first time. I once bought a set from Pep Boys. They had a sign that they don’t accept returns. Oh well. I went out to the parking lot and tried putting them on. Wouldn’t fit. I went in and explained and the manager said sorry, policy. I then loudly explained my history with chains and told him that if he could get them on my vehicle, I would come back in and apologize to all. So he went out to my truck and tried and tried and agreed that they were sized wrong and I got my refund.

I saw these devices up at Big Bear (Local ski area in Southern Calif) a few years ago. I guess if I lived in a area that I had to deal with snow/ice, I might consider them.
http://www.spikes-spiders.com/


SPikes Spiders require a hub to be attached to the car beforehand. They are not that bad, but very pricey.

If you lived in an area that you had to deal with snow/ice.... you should be getting winter tires first.
 
So I was looking at them, figured I'd probably never use them again (probably take my Subaru), and returned them. Even though I bought them around Lake Tahoe, a local AutoZone store had no problem taking them back for a refund.
 
I figure that the local auto parts stores are used to that. However, Wal-Mart stores typically post signs saying that all chain sales are final. I guess they're tire of people buying them "just in case" and returning them if they don't get used. Someone mentioned Pep Boys, and their policy seems to be that they can't be returned if they've been installed, which was the same policy as AutoZone. O'Reilly is clear that there are no returns under any circumstances for tire chains. I mentioned I test-installed some chains I bought years ago (from Amazon) so it was well past the return window. When I did that, there were noticeable marks from where the chains had rubbed against pavement and I never even drove on them.
 
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