90YJ SNow-Driving

i think that with either of them, you can't go over 20mph. i have studded snows on my 93 YJ and it's practically unstoppable.

MudPuppy76 proclaimed:

A good set of cable chains properly tightened will allow over 20mph with considerably less jaw rattling than normal chains. Not that it is particularly a good idea to be doing much over 20 if the road is bad enough to need chains on a 4x4. Only thing I hate about studs is that you can't quickly pop them in when you need them, then remove them on the dry stuff.

well, studs are noisier to be sure, but then, i only run them in the winter months. this year in upstate NY was pretty stupid idea (no snow, WTF?) but in the summer i run BFG Mud-Terrains, and they're a bit noisier than the studs.

any particular reason you wouldn't want to run studs on dry pavement? keep in mind i'm not familiar with driving out west, if that makes a difference.

see, that i didn't know. well, in that case, i would think that you'd have to figure out cables or chains having a higher profile to give you a better bite when you put them on.

definitely on all four tires (if you put them on the front with oversize tires you will have to adjust the steering stops, or the leaf spring will rip your chains right off)

Cables have a lower profile to the tire, will clear fenderwells better. They can be run at higher speeds, but they are not as agressive in deep snow/mud. Chains are much more agressive, are much bumpier to ride on, and have clearnace issues in the fenderwells.

Part time 4wd like used on Jeep Wrangler wants to see all 4 tires the same diameter to avoid extra stress on transfer case. While cables won't really affect that, the chains are likely to translate to a larger tire diameter. In snow deep enough to require chains, that is pretty much irrelevant.

Tires are probably more important than chains. Wide tires do not do as well as tall narrow tires. ie for the same brand and tread, a 9.50x31 beats a 10.50 x31 and both beat a 11.50 x32 The narrow tread tends to dig down further, lets the tread bite into something solid.

But as soon as you get out of the deep snow, everthing changes. I do not run my big lug MT's in the winter. Most of my winter driving is on packed, plowed, or slushy roads. The big lugs just slide, an agressive AT tire is MUCH better. My turning point on that was when I was on a slushy road, the light turned red, I locked the brakes, slid all the way through the intersection and stopped at the crosswalk on the FAR side. New tires the same week.

I'd suggest that good tires, 4wd, and some sane driv> looking for advice, when driving on snow, on pavement,,,mnt.-passes > ect.

MudPuppy76 proclaimed:

Depends on the terrain out west. Some states allow a pretty long stud season, others very short. Main reason is that you limit your speed and put nasty wear grooves about a tire wide in the highway that make heavy rain "interesting".

I've had pretty good luck with the silica filled studless low temp tires being darned near as good as studs...with cable chains for those occasions where a smarter person would probably stay indoors.

On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 03:14:37 GMT, "MudPuppy76 " wrote: [...]

Yeah, still waiting! With a new TJ I can't use the 4wd nor can I take the top off. I wish the weather would make up its mind. Right now I'd enjoy some 6"-12" snowfalls to play in, followed by some nice warm sunny weather for open-top cruising :-D. Last winter was fun with my first 4x4 vehicle (an old BroncoII beater).

-D