No Snow Chains on a Yukon??

[jdaviso1]

I have a '04 Yukon 2WD with 265/70-17 tires. The manual states that you can not put snow chains on these tires. What are you suppose to do when snow chains or 4WD are required? Has anyone put chains on these tires anyway?

 

Thanks,

 

John

[larry derouin]

I have a '04 Yukon 2WD with 265/70-17 tires. The manual states that you can not put snow chains on these tires. What are you suppose to do when snow chains or 4WD are required?    Has anyone put chains on these tires anyway?

 

Thanks,

 

John

 

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the reason for no chains with that tire size is CLEARANCE between the tire, chain, and the body of the vehicle. With a 70 series tire the usual consumer rated "Chains" will "BALLOON" excessively causing damage to your vehicle, and quite possibly causing you to have an accident, or in the event of a catastropic failure, someone else getting an accident due to your chain flying off and hitting their vehicle.

 

If they call for chains or 4wd, I stay home. There are enough idiots out there with 2wd that don't know how to drive in the snow, much less letting all the soccer moms in their wannabe 4wd SUV's going to pick up slurpees at the 7-11, when any one with an ounce of common sense would stay in and enjoy all the action on the road from the comfort of a LAZY BOY, and a roaring fire in the fireplace.. Or I go out and drive nurses and Nat'l Guard to work, Much prefer the nurses.

 

Larry

[JayMan]

Actually, around here the idiots in snow/ice all drive 4WD's: they think they can go anywhere and drive like maniacs. Most of the 2WD folks are sensible and also run studded snow tires in winter.

 

Can't you "minus size" for winter? That is, a P265 75 R16 has the same OD as the P265 70R17. There are a lot more winter tire choices for the 16 inch tire.

 

The only way you could run chains would be to go much smaller OD, say P245 65 R16, and you would then have to recalibrate your speedo.

[mcreyaufmiller]

J, you live in CA, when will you ever need smow chains?

[jdaviso1]

J, you live in CA, when will you ever need smow chains?

 

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I needed them last weekend when I was in Mammoth and they got 2' of snow. I do a lot of snowboarding, so I typically drive in snow storms. I didn't buy a 4x4 Yukon because I've never had a problem getting around with a 2WD and chains.

[gnutruk]

" "I have a '04 Yukon 2WD with 265/70-17 tires. The manual states that you can not put snow chains on these tires. What are you suppose to do when snow chains or 4WD are required? Has anyone put chains on these tires anyway?" "

 

I have 265/75R 16's om my 4x4 '02 i/2 ton truck, and it's the same thing. Manual says not to use. And this time it's not just GM covering their a--. It does appear that if you use traditional link chains you will get that "baloon" effect that larry derouin mentioned, above, and then it's "shredded fender" time.

 

There may be, however, some of those cable-type chains that MIGHT work. That style of "chain" does fit snugger, and also tends to baloon outward less.

 

The real solution? Get another set of rims for winter use only (I think most of the oem 16" GM truck rims will fit you vehicle), and then, just to be sure, mount a set of 245/80's on them.

 

NOT AN IDEAL SOLUTION, because generally we want to go larger, and at the same time narrower, for snow tires, in order so that there will continue to be good undercarriage clearance, while also having as "narrow" a front-of-tire profile as possible, the better to slice through deep snow. Wide and shallow is probably the worst way to go, since that DECREASES the pound-per-square-inch factor while simultaneously increasing the frontal-area resistance factor. You are MUCH more likely to go into a skid on ice or highly compacted snow with wider, low-profile tires.

 

But we can't go as high and narrow as we would like precisely because of the tire-to-fender clearance issue. GM simply didn't design the wheel openings for adequate clearance. I mean, I can understand that GM wouldn't bother taking into account people who go up in tire size WAY beyond the largest stock size. But it is indeed unfortunate that the GM designers didn't see to it that the rear fender openings on their trucks, for all of their own STOCK tire sizes, could accept tire chains.

 

Anyhow, 245's, whether x75 aspect ratio or x80, should allow you to use conventional (interlocked link) chains. A bummer that you have to drive all the way up from San Diego on dinky tires like that, but there you are.

 

A peeve: I despise those cable (woven wire) type chains. Those things are almost useless. Also, they seem to have been carefully designed so they will break after three or four uses. For years I lived up at Lake Tahoe when I was working as a snow surveyor, and every late winter and spring, as the big snow piles by the side of the road melted, you would see literally scores of those d--- cable chains discarded there. I think what happened is, WHEN, NOT IF, they broke while being used, people just threw them away afterward in disgust. Too bad the cable couldn't be re-used, because a scrap scavenger would have a bonanza. It's true that cheap link chains will break too. Well, cheap is cheap. But good quality ones will last three or more seasons of heavy use.

 

Still, all we usually want to do is satisfy the Highway Patrol. HUGE fine in Calif. if caught in a mandatory chain zone without them. Unwise from a safety and liability standpoint, too, even if you do have four-wheel drive. So for best clearance, cable chains are probably the surest way to go. If you go to Mammoth a lot, be prepared to buy two times a year.

 

This post is getting kinda' long, so I'm going to continue below.

 

gnutruk

[gnutruk]

Actually, around here the idiots in snow/ice all drive 4WD's: they think they can go anywhere and drive like maniacs. Most of the 2WD folks are sensible and also run studded snow tires in winter.

 

Can't you "minus size" for winter? That is, a P265 75 R16 has the same OD as the P265 70R17. There are a lot more winter tire choices for the 16 inch tire.

 

The only way you could run chains would be to go much smaller OD, say P245 65 R16, and you would then have to recalibrate your speedo.

 

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JayMan: I think 245/80's on 16" will work on jdaviso1's Yukon. I checked it out for my 4x4 '02 1/2 ton, and I think the rear wheel well openings are the same as for the Yukon. With 2wd, though, he might ride lower and thus be closer to the fender. And certainly, with 17" rims the compatibility problems are sure to be seriously compounded.

 

" "Actually, around here the idiots in snow/ice all drive 4WD's: they think they can go anywhere and drive like maniacs." "

 

Man o' man is that ever true here in Calif., too. The 4x'ers are the scariest of all (excepting me and a few other older, experienced drivers, naturally). When behind the wheel of their first 4x4 they drive like they're in Bakersfield on a warm August Saturday night.

 

My favorite 4x4 story, which I first heard from Jim Collins, a mountaineering friend of mine who was also, for many years, the California Highway Patrol Officer stationed out of June Lake (which is also on the East Side of the Sierra about 15 miles north of Mammoth).

 

Every late fall or early winter he had to go help get stupid, young 4x'ers out of some forsaken hole where they got themselves stuck, usually when they drove too far in someplace on a hunt of glory when deer season first opened up. Sometimes, when a storm was coming in, there was nothing to do but leave the truck (or whatever) stuck there, sometimes all winter, since it would quickly become too dangerous for the tow truck, etc.

 

Anyhow, Jim formulated his "Iron Law" of what four wheel drive is good for. What you do, he said, is you go as far as you can in two wheel drive, then you put it in four wheel in order to get the h--- out of there.

 

This guy was an extremely experienced mountaineer and patrol officer (and as decent a law enforcement officer as you would ever want to know). Thirty-two years on the force, and he had seen it all many times (and sometimes, too many times). He consistently said the same thing you alluded to: twenty-something males with their first 4x4 truck are the worst combination in snow and ice there is.

 

gnutruk

[JayMan]

"Anyhow, Jim formulated his "Iron Law" of what four wheel drive is good for. What you do, he said, is you go as far as you can in two wheel drive, then you put it in four wheel in order to get the h--- out of there. "

 

Gnutruk, I couldn't agree more!

 

Good tip on the 245/80-16. I'm not sure why the truck manufactureres are in this huge race to "bigger is better" tires. First of all, the selection is seriously limited. Second, decent snow or studded tires are almost impossible to find.

 

If it's a rotor clearance issue, the 16 inch wheels on my 2000 had barely 1/4 inch for the rotor/caliper, then fine. Otherwise it's for show.

 

The last year I had my truck, I went back to P245 tires and it was the BEST thing I could have done. The truck rode a bit better, seemed to handle a bit better, and I had WAY more choices for tires, especially snow and studded. Since winter here can last from November until March, I run the studs.

 

After the dealer recalibrated for the smaller OD, I thought the MPG would suffer due to the 4.10 gears and higher RPM. No difference on the highway, around 1-2 MPG MORE in town. Go figure.

[USA1Fan]

After the dealer recalibrated for the smaller OD, I thought the MPG would suffer due to the 4.10 gears and higher RPM. No difference on the highway, around 1-2 MPG MORE in town. Go figure.

 

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I've heard of that happening to others too. It seems that the truck is able to hold a higher gear more often in the (usually) lower speed zones in towns, thanks to the lower gear ratio provided by the smaller tires.

 

Did you guys see the footage on the Weather Channel from Washington of all the cars, trucks, and SUVs sliding around on the road up there earlier this week? They had one scene that showed an older model Ford Explorer pushing a small car down the street. There's also free video of all that up on their web page right now too.

 

Safe travelling to all you folks in areas that are getting wintry weather. (None of that here in the mountains of western NC yet, and MAN!, do I miss it! Gonna head back toward Chicago when this tour's over, if I can manage it.)

[Roger]

Normally for low clearance vehicles they recommend the CABLE kind of snow chains. There is a big difference between CHAINS and CABLES. Go to your local pep boys and try them out in the parking lot.

[racer]

I have a '04 Yukon 2WD with 265/70-17 tires. The manual states that you can not put snow chains on these tires. What are you suppose to do when snow chains or 4WD are required?    Has anyone put chains on these tires anyway?

 

Thanks,

 

John

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

check out this website it's down in your area

http://snowchains.tripod.com/TIRECHAINS/index.html

[jdaviso1]

I have a '04 Yukon 2WD with 265/70-17 tires. The manual states that you can not put snow chains on these tires. What are you suppose to do when snow chains or 4WD are required?    Has anyone put chains on these tires anyway?

 

Thanks,

 

John

 

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I bought a set of SCC Z LT cables. They meet the SAE class S clearance requirements for vehicles with limited clearances. They work great on my Yukon!

 

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

 

-- John

[Raymond Lowe]

My 96 K1500 has the 265/75R-16's. The manual says no chains also but I do use them. And these are heavy commercial V-Bar chains with cam-locks, not wimpy cables.

 

You can only use them in certain situations; as in no excessive loads in the vehicle which significantly compresses the suspension. The chains have to be pre-fit and any excessive side rail links cut off. You only use them in the deep stuff to get out of a bind. Speed and distance are limited. And the most important; you work all the slack out of the chains and suck them tight into the tire with the cam-locks so there is no "ballooning" effect. This requires that you drive onto the chains.

[slaterx2]

ummm. are y'all retreads? buy some tires alreay. jeez.

[99-2door]

I think on the yukons and Tahoes they say no tire chains because the rear fenders are in the passenger compartment.