Chains around town? (Denver, Woodland Park: home, school, cost) - Colorado Springs - Colorado (CO) - City-Data Forum

cduboncd · 01-13-2011, 02:09 PM

After watching that video of the 20 car pile up I was wondering- does anyone use chains around town? Or is that overkill? I'm moving to the Springs in a couple weeks from San Diego and not used to winter driving at all. I got chains for both our cars and I'm thinking if the roads are icy why not use them just to be safe. I'm sure pile ups like that are not such a common occurrence and most times you can get away w/out chains but I dunno. Thoughts?

Terytee · 01-13-2011, 03:55 PM

The video of the 20 car incident was kinda' entertaining,

but that was a very unusual thing. It's not something that occurs everytime it snows.

I see chains on school buses, trucks, and snowplows, but it's not something I see on regular vehicles. I've mostly seen chains on heavier duty vehicles. Most folks go with studded snow tires or good all-season tires for the snow. Course, 4WD, AWD or even front wheel drive can all help.

I routinely put my truck into 4WD when it's very snowy and icy and I don't typically have troubles at all. But I also have new, clunky, all-season tires and I drive more slowly in bad weather....some don't.

Chains do work! But they're a pain! I think you may find that taking the chains off and putting them back on often, might get to be a headache very quickly. You'd never want to keep chains or cables on the tires while on dry road.

Since you already have the chains and you mentioned you don't have exprience driving in snow, you may as well use them. Keep you and your family safe and get through this winter. Get some experience and then maybe think about what you might do for next year.

You may eventually decide to just get good studded tires or just good snow tires.....not all snow tires are studded.

And here's the other part....keep in mind. The snowy weather comes in, but usually doesn't stick around long. We got snow this past Sunday night (9 Jan), into Monday morning. The roads were icy and it was COLD! Temps in the low, low digits....man....cold! Today....Thursday (13 Jan)....its 50 and sunny. Didn't need a jacket at all when I drove to lunch...in fact, I had the window down!

So try the chains and see what you think, but don't let the video thang get to ya too much. That was a freak thing.....snowplows can't be eveywhere in the city at the same time and I don't think it would have done much for the ice underneath the snow.

lalahartma · 01-13-2011, 06:00 PM

The mail carriers use chains regularly.

Carrera32 · 01-13-2011, 06:56 PM

There may be times where the chains will come in handy. But, most of the time you'll be fine with good all season radials (I think you mentioned in another thread that you have a 4X4). Suggest you think about good snow tires, possibly with studs. If you can't get where you want to go with that combination, the conditions are probably so bad that you should probably not be out there (particularly as a newbie in driving in winter conditions). Your best friend is common sense. You need to understand that ice is your biggest enemy. If the air temp is at or below freezing, and the street surface looks wet, it's ice. Be aware and anticipate. Slow down, and recognize that it's going to take you much longer to stop. ABS will help. And don't be intimidated by the idiots out there who drive too fast for the conditions or whose egos get the better of them. Some of that was apparent in the 20 car pileup you saw on YouTube. Others underestimated the conditions and just got caught up in it. As has been pointed out in other threads, conditions change rapidly here. It only takes a small change in temp to turn what was otherwise a reasonably OK surface into an ice rink. That's apparently what happened on that hill.

I also moved from San Diego to Colorado many years ago and was greeted in Denver by a foot of snow (my first experience with it). I learned quickly and so will you. Just exercise some common sense and you'll be fine.

PokerMunkee · 01-14-2011, 08:18 AM

No one uses chains in town. Hell, I never see chains up in Teller county (Woodland Park/Divide). Most people up here have 4x4/AWD and experience. The commercial vehicles (school busses, etc) do have automatic chains (the chains lower down and spin in a circle below the tire). You will see a TON of Subarus, it's the official car of Colorado. They have an excellent AWD system, so consider one if you want/need a new ride.

Drive slow, keep distance between the person in front of you, and be easy on the brakes and go pedal. Tires are a huge factor. If you want to be the safest possible, invest in an extra set of wheels with some Blizzak winter tires mounted to them. This will cost you around $1000 with the extra set of wheels, but could pay for themselves if they avoid you an accident or save your life!

Plus they extend the life of your all-season tires, so in the end it's not a huge cost.

Matt314159 · 01-14-2011, 02:18 PM

Carry the chains in your car 'just in case', but don't expect to ever use them. You're much better off with a set of dedicated winter tires (NOT all season!) on their own rims, and a bit of common sense. I'd recommend avoiding studded tires, as your grip on bare pavement will be reduced - and the roads around here clear very quickly so bare pavement is what you'll typically face.

Don't fall for the 4WD myth...it helps you accelerate and if you're a really good/experienced driver, can help you recover from a spin, but it doesn't help you steer or brake in slippery conditions. Far and away the most important feature on a car are its tires, that's what makes all the difference in ANY conditions.

cduboncd · 01-14-2011, 03:24 PM

Thanks for the advice all. I guess I'm not gunna worry about chains around town unless the conditions are horrible and I gotta get to work. On our cars we do have good all season tires - on our Volvo we have BFG Traction T/A and on our Expedition 4wd we have Continental Cross Contacts so that should be alright for now I hope. Then maybe when I can I'll look into getting some real snow tires.

PokerMunkee · 01-14-2011, 06:01 PM

You'll be fine with those vehicles and tires. Find an open parking lot after a good snow and go have some fun. You'll learn a lot about how your car handles in it. You will find that it really doesn't snow a lot and when it does, it doesn't stay around long.

Marcy1210 · 01-14-2011, 11:00 PM

Another thing to consider with chains is, you'll have to manually put them on and take them off. There will be times when back roads are snow packed and icy, but the main roads will have been plowed, and if it's sunny, will have melted. So, if you put on chains on your icy back roads, within minutes, you could be on plowed, clear, dry roads and you'll have to pull over and remove your chains. Not worth the time and effort. Your cars and tires will be fine, even in the worst snows. But, usually, when it's really bad, everything's closed anyway.

Bob from down south · 01-15-2011, 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcy1210

Another thing to consider with chains is, you'll have to manually put them on and take them off. There will be times when back roads are snow packed and icy, but the main roads will have been plowed, and if it's sunny, will have melted. So, if you put on chains on your icy back roads, within minutes, you could be on plowed, clear, dry roads and you'll have to pull over and remove your chains. Not worth the time and effort. Your cars and tires will be fine, even in the worst snows. But, usually, when it's really bad, everything's closed anyway.

"Not worth the time and effort"...unless, of course, you slide into a ditch before you ever get to the plowed main road.

Chaining up is certainly inconvenient...but then again, so is having to take your car to the body shop and leave it or a week to repair the damage from sliding into something.

When it's really bad...a 12"+ snow where the plows are spending all their time on the main arteries, non-studded snow tires are not necessarily fine at all. I'm perplexed by the laziness exhibited in this city when it snows...the police declare snow reporting and overdose on coffee and donuts in their cars, refusing to write reports even while they sit for an hour or more at an accident scene, and the citizenry plays bumper cars because they haven't got the common sense to stay off the roads or to chain up and move very slowly if they have to be there.

I just stay home and watch the mayhem with some hot cocoa...