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Old 11-03-2011, 03:31 PM
 
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I am going from Los Angeles to Bend,OR for Thanksgiving.I know I have to carry chains.
I'm wondering if standard type chains are sufficient or if I need the "diamond" type.
The car is front wheel drive.
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Old 11-03-2011, 03:54 PM
 
Location: The beautiful Rogue Valley, Oregon
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First read the owner's manual for your car - it may tell you you can't put chains on the car (a regrettably frequent occurrence these days) or what kind of chains will fit.
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Old 11-03-2011, 04:10 PM
 
Location: Just outside of Portland
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I would think standard (cable) chains would be fine most of the time.

What route are you planning to take?
That may make a difference.

For instance, up to Portland and east to Bend on 26 (or to Salem and going east on 20) will be lots different than driving north on the eastern side of the Cascades.
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Old 11-03-2011, 04:59 PM
 
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Default RE: What route

I'm going up 5 and fork off to 97 through Klamath Falls and on into Bend.
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Old 11-03-2011, 06:15 PM
 
Location: Just outside of Portland
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Maybe some of the posters on this forum that actually live on the east side and Bend can give you more definative answers than me.

I'm in Portland, and while I have made the drive from Portland to Bend many times having to use cable chains (just over the pass, not the whole way) or just driving on studded tires with absolutely no problem, my actual knowledge of the roads and weather patterns south of Bend is pretty marginal.

My guess is that if you have good tires, common sense, your car is in good winter condition, you have some kind of basic cold weather survival kit and cable chains just in case, you probably will have
no problems at all. You probably won't even need the chains.


I'm not a local of those parts, but I can say with the above, you will be able to handle almost anything that gets thrown your way weatherwise and if it's bad enough to make you doubt things, stay put in a town until you know it's OK.

And,,,,Thank You for thinking ahead and being prepared!
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Old 11-03-2011, 08:50 PM
 
Location: Eastern Oregon
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I've used cable and regular chains, and prefer the cable if you can get away with them. Generally the bigger chains are mostly for trucks, but I could be wrong. They even make cables that are super-easy to put on. Quite honestly, that's the biggest issue for me. If it's snowing outside, and I'm on a highway or interstate, the last thing I want to be doing is messing around with chains, so the faster and easier, the better. Make sure you practice and read the directions before you may actually need them!

Do you have a "Les Schwab" tire store there? Les Schwab > Home They'd be able to answer any questions, and they used to have a buy back program for chains in the Spring if you bought them from them in the fall, and didn't use them.

HTH
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Old 11-03-2011, 09:10 PM
 
Location: The beautiful Rogue Valley, Oregon
7,785 posts, read 18,779,066 times
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Bookmark this website:

TripCheck - Road Cams, Road & Weather Conditions in Oregon - ODOT

The weather conditions and cameras are invaluable.

The occasional troublespots in your route will be:

I-5: in a BIG snowstorm, I-5 might require chains and soon as Dunsmuir or Shasta. That's not too common, but it's not unheard of, either.

Hwy 97:
Weed to Dorris, CA - when you leave Weed at I-5 you twist up past Mt Shasta for a bit and there is a 5,000' plus pass at Grass Lake, about halfway to Dorris, that can require chains in it's snowing hard or if it's icy. Once you leave Weed, there is no food or gas, really, until you are in Klamath Falls, and even then it's off the highway a bit.

Dorris to Klamath Falls to Collier (past Chiloquin) - generally not bad. Nice views of the lakes and the Cascade Mountains beyond. If you are driving the stretch on 97 along Upper Klamath Lake at night, be mindful of uncoming traffic - there are head-ons in this two-lane stretch on a regular basis, mostly because people are doing a long-haul and are tired and attention is wandering - or they are speeding. Speed limit in Oregon on this road is 55 (where it isn't marked less). Depending on conditions, you can usually get away with 60, but the usual California 75 is a BIG ticket. Just because the speed limit is 55 doesn't mean that 55 is safe for conditions, either. The best way to deal with snow and ice is to slow WAY down and don;t try quick turns or quick braking.

Collier to Gilchrest - as you get up on the lodgepole pine flat around Chemult, you get into the most likely area for snow, even if it is clear everywhere else. There is a Subway in Chemult, at the Pilot gas station. Your next real chance for gas will be La Pine, between Gilchrist and Sunriver. WATCH OUT for deer and elk. Seriously. This stretch of road is one of the worst in Oregon for deer hits. All of Hwy 97 in Oregon is Open Range, too, which means that cows have right-of-way. Hit one, you'll do serious damage to your car AND you have to pay the rancher.

Gilchrist to Sunriver - twisty in places, a hill here or there and almost all two-lane, but usually pretty well-plowed and not nearly as snowy as the area around Chemult.

Sunriver to Bend - once you crest that last hill and see the cinder cone, you are pretty much home free.

Remember: at night or on a cold day, even a stretch of road with no snow can be icy. Watch out for shaded areas and bridges, as they are the most likely places for icy patches.
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Old 11-03-2011, 09:58 PM
 
Location: Myrtle Creek, Oregon
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If you have front wheel drive, you can go almost everywhere with all season radial tires and good tread. Driving long distances on chains is torture, and chances are one of the cross links will break, so take something along that will cut the broken cross link before it beats a hole in your car's fender.

I carry chains, but I think the last time I mounted a set was 1977. If you don't have good tires, you may need to rely on them, but mostly you carry chains because ODOT says you have to.
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Old 11-04-2011, 08:42 AM
 
Location: the Beaver State
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The good news is that unless it is actually snowing, 97 at least from Klamath Falls north is well plowed. Even then, just wait an hour or two and you'll be good. I've been behind snow plows many times on that road and have never actually had to chain up, although I would still carry them.
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Old 11-04-2011, 04:14 PM
 
758 posts, read 2,367,003 times
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I would think cable chains would be fine. Do carry winter survival gear (a bit of food, water, warm clothes, gloves) just in case, and maybe something to kneel on in case you do have to chain up. The eastern side is colder and the snow isn't as slippery as the west side (Portland and environs) where the temps are right at freezing. THAT is a slippery mess. We use cinders on the road for traction instead of sand (what landscapers would call lava rock).
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