How to put on snow chains for safer winter driving

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Ethan Smith
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Video how to put on snow chains on tires

If “Jingle Bells” has taught us anything, it’s that dashing through the snow seems like a damn good time. Laughing all the way and making spirits bright, all while “Miss Fanny Bright” rides shotgun? Sounds pretty dope. Dashing off the side of the road in an uncontrolled skid, on the other hand… Much less dope.

Of course that song was written in 1857, and chances are whatever you’re driving has something a bit more substantial than “one horse” under the hood, in which case you’re going to want to learn how to put on snow chains before taking off o’er the fields. Here’s how to go about that.

Man putting on snow chains.
Gloves are a good idea. Hat choice is a more personal matter. Image used with permission by copyright holder

How to find the right size snow chains

Proper fitment is the first and arguably most important step for choosing and using snow chains. Get a set that’s too small, and you won’t be able to get them on the tire. Go too big, and you won’t be able to snug them down properly, which is both unsafe and can tear up your tires and wheels in short order.

The good news here is that finding the right size snow chains for your car is also the easiest part of the process. All you need to know is your tire size.

If you already know what size rubber your car is sporting, you’re ready to shop. If you’re not sure, just walk out your front door and take a look at the sidewall of your tires.

The number you’re looking for is typically written in big letters, separated by slashes, dashes, or spaces. Some are smaller and less obvious than others, but it should look something like the “255/30ZR20” in the image below:

Car sidewall detail for snow chains.
Everything you need to find the right size chains is written on the side of your tires. Image used with permission by copyright holder

A word on types of snow chains

Generally speaking, snow chains are pretty low-tech and have been around forever, and all work in more or less the same way by stretching lengths of chain over the tread of your tires to better “bite” into the snow and ice underneath. With that being said, some are simpler and/or more crude than others.

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The two main factors you’ll want to consider are (a) ease of installation and (b) how much you care about your wheels.

As far as installation goes, as we’ll detail below, most chains require you to lay them out, drive over them, then secure them to your tires. Others use a “quick-fit” system that can be installed start to finish on a stationary vehicle. As you’ll read, neither option is particularly difficult with a little practice, but just know some snow chains go on easier, faster, and with fewer steps than other.

In terms of your wheels, the important thing to note is that some chains lay across the surface of your wheels, while others only touch the rubber surfaces of your tires. If you’re a stickler for keeping your wheels nick, scratch, and ding free, you’ll likely want to shop around for a set that doesn’t stretch across the surface of your rims, or at least uses a protective/soft surface at any contact points on your wheel.

Elastic mounted snow chains on a car.
If your chains require a rat’s nest of bungee cords to stay tight, you’ve probably got the wrong size. Tire with Chains

How to put on snow chains

Right. Down to business.

As stated above, some snow chains use unique hardware to attach and tighten, but 99% of chains all share the same basic attachment procedure. Here’s how to go about that.

Step 1: The first thing you want to do is find somewhere safe and out of the way to park while you install your chains. Make sure your wheels are straight and that you set the parking brake before getting started. Safety first and all that.

Step 2: Next, take out your snow chains and determine which side of the chains hold all the fastening/tensioning mechanisms. Some use hooks, some use cams, and some use ratcheting systems, but they all use something. Whatever your chains use, you want to ensure the side with the fastening hardware goes on the outside of the tire.

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Step 3: Once you’ve got heads or tails of which side is which, it’s time to drape the chains over your tires. Which tires your chains go on depends on whether your vehicle is front, rear, or all-wheel drive. Snow chains always go on the driven wheels, so front-wheel drive cars get chains on the front, rear-wheel on the rear, etc.

If you’re driving an all-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive vehicle, typically your chains will go on the front tires to boost traction when steering, but always double-check your owner’s manual because those folks probably know your car better than we do.

Right. Start out by draping your chains over your tires, taking care to center them as much as possible with the middle of your tire tread. What we want here is for the bottom inch or two of your chains to sit on the ground, tucked directly in front of the tire, while the remaining slack hangs back toward the rear of the vehicle.

Step 4: Next, hop back in your car, release the e-brake, and drive about two feet straight forward to get both open ends of the chains around to the rear of the tire. Set the e-brake again, hop back out, and connect the open ends of the chains on both the inside and outside of your tires.

Step 5: Once the chains are connected, it’s time to tension them down. The goal here, regardless of how your chains tighten, is to get your snow chains snug enough that they won’t squirm around as you drive. Tighten your chains down until you can’t wiggle them around on your tread by hand.

Step 6: Once everything feels nice and secure, get back in your vehicle and drive 2-3 car lengths straight ahead. Once again, park and set your e-brake, then get out and recheck the tension of your snow chains.

See also  How To Smoke Wild Boar Meat There are many different opinions on how to properly smoke meat. This is what has worked in my experience, but there are certainly other successful methods. Experiment and have fun.Working muscles (shoulders, ribs and legs) benefit most from long slow cooking methods like smoking or braising.The basic issues to control when smoking meat are:1. Maintain a low cooking temperature2. Maximize moisture retention in the meat.Low Cooking TemperatureI keep my cooking temperature around 200°F - 225°F. The goal is to slowly raise the internal temperature of the meat to 180°F and then hold it there for about an hour. “Slow and low” is the mantra. Cooking time will be about 1.5 – 2 hours per pound of meat, but can vary based on thickness and whether or not it’s bone-in or bone-out.Many recipes will tell you to pull the meat when it reaches an internal temperature of 190°F or even 200°F. That advice works because it takes about an hour for a modest size piece of meat to increase from 180°F to 190°F. I would not recommend going much higher than that for very long because you begin to lose moisture in the form of steam.Lower cooking temperatures of 180°F - 200°F can be used to great success, but the cooking time will be much longer. Cooking at temperatures above 250°F is not recommended because the meat cooks too quickly causing increased moisture loss and does not allow ample time for the collagen to break down (it makes for dry, tough meat).Why 180°F internal temperature?Meat contains muscle fibers and connective tissue (collagen). It is the collagen that makes the working cuts “tough and chewy” when not properly cooked. Collagen does not break down into liquid gelatin until it reaches 180°F. You must break down that collagen by getting the internal temperature to at least 180°F and stay there for about 1 hour. Once you’ve broken down the collagen you will have fork tender meat.Moisture RetentionMoisture retention is especially important when smoking wild game meats because they are typically much leaner than other meats.Brining   – Moisture can be added to the meat prior to cooking by brining it. Moisture will still cook out of your meat, but since you’re starting with more moisture the end result will be juicier. A basic brine recipe is 1 cup of table salt per 1 gallon of water. Subtle flavorings can be infused into the meat by including sugar (1/2 cup per 1 gallon of water), garlic cloves, onions, bay leaves, peppercorns, herbs, or just about anything else. However, the primary purpose of brining is to increase the moisture content of the meat prior to cooking. Stir the salt into the water until it dissolves. For large quantities it may be necessary to heat the water to make the salt dissolve. (If you do heat the brine it must be cooled off again prior to adding the meat.) Add the meat and allow it soak for several hours in the refrigerator. For shoulders and legs (2 - 6 lb pieces) soaking overnight is just right. When the soak is finished remove the meat from the brine, briefly rinse it under cold water and then pat dry. Add your rub/spices and you’re ready to cook.Injecting   – Some inject their meat with liquid and spices prior to cooking. Like brining, this increases the moisture content prior to cooking so there will be more moisture left in the meat when it is finished.Basting   – Basting is done by periodically coating the meat with liquid to add moisture and flavor as it cooks. Just about any liquid will do as long as it is low in sugar. Sugar burns quickly so only add glazes and BBQ sauces (which are loaded with sugar) during the last 20 minutes of cooking and only long enough from them to firm up.Barding   – Covering the meat with fatty bacon or other fats while it cooks is another technique. This is typically used on very lean meats that lack sufficient natural fat so the bacon acts as a substitute. This is a great way to add fat and moisture during the cooking process, but I also find that you end up tasting bacon more than the meat.Wrapping   – Once the meat has smoked for a few hours and absorbed a sufficient quantity of smoke flavor the meat can be tightly wrapped in foil. This wrap will reduce moisture evaporation into the open air and keep the juices close to the meat (acting more like a braise than BBQ). It’s also a great way to capture the juices for use in a sauce. If you want a crispy exterior (a “bark”) then don’t use a foil wrap and cook a little longer. If you want some insurance on getting a tender, moist final product then use the wrap.Smoke and WoodWood Choice   – Just about any hardwood will do. Oak and hickory are some of the most popular and most commonly available. Mesquite, maple and fruitwoods can add a sweetness to the meat, but don’t overdo it. Herb woods like basil, rosemary and thyme can be used in small quantities to add a deeper flavor profile. Avoid softwoods (evergreen trees) because the high resin levels will give your meat an unpleasant taste.Smoke Ring   – The “smoke ring” is a reddish/pink coloration just under the surface of the meat. It’s formed by a chemical reaction between the nitrogen dioxide in the smoke and the myoglobin in meat (which creates nitric acid and colors the meat). A good smoke ring is prized in BBQ because it usually indicates that the meat was successfully cooked slowly at a low temperature. The smoke ring gradually forms until the meat (just under the surface) reaches 140°F, then the formation stops. The thickness of your smoke ring depends on how long it takes for the meat to reach this temperature. Knowing how a smoke ring forms gives us two practical applications:1. To maximize your smoke ring take the meat directly from the refrigerator to the cooker. Conventional wisdom instructs you to bring the meat to room temperature before cooking, but starting straight from a cooler temperature will give your meat more time to develop a smoke ring.2. Since smoke ring formation stops at 140°F you only need to worry about generating smoke for the first 4 hours of cooking (roughly). After that the meat will not be absorbing any more smoke flavor or coloring. After 4 hours, just concentrate on keeping a steady low temperature until the meat is done.The Oven OptionNot everyone is blessed with the time, space, and/or patience to play with a smoker. Take heart - you can still get good results with an oven.Heat your oven to 200°F - 225°F. Wrap the meat in foil. Put it in the oven until done as described above. About 1.5 - 2 hours per pound.If you want smoke flavor use your smoker/BBQ pit for the first 1 - 2 hours to infuse some smoke flavor into the meat. Then finish the cooking in the oven. If you don't have a smoker or don't want to bother with it - skip this step. It will still be good. Written by Chris Hughes Filed under cooking,  cooking tips,  learn,  recipe,  smoke,  wild boar Tweet

Driving this short distance allows your chains to “settle” and distribute any remaining slack. Give both chains a good tug to make sure they’re still safely secured to your tires. If either one has loosened up, tighten them down again, then repeat this step. Once you’ve confirmed your chains are nice and tight, you’re all done and it’s time to hit the road.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

How to drive with snow chains

Once your chains are secured, proceed to drive as you normally would in snowy or icy conditions. If you missed our guide on how to drive in the snow, now is the time to check it out.

Apart from that, there are two main things to keep in mind when driving with snow chains on your car.

First, you should never drive over 25mph with jewelry on your tires, no matter how well you’ve snugged them down. Snow chains create an imbalance on your driven wheels, which can lead to high-speed wobbles or outright failure at faster speeds. Both of which are a serious safety issue, so don’t risk it.

Second, once you get through the snowy portion of your drive, you should take your snow chains back off immediately. On dry pavement, snow chains damage the roads, aggressively wear down your tires, and can even be worn down to the point of failure after a few short miles. We know taking them on and off is a pain (especially when it’s painfully cold outside), but keeping them on just isn’t worth the risk or expense.

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Ethan Smith
Ethan Smith is a seasoned marine veteran, professional blogger, witty and edgy writer, and an avid hunter. He spent a great deal of his childhood years around the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in Arizona. Watching active hunters practise their craft initiated him into the world of hunting and rubrics of outdoor life. He also honed his writing skills by sharing his outdoor experiences with fellow schoolmates through their high school’s magazine. Further along the way, the US Marine Corps got wind of his excellent combination of skills and sought to put them into good use by employing him as a combat correspondent. He now shares his income from this prestigious job with his wife and one kid. Read more >>

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