If you want to skip the reading, THESE are the tire chains I ultimately purchased after lots and lots of research – and I love them.

What Do Tire Chains Do?

Improves Traction

Tire chains dig into the ice or snow providing a better grip between the tire and whatever road surface you’re driving on.

Prevents Slipping and Sliding

By preventing the excessive wheel spin which causes loss of traction, tire chains prevent your vehicle from sliding around the road.

Better Handling

Tire chains also improve the vehicle’s ability to steer, brake and accelerate which will drastically improve your sense of control.

Tire chains provide that necessary grip when your regular rubber tires just aren’t enought. And I didn’t know what a tire chain was until I moved way up here. Now it’s something I won’t leave home without in the winter.

Wondering Which Tire Chains to Get?

There are several different types of chains you can get. Here we’ll see the difference between CHAINS vs. CABLES. Here’s a brief summary of the main differences and the chains I ultimately purchased.

Tire chains can be more difficult to install since they are bulky and heavy, but they’re durable, last longer and provide a heavier duty function. Generally speaking, chains are preferred over cables.

Cables are less bulky, cheaper, quicker to install and are less likely to cause damage should one break while in use. They provide more grip than just your tire would, but may not be enough for certain conditions.

Each type serves their own purpose – we have cables for the smaller AWD car and I have chains for the bigger 4WD truck. I much prefer the chains.

Cams vs No Cams

What Do Cams Do?

Cams are a feature you can choose to buy your tire chains with or without. Cams offer added tension so your chains stay tight. If you can afford to get chains with cams (usually they’re a little more expensive) I would recommend them.

After I went off the road due to ice (see 911 post) I bought my chains from TireChain.com and they were great. Shipped super fast, they were packaged great and exactly as advertised.