Snow Chains on VZ Ute

[Sammy]

interested to know if anyone has had any experience with snow chains on the VZ Ute, i know the manual says you need to put the chaser rim size wheel on it to have it all fit but i am keen to find out what people have done to allow the use of snow chains and also if there are any brands etc which you have had good results with ... i haven't ever owned snow chains but i am thinking this might be the yr to buy some.

 

[naf33n]

i think i remember it sayin they cant be used with fe2 suspesion either but i may be wrong

 

[Troy711]

ive always (stupidly) wondered how funny it would be to see a car doing burnouts/donuts with snow chains on. ahh the sparks!

 

[Sammy]

well the ute manual doesn't mention anything about FE2 i don't think just the tyre size is too big.

i think there would be some good carnage from burnouts with chains

 

[Troy711]

just like how homer drove around with a piano on the roof of the car with snow chains on

'whoo hoo, look at that pavement fly!'

 

[Sammy]

hehehe ....

 

[cold_carve]

www.konig.it check out the chain sizing guide for starters
ill try not to go on for too long about this.
ive got a set of the T2 magics that pretension when u drive away.... i get greasies when i rock up, have chains fitted and drive away when some people are still tryin to get the first chain on (205-65-R15)
**ok well main thing to consider with chains is that u have the clearence to fit them, that is from any part of the vehicle - suspension, brake lines and the wheel archs. another thing the lower the rear end, the harder it can be to your arms round the back of the wheel to connect the inside hoop, IMHO if u got expencive wheels get yaself lined up with the best set of chains availible to u - less likely to damage the rim surface and diamond pattern chain over ladder as u get better traction than the outdated ladder pattern chain
when u recieve them have a few test fits- **doesnt mean driving them on dry roads as u will stuff them** keep in mind wont prepair u for when ya have to fit them for use, be sure to be ready for cold air, slopping snow from gaurds, mud and debris-cause u can get caught out n have to fit outside a prepaired fitting bay
few other things i like to highlight high vis clothing and use of hazard lights are good tools when caught out in blizzard conditions on the side of the road,
well hope these pointers may make your journey a bit more safer this winter!
cheers, Bryan

 

[Sammy]

thanks for the info cold_carve, im thinking i will trial fit some 16 inch mags i have, and see how they clear the guards etc then decided what to do.

also debating getting a set of 16x7 chaser rims and use them as i wont be too stressed if they get damaged.

I am going to bullocks flat and leaving the car there so hopefully chains wont be needed, however if it dumps in Jindabyne or on the way up to bullocks then i will need chains.

I've been looking on ebay and theres plenty of diamond pattern chains available for reasonable prices ... but i may end up hiring chains due to the small use i will need them for. (only skiing and staying in Perisher for 3 days)

 

[cold_carve]

Gday Sammy, yeah if ya not goin to be hittin the snow like on a regular basis... just hiring them will do u fine... u will find on the way that goin to likes of perisher the roadside hire shops should stock a decent set of diamond pattern chains konig often the case - having the pretension feature and only 3 points to connect and ratchet to loop the tension cord around. but hey if u still would like to buy trading post ebay and snowtalk related forums (eg www.ski.com.au) all advertise chains for sale
if your really jumpy about rims yeah set of 15's would do the job fine...
**note to all dont drive over 50km/h to avoid damage to your vehicle, avoid sudden acceleration and braking, dont change gears when its not needed and be gentil with the clutch compression lockup/wheelspin is easy to do. dont brake while cornering - brake when aproaching the corner select a lower gear if possible. quiet easy stuff if ya take ya time and can be quite enjoyable once ya adjust to it just turn up the radio a tad to drown out the thudding.
as for the tyre be sure to keep in mind if goin to a different diametre tyre it will throw out ya speedo so be aware of that and make sure sufficiant tread depth is apparent on the tyre, not only is it important for your saftey, but the police love to patrol ski routes - so much so i have been breathtested at the exit of the day carpark at falls creek so yeah on another note avoid the drink when planin on driving on alpine roads, for any road infact!
Anyway safe driving, cheers Bryan :wave:

 

[Sammy]

im not so much jumpy about the wheels, but the manual says with the 235/45/17 mags you can't fit chains in .... but i'll see how i go with the wheel tests im going to do on the weekend .... im also going to a local show which apparently has snow chains so i can get an idea of what price im in for and all that sorta stuff.