I just had one of those "ta da!" moments... I go trail riding here and there... mostly public road though obviously. I was just looking at at tire chains online... said they were excellent for mud and snow. I cant afford new mud tires but I can afford tire chains. After looking at them..and what I need and have.... they seem like a good idea. I need street tires for 95% of my rovers use... but I desperately need mud tires for my trail riding.... why not just slap chains on when I hit the trails???? Am I missing something?

 

Tire chains will work, but they are not a great option. In the spring I would sometimes have to use them on my 1-ton dump truck in the mountains because it would get too muddy to go without (until i put on some Interco tires).

1st... they are a PITA!!! To put them on is a pain, and once you're stuck its even worse

2nd... they will work well in mud but over rocks and whatnot you will tear them up.

3rd... even if they are adjusted properly using them hard will chew up your tire, because they will slip some no matter what.

thats my first hand experience, using them front and rear of a 4wd vehicle in the mud and rocks. There are probably other reasons as well.

 

Great for ice on the roads, but other than that you likely don't want to be using them! Besides everything mentioned already, they are usually not legal to use on roads unless snow covered, and putting them on in the dirt/mud really is not fun! We tried them for the heck of it on my friend's Land Cruiser a few years back. They worked fine in the dirt, but I really don't think they added much in the mud. Then, the part he didn't think about, was how to keep the mud out of the car when we took them off

 

If you drive to fast they may break and cause body damage.

 

They will work if you are only using them once in a great while and you don't drive too hard. Cable style chains will be all but worthless in the mud, so if you get chains get true chains. You want that bulk sticking up from the tire surface to act as a paddle.

As I mentioned I used them in the mud when needed and they did work. I ran a natural building stone business for a few years and sometimes I would have to travel some really nasty logging roads in the spring that were nothing but 6in of mud. They work, but they will seriously chew the edges of your tires up. Good chains are going to run you well over $100 for all four. Which isn't all that bad, but you would be much better off to invest that money toward some good ATs.

I do think the idea of carrying some of the emergency strap on chains isn't a bad idea that most wheelers don't do. They are cheap and would help you crawl out in a pinch, especially if you happen to be alone.